@vulb62 Although I was not privy to any inside info about the campus atmosphere and culture during the previous presidency, it did seem from my distant perch that morale was flagging badly. I'm sure you're right that it had an across-the-board negative impact.
By contrast, I am very optimistic about the new president. I believe that Rev. Konkol is channeling the energies of O.P., Kinsey, and Brown and bringing with him a deeper sophistication about leading a university, drawing on his experience in higher ed. Moreover, from accounts and photos posted by the University about his considerable presence on campus already, it appears that he's having a blast getting to know members of the VU community.
A leader with these qualities could not have arrived too quickly, because this VU presidency is the most important one since O.P.'s arrival in 1940. These next five years, I believe, will capture the difference between thriving during this challenging period for higher ed, versus barely hanging on or even slipping away.
Dynamic and genuinely nice guy. He has viewed it as a personal destination job. We are deep, deep in the red, and higher education is a battleship that takes four years to turn because of enrollment.
But he is the best leader I could have envisioned for such a time.
Dynamic and genuinely nice guy. He has viewed it as a personal destination job. We are deep, deep in the red, and higher education is a battleship that takes four years to turn because of enrollment.
But he is the best leader I could have envisioned for such a time.
Agree on all points, though I think we may see a positive momentum that helps the battleship turn around a bit quicker. The VU community has been thirsting for this kind of leadership, and I think it will start to manifest in both fundraising and first-year enrollment.
We may see signs of whether this is occurring very quickly, such as the spring VU giving day.
Whomever made the decision over the last few years to centralize geographic alumni groups and take away alumni reps, was a moron. We had a robust DFW Club at one point, and that decision killed so many ties to the university. I know that I've mentioned it a few times, but when Padilla came to DFW most recently, I volunteered the assistance of our prior club resources, and it was crickets from the individual that told me they would set up a time to speak. The event was naturally a total failure with very minimal attendees. I refused to attend, due to the indifference displayed by the university rep. Just such a dumb decision to alienate a passionate alumni group...
Konkol inherited a mess and is doing very well engaging with the stakeholders and the community. He is currently understanding the overall problem to be solved before taking action.
