Valpo names new president

[peter_speckhard]

Jose D. Padilla has been named the new president of Valpo. He has been a VP at DePaul. More info to follow.

[peter_speckhard]

This from a Chicago business profile:

As general counsel for DePaul, the nation’s largest Catholic university, Jose Padilla handles a range of legal issues, from canon law to athletics. His office of nine leads the policy review process at the university. As secretary of the university, Padilla leads a team that manages the business of the university’s board of trustees. Before joining DePaul in 2005, Padilla was an attorney and federal lobbyist at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He also spent 16 years working on federal issues in Washington, D.C. From 1990 to 1993, he was a legislative assistant to the late Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-Texas. He served on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s transition team, leading a committee of lawyers reviewing the Federal Civil Rights Litigation division of the city’s Law Department.

[peter_speckhard]

Dear Family and Friends of Valparaiso University:

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and that you and your families are safe. I am reaching out today with exciting news for our University. As you know, we have been searching for the next President of Valpo for some time. Today, we are happy to announce that José D. Padilla will become the University’s next President. A dynamic innovator, thinker and natural leader, José brings many skills, experiences and accomplishments in higher education which are ideally suited to the University’s needs today and in the future.

José joins Valpo as the culmination of a long and successful career in higher education. Most recently, he served as Vice President, University Counsel and Secretary of the University of Colorado System. Previously he served 15 years in senior leadership roles at DePaul University in Chicago, the most recent as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.

José is widely respected nationally in the higher education field as having superior business acumen and as a man of faith. His broad experiences range from undergraduate student, to graduate student, alumnus, donor, lecturer, administrator, member of the president’s cabinet, and board member. His leadership experiences provide the background to lead the University as it moves forward with the strong desire to increase enrollment and attract a more diverse student body.

We selected José in partnership with a highly reputable search firm, with over 100 candidates considered from a wide variety of backgrounds. José, with his legal experiences as a senior executive both at DePaul and the University of Colorado System, along with his varied background, has the broad leadership skills to lead the University in the 2020s.

José will become President Elect on Jan. 1, 2021. He will work closely with current Interim President Colette Irwin-Knott and become President on or before March 1, 2021.

This is an extremely exciting time for our University, and we’re looking forward to the future. Please join me in welcoming José in his leadership role in our University.

[peter_speckhard]

Dear Valparaiso University Alumni:

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and that you and your families are safe. I am reaching out today with exciting news for our University. As you know, we have been searching for the next President of Valpo for some time. Today, we are happy to announce that José D. Padilla will become the University’s next President. A dynamic innovator, thinker and natural leader, José brings many skills, experiences and accomplishments in higher education which are ideally suited to the University’s needs today and in the future.

José joins Valpo as the culmination of a long and successful career in higher education. Most recently, he served as Vice President, University Counsel and Secretary of the University of Colorado System. Previously he served 15 years in senior leadership roles at DePaul University in Chicago, the most recent as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.

José is widely respected nationally in the higher education field as having superior business acumen and as a man of faith. His broad experiences range from undergraduate student, to graduate student, alumnus, donor, lecturer, administrator, member of the president’s cabinet, and board member. His leadership experiences provide the background to lead the University as it moves forward with the strong desire to increase enrollment and attract a more diverse student body.

We selected José in partnership with a highly reputable search firm, with over 100 candidates considered from a wide variety of backgrounds. José, with his legal experiences as a senior executive both at DePaul and the University of Colorado System, along with his varied background, has the broad leadership skills to lead the University in the 2020s.

José will become President Elect on Jan. 1, 2021. He will work closely with current Interim President Colette Irwin-Knott and become President on or before March 1, 2021.

This is an extremely exciting time for our University, and we’re looking forward to the future. Please join me in welcoming José in his leadership role in our University.

Blessings,

[peter_speckhard]

I get it in the "family and friends" email, but I guess I would have expected to alumni email to at least throw a bone to the word "Lutheran" or "Christian" instead of saying he is widely respected nationally as having superior business acumen and as a man of faith.

[peter_speckhard]

A long but interesting read on the topic of academia.

https://arcdigital.media/yearning-for-academia-8823fc7f992a

[mj4]

I was curious about why he left CU after working there only since July 6th. Could this CU Board of Regents meeting suggest that some were not excited about hiring him at the salary he was hired. There was concern about increasing the salary of the VP position by 30% during a financial crisis, and while laying off other employees. Bloated executive/administrative salaries is a big issue at American universities...well, American corporations generally.

https://cu.new.swagit.com/videos/62681

[Jeremy Loesch]

"Worked on Lori Lightfoot's transition team".  That's hardly a qualification for leadership in Lutheran higher ed.   Unless gun violence on the Valpo campus is not meeting the goals set by the university.  That's my guess as to why he was hired. 

Jeremy

[therevev]

“I am humbled and grateful to be asked to lead Valparaiso University. Its storied past exceptional programs, devoted faculty, motivated students, committed alumni and strong Lutheran Christian ethos all attracted me to this incredible opportunity,” Padilla said in a statement given to the University, “Leading Valpo will allow me to practice my Christian faith in the campus community. This will enable me to join Valpo’s tradition of embracing the intersection of faith and learning.” 

Quoted from an article in the Valpo Torch: http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_68fced8e-34bb-11eb-a6c8-e3d32ee196ce.html

[peter_speckhard]

Here is a video of Dr. Padilla introducing himself to the VU community.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGVlQ_jzsD0&feature=youtu.be

[Dave Benke]

Here is a video of Dr. Padilla introducing himself to the VU community.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGVlQ_jzsD0&feature=youtu.be

Wow - this is an outstanding introduction.  Very direct, humble, personable, knowledgeable and definitely inside the best evangelical and catholic traditions of Valpo, in my opinion. 

Dave Benke