Spring Receptions Update - Our admission counselors are beginning to work on the receptions they will be running in a variety of cities where they determined such an event will help them meet their enrollment goals. So far we are looking at the cities below (in parentheses are the admission counselors who are setting up the events). The only one with a date set so far is Saint Louis; most receptions will be hosted in March:
- Saint Louis (Scott Henne) on February 11 at Jan & Brent Duesenberg's home
- Peoria, IL; Cleveland; Grand Rapids (Katie McKoon)
- Indianapolis (Nicole Graham)
- Aurora, IL; Milwaukee; Minneapolis (BJ Engelhardt)
- Fort Wayne (Tasha Henry)
- South Bend (Jennifer Smolnicky)
- Lake County, IN (Brad Rosenwinkel)
- Chicago (Bob Zigmund)
The Hesse Scholarship - The Hesse Learning Resource and Assessment Center is dedicated to former College of Engineering Dean Herman Hesse and his wife Helen. Dean Hesse served as dean from 1949 until 1965, then guided the transformation of a newly re-instituted program into a fully accredited college. Upon their deaths, the couple left more than $3 million to benefit engineering students, including Hesse Scholars serving as tutors. Their love for students will live on through the scholarships and services provided as part of the Center's program. The Hesse Scholarship is a unique program in which the students earn their scholarship by tutoring other engineering students through the Hesse Center. This is a renewable scholarship available to incoming first-year students. Students can apply via the College of Engineering website at http://www.valpo.edu/engineering/coe/hesse/scholarship.php.
College Goal Sunday - If you live in Indiana, please "talk up" College Goal Sunday, a one-day event where families will receive free line-by-line help completing the FAFSA. The assistance comes from financial aid specialists from the area's colleges. This year's event will be Sunday, February 11, at 2:00pm at 35 sites in 29 Indiana communities. Interested in seeing if there is a College Goal Sunday in your state? Visit the national website at http://collegegoalsundayusa.org/.
Amtrak for Students - We heard about a program Amtrak is offering that may be of interest to some. It is called "Campus Visit" and is touted as a program to help college bound visitors find their way. This could be helpful for students who might find taking a train to visit Valpo's campus appealing, although we've not yet met any VU visitors who've used this service. The closest Amtrak stations to Valparaiso are located in Michigan City, Hammond, and Dyer - all of which are 30-45 minutes away, presenting a challenge getting to the campus (we'll do our best to help the families). Check it out at http://www.campusvisit.com/amtrak/.
Numbers Update - As of Monday, January 22, VU has received 3,393 applications for admission and 66 tuition/housing deposits (same number as last year at this time). Now is the time students are beginning to make their college choices!
FAFSA Deadline - Students need to know that the deadline for FAFSAs in Indiana is March 1 and this same date is a priority consideration deadline for all other states. The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance and is a government form found at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. We have sent numerous messages about this to our admitted students but ask that you also spread the word whenever possible.