“Elmhurst is a place where everyone belongs”: The Leader’s Day with President Troy VanAken

Photo by Ian Murphy

“I am prepared for it to be a pretty interesting fall semester,” Elmhurst University’s President Troy VanAken told The Leader Editorial Board on a day out to lunch on Aug. 14.

Sitting down at a local pizzeria in the heart of Downtown Elmhurst, Pazzi Di Pizza, VanAken reflected on his tenure at EU in a full-circle moment. The restaurant itself holds a deeper meaning for him as the first place he celebrated his appointment to the position of University President. Fitting, in a way, that he should end up back there with The Leader staff discussing what is going to be his 8th year at EU.

As the 2024-2025 school year begins in the middle of what’s shaping up to be a chaotic election season, VanAken admitted that not much changes in how he runs the University leading up to November—besides the occasional plea to students to exercise their right to vote.

VanAken emphasized, though, that as much as he encourages students to engage politically however they see fit, he has plenty of feelings about the importance of staying ‘absolutely neutral’ in his position of power.

“I have an extremely firm belief that my position cannot be at all political,” said VanAken. “I have to be everybody’s president. You guys are here to learn. You’re exposed to a lot of ideas. And if you feel that somebody in my position is one way or another, that might make you feel like you don’t belong, right?”

Belonging and inclusion, according to VanAken, is the focal point for this fall term. This subject is something he’s passionate about, as he spoke at length about its importance in this first half of the year.

“Elmhurst is a place where everyone belongs,” he expressed, “And if I ever got the notion that someone was made to feel like they don’t belong, I would be very upset.”

VanAken said he hopes EU will be able to continue to reach out and help students who are experiencing difficulties in their lives whether physically, emotionally, or financially. He said he specifically hopes to focus on keeping track of first year students and making sure they have a comfortable adjustment period in the first few months of class.

In terms of other concrete goals for the year ahead, VanAken plans to continue expanding international recruitment, fill a few Vice Presidential vacancies, and continue doing the brunt of the fundraising work for projects around campus such as the science facilities and scholarship endowments.

“The board expects me to lead in raising ten million dollars this year for the institution,” VanAken explained, “Because, even though I know you guys pay a lot, you can’t afford to pay what it really takes to run this place.”

Beyond that, VanAken expressed that he’s excited to become more involved on campus, getting to know student organizations and the Bluejays behind them.

“I can’t be at everything, but I really want to make students feel like I’m there for them. If I’m in town, I’m gonna try to go to concerts and plays and other events,” said VanAken, “But in addition, we try to make sure we get to one of every sporting event and maybe more if need be. I would be lying if I didn’t say I was a little bit of a football guy myself.”

When asked about the sport he’s most excited for this upcoming year, though, he had a resounding answer; “Women’s wrestling!”

The newly formed team is about to start their first year here at EU, with only one home match and a series of other invitationals, which is why VanAken says he’s going to try hard to be ‘a little extra supportive.’

In addition, VanAken gave a special shout-out to the men’s and women’s basketball teams, who both made the playoffs last season. “We do have a little bit more of a reputation there, so I’m very interested to see them play.”

The get-together ended with President VanAken imparting a bit of wisdom to first-year students and those who are transferring in.

“Engage on campus, but make sure your academics are your primary focus,” he emphasized. “Know that we’re happy to have you here, that you belong at Elmhurst, and if you ever question that there’s a lot of people here on campus, myself included, who are happy to dispel any concerns you have.”