Valparaiso University is leading the charge in developing values-driven leaders ready for Northwest Indiana’s bright future.
As Northwest Indiana’s economy and population grow, so does the opportunity for leaders to shape its future. Across every industry, communities here and beyond need professionals who can lead organizations with not only skill and expertise but also integrity, purpose, and a commitment to doing good. Valparaiso University has been preparing exactly those leaders for more than 150 years, and is now accelerating that work with an expansion to its graduate program offerings.
A focus on developing service-minded leaders is rooted in Valpo’s longstanding history as a Lutheran institution, grounded in its mission to prepare students to lead and serve in church and the world. Its excellence in this area was recognized nationally in 2024, when it was awarded the Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose. Valpo is currently one of only 25 universities in the country with this distinction.
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Building on the University’s mission, Valpo is launching a new online master of organizational leadership (MOL) program starting August 2026. Now accepting applications, this 100% online program further extends Valpo’s values-based education to graduate students nationwide. A master’s degree in organizational leadership supports career advancement in a variety of fields, from nonprofit management and education to public administration, ministry, and more. The MOL degree joins other online academic offerings at Valpo — a master of business administration (MBA), master of healthcare administration (MHA), and doctor of nursing practice (DNP), among others — which are already supporting leadership development in growing industries across the region.
“The new MOL builds on Valpo’s legacy of shaping leaders with purpose, and it’s designed to give working professionals and recent graduates both the flexibility and expert mentorship to grow as leaders in any field,” said Stefanie Heinrich, Ph.D., assistant provost of graduate and online education at Valparaiso University. “It reflects Valpo’s commitment to developing skilled leaders who are grounded in ethics and integrity.”
As industries such as healthcare, social services, education, and business grow across Northwest Indiana, leaders who place a strong focus on people and community have an opportunity to make a significant impact that benefits the region and beyond. Many industries are seeing trends that demonstrate an increasing need for values-based leaders:
- Trust is harder for organizations to earn — and easier to lose. With more access to information than ever before, patients, students, employees, customers, and other stakeholders expect an organization’s actions to match its values, and this starts with ethical decision-making by leaders.
- Transparency is valued. Employees are seeking honest, open communication from leaders in a world where change is constant. And in the era of digital and social media, people want to know more about the organizations they interact with and hear directly from the people leading them.
- People are making values-based decisions. Today’s young professionals want to work for organizations that inspire them and are making a difference in the world — and they want to work for leaders with integrity. They choose which organizations and brands to support based on the values important to them.
- Technology is increasing ethical complexity. Today’s leaders must navigate decisions about artificial intelligence (AI), data privacy, and automation, making a strong ethical and values-based foundation essential for responsible leadership.
Values-based leaders have the vision and skills to inspire teams, drive meaningful work, and create a lasting impact in their communities. At Valpo, graduate programs develop leaders through a high-touch learning environment. Small class sizes connect students directly with faculty members, who bring deep experience and expertise in their fields. Students in both online and in-person programs receive one-on-one mentorship from professors, who often continue to serve as mentors beyond graduation. In the new MOL program, graduate students will have the opportunity to take courses with both leadership scholars at Valpo and visiting leadership experts from different fields.
“Valpo’s professors are incredibly committed to students. They’re readily available — virtually or in person — to help answer questions, provide career guidance and advice, and spend the extra time getting to know their students to help them develop as a whole person,” Heinrich said.
By continuing to expand flexible graduate programs focused on leadership development, Valpo is shaping the leaders who will help build Northwest Indiana’s future and carry the torch for the region’s continued growth. A graduate education at Valpo is about more than just earning a degree — it’s about becoming the kind of leader who makes a meaningful impact in people’s lives and does good in the world.
