Like many others, I have been following the developments at Bryan College very closely in recent months. I am a 2010 alumnus of Bryan College, as well as a former staff member, and until now I have mostly stayed silent on social media outlets. As an alumnus, I have strong feelings about a place that I spent four unforgettable years coming to know and love. Bryan has been the center of some of the greatest joys and sorrows of my life; I formed my best friendships at Bryan, I met my husband at Bryan, and I made it through a life-changing medical diagnosis with the support of my classmates and professors. After graduation I spent the first two years of my professional career promoting Bryan to students from around the country and the world.
During my time as a student and a staff member, Bryan College began to take significant strides towards growing its enrollment under the leadership of Dr. Stephen Livesay, and this caused a great deal of controversy on campus. I was privy to countless conversations in which the decisions of the administration were criticized, but I never lost my sense of loyalty to Dr. Livesay. I spent those years defending a president that I fully believed cared about students, faculty, and the mission of Bryan enough to make the tough decisions. It’s not easy to be president of a school, and I considered it my duty and my honor to speak well of him even if others did not.
In recent months, I have lost that faith in the leadership of Dr. Livesay. When Dr. Livesay announced “Vision 20/20”, I believed that it was a necessary direction for the college. When we built Robinson and the townhouses, broke ground for the new entrance, and added countless majors and sports teams, I saw him as a president with a vision to save a school that was struggling in the midst of a terrible economy. But in recent months as I have watched members of the faculty resign, take other jobs, and leave the community, I have come to believe that Dr. Livesay is the wrong man to lead Bryan College. Dr. Livesay has a vision for the buildings and programs at Bryan, but he has demonstrated a lack of vision for the people of Bryan. Over the last two months, the faculty, students, and alumni have expressed a great deal of frustration and sadness by the manner in which he has handled the “clarification” to the statement of faith. I had hoped that Dr. Livesay would rise to the occasion and take an opportunity to humbly listen to the people who love Bryan most. But instead of being heard and respected, we have listened as our president has refused to acknowledge that his actions have caused significant hurt to the people of Bryan. The faculty and staff, who are in so many ways the heart and soul of the school, have lost heart. I have heard others say that Bryan has come through so much, and while this is a rough time, it will endure like it always has. But if I could say one thing to the members of the board of trustees, it would be this. Unlike many colleges, Bryan has never been a place that was defined by buildings, programs, or other bells and whistles. Bryan College is Bryan College because of a community of people that love its students so well. Destroy a building in a fire, and Bryan College becomes better and stronger. Destroy the community of Bryan College, and I doubt it will ever recover. The faculty and students have already spoken out about their lack of faith in Dr. Livesay, and today, I humbly join my voice with theirs, and I ask the trustees to listen.
Hannah Johnson
Class of 2010
