Carol on Brian: “To him, it doesn’t matter if you’re mowing the lawn or cleaning buildings, or if you’re another college president, everyone is valuable.”
Brian on Carol: “There’s nobody more attentive to the interpersonal experience of everybody she encounters.”
In 2017, Brian became president of the couple’s alma mater, St. Norbert, and Carol served as a resident scholar. The experience solidified the couple’s belief that a successful undergraduate experience is founded on establishing meaningful relationships and a sense of belonging.
“I think students want to know their leaders, and want to know their story, and want to be able to trust them,” Brian said. “When they experience people that are authentically interested in them, whether it be a faculty member, or staff member, or other peers, that creates a space that’s really welcoming. It creates a vibrant, sort of unmatched potential for student learning. And it’s also just a heck of a lot more fun.”
George the therapy dog licks a student's leg near the lunchtime spread at study day. (Renée Jones Schneider/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
‘St. John’s and St. Ben’s core’
Senior Martha Dougherty wanted to attend study day because of what friends had said about the president’s home, which Carol has decorated with repurposed billiard balls, vintage nut choppers and thrifted globes. “They were always talking about how cool the furniture is, and the food’s always good, the dog’s super nice,” Dougherty said. The day’s casual, friendly vibe struck her as “very St. John’s and St. Ben’s core.”
A group of Bennies studying for science finals described their expectation of a higher-ed president (“intimidating,” “you never see them”) and said Brian defied that convention, especially with Carol by his side.