Introducing Valparaiso's new President

Part I: Rev. Konkol spends first day on campus, offers view into leadership and vision for Valparaiso University

This is the first of a two-part series surrounding the arrival of Rev. Brian Konkol, Valparaiso’s new President-Elect. The first part focuses on Konkol’s introduction to campus on Friday as well as a view into his leadership and vision for Valparaiso University. The second part, which will be released on Monday morning, will focus on Konkol’s view of the role of collegiate athletics amid the ever-changing national landscape.

The Victory Bell is a subscription-based website/newsletter that covers Valparaiso University athletics. The cost is $5.99/month or $59.99/year. On rare occasion, a story will be made free to all readers. This is one of those occasions. Part I is available for free, while Part II, and the majority of all coverage of Valparaiso Athletics, will be available behind the paywall. I ask, and thank you, for support of this site. It can only operate with dedicated, and continued, supporters. - PO

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Rev. Brian Konkol awoke in Valparaiso on Friday morning to a phone call from his wife, Kristen, that included a simple question.

“What are you feeling?”

It was an honest question following what could only be described as a whirlwind for Valparaiso’s new President-Elect. From applying to going through the interview process to landing the job, and then to Tuesday’s announcement and Friday’s public introduction, Konkol has been experiencing it all.

“I feel everything,” Rev. Konkol said to a gathering of more than 100 interested individuals who came out to the Christopher Center Library on Friday morning. Faculty, staff and students alike braved freezing weather conditions on the final day of class for the fall semester to hear what Valparaiso’s new leader had to say.

By the time Konkol hit the pillow on Friday night, he must have undoubtedly felt like he saw everything.

Konkol was shuffled from place to place on Friday as he met with the local media immediately following his introduction. He spent time worshipping with the campus community during Chapel Break before meeting with student involvement leaders, attending Valparaiso’s annual Vespers concert and taking in a pair of basketball practices at the Athletics-Recreation Center, among plenty of other stops.

Konkol wore a wide smile and gave a firm handshake throughout all of his interactions. Afterall, he had been waiting for this day for a long time. His interest in Valparaiso didn’t just start earlier this year.

“I was very clear with the Board of Directors that I was preparing for that application for decades,” Konkol said when meeting with the local media. “I was preparing for decades to push send on that letter of interest. (Valpo) is in my heart and this place is going to get everything that I know.”

“I could talk all day about this,” Konkol added. “This is a dream opportunity. I mean, this is the dream job. As people would say when you grew up as a Lutheran in central Wisconsin, Valpo is the place. This place has been on my radar all of my life. I would have come here, but I wasn’t good enough to play for Coach (Homer) Drew. As the years went by, I continued to come across Valparaiso University graduates, and to a person, they were spectacular people. It was always there. When we came back from overseas and I went to Gustavus Adolphus College, I started to imagine this path and one thing led to another. When President Padilla announced his retirement, I felt like my heart skipped a beat. I thought that this feels like the opportunity. I feel ready. This is the opportunity.”

Konkol touched on a wide array of topics during Friday’s media session, not the least of which was his Lutheran background. He never spoke of ELCA or LCMS or any other synod, instead choosing to take a macro view of the values that he carries and values he believes have been and will continue to be instilled at Valparaiso.

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“There’s a couple things I align fully with the Lutheran values of freedom, scholarship and faith,” Konkol said. “I believe there’s an opportunity here to be rooted in the Lutheran tradition and reaching in ways like never before; rooted and reaching like a tree. You’ve got to grow in two directions. You’ve got to deepen roots and you’ve got to widen the reach. That provides us with an opportunity to educate young people in the head, the hands and the heart. When I think about what our students are yearning for today and what our world needs today, it’s for young people not just to have a career, but to have a calling. Not just to have a paycheck, but to have a purpose. Valpo provides that. So, we’re going to work incredibly hard to invite people into that. To the question about enrollment, enrollment is ultimately about believing what you are enrolling people into. Advancement work is ultimately about what you are advancing. If you believe in what you are advancing, and if you believe in what you are enrolling people into, it’s going to take care of the rest. I’m very confident. I’ve always loved this place, and I really mean this is a dream come true.”

Konkol got a tour of the Athletics-Recreation Center from Valparaiso director of athletics Laurel Hosmer. Konkol spent time with both Roger Powell Jr. and Courtney Boyd, picking the brain of Valpo’s two basketball coaches.

Meanwhile, a pair of other basketball coaches shared with The Victory Bell their memories of a young Konkol when he suited up for Viterbo from 1997-2001.

Todd Eisner, the coach that recruited Konkol to Viterbo, and has been at Winona State for the last 11 years, remembers a “slow on slow on slow” kid that could “shoot the cover off the ball.” He also remembers an 18-year-old kid who showed natural leadership skills from the moment he stepped on campus as a freshman.

Those leadership skills became important following Konkol’s sophomore year when Eisner left for Bellevue and Wayne Wagner took over. Wagner, who is still at the helm of Viterbo’s program today, was just starting out as a college coach in 1999 and he found himself leaning on Konkol.

“When you’re a young guy getting started, you look for those guys that can be foundational for you,” Wagner said. “I knew right away that he was one of those individuals. He was a natural leader. I’ve seen some of his early communication since he took the job at Valpo and that is the guy that I saw developing before my eyes when he was in college. He was a stabilizer for me and Brian was always someone that you knew you could count on.”

Wagner wasn’t ashamed to admit he knew very little when he started coaching at a young age, and coincidently, age has been a topic of conversation when it comes to Konkol. At 45, he will be the youngest elected President at Valparaiso since O.P. Kretzmann was inaugurated at the age of 39 in 1940.

“A couple of people have asked me, well, ‘how old are you,’” Konkol said. “I say that I’m young enough to believe that anything is possible and I’m old enough to know that not all things are probable.”

Konkol undoubtedly has numerous challenges awaiting him once he officially takes office on Jan. 1, 2026. A few include dwindling enrollment, recent controversy surrounding the sale of several revered pieces of art, the continued fallout regarding the mascot change and just the general public perception of the university.

“I would be willing to bet that there were many wonderful people that also could’ve been chosen (for this position),” Konkol said. “What gives me pause in my own time of reflection and prayer is ‘why is it me?’ I would like to believe that it’s about deepening our blueprint roots and recognizing that roots without reach never get above ground. Those roots need to create a reach that extends and grows and impact people. I would imagine that’s part of the reason why they chose someone with R.E.V. in front of his name. I would also like to believe that being a small town kid who’s live around the world is part of that too. When you grow up in a small town, as they say, if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s ok, because someone else does. You connect and you know people’s names, you know the names of their spouses and families and pets. Having the opportunity to live around the word, it highlights the power and possibilities of education and the treasure that is higher education in North America.”

He joked during his introductory speech on Friday morning that his inbox is already filling up with plenty of individuals offering suggestions for moves he should make during his first days on the job. He revisited that point during his conversation with the local media, and while he didn’t identify directly which topics have been getting the majority of mentions in his inbox, he did explain his thoughts on the various fires moving through the hearts and minds of Valparaiso’s passionate supporters (and detractors).

“I love passion,” Konkol said. “Let me geek out a little bit on my academic life. I teach courses on conflict. I always joke that as a middle child I have a lifelong experience with conflict. There’s two schools of thought. One is conflict resolution and one is conflict transformation. Conflict resolution is often about how we put out the fire. I like people with fire, passion and energy. Folks that find my email address after the press release goes out and they give me their suggestions. It means they care about the place. The opposite of that would be apathy.

“Conflict transformation is not about putting out the fire, it’s about harnessing the fire. It’s like building a fireplace because a fire can either burn a house down or it can heat the house up. The difference is the fireplace. I think as a president, it’s about valuing that people get fired up for the place that they’ve got passion and energy and they love Valpo. They love Valpo so much that they will, unsolicited, provide the President-Elect with their suggestions three minutes after the announcement. That’s passion. How wonderful is that? I embrace that. I’ll be working with our team here to find ways through my own social media feeds, through various events, various opportunities, I want to hear from people and I want to hear what’s passionate for them. It doesn’t mean we can say yes to everything, but what it does mean is we want to hear it, and by no means do I want to put out people’s fire. What I do think we should do is build a fireplace for it. That goes back to creating a vibrant university…I’m aware of the challenges facing higher education. I’m aware of the challenges specific to Valparaiso University. There’s no other place in the world like Valparaiso University. There’s no place like it. This place is a blessing to our world, and we want to invite students into it. I’m excited to work with our faculty and staff and alumni and supporters and friends and partners in our community to make it happen. I couldn’t be more excited.”

Part II of The Victory Bell’s introduction to Rev. Brian Konkol will be released on Monday morning and will focus on his view of the role of collegiate athletics in an ever-changing national landscape. If you enjoyed this story, I ask you to please consider becoming a paid subscriber. If you’re already a paid subscriber, perhaps you have a loved one who might appreciate an outstanding Christmas gift this holiday season. Thank you again.

(Photos courtesy of Valparaiso University)