Valpo Friends:
Grace and peace to you.
After experiencing my first commencement ceremonies here at Valparaiso University, I feel inspired to share with you some of what I witnessed, as I am left determined to proclaim what I believe to be most certainly true:
The world needs more Valpo graduates.
When our graduates moved across the stage this past weekend, one by one, each stride and smile seemed to represent years of effort, growth, and remarkable perseverance. I treasure how families and loved ones rose to their feet, friends cheered with unmistakable joy, and our faculty and staff looked on with a profound sense of pride (and of course, in some cases, a sigh of relief)!
When I received the honor and joy of shaking hands with our newest alumni, and as they accepted their diplomas and turned toward the future, I kept remembering a powerful phrase that I first heard from Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Eric Johnson, a declaration that was repeated this past weekend by Chairman of the Valparaiso University Board of Directors Jon Steinbrecher:
The world needs more Valpo graduates.
As I reflect upon these remarkable words from the Provost and Chairman, and as we all give thanks for those whom we have now sent into the world to lead and serve in both church and society, and as I pray for our new students who will be joining us here in Northwest Indiana in a few short months, I feel compelled to provide three reasons why I agree that the world does indeed need more of our graduates.
1) Valpo graduates learn for life.
We live in a time defined by hurried disarray, where information is immediate (yet often false), opinions are constant (yet often foolish), and because of it all, depth and deliberation are too often elusive.
What I witnessed at our commencement ceremonies, and what I have repeatedly observed throughout this past semester, is that Valpo graduates are wonderfully distinctive.
Our graduates have learned how to pause, reflect, and consider not only what is happening and how it is happening, but why it matters. They have been shaped in classrooms, laboratories, studios, and conversations that require far more than quick demands and shallow responses. They have been challenged to engage complexity, to weigh evidence, and to pursue truth with both rigor and humility.
Our graduates have discovered that education is not simply about acquiring knowledge, as they have learned how to keep learning, as they have developed a way of thinking, a posture of curiosity, and a commitment to continued growth.
Our graduates, who represent a wide variety of backgrounds and beliefs, are all nourished by a Lutheran tradition that understands education as a lifelong calling. The deep roots of our tradition offer an expansive reach that frees our graduates to pursue truth in ways that honor the gifts they have been given and focuses the responsibilities they now carry, as they are encouraged to ask questions, seek understanding, and trust that their learning is never complete.
This is what I see and celebrate in our graduates.
In a world that often rewards fearful reaction over faithful reflection, we need people with the courage to continue learning, not only for their own attainment, but for betterment of society.
That is what Valpo graduates are prepared to do.
2) Valpo graduates serve our world.
As recently reported, at Valpo more than 98% of our graduates enter jobs or further study within months of receiving their diploma, with 88% completing their degrees in four years or less. I am proud of these outcomes, yet during commencement weekend, I found myself drawn to something far deeper. Rather than focusing solely on jobs or graduate schools, I noticed that our newest Valpo graduates were asking more profound questions:
Who is God calling me to be in our world?
What matters most?
How can I make a positive difference?
These are not small questions. Rather, they are defining questions.
And at Valpo, we take these questions seriously and engage them continuously.
Our graduates were invited, over and over again, to reflect on their gifts, explore their values, and discern their purpose. They were encouraged to consider their education not simply as a pathway to personal success, but as trajectories for lives of public benefit.
This is what we mean at Valpo when we claim that we build lives for good.
Our graduates understand that their talents are not only for themselves, as they are committed to serving others and strengthening communities.
Our graduates have learned about vocation, not simply as a career, but as a calling to care for their neighbors.
Our graduates recognize that their daily work, in whatever field they pursue, can be an expression of attention, responsibility, and love for others.
In a culture that often measures college success in the narrow terms of social standing or starting salary, our graduates achieve such outcomes and receive far more, as they are guided by purpose, grounded in service, and are committed to something larger than themselves.
That is who Valpo graduates strive to be.
3) Valpo graduates shine God’s light.
While commencement does not take place in our beloved campus chapel, I was left with the breathtaking sense that it was, in many ways, a deeply sacred ritual.
In addition to the aspects of the ceremony that most would consider noticeably religious, such as the invocation and benediction, the entire program recognizes that the fullness of a Valparaiso University education holds a sense of sacredness:
The sacredness of life and learning.
The sacredness of community.
The sacredness of meaning, purpose, and faith.
At Valparaiso University we continue to cherish a living Lutheran tradition that does not separate faith from learning, as we embrace them as deeply connected and gloriously generative. We encourage inquiry and welcome doubt, as we trust that God is fully active within the free search for truth.
For some of our students, this all takes the form of a deep and explicit Christian faith. For others, it is a growing sense of wonder, reflection, and openness to vast questions. In all cases, our Valpo graduates are invited to live with humility, to seek what is good and just, and to recognize the dignity and worth of every person.
As I witnessed our newest graduates enter a new chapter in their lives, I was reminded that shining God’s light is not about expecting perfection from our Valpo graduates, as it is about recognizing the presence of God in and through our Valpo graduates.
Our graduates reflect compassion, integrity, courage, and hope.
Our graduates bring God’s light into places that need healing, and spaces that need understanding.
Our graduates recognize that all of life is interrelated and what they do matters, not only for ourselves, but for others and for the world we all share.
In a time when division, uncertainty, and cynicism can feel overwhelming, the world needs people who carry God’s light with them, who are willing to lead with hope, to act with love, and to serve with purpose.
That is the kind of graduate I witnessed crossing the stage at Valparaiso University.
As I reflect on my first commencement ceremonies within our beloved campus community, I realize that what moved me most was not simply the ceremony itself, but what it represented.
Our commencement affirmed that Valpo graduates are far more than degree earners, as each Valpo graduate is a life now being sent into the world.
A life shaped by questions, by relationships, by challenges, and by growth.
A life prepared not only to succeed, but to contribute.
A life capable of making a difference, in ways both seen and unseen.
To all our new graduates: We are proud of you. We are grateful for the ways you have shaped this Valparaiso University community, you have made us better, and we are excited for all the ways you will impact the world in the years ahead.
To our faculty and staff: Thank you. Your teaching, your mentoring, and your outstanding care has made these moments possible. Please know that your work is holy work, and our world is far better because of you.
To our alumni and supporters: Thank you. Your support of our mission and identity helps us to deepen our roots and widen our reach, so we can help our next generation of students to fully flourish.
And to those prospective students who may be considering Valparaiso University: This is who we are. There is no other university in the world like this one, we offer something truly special, and I invite you to join in.
We are a community of teaching and learning, dedicated to excellence and committed to the values of scholarship, freedom, and faith.
We learn for life.
We serve our world.
We shine God’s light.
This is who we are and this is what we are about, for the true measure of a university is not found only in outcomes, rankings, or statistics.
The true measure of a university is found in the lives of its graduates.
And if what I witnessed at our commencement ceremonies is any indication, we, at Valpo, are indeed building lives for good. This is not only good news for our students, but also great news for our world.
That is why the world needs more Valpo graduates.
This is, I believe, most certainly true.
The Rev. Brian E. Konkol, Ph.D.
President, Valparaiso University
