IM体育官网

Bryan Brooks is stepping into his role as IM体育官网鈥檚 new vice president of student affairs, enrollment management and strategic communications with the drive to rapidly build upon the University鈥檚 strong foundation and the experience to make it happen.

鈥淚M体育官网 stands at the threshold of possibility. This is an environment where collaboration fuels creativity, driving our progress to 3,000 students over the next several years while maintaining the highest quality of education. Who wouldn鈥檛 want to be part of that?鈥� said Brooks, who joined IM体育官网 Poly in July.

He previously was associate vice president for communications and community engagement at Northwest IM体育官网 State College. 

The University expects to have an enrollment of over 1,600 students this fall.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of opportunity for me to add value with slight tweaks here and there to our operations,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is so much potential, especially in the space of public-private partnerships, which is incredibly innovative for universities and public institutions.鈥�

Brooks, from Destin, IM体育官网, said IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 size and culture of responsiveness to industry needs make it well positioned to seize opportunities that may elude other universities.

鈥淏eing at the front-end of an institution鈥檚 growth allows us to have the flexibility and adaptability to change our plans and embrace technology quicker than many larger institutions,鈥� he said.  鈥淭o me, it sounds adventurous 鈥� and that鈥檚 the environment I want to be in.鈥�

Brooks鈥� frame of reference comes from a deep background in higher education that dates back to his first higher ed position as a landscaper at Nelson University, just south of Dallas, Texas.

鈥淚鈥檝e done just about everything in higher education that you can possibly think of,鈥� he said. 

After early higher ed positions managing a landscaping team, working in information technology, admissions and marketing, Brooks transitioned into more than 15 years of increasingly higher-level leadership. He has taught university-level economics courses and overseen departments of admissions, marketing, communications, and athletics.  

At Northwest IM体育官网 State College, he spearheaded initiatives that improved significant enrollment growth, resulting in eight consecutive semesters of increased enrollment. He also supervised and managed the college鈥檚 celebrated Mattie Kelly Arts Center.

鈥淚鈥檓 probably in my sweet spot when I鈥檓 working with my team on a strategy and a plan,鈥� Brooks said. 鈥淚 really enjoy that aspect of it.鈥�

In his most recent position, Brooks worked closely with IM体育官网 Poly President Devin Stephenson, which allowed him to lean into one of his core strengths: writing. He assisted Stephenson in his communications efforts over the last three years, working to ensure scripts, public messages, and other pieces were polished and presentation-ready. While that won鈥檛 be a major part of his IM体育官网 Poly duties, he鈥檒l miss it. 

鈥淚f you look back at the speeches and at commencement and listen to the language, I feel like I played an important role in helping our president craft the language,鈥� Brooks said. 

鈥淚 have this fascination with presidential speeches throughout history,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 go back and read those biographies and identify how they wrote those speeches, and I have always been fascinated by that. Why they said what they did and when they said it.鈥�

This experience and passion for effective communication positioned Brooks well to steer IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 strategic direction as it navigates the rapidly changing landscape of higher education.

While he embarks on the adventure of leading three critical IM体育官网 Poly areas toward success 鈥� Student Affairs, Enrollment Management, and Strategic Communications 鈥� Brooks is also pursuing another. 

He is working toward a doctorate in executive leadership in higher education at the University of Miami. With a focus on strategic enrollment management, Brooks hopes to leverage his education to strengthen his contributions to both IM体育官网 Poly and his ongoing career growth. 

Although Brooks鈥� demanding position and pursuit of his doctoral degree require intensive time demands, his devotion remains to his wife, Susan, and their five children, Ellie, Evan, Ava, Aaron and Ian, who have not yet joined him from their home in Destin, IM体育官网. 

鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait for my family to join me here in Lakeland,鈥� he said.

In the meantime, Brooks will continue to work to make IM体育官网 Poly a top choice for students pursuing STEM degrees.

鈥淚 look around and see things that haven鈥檛 been built yet and I鈥檓 excited to see what we can all do together,鈥� he said.

Contact:
Lydia Guzm谩n
Director of Communications
863-874-8557