with Greg Brown
Greg Brown
Born:
North Carolina; raised in New York City
Degrees:
Master's, counseling in higher education, Montclair State University
Bachelor's, sociology, William
Paterson University;
Family:
Wife, Bonnie
Interests:
Reading
Exercising
Visiting theaters and museums
Greg Brown will be the first to tell you that having fun is hard work. As evening and weekend coordinator for Student Activities, Greg is in charge of organizing activities for students, such as the recent Sports Illustrated Festival. "Some campus events may seem effortless," Greg said, "but they take a lot of planning, organization and involvement."
Greg said the success of his job relies on the cooperation of many other departments on campus as well as student organizations. "I've worked collaboratively with other organizations on campus such as the Student Government Association, Residence Life, Athletics, Fine Arts and Theatre to provide great activities and events," he said. "I've had many successful events that I can attribute to individual students, student organizations, colleagues and other departments. Our common goal is to make the campus a more vibrant place."
One of Greg's continuous goals is to bolster school spirit. He recently ran a contest to rename the Red Hawk ("Rocky" was selected as the winning name), he is actively involved in the annual Homecoming celebration and is working on next month's Altogether Different retreat. In addition, he organizes concerts, carnivals and festivals throughout the year. "There's no one way to define my job," he said. "It has so many facets." Which is something Greg thoroughly enjoys.
"I love the excitement of the day," he said. "There are so many great things to do. You can feel the energy. I feel it all around me."
Greg originally was preparing for a career in business when the atmosphere of academe made him consider another path. "As a graduate student I was working and taking classes at Montclair State when I realized I loved counseling, so I changed directions," he said. "I love the students, I love the people and I love the work. I can't think of a better place to work."
Greg said he sees his job as an integral part of a student's life during college and beyond. "Greater student involvement equals greater student success later on in life. Employers are looking for individuals who are well rounded, meaning they have been involved in activities other than academics, such as planning events and working well with others," he said, adding that he involves the students in the planning of events as much as possible.
Greg also sees his job as playing a part in student retention. "Student involvement is an enrollment management tool," he said. "The more involved students are, the more likely they are to graduate from the University because they feel more connected to the campus community."
For those who say there isn't much to do on campus at night and on the weekends, Greg says, "Not so. We've been getting the word out and backing it up. Students look to peers to see what's going on, so when you reach students who are here and they reach others, things will happen."
The outdoors enthusiast and husband of two years doesn't mind the demands his job puts on his personal time. "Being busy is my greatest reward," he said. "It means I'm doing my job. My curse is my blessing."