Valparaiso University earns Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose
This is the first year this Carnegie Classification has been awarded, and Valparaiso University is one of only 25 universities to have been awarded the classification.
Valparaiso University has earned a Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose, which reflects the university’s core mission to produce students who are strong leaders in their communities and churches.
According to an article on Valparaiso University’s website, Jose Padilla, the president of the university, was quoted as saying of the distinction, “This honor speaks to Valparaiso University’s demonstrated commitment to provide an educational experience that prepares our graduates to lead lives of leadership and service. Our graduates are sought after for their knowledge, character, integrity, and wisdom. That translates into thoughtful, compassionate, and ethical leaders ready to take on the challenges of a complex global world.”
The Carnegie Classification framework aims to help organize and describe colleges and universities in the United States via categorizations that can help group institutions together by similarities. Universal Classifications are based on data collected about various schools, such as their size and types of programs offered. Elective Classifications, like the one Valparaiso University has earned for Leadership for Public Purpose, are applied for by individual schools. They are not awards that are earned, but rather are indicative of documented efforts by schools.
The Carnegie Classifications website describes this particular distinction by saying that “Effective leadership for public purpose transcends functional or instrumental leadership (i.e., personal career or political gain; or narrow business or organization outcomes), in pursuit of collective public good, including justice, equity, diversity, and liberty.” There are 25 recipients of this classification in its inaugural year, including East Carolina University, Miami Dade College, Rice University, University of Cincinnati, United States Naval Academy, and Wartburg College, among others.
Valparaiso University has long held the goal of creating opportunities for its students to become leaders during their time on campus that the students will carry with them as they move on in life. With the support of this new Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose, students who graduate from Valparaiso University will collect and create a portfolio demonstrating their leadership skills and their service experiences from their time at the university.
University provost Eric Johnson Ph.D, who graduated from the university in 1987, said, “Leadership is core to Valpo’s mission. As a Valpo graduate, who has come back to this special place and served as a faculty member, dean, and now provost, I believe that every student has the opportunity to develop and hone their leadership skills. This Carnegie recognition will drive us to develop even more impactful curricular and co-curricular initiatives across the University.”
The Carnegie Certification will help Valparaiso University continue its strategic plan entitled Uplift Valpo: Our Beacon for the Journey Forward, as it will provide a path to continue championing leadership in all aspects of the school’s community.
For more information about Valparaiso University, visit the school’s website.