The Valparaiso University Department of Athletics and UChicago Medicine (UCM) have announced a partnership making UChicago Medicine the official hospital system and official healthcare partner of Valpo Athletics.
The corporate sponsorship agreement, which is the largest in the history of Valpo Athletics, will feature the addition of the UCM logo to the Athletics-Recreation Center floor and make UCM the presenting sponsor on various health and wellness related topics for “Lunch and Learn” education events for campus employees.
“We are honored and excited to make the renowned experts at UChicago Medicine our official hospital system and healthcare partner,” Director of Athletics Laurel Hosmer said. “Our shared values and commitment to community impact make UCM the perfect match for this historic partnership. We are grateful for UCM’s support and look forward to seeing this valued relationship flourish for years to come.”
UCM will be the presenting sponsor of Valpo Athletics’ Basketball Court Rehabilitation Project. UCM and Valpo Athletics will collaborate to select a basketball court in a Northwest Indiana park each year that is in need of being refurbished. The organizations will host a “re-opening” of the rehabilitated basketball court, which will have members of representatives from Valpo Athletics and UCM in attendance.
There will be a town hall on the Valparaiso University campus in the future regarding the court rehabilitation initiative with the date to be announced once details are finalized.
“This partnership builds on our health system’s strategic sports sponsorships with MoneyGram Haas F1 and the WNBA’s Chicago Sky basketball team,” said Andrew Chang, Chief Marketing Officer at UChicago Medicine. “UChicago Medicine has been working hard over the years to bring its world-class care to more communities regionally, nationally and internationally, and that includes opening a 130,000-square-foot multispecialty care facility in Crown Point in April last year.”
“I am thrilled to welcome UChicago Medicine as the largest corporate sponsor in our program’s history,” Van Wagner General Manager for Valpo Athletics Sponsorships Tuesday Monsion said. “This partnership is a significant milestone for Valpo Athletics, showcasing our mutual dedication to excellence, innovation and community impact. We are excited to work alongside such a renowned organization and are eager to see the lasting benefits this collaboration will bring.”
UChicago Medicine, with a history dating to 1927, is a not-for-profit academic health system based on the campus of the University of Chicago in the city’s South Side, with hospitals, outpatient clinics and physician practices throughout Chicago and its suburbs and in Northwest Indiana. UChicago Medicine unites five organizations to fulfill its tripartite mission of research, medical education and patient care: Biological Sciences Division, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago Medical Center (flagship for the health system), Community Health and Hospital Division and UChicago Medicine Physicians.
“We are proud to partner with UChicago Medicine in this historic collaboration for Valpo Athletics,” Monsion said. “Their support underscores a shared vision of excellence and community impact, and we are excited about the opportunities this partnership will create for our student-athletes, fans, and the greater Valparaiso community.”
