Abigail Dunagan, Campus Carrier features editor

Cammie Wilks, Campus Carrier asst. features editor

Over the next month, Berry College will give a fond farewell to president as Steve Briggs and welcome Sandeep Mazumder as the ninth president of the school. This transition will not be without difficulty, as Briggs has held the office since 2006. Under his leadership, Berry has brought in new academic programs, constructed new buildings and navigated the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the 19 years of his leadership has been full of many victories and challenges, these final weeks in the semester can serve as a time to look back at fond memories and past accomplishments as Berry opens this new chapter of leadership. 

Prior to arriving at Berry, Briggs had an already extensive career in academia, serving in various positions at the University of Tusla such as the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the Dean of Faculty at Rollins College and the Provost of the College of New Jersey. With 43 years of experience in higher education as both a student and a faculty member, Briggs came into the presidency at Berry with a sense of the technical side of working in higher education. 

“It’s kind of a gradual progression,” Briggs said. “Obviously being a faculty member for eight years gave me a sense of the academic life. I taught and did research, so I got a good feel for that. Cut to administration, my primary experience started on the academic side, but by the time between my previous job and to here, I had stepped into roles overseeing admissions, financial things, and I got involved in a lot of construction projects.” 

When he arrived at Berry, only around two-thirds of the students lived on campus. During the weekends many students would go home, but Briggs wanted to bring more vibrancy to the student body. He worked to make small changes that would encourage students to spend their weekends on campus, from making sports more prominent to adding more  weekend events. 

“I think beyond those things, change is hard,” Briggs said. “Change can be good or bad, but if you are trying to improve that is still a change. Trying to help people see what we might do, or what we should do, to get them to buy into change is a challenge in any organization, certainly colleges.” 

Vice President of Enrollment Management Andrew Bressette has been working at Berry for 28 years. In 2006, while he worked a chemistry professor, Bressette was on the committee that voted to recommend the next president of Berry. After the committee made their decision, Briggs began to work on improving everything about Berry. He advocated for the construction of various buildings that improved academic and residential life for students, such as the Cage, Morgan & Deerfield and Berry’s newest residence hall, Morgan-Bailey. He raised money for additional scholarships, research and study abroad support. Besides all he has contributed to expansion, Briggs has put Berry on the map by maximizing the school’s potential by changing how Berry markets itself.

“I think he has really taken things that were good and made them better,” Bressette said. “He’s really infused all of us with an entrepreneurial mindset that has helped us do our jobs, which have helped the college, and our students benefit from a better Berry, a more agile Berry and better student experiences while still being beholden to the mission and not changing who we are at our core.”

Throughout the last eight years of being Vice President of Enrollment Management at Berry, Bressette said that Briggs has helped himself and other faculty members grow into being better leaders. Briggs has been a caring and passionate leader, while simultaneously pushing everyone at Berry to strive for their best.

“He is both very supportive and very challenging at the same time,” Bresette said. “He likes to get things done.”

Chief of Staff Casee Gilbert works with Briggs daily to help run Berry. Her office is currently in charge of making sure the transition between presidents goes smoothly. The process will take a lot of learning and patience, but due to all the positive changes that Briggs has brought to Berry, it should be a smooth transition.

“I think one of the goals from our office, and specifically from Dr. Briggs, is that he wants to leave this place in the best condition so that Dr. Sandeep Mazumder can come in, get settled and get to work,” Gilbert said.

Throughout Briggs’ 19 years spent on service, he has helped change Berry for the better. Although he is stepping down from his office, he will be remembered by the Berry Community and the lives of all the students that he impacted.

“The amount of time that he and Mrs. Brenda Briggs spends engaged with students in our community as a whole, I can’t just pick one memory,” Gilbert said. “Their visibility and commitment to this place is pretty incredible.”

With his retirement years right around the corner, Briggs and his wife Brenda plan to move into a home on the south side of Rome. His mother currently lives at the Spires retirement home, and the couple plans to split their time between visiting his mother and traveling to see their eight grandchildren. Outside of visiting with family, Briggs is looking forward to a change of pace from his busy life as the college president. 

“I love my work, but there is a weight of responsibility,” Briggs said. “Your always under a sense of that weight, even on vacation. Several vacations in recent years have been interrupted by major events, like COVID, and not having that responsibility will be nice.” 

When he first arrived at Berry, Briggs knew he wanted to stay at the institution until his retirement. The exact number of years this would end up being was unclear, but ultimately, he wanted to retire at a time that was not just best for him, but best for Berry. 

“It was less about what’s best for me, and really about what was the right moment for the institute,” Briggs said. “When is the institution going to be healthy, and in a good state with the right board and cabinet that a new leader can come in with runway to get started?” 

As these final weeks of Brigg’s time as president wind to a close, we can reflect on the impact of his leadership and the many changes he brought to school. When looking back on these years, Briggs compared his departure to Berry’s motto from the book of Matthew in the Bible, “not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” 

“I want Berry students to do great, and I want them to be ambitious,” Briggs said. “I want them to see the bigger picture, and to see beyond themselves. That’s the heart of the Berry philosophy.”