Valparaiso University’s “Our Valpo, Our Time” comprehensive campaign concluded June 30 with gifts and pledges totaling more than $238 million, surpassing its goal of $200 million. The campaign was co-chaired by University board members Connie Ashline and Don Fites.

President Mark A. Heckler expressed his gratitude for the many gifts from alumni and friends that continue to help build Valpo’s reputation as an outstanding university whose graduates are sought throughout the world for their leadership and professionalism.

“The total funds raised through this campaign, especially during a challenging economic environment, affirms the value our alumni and friends place on a Valpo education,” Heckler said. “Their generosity will benefit students for decades, and will help Valpo advance its strategic plan and vision for the future.”

Fites and Ashline expressed their appreciation for the role the entire Board of Directors played in the successful campaign. Fites noted that “every board member not only contributed to the campaign, but played an active part in soliciting others.”

Valpo’s comprehensive campaign – the largest ever conducted by a Lutheran university – focused on building the institution’s endowment, supporting ongoing operations and funding capital initiatives and was launched in 2004.

More than $83 million went toward four capital projects that are already enhancing student learning, as well as their team and leadership skills. New facilities supported by campaign gifts are:

• Harre Union, an award-winning center of campus social and student life that opened in January and is the largest construction project in the University’s history.

• Kallay-Christopher Hall, which opened in 2005 to support the growth of Valpo’s Department of Geography and Meteorology and included construction of a Doppler radar tower. The project also supported enhancements to learning facilities in adjacent Schnabel Hall, home of the Department of Communication.

• The Football-Intramurals-Tennis initiative, which has expanded recreation opportunities for the campus community and strengthened Valpo’s athletics program through installation of a new field turf playing surface on Brown Field, along with a new scoreboard and lighting, and construction of a tennis complex.

• An addition to the College of Engineering, which will include construction of new laboratories and classroom renovations.

“Harre Union is transforming the Valpo student experience by creating a space that fosters greater conversation and collaboration among students, faculty, staff and community members on a daily basis,” Heckler said. “This new facility provides a warm and welcoming environment for the campus community and guests that is the center of Valpo’s social life while also supporting Valpo’s academic program.”

Another priority of the campaign has been building the University’s endowment, which is the primary source of financial aid and scholarship assistance for students. Donors provided more than $80 million in endowment gifts during “Our Valpo, Our Time.”

“A strong endowment plays a critical role in making Valpo’s education accessible to qualified students regardless of family income,” Heckler said. “These endowment funds also ensure that we have faculty who are excellent teachers and scholars and provide financial support to advance the quality of our academic programs.”

Heckler praised the leadership of President Emeritus Alan Harre, who retired last summer after 20 years as Valpo’s president, in launching “Our Valpo, Our Time.”

“Dr. Harre devoted a great deal of energy to ensuring the success of this comprehensive campaign and the entire Valpo family is grateful for his work,” Heckler said. “I also thank the Office of Institutional Advancement and many members of the Valpo faculty and staff for their efforts in achieving this milestone.”

The successful conclusion of “Our Valpo, Our Time” sets the stage for Valparaiso University to continue its progress under the leadership of President Heckler, who launched a visioning process last fall. That visioning process will chart a course for Valpo to achieve new levels of excellence over the next two decades.

Valpo’s previous campaign, “Three Goals, One Promise,” concluded in 2002 and raised $121 million for a variety of campus initiatives including the Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources, student scholarships and endowed professorships.