I’m a proud alum of Valparaiso University, as I’ve mentioned often in my columns and on my radio shows.
After graduating in 1992, the chairman of the communication department had me wait four years, and then invited me to teach journalism and public speaking courses as an adjunct part-time faculty member, which I continued to do for 24 years until the pandemic changed the faculty strategy and emphasized greater use of full-time and tenured faculty.
I still read The Torch, the campus weekly newspaper, faithfully. As a student, I served as governance editor my sophomore year and then news editor my junior year and lastly, as managing editor my senior year.
The Dec. 9, 2024 issue of The Torch, final publication before the holiday break, shared the alarming news of another tuition increase for VU students. Valparaiso University (having earned many headlines in the past year for the controversial sale of campus museum artwork) isn’t alone in the national trend of skyrocketing tuition at colleges and universities across the country.
There doesn’t seem to be any “ceiling” in sight, and it makes the future a frightening financial behemoth to face head-on.
Torch News Editor Lily Weissmann’s front page story shared the following announcement: “On Nov. 7, President José D. Padilla released a letter announcing the tuition and fees for Valparaiso University’s 2025-2026 school year.
“From the 2024-25 school year of tuition costing $46,940 and general fees of $1,510, the 2025-26 tuition is set to be $48,820 and general fees $1,570 — a notable tuition increase of approximately $2,000 (4%).
“This isn’t a new trend for the university, as tuition increases have been implemented annually for several years. Over the past ten years, from 2014, the rate of tuition increase for Valpo has risen 34.03%. This rate extends beyond the state of Indiana’s average increase rate of 5.96% and the national average of 28.12%.
“The increases don’t come as a surprise to the university, as budgetary struggles surround the campus with a $9 million annual operating deficit after the 42% reduction in enrollment over the last decade (read ‘New Valpo initiatives ‘uplift’ enrollment goals’ on Valpotorch.com for more information). The less enrollment, the higher the cost.
“Even though the letter explains that ‘these changes are essential to ensuring that we can continue delivering the high-quality education, resources and support that Valparaiso University is known for,’ existing students struggle to see the focus of the university.”
The story doesn’t include mention that there is also the added expense per year for “room and board,” which can vary based on student year status and on and off-campus housing. According to the university website, currently “average cost of room and board at Valparaiso University is $13,180 per year. The typical room charge is $8,116 and the typical board charge is $5,064 for the academic year.”
With all charges added, and not including books and other general associated costs, the student price to attend Valparaiso University is more than $64,000.
According to the latest state of Indiana income and employment statistics, “the median annual salary for a single-person household in Indiana is $36,508. The average income per person in Indiana is $37,178.”
Valparaiso University, like other private colleges and universities, has historically been very generous with grants and incentives to worthy students.
When I was deciding which college or university to select, I was undecided between state school Purdue University in West Lafayette, where my older brother Dave graduated from in 1984, or private school Valparaiso University.
I selected Valparaiso University, although later in my career, starting in 1999, in an ironic twist of fate, I joined the Purdue North Central/Northwest faculty as an adjunct instructor in journalism and communication and have remained on staff for the past 25 years.
For the record, my total tuition, fees, and room and board costs for my freshman year at Valparaiso University were around $10,000 in 1988. By my senior year graduation in 1992, the same annual costs had risen to $16,000 per year.
There was one other small private Catholic college I had also considered for a brief moment while doing campus visits my junior year in high school in 1987. St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer was where my older sister Pam attended and graduated from in 1988. It was a little too small for my preferences, with student enrollment around 1,000 compared to Valparaiso University’s 4,000 campus enrollment.
Founded in 1889, St. Joseph’s College suspended academic operations in 2017, reporting approximately 1,100 students enrolled at the closing.
The college administration announced in Spring 2017 that $100 million was needed immediately to continue operating given a $27 million debt, and reported needs of more than $35 million in infrastructure improvements, and an additional $38 million which would be required according to the administration “to re-engineer” the college. The college president Robert Pastoor resigned in May 2017 and it was announced the administration was resigning the college’s accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission.
Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. He can be reached at Philip.M.Potempa@powershealth.org.
