A look at President Bruess’s first academic year
As the 2023-2024 school year comes to an end, President Brian Bruess reflects on his accomplishments and challenges faced since his inauguration this past fall. Bruess looks forward to the future of CSB+SJU.
Following the inauguration celebration this past fall, President Brian Bruess concludes the school year as the first joint president of CSB+SJU. Moving forward under his leadership, new opportunities lie ahead.
Bruess enthusiastically looks ahead to the future as he and his team have a variety of plans underway made possible by the support of the St. Ben’s and St. John’s community.
Summer Projects
This summer, smaller projects will be tackled and finished in time for students’ arrival on campus this coming fall.
Summer projects will include sensory study spaces in Clemens Library, a redesigned Regina Hall courtyard for accessibility of games and lounging, outdoor shaded seating at Gorecki and Mary Commons, more outdoor furniture in the signature CSB+SJU color red and a revamp of the Gorecki Fireside space.
In addition to tangible projects, the CSB+SJU website will be completely redesigned to reflect the stories and experiences of the student body.
“Right now we’re very one-dimensional, and we have to be more broad, spending a lot more time and creativity in telling our story,” Bruess said. “That’s going to include student stories and the experiences that our students have had.”
Bigger Projects
Bigger projects will begin the following school year as they require more time and planning to complete. A number of facilities will be considered for renovations and new additions.
“There are a lot of interesting ideas around health, wellness, mental health, physical health,” Bruess said.
Current administrative conversations include the possibility of brand-new residence halls at both St. Ben’s and St. John’s, a renovation of the St. John’s palestra and a redesign of the pools on either campus.
Each of these prospective ideas reflects the needs of the current and future student body.
St. Ben’s Monastery Relocation
One of the finite plans is relocating the St. Ben’s monastery.
The new monastery will accommodate the smaller number of religious sisters in residence and be more handicapped accessible.
CSB+SJU is considering using the previously occupied space for a variety of student uses, such as new housing options, a new workout facility or a new dining center.
Amidst all of these changes, maintaining a smaller carbon footprint and utilizing greener forms of energy remain a priority for Bruess and his team.
“They are thinking carefully about what they need,” Bruess said. “What’s the responsible, environmentally appropriate way to express that in a new facility, and how do we steward these assets we have with our cherished ministry at The College of St. Benedict?”
Endowments
What makes these projects possible are the endowments received by CSB+SJU. Such endowments are typically received through philanthropic donations.
Around 80% of the earnings from endowments go directly back to students in the form of financial aid, and the rest is allocated based on the leadership’s discernment.
Moving forward, Bruess imagines an additional investment in the endowments received by CSB+SJU to exclusively eliminate affordability as a consideration for prospective students.
The top 50 liberal art colleges’ endowments range from $800 million to $1 billion, about three times as much as the current endowments received by CSB+SJU. Currently, CSB+SJU is ranked in the low 70s as a liberal arts college.
“Our philanthropy work is going to be focused on endowment and resourcing these two beautiful missions at a level commensurate with our outcomes, the exceptional work our faculty and staff, what the students are doing and our expectations for the future,” Bruess said.
For the two high-performing fundraising operations at CSB+SJU, Bruess and his team are exploring new opportunities to obtain greater endowments for the future of the community.
Accomplishments and Highlights
Bruess expressed both his and Carol Bruess’s gratitude for being welcomed into the CSB+SJU community and their excitement for what lies ahead.
“The other thing that happened after the inauguration is that the boards of trustees endorsed our vision and strategic plan,” Bruess said. “And that has been, I would say, the biggest accomplishment and everything that’s coming from that.”
The strategic plan contains a number of goals aimed at bettering the experiences of the student body, faculty and administration.
Some of the aspects of the strategic plan include the student experience, philanthropy, master campus planning, mission practice, enrollment, partnership and mission.
Bruess’s most prioritized aspect is the student experience—the intersection between teaching and learning the curriculum and co-curriculum.
“One of the centers of excellence is around the environment,” Bruess said. “Students, faculty, staff, alums, trustees, sisters, monks, prospective students and everyone recognizes that the environment is important, it’s under stress and we need to do something about it.”
Other centers alongside the environment include a focus on public health with the Center for Health and principal business leadership.
With the support of endowments and an endorsed strategic plan in place, CSB+SJU is poised for what Bruess believes to be a promising future of both growth and success.
