President, Elmhurst University
By Dee Longfellow
For The Elmhurst Independent
In what was likely a first, Troy D. VanAken, president of Elmhurst University, held what should have been the President’s Community Breakfast in a virtual format. The event is typically held on the first Saturday in March, prior to the Elmhurst St. Patrick’s Day parade.
The program began with the Pledge of Allegiance, led by a series of students.
The EU Chaplain H. Scott Matheny repeated some words attributed to Joseph Cardinal Bernardin in the Invocation: “We are stronger together. Let’s ‘Dream and build a future.’”
The program usually begins with a brief speech given by Elmhurst’s mayor and this year was no exception. VanAken sat down with Mayor Steve Morley to thank him for his years of service to the City, noting this would be his last year, as he has decided not to seek another term.
“You have served 14 years, six as an alderman, eight as mayor,” VanAken noted. “Throughout the pandemic, you rallied the City to support frontline workers and Elmhurst residents.
“On a personal level, from the day Annette and I arrived in town, we felt very comfortable with you, with your family, we felt a real connection. You’ve been an advisor to me both as an institutional representative and just a general member in the community.
“All you have done is very much appreciated.”
Morley returned the sentiment.
“I remember before you even officially started, you gave a speech and you did such a wonderful job,” he said. “At the end, you finished it with ‘always students first’ and here are all these dignitaries, saying, ‘Hey, what about us?’ But the person standing next to me leaned over and said, ‘This guy gets it.’”
Morley was also given a new windbreaker printed with the new Elmhurst University insignia.
“Congratulations on the name change,” Morley said. “It is befitting of a University that has so much to offer. I have noticed a difference in how people approach me to talk about Elmhurst University. We have a strong and historic bond and it’s one I know will continue.”
VanAken reviews an unusual year
The first thing President Troy D. VanAken did in his portion of the program was to greet people across the country, who had tuned in on Zoom. He noted that it was the first time alumni and other dignitaries who live elsewhere in the country and the world could tune in and hear the speech, which is usually delivered live.
“Many thanks to the community as a whole for their partnership and support,” VanAken said. “This past year in particular, the word ‘community’ has never been more meaningful for us. Its definition includes themes of coming together, belonging, safety and well-being, and concern for one another. So much of what we accomplished this past year was possible because we were guided by our strong sense of community on campus and beyond.”
He noted how the world had changed since last year’s President’s address.
“It’s hard to believe it was exactly one year ago today that we held the President’s Community Breakfast and then the Elmhurst St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” he said. “It was right after that when Elmhurst University and many other institutions across the country moved to remote learning.”
VanAken talked about several recently-developed initiatives.
• Bluejays Unite, an effort to keep the campus and students safe upon their return in the fall;
• Community-wide, the University participated in the ElmhurstStaysHome social media and yard sign campaign;
• The Class of 2020 Congratulations Campaign took place for seniors at all local high schools;
• The Memorial Day convoy, during which the campus radio station played all patriotic music;
• Elmhurst Hospital was given housing for the hospital staff, who wanted a safe place to quarantine and protect their families;
• VanAken proudly said 60 nursing students – all seniors — were invited to join the expanded vaccination clinic by DuPage County Health Dept. held at the County Fairgrounds.
• On July 1, after nearly 150 years, the college officially became Elmhurst University.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the commitment of our students, faculty and staff to follow the rules to keep each other safe,” VanAken said.
He went on to say the campus tested 2,803 students from Aug. through Dec. and of those, only 29 were positive. The University ended the fall term with a remarkably low 1% positivity for those tested on campus.
Students, others still want to help
“People were still looking for ways to play a more active role in building a diverse, equitable and inclusive campus,” he said. “When more students wanted to help the cause, a new initiative was launched called ‘Actions Speak Louder Than Words’ and faculty, staff, alumni, trustees are all urged to participate.”
The President’s Scholarship
“The President’s Scholarship for diversity, equity and inclusion was developed to support students who are from historically under-represented groups,” VanAken said. “Participants were asked to create action plans about how they would use their own platform and spheres of influence to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in their own life and the world beyond.”
More than 300 people officially accepted the challenge and many shared their action plans, he said.
“We also met our fundraising challenge of $200,000 for the scholarship,” he added.
Since VanAken’s arrival in 2016, Elmhurst University has been seeing record enrollments in both undergraduate and graduate programs, the addition or expansion of innovative academic programs and record fundraising results, while also achieving a notable increase in student retention and a stable financial foundation on which to build.
Fundraising remains strong
“We have worked to foster a strong culture of giving that has led to historic levels of fundraising,” VanAken said. “We are on track have our biggest fundraising year in our institution’s history.”
“The word is getting out that we were recently ranked 3rd most innovative college or university in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report. We launched a graduate certificate program in innovation and entrepreneurship. We’re especially proud of Elmhurst’s academic partnership with Innovation DuPage, a business incubator serving DuPage County.”
In addition, the Elmhurst University E-celerator, a resource center for students interested in entrepreneurship, has “hit the ground running,” according to VanAken. There is now a Blue Jay Tank pitch competition.
Other renovations
VanAken noted that a relatively quiet campus made it easy to complete several other renovation projects including the following:
1) A digital media lab that will also support E-Sports programming, reflecting a fast-growing area that a lot of students are excited about.
2) Improvements to Faganel Hall including a new basketball court and backboards, new bleachers and flooring, and a system that will serve multiple uses.
3) At Memorial Hall, the University has already secured more than $2 million to add more than 20,000 square-feet to the building, which supports the nursing and allied health-related majors.
4) This summer, a parking expansion project on Walter Street is planned.
5) As the Sesquicentennial countdown begins, there are many events planned, VanAken said, including an “exciting” homecoming and Founder’s Day as well as the historic baseball game, which draws the entire community to campus.
Finally, VanAken urged everyone to mark the date of Dec. 6 on their calendar. He said a “significant” community open house is planned on campus – that date is exactly 150 years since 1871, when Carl Fredrick Franz, who grew up in an orphanage in Germany, stepped off a train with 14 students and started what came to be Elmhurst College – and 150 years later, Elmhurst University!
