Valparaiso University - Geography Program

05/17/2026

Professor Longan, who served as a Marshal for yesterday's commencement ceremony, and two of our Environmental Science and Geography majors appeared in the NWI Times newspaper today. They were taking a selfie while getting lined in the Hilltop Gym before the ceremony.

FREE TO READ: See photos from a milestone day for Valparaiso University graduates as they claimed diplomas.

05/16/2026

Congratulations to all of our Geography and Environmental Science students who graduated today! We can't wait to see what you do with everything that you learned here at Valpo!

04/26/2026

Valpo Geography's GEO321 Urban and Regional Planning field experience in Chicago, 2026

04/26/2026

Field experiences are an integral part of many of Valpo's geography classes. Last Sunday Professor Longan's GEO321 Urban and Regional Planning class explored Chicago via the South Shore and the "L". The course includes a unit on planning in Chicago and the field experience allowed students to see some of the neighborhoods and places they have been learning about. The students visited Pilsen, Chinatown, and Printer's Row, and the Loop with a quick stop at Millennium Park before getting on the train to go home.

04/21/2026

Last Friday's Moellering Academic Panel on Spatial Sciences (MAPS) celebrated the launch of our new Bachelor of Science in Geospatial Science degree and brought students, faculty, alumni, and members of the community together to learn about the state of art in the field from a panel of esteemed experts. Thank you to the Christopher Center Library - Valparaiso University staff who helped to organize the event and who curated a remarkable display of maps from the Moellering Collection. We would also like to thank our panelists for sharing their expertise including: Michael Goodchild, Professor Emeritus, UC Santa Barbara; Marianne Cardwell, Geographic Information Officer, State of Indiana; Stephen Aldrich, Deputy Geographic Information Officer, State of Indiana, Ashley Poling: Program Manager at T-Kartor and VU Alumna; and Gang Shao, Associate Professor of Data Science, Purdue University. Most importantly we are grateful for the generosity of Valpo alum Hal Moellering who made the event possible and who has been a tireless supporter of Geography at Valparaiso University.

04/08/2026

It's Valpo Day! 🤎💛

On this giving day, the Department of Geography, Meteorology, and Environmental Science at VU asks you to kindly consider donating to the the GEO gift fund, the Bart J. Wolf Experiential Learning Fund , or to the MET gift fund.

The GEO Gift Fund supports the purchase of needed equipment to facilitate experiential learning experiences for Valpo's geography and environmental science students. Specifically, these funds help offset the cost of field trips, van up keep, travel to conferences, and additional instrumentation.

If you would like to contribute, please use the link below. Under "Choose a designation" select "Other" and a "Other Designation" box will appear where you can type "GEO gift fund", "Bart Wolf Fund", or "MET gift fund".

https://giveto.valpo.edu/register/ValpoDay2026_Giving?sys:gift:fund=ded3beac-9dd8-a629-6a3e-75cad9219321&sys:gift:appeal=869d6e54-6216-4103-bcdb-0b5ae956d0c3&utm_source=adv&utm_medium=web&utm_content=portal&utm_campaign=valpoday&utm_term=mainbutton

We thank you for your generosity and dedication to building the next generation of VU geoscientists!

02/10/2026

Congratulations to our newest members of Gamma Theta Upsilon, the International Geography Honor Society!

10/23/2025

The ability to experience and learn from Chicago, one of the world's great cities, is the best part of taking a class in Urban Geography at Valpo. During last Sunday's Chicago Field Study students explored Chicago via the Southshore Railroad and the "L" to understand how the city's structure is shaped by transit. Visiting several locations participating in the Open House Chicago festival allowed students to experience historically and architecturally significant buildings from the inside as well as the outside. Finally a visit to the Roscoe Village Halloween neighborhood block party provided students with an opportunity to experience a Chicago neighborhood beyond the Loop and understand the city as an everyday place where people live, work, and celebrate. As always, the apple cider donuts from Rudy's Bakery in Roscoe Village were excellent!

10/17/2025

Last week students from the biology, environmental science, and geography programs working with professor Laurie Eberhardt and staff from Facilities Management planted seedling white oak trees at different locations around campus. The seedlings were sprouted from acorns collected in October 2023 from the campus landmark tree known as "Merlin" which is located in front of the Chapel of the Resurrection. The tree was present before the campus was built and through the work of the students, faculty, and staff, its offspring will grace the campus for years to come.

09/15/2025

Last week, students in GEO 204 National Parks and Public Lands and students in the Sustainability Scholars Program visited Indiana Dunes National Park for a field experience. After visiting Chellberg farm the students hiked the Dune Ridge Trail and walked along the beach to see the Century of Progress homes.