MARY VAN BRUNT Looks Towards The Future While

Making History On The Hill

If you have any connection to Spring Hill College, or even just live in the greater Mobile community, the College’s new president wants to meet you.

“I’m a relationship leader,” said Mary H. Van Brunt, PhD, president of Spring Hill College. “I believe in the power of strong relationships with our campus community as well as the Mobile community, the Jesuit community and alumni.”

She sees those personal links as essential to achieving her top goal for Spring Hill: growth.

“It’s building those relationships — and then building strong teams that have different perspectives — that can solve the complex problems that we have in higher education,” explained Van Brunt, who with her appointment has the distinction of being the first woman serving as president at Spring Hill.

Wherever she travels, Van Brunt wants to meet alumni and friends of the College. “I want to know what they are passionate about,” she said. “I also want to share where Spring Hill is headed. Most importantly, I want to find ways to build on their passion and work together to grow Spring Hill College.”

“We owe it to our alumni to make it easy for them to stay continually engaged with their alma mater,” she said. “I am committed to creating opportunities for our alumni and friends to connect and to nurture these important relationships.”

Van Brunt said her selection as the first woman among Spring Hill’s 39 presidents shouldn’t have been a surprise. “One of the things about Spring Hill is being on the forefront of change,” she said. “Spring Hill has an amazing history that speaks to the traditions of Jesuit-based education. For example, we were the first college in the state of Alabama to desegregate, leading the way for other colleges and universities throughout the nation to follow our example.”

Van Brunt fully understands the Jesuit educational mission. She is a lifelong practicing Catholic who comes to Spring Hill from Gwynedd Mercy University near Philadelphia, where she was provost and vice president for academic affairs.

She was also the founding dean of the School of Business, Arts and Media at Cabrini University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Ursinus College, a Master of Business Administration in Accounting from St. Joseph’s University and a doctorate in economics from Lehigh University.

All five of those institutions are in eastern Pennsylvania. Gwynedd Mercy, Cabrini and St. Joseph’s are Catholic, and St. Joseph’s is a Jesuit university.

“I feel strongly about the Jesuit holistic approach of mind, body, spirit for the students,” Van Brunt said. “It is so needed today. It’s not just about preparing you to get the job. It’s preparing you for life, and for your next career and your next career after that.”

Van Brunt began her career in the banking, securities and pharmaceutical industries and was an award-winning economics professor. “I’m data driven, so I do a financial analysis for pretty much everything,” she said. “I want to know the risks.”

"At the same time, I had a liberal arts background. Because of that, I was able to change careers very easily, because I learned how to think critically. All of those so-called ‘soft skills’ I think are most important.”

She considers the Jesuit educational tradition more relevant these days than ever. “Today, young students really struggle with so much anxiety. They're extremely career focused and on such a linear path.”

One of the first Spring Hill students she met during her interview process was fretting about the preparedness for the first real-world job. “I shared with them, ‘Whatever job you start with, you'll build skills,’” she said. “’And then when you go to the next job, you’ll take those skills with you.You don’t have to be able to do it all right now, you’ll build your skills over time.’”

Van Brunt said the faculty, staff and everyone else at Spring Hill must understand the College’s mission and work together to carry it out.

Once while preparing for an accreditation visit at another institution, she asked an employee how their job related to the university’s mission. In return, she got a blank stare. “I said, ‘No, we all should to be able to answer that!’”

Van Brunt and her husband, Chris, enjoy spending time with their dog, Stella, and their six adult children. She likes swimming, kayaking and traveling abroad. She loves music, especially country music.

She reads avidly — everything from political thrillers to business books.

One favorite book in the latter category is Be Our Guest, from The Walt Disney Company. It explores, as the subtitle says, “perfecting the art of customer service.”

According to Van Brunt, applying the principles found in the book at Spring Hill leads to the questions, "What is the student experience? And are we looking at everything through that lens?”

For example, she said, “Sometimes an email or text is no substitute for face-to-face help. Do office hours need to be adjusted so it’s easier for students to see a professor without having to cut a class? Online learning offers flexibility, but many students learn better with in-person teaching — what’s the best way to balance the two modes?”

She wants to keep students and their parents informed as the College works through such issues. “I’m a strong believer in openness and communication,” she said. “By doing so, you build trust among the community.”

Asked what famous person she admires the most, she said she’d like to travel back in time to meet Jesus.

“I think about it a little bit differently,” she said. “I always wonder, if I was there during Jesus’ time, listening to Him talking, before people really knew who He was, would I believe?”