Carson Bonner, Campus Carrier news editor

Eric Zuniga, Campus Carrier deputy news editor

Katelynn Singleton, Campus Carrier editor-in-chief

Following President Steve Briggs’ announcement that he would be retiring at the end of the 2024-2025 school year, several administrators reflected on what Briggs brought to Berry and the impact he will leave. Having served as president since 2006, Briggs leaves a legacy that will be remembered by many. 

Since his initial interview for president during the search process, he made it clear that he was the man for the job. According to Director of LifeWorks Operations and Analytics Mike Burnes, who sat in on Briggs’ interview, it was clear who the next president of Berry should be.

“When I walked out, I said to someone else, ‘We’ve just found our president,’” Burnes said. “It was in my opinion, a no contest. I heard about the first interview [of another candidate] and people were somewhat underwhelmed and the second interview I sat in on, then the third I thought ‘this is it, this is the guy.’ And I was right. It was.”

At the time of Briggs being hired, the sizes of the incoming classes were small and enrollment was struggling, so there was concern surrounding this, as well as the education philosophy of the incoming president. 

“For me, he just came across as somebody who knew what he was doing,” Burns said. “He was someone who knew how to manage things. He seemed like he would give Berry the best chance at getting out of the doldrums. I didn’t know what his vision was going to be, but I just trusted that he would establish a vision and start doing things.”

Before applying to work at Berry, Briggs had little knowledge of the school. It was after he toured the campus and visited various departments that he realized Berry was the place that he wanted to be. 

“I think it was the sense of opportunity here,” Briggs said. “And then I started reading about it and I loved the mission, I loved the head, heart and hands mentality and I knew that this would be a great place that I could really invest in fully and it resonated with the things I wanted to work on and thought I could be helpful with.” 

A goal for Briggs’s time at Berry was to strengthen the residential culture at Berry by making campus improvements, such as expanding the dining hall, adding the Kilpatrick Commons, building the Cage Center and adding several residence halls. 

“I think all of that just brought the campus to life on the weekend and the evenings,” Briggs said. “That was an important part of making the most of Berry’s residential campus. We’ve also strengthened a lot of academic programs to help students perform their best, whether that be in the arts with the Sister’s Theater or animal science with the new animal science building.” 

According to Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Lindsey Taylor, there has been a significant difference in Berry life since Briggs has joined campus. She explained that there have been advancements on campus, such as the transition from having physical keys to residence hall buildings to having key cards, going paperless with many systems and changes in the IT infrastructure. 

“When I first got here [in 2005], I would say that Berry was still a sleepy, kind of unknown school,” Taylor said. “It was very much still the great place that it is today and who we are has never shifted or changed, but we used to be kind of ‘mom and pop.’”

Taylor said that Briggs is extremely student-centered in his thinking, and always considers the effects of decisions on students, even when students may not see this. 

“He’s wicked smart, he asks really good questions and he’s student centered,” Taylor said. “What I will take from his leadership is if your true north is always in focus, every day will be a joy and I think that I see that. I see a professional who genuinely loves what he does and genuinely struggled with the announcement [to retire] because I think if he was younger, he would keep going.”

Chief of Staff Casee Gilbert was responsible for COVID-19 mitigation efforts at the start of the pandemic, including testing programs and vaccination events. She applauds Briggs for his commitment to staying open safely during the pandemic. 

“His ability to stay level-headed, to stay true to wanting to be open and operating as close to normal as possible but safely, really guided us through that period of time,” Gilbert said. “We tried our very best—while it wasn’t normal or our previous operations—to still provide experiences and opportunities for students to feel what it was like to be at Berry.”

While the leaders at Berry often appear distant to the student body, Gilbert said that Briggs always considers the opinions and feelings of students when making decisions. 

 “I can remember being in college and not always understanding decisions or why things were going in the direction they were,” Gilbert said. “You have that moment where you’re like, ‘did they even ask the students,’ but he truly does. He is truly listening to what you all are saying, and then he is guiding us through every initiative, idea. It is really about that student experience.” 

Provost and Associate Professor of Spanish David Slade has been at Berry for 16 years in various positions and has seen the projects initiated by Briggs and the efforts that he has put into those projects. All of these projects, most recently the building of the Morgan-Bailey Hall, have been made in an effort to improve the campus.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

“He’s had a consistent mindset during his time at Berry,” Slade said. “I think he’s been relentless to do all he can to make Berry not just a better place but a place that is more deeply and thoroughly delivering on its promise 
and mission.” 

With only a year of his presidency left, Briggs’ main goal is to leave a good foundation for the incoming leadership.  

 “What can we do this next year to best prepare for the future and for the future leadership at Berry,” Briggs said. “Right now, I’m really focused on how much we can get done. A lot of that will occur at the end of the year and over the summer and we have to get off to a good start in the fall.” 

The Board of Trustees will be spearheading the search effort for Berry’s next president. Chair of the Board of Trustees Rick Gilbert has organized a search committee, consisting of trustees, administration and faculty and student representatives, that will hire a search firm to assist with the process. 

“Members of the search committee will be talking with all of Berry’s constituencies on campus about what people want as well,” Slade said. “It’s about a six-month process. You get the ad out in June, start gathering names in June and July and August, by the time school starts you can begin to winnow that down and maybe have people on campus. You’ll probably have interviews in October and then move toward some final group in November or December.” 

Briggs has been heavily involved in student life, including attending events and being a constant figure around campus, often seen in Krannert or the dining hall. According to Briggs, being present and involved with students is part of what he will miss the most.  

“Part of what I’ll miss the most is I love the challenge of when I see things that need to be improved and finding creative ways that we can actually do something and finding a group of people to kind of tackle that problem and make it better,” Briggs said. “And I love spending time with students. Berry exists to provide an academic opportunity to students and if you don’t love to be with students, and love to be in the dining hall, and love to go to football games, then you shouldn’t be in the job. I do love all of that and I will miss it.”