“I believe knowledge is power,” Mary Van Brunt, dean of the School of Business, Arts and Media at Cabrini University, said.
Mary Van Brunt, formerly known as Mary Harris, was recently hired as the dean of the School of Business, Arts and Media, also known as the school of BAM.
Van Brunt was the former dean of academic affairs before Cabrini College became Cabrini University. She was also the department chair of the business department.
The School of Business, Arts and Media is one of four schools that was implemented after the official transition from a college to university was made. Every academic department at Cabrini is now categorized under each of the four schools.
“The main focus with the new school is the support,” Van Brunt said. “My job is to support both the faculty and the students.”
Van Brunt and the other faculty members in the School of Business, Arts and Media have a lot of events planned for the students in these departments this semester, including a trip to New York City this October.
“I’m excited about all the opportunities for growth and to really be a part of a founding dean position in a school is really exciting,” Van Brunt said.
Although Van Brunt has a background in business, she is excited to start working with people in the graphic design and communications fields.
“Communication and graphic design are also professional-based majors and so I just [have] excitement about all of the neat things we are going to be able to do,” Van Brunt said.
Van Brunt sees many great things happening in the School of Business, Arts and Media.
“I really just hope to bring the school forward and grow [with] new programs and new students and to make it even better than it has been,” Van Brunt said.
Along with Van Brunt’s success in getting married and becoming dean of the school, she was also rewarded a spot in the National Leadership Program with the Senior Leadership Academy.
According to Van Brunt, the process of being one of the 30 deans accepted into this program was quite lengthy.
“Being the founding dean of a new school, there’s so much that needs to get done. I think, for the Senior Leadership Academy, I think they feel I would really benefit from this mentoring and can use it right off the bat,” Van Brunt said.
“My greatest strength is that I’m very organized and coming from the corporate world, I’m detail oriented,” Van Brunt said. “I get things done.”
Van Brunt’s goals with her position as dean and her acceptance at the Senior Leadership Program are growth and knowledge.
“I’m always looking for ways to learn more, because I do think knowledge is power,” Van Brunt said.