President Troy VanAken here to stay

President Troy VanAken announced Thursday that he will remain at Elmhurst College after interviewing at Valparaiso University for the president position. 

“We believe in this institution and are committed to seeing through important initiatives like the name change and sesquicentennial anniversary,” VanAken said in his email. 

Last week, VanAken had interviewed at VU where he was one of the three presidential candidates in the school’s search for a new president. 

VanAken applied to VU 12 years ago, and when he was recruited to the opportunity, it compelled him to learn more about the position. 

The news of him interviewing came as a surprise to the campus community last week. Students like Azulena Acosta said “Yeah, I am so sad I love him. I love him so much I don’t want him to leave.”

VanAken addressed the ambiguities of his position in his email saying, “I truly regret the uncertainty this situation may have caused and can confirm that I am not active in any other searches at this time, nor do I plan to be.”