DE PERE (NBC 26) — St. Norbert College President Brian Bruess has announced that he is leaving St. Norbert College.
A statement from the college says Bruess is leaving to become the inaugural president of both the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University in Minnesota on July 1.
Effective July 1st, former St. Norbert College president Thomas Kunkel will return as president on an interim basis for one year, the college said in a statement.
The college said Kunkel spent nine years as president at St. Norbert College, retiring in 2017. During his tenure at St. Norbert, Kunkel oversaw the construction and renovation of more than $140 million in campus facilities and infrastructure, according to St. Norbert College.
Bruess became the eighth president of the college in 2017. He is a 1990 graduate of the school. A statement from St. Norbert College touted some of Bruess' achievements during his leadership, including record new-student enrollment and increased diversity.
The school said Bruess led the college "flawlessly" through the pandemic.
Bruess' time at the school is not without controversy. According to previous reports, in late 2019, the college announced president Brian Bruess would not seek renewal of his contract. Students rallied behind Bruess and protested during a Board of Trustees meeting. The board then voted in late November to approve a contract extension with President Bruess.
