by Lauren A. Lamb, ELCA News Service*
Dr. Alan F. Harre, president, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso,
Ind., announced at a news conference this week that he will
retire June 30, 2008. He also introduced a $200 million campaign
to support the university. Harre said he is committed to
ensuring the success of the fundraising campaign, which is
scheduled to end in 2009 during the university's celebration of
its 150 years. Valparaiso University is an independent Lutheran
institution.
"I consider the campaign to be an appropriate capstone to my
career," Harre said. "In addition to providing immediate benefits
to the campus community, it will help ensure that my successor
inherits a thriving institution poised for new levels of
greatness." The fundraising campaign will focus on building
Valparaiso's endowment and three capital projects, including
completion of a 202,000-square-foot student union now under
construction, Harre said. The campaign follows a $75 million
campaign, publicly launched in April 2000 and concluded in 2002,
which raised more than $121 million in gifts. The new campaign
will fund improvements to recreational and athletic facilities
and improvements to instructional space for the College of
Engineering, while building an endowment to support faculty and
provide scholarships for students.
Harre, an ordained minister of the Lutheran Church-Missouri
Synod, was named president of Valparaiso University in 1988.
David J. Hessler, chair of the university's board of directors,
said a search committee is being appointed to coordinate
selection of the university's 18th president. The committee is
expected to recommend its choice to the board no later than
spring 2008, according to Hessler.
*Lauren A. Lamb is a senior public relations and speech
communication major at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
