Since he was an undergraduate at the New College of Florida, Broad Street Area Director Sean Brueggemann was drawn to the promises and challenges of working for Colgate’s Office of Residential Life. For him, his early role as a Resident Advisor — known at Colgate as a Community Leader (CL) — was a formative experience.
“I was originally drawn to this field after being a Resident Advisor for three years and seeing where there was [a] need for greater support of the student experience from the Residential Life team,” Brueggemann said. “I worked to address those concerns and to support the student experience more broadly.”
Where some certainly saw problems, Brueggemann saw the opportunity to find solutions. And where solutions could be found, solutions weren’t enough — there needed to be support for the student community at large.
Community building seems to be the ethic that Brueggemann carries wherever he goes. It first dawned on him as an undergraduate but extended into his professional capacities at New College of Florida and at Colgate. The things that drew Brueggemann to his current position at Colgate were the hallmarks and promises of creating a sense of belonging among students.
“I chose to work at Colgate because I was really excited to work with the Broad Street houses, was thrilled to learn about the Third-Century Plan and the opportunities coming up for Residential Life at Colgate and there was an amazing team in place in the office and great students to work with every day,” Brueggemann said.
Though his position demands attention to the typical Residential Life tasks — recent work on the new StarRez housing software being one — Brueggemann remains connected to the Colgate community in a remarkably hands-on fashion. One-on-ones with CLs and House Managers (HMs), building walkthroughs, email responses and direct connections with students are not uncommon ways for him to fill the hours.
Between Brueggemann’s active work schedule and particularly active personal life — in which one might find him hiking, cooking, baking, cycling or reading — it seems like there’s no time for him to step back. But one would be sorely mistaken if they thought Brueggemann didn’t have a strong sense of the bigger picture. His goals and vision for success are by no means limited to Residential Life but extend to the Colgate community as a whole.
“I am hoping to build better connections across campus and with our students, to get everyone more involved with the theme communities and to create structures that will support the long-term growth and success of our theme communities,” Brueggemann said.
In helping the Colgate community flourish, Brueggemann’s work is not done in isolation — building a community isn’t passive, as he well knows. So, Residential Life has made the effort to open the door to student participation in their housing communities.
“Professionally, I want to ensure that students are having the best residential experience that we can provide and are involved in the creation and implementation of processes,” Brueggemann said.
Brueggemann says that new opportunities are to come in the future, and that talking to your CL or House Manager, visiting the Residential Life office, or applying to become a CL when applications open are great ways to get involved. If Brueggemann’s story is any indication, any student can turn passion and an instinct for action into a real impact in their community.
