Hi Brookdale!!

My name is Lauren Deinhardt, and I am your current 2020-2021 Graduate Trustee. For those who may not already know, Brookdale has its own Board of Trustees who assist in critical college decisions, ranging from (but not limited to) budget approvals, tuition recommendations, policy modifications, and so forth.

Brookdale annually offers an opportunity where graduating students can campaign against each other for the Graduate Trustee position. I was fortunate enough to achieve this role, and let me tell you—being a trustee is an experience unlike anything I’ve ever done before!

Some of the things I do include regularly attending public board/committee meetings in helping govern the school, represent Brookdale in community events, and voice the concerns of the students that make this school such a special place. All of this experience helps me learn so much more about Brookdale than I ever knew, which I would love to share with you!

Recently, the Board of Trustees (BOT) held its annual elections, where trustees have the opportunity to vote for desired candidates to fill the BOT Chair and BOT Vice-Chair. Vice-Chair Hank Cram was elected, as well as Chair Tracey Abby-White, who served as Chair last year.

The BOT chair isn’t necessarily the sole leader of the trustees, as the BOT emphasizes the importance of teamwork and collective agreement before anything else. Everyone on the board has their own equal role of importance, and the board moves together as a unit to progress Brookdale.

During every public BOT meeting, the evening usually commences with a series of presentations from important individuals involved with Brookdale. This past meeting, we had two presentations: the Friends of Lifelong Learning and Professor Marie Maber’s CVA Exhibit about the legacy of Morris Blackburn.

As many of you know, Brookdale houses opportunities for non-traditional students to continue “lifelong” learning. These students were given the opportunity to discuss their success throughout the program, and give heartwarming anecdotes about what it means to further their education decades after being a student.

Professor Maber informed the audience about how she was able to take a sabbatical and research one of her all-time favorite artists: Morris Blackburn. She presented her artistic research through the CVA’s most recent gallery exhibit —check it out soon and learn something new!

I hope that you learned something new from reading this, and the last thing I want you to remember is said best by Langston Hughes: “Reach high, for the stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.”

Brookdale is a phenomenal place to start your career, education and future; dream deep, and Brookdale will help you turn those dreams and goals into your next success story.

Lauren