Faculty and Staff Colleagues:
Grace and peace to you.
As we prepare to celebrate the Valparaiso University Class of 2026 during our upcoming commencement ceremonies on May 16, the timing feels right to share my appreciation, to offer some observations and lessons learned, and to provide a few actions and aspirations about our shared journey forward.
First and foremost, thank you! Whenever I am asked about the Valparaiso University campus community, I often express that I am astounded by the genuine care I have personally experienced. In a world that seems increasingly divided and destructive, here at Valpo our character is wonderfully different, as you embody the best of what makes us fully human, and I am left honored and overjoyed to be on the receiving end of your generosity and hospitality. While I have admired Valpo throughout my life (as I shared with you on January 1), being here has led me to love you even more, as this is a special place and you are truly special people. From the bottom of my heart and depth of my soul, please know that you are a blessing to my life and many others, and I thank God for the opportunity to serve alongside you.
Second, in addition to all I have personally experienced, from the moment I arrived in Northwest Indiana in early January, I have also observed your remarkable efforts throughout our campus community. For example, I wish to reaffirm what I have witnessed (some of which I shared with you earlier this semester):
- Students are learning for life, serving our world, and shining God’s light, both inside and outside the classroom, while daily demonstrating excellence through our treasured Lutheran values of scholarship, freedom, and faith.
- Faculty are teaching and exploring research with brilliance and compassion, showing commitment to the pursuit and sharing of truth, with both boldness and humility, for the sake of building lives for good into the next generation.
- Staff are serving with steadfast kindness and dedication, embodying our longstanding values with clarity of mission and creativity of methods, especially in the midst of complexity and change on campus and beyond.
- Donors are offering their gifts with renewed energy, showing strengthened confidence in our trajectory and generously providing the resources we need to thrive for years to come.
- Prospective Students and their loved ones are expressing increased interest in what happens here, which has led to exciting surges in campus visits and sustained attention from those discerning their admission into our beloved campus community.
- Athletics is thriving in competition, in the classroom, and in our community, exemplifying teamwork and discipline, and demonstrating how sports can bring together fans of all ages and identities.
- Community partners are eagerly engaging with our efforts, extending and receiving invitations for collaboration, and strengthening our role as a trusted and engaged neighbor, which will help more people in more places to fully flourish.
- Alumni are growing their connections, renewing their contact with Valpo and investing their time, talent, and treasure, leading to new opportunities for engagement and shared growth.
Third, I wish to share some of the lessons I have learned from my interactions with you. While visiting with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters, both informally (in residence halls, staff and faculty offices, campus receptions, and along city sidewalks), and formally (through meetings with the Valparaiso University Board of Directors, President’s Cabinet, President’s Council, Staff Council, and National Councils, as well as our on-campus community conversation on March 2 and alumni webinar on April 1), here is some of what I have discovered:
- As many of you have come to know, one of my favorite conversation prompts is to invite others to write out a “to be” list, which is different from a “to do” list, as a “to be” list is not about tasks to be completed, but rather an identity to be expressed. The following are some of the most common responses that faculty and staff have placed on their “to be” lists: empathetic, positive, kind, considerate, supportive, understanding, prepared, caring, attentive, joyful, patient, helpful, compassionate, welcoming, creative, present and encouraging.
- In addition to the “to be” list, I have also asked, “How do you want people to feel after they were with you?” (This prompt was inspired by the renowned Maya Angelou quote, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.), and the following are some of the most common responses I have received from faculty and staff: respected, valued, supported, understood, safe, welcome, heard, confident, challenged, and optimistic.
- In light of who people wish “to be” and how they wish for others “to feel,” when asked about how we at Valparaiso University should prioritize our collective actions to build momentum into the immediate future, we discerned the following top responses:
1. We need to define and proclaim the story of Valparaiso University.
2. We need to grow enrollment by boldly inviting learners into our mission.
3. We need to improve retention efforts by keeping students engaged in our mission.
4. We need to expand philanthropy by boldly inviting partners into our mission.
5. We need to ensure our budget and finances are aligned with our mission.
6. We need to enhance our mission through innovative revenue generation
- When asked where faculty and staff observe positive momentum already taking place in our midst (which will help us to sustain our positive momentum into the future), the following are paraphrases of the most common responses:
1. Students are showing up, listening, learning, and growing.
2. Relationships are genuine and prioritized, throughout the Valparaiso University
campus community.
3. Academic programs are thoughtfully adapting to the changing needs of our world.
4. Mission, identity, values, and vision are increasingly clear and compelling.
5. Campus life is more alive, with notable vibrancy and energy.
6. Campus and community are interconnected.
7. Infrastructure and systems seem to be improving.
Fourth, in parallel to all that I have observed and learned over the past months, we have also taken action to clarify our Valparaiso University mission and identity through a leadership narrative (“We Build Lives for Good”) and strategic mission compass (“Roots and Reach”), we articulated six strategic actions (listed above) to spark movement and build momentum, and as I shared with you during the Season of Lent, we continue to thoughtfully examine the finer details of our institutional systems and processes (“The Power of Habit and Living Faithfully in our World”) to sustain our momentum. Thank you to all who have participated in these important conversations and crucial organizational developments. We have moved quickly without rushing, and we have engaged optimistically and truthfully, all of which leaves me increasingly excited and confident.
Finally, I wish to share that in the months ahead I plan to travel across the country to meet with numerous alumni and supporters, during which time our campus community will continue to reflect upon who we are, why we do what we do, how we are doing what we do, and what can be done better. Following our next meeting of the Valparaiso University Board of Directors in July, in late August I hope to share with you more specific ideas about plans for the years ahead. After receiving your feedback, I anticipate offering additional direction and reflections by late September for the continued flourishing of our beloved campus community, all of which will help us to move forward into the next chapter of Valparaiso University.
All in all, as we discern the challenges and opportunities of the years ahead, I wish to reaffirm my wholehearted belief that our shared future is bright and beautiful. While I have always held Valpo in great esteem, since learning more about you over these past months, my aspirations are far greater today than they were on my first day here.
Thank you for all that you do, and most of all, thank you for all that you are. I am here for you. I am inspired by you. I believe in you. Through God’s unbounded grace, I am excited to make our world better alongside you.
May God bless you and all your loved ones, this special day and always.
With gratitude,
The Rev. Brian E. Konkol, Ph.D.
President, Valparaiso University
