Dawn Brunson Named Distinguished College Administrator

Passaic County Community College (PCCC) is proud to announce that Dawn Brunson, the director of Pre-College Programs, has been selected by the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) International Honor Society to receive the Distinguished College Administrator Award, given to college leaders who demonstrate outstanding support for student success.

In the award notification letter to Ms. Brunson, Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, president and CEO of PTK, writes, “Your nomination was strong evidence that you are a student success champion for all students. They know you support their learning both inside and outside the classroom, and as a result, they have had a better college experience because of you.”

Reacting to the news, Ms. Brunson said, “It was a huge surprise, and I am truly honored by this award from PTK.”  She was among the 23 community college administrators to be recognized last April at PTK’s annual international convention, Catalyst, held this year in Orlando, Florida.

An administrator at PCCC since 2016, Ms. Brunson earned her BA in communications from The College of New Jersey and her Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Rutgers University. She previously worked in the non-profit sector, before taking a break to raise her children, then re-entered the workforce in 2016 when she came to PCCC. Ms. Brunson has worked in the Pre-College area since her beginnings here, administering programs for students from grades 6 to 12 who attend urban schools and may need added support to succeed in college-level studies or employment after secondary school.    

The Back Story
Ms. Brunson’s deep commitment to these students and their parents stems from personal experience. “My own parents were both the first to attend college in their families,” she explained. “They earned scholarships… my dad to Princeton and mom to a small liberal arts college… but they struggled in college because, as graduates of urban high schools, they didn’t have the same academic foundation as their fellow students who had attended the better-funded suburban high schools.

“Though her parents ultimately succeeded in college and were raising their family in a suburban community, they enrolled Dawn in a public high school located in another town, paying the out-of-district cost to do so. But when her father developed health issues, Dawn transferred to the local high school in her hometown so he would not have to drive her to school every day.

“That was an eye-opening experience,” said Ms. Brunson. “Both schools were suburban public high schools, so the quality of the education should have been equal, but the demographics in the towns were different.”  She was shocked to see how much that affected the quality of the education.  What she felt was an educational injustice ignited her determination to help students overcome gaps and other challenges to succeed in their education.  

The Project
A collaboration between PCCC’s  Pre-College Team and PTK ultimately led to Ms. Brunson receiving the Distinguished College Administrator Award.

She was concerned that a number of the Pre-College students, who were missing out on their regular high school experience, did not feel the sense of connection to the College that they had in high school. Ms. Brunson reached out to Dr. Jennifer Gasparino and Andy Perales, co-advisors of Alpha Eta Chi, PCCC’s chapter of  PTK.  

Ms. Brunson knew that Alpha Eta Chi has a strong reputation for making students feel deeply connected to PTK, to the College, and to one another, so she turned to them for a model of mentoring and project development. “I wanted to work more closely with them,” she explained.  I have always worked in jobs where I coordinated programs, and sought community partnerships, so It was very natural to me to reach out that way.”

This led to a creative and highly successful project that addressed what was determined to be a “lack of fellowship,” in the campus experience for Pre-College students. Titled “Fostering a Sense of Belonging: Early College Students Making the Smart Choice,”
this collaborative endeavor became the 2023 PTK College Project for Alpha Eta Chi.

The semester-long project involved students, faculty, and administrators from both PCCC and two local high schools, as well as parents and family members of the students, defining goals and collaborating on initiatives to increase a sense of belonging for Pre-College students and to promote community college as a smart choice for those seeking higher education.

Through workshops, mentoring, leadership training, and video projects, students became more deeply engaged, experiencing PCCC’s holistic approach to a college education. The project also enhanced PCCC’s identity as a community-connected bridge between  high school and a four-year college.  

By the end of the semester the participating Pre-College students unanimously agreed that they felt more committed and connected to PCCC. Also, a number of the administrators and faculty who participated reported that they experienced a sense of fulfillment and professional growth.

“So much has come as a result of that collaboration,” said Ms. Brunson. “Working across the campus with PTK gave more exposure to the work of  Pre-College, which can be kind of isolated from the rest of the campus. “I am very grateful to PTK for responding to my request with such enthusiasm and expertise,” said Ms. Brunson. “We all gained from it.”

By Linda Telesco