President’s Profile

 

Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D., a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where he also earned his master's and doctorate degrees, is completing his 10th year as president of Trine University. Brooks is the second youngest person to serve as Trine's president and was the youngest college president in the state of Indiana at the time of his hiring.

A native of Tennessee, he has served as the chief operating officer at two well-established schools of higher learning and is recognized as an accomplished fund-raiser and strategic planner. He began his tenure as the 16th Trine president on June 1, 2000.

Since assuming office, Brooks has focused on four areas: instituting a campus-wide planning and assessment effort, revitalizing and revamping the university's recruitment and enrollment procedures, launching the largest capital campaign in the history of the university, and focusing on a master plan for campus facilities.

The university's recruitment efforts have been restructured, and Brooks led the reorganization of the enrollment management process at Trine. Through the coordinated efforts of the offices of admission, financial planning, and public relations, and the academic units, Trine has increased the size and frequency of mailings, moved the announcement of financial awards to an earlier date, and introduced telemarketing to augment the efforts of the admission counselors, who traditionally have spent a great deal of time traveling.

As a result of these efforts, Trine has experienced increases in the number of inquiries regarding programs and admission, from 5,000 to 12,000; applications have increased from 1,250 to 2,500; and the SAT scores of new students have increased annually. Facilitating these efforts has been the renovation of Forman Hall, which houses the University's enrollment management offices and the elegant and inviting Trine Welcome Center. In addition to providing convenient "one-stop shopping" services for prospective and entering students, this renovated facility now provides a positive first impression of the university. The facility is also home to Centennial Station, Trine's coffee house, which serves the community, faculty, staff and students.

"Trine is one of the few private colleges and universities in Indiana that has shown consistent increases in enrollment, and we are working very hard to enhance that pattern of growth," Brooks said. "This is a great university with tremendous programs, resources and opportunities for students who are interested in a career-oriented education, and that's the message we will continue to take to prospective students in the tri-state area and beyond."

To initiate the Vision for the Future capital campaign, Brooks worked with trustees, alumni, staff, and friends of the University in identifying the goals for the campaign.

"The goal for the campaign was $90 million. A significant increase in our endowment is our best avenue for reducing the University's dependence on tuition dollars and achieving financial security," Brooks said. The Vision for the Future capital campaign has commitments exceeding the $90 million goal, and moves into phase II, with a $75 million goal to further enhance and improve the quality of education on our campus.

In raising these funds, Brooks has increased the university's foundation and corporate contacts, heightened the emphasis on estate and planned giving, and encouraged greater alumni participation.

"There are many challenges ahead, but I see them as opportunities to enhance the reputation, the standing, and the mission of Trine," Brooks said.

During his tenure as Trine's president, Brooks has enhanced processes by implementing and initiating steps that have resulted in the following:

• The university has sought and received approval from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to become a graduate degree-granting institution, it has received NCATE accreditation for the Franks School of Education and ACBSP accreditation for the Ketner School of Business, and began a master's degree program in engineering technology, civil, biomedical mechanical engineering, as well as criminal justice and leadership.
• Transition from the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) to the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), Division III. The university is also a full NCAA member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association;
• Substantial growth has taken place in the university's School of Professional Studies, and off-campus sites have expanded to 11, including the Trine Virtual Campus. These non-traditional students now represent 25 percent of the total student body;
• Trine's academic departments have been reorganized into six schools: the Allen School of Engineering & Technology, the Ketner School of Business, the Jannen School of Arts & Sciences, the Franks School of Education, the Trine Virtual Campus; and the School of Professional Studies;
• To provide our students with opportunities for gaining a global perspective, which has become critical to effective leadership in such fields as business, engineering and the sciences, Trine has joined the InterAmerican Consortium of Higher Education. The consortium provides opportunities for student exchange programs between its member institutions and institutions in Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, France, Italy, and Panama;
• Major capital expansion has taken place with the new Ketner Sports Complex, the boulevard entrance to the university, the renovation of Sniff Hall into the C.W. Sponsel Administration Center, the construction of the new University Center and Center for Technology and Online Resources, the addition of seven new apartment-style units on campus to replace traditional dormitory living, and the Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamics Inc. Athletic and Recreation Center (new 200-meter indoor track and fieldhouse). Construction for the Fred Zollner Athletic Stadium has been completed. Over $70 million of capital improvements have taken place since the launch of the Vision for the Future capital campaign;
• This is the university's ninth consecutive year of record financial success; and
• This is the university's eighth consecutive year to be recognized by the U.S. News & World Report as a leading comprehensive college in the Midwest. Trine was also recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the best colleges and universities in the Midwest.

 

"Central to Trine's mission of providing a top-notch, quality, comprehensive, career-oriented education is our commitment to providing our students with opportunities to experience growth in character, values and principles," Brooks said. "As educators, we need to guide and encourage the development of our students' intellectual and physical abilities, to teach them to think critically and creatively and to communicate effectively.

"We must work to deepen our students' understanding and appreciation of the world and to awaken in them a sense of obligation and desire to be of service to society," Brooks said. "This is, in the end, what we are all about—the education and development of our students."

He is active in a number of professional organizations, including the Council of Independent Colleges, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the National Association of College and University Business Officers, and is an active member of the President's Council and Board of Control of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Brooks is also active on the boards of the Independent Colleges of Indiana, where he served as president in 2007-2008.

A private and independent institution, Trine has a worldwide reputation for excellence. Established in 1884 by the citizens of Angola, Ind., Trine has earned and maintained this reputation by developing programs that respond to the needs of business and industry and by producing graduates who are ready to work.

Trine annually enrolls approximately 2,100 students in the Allen School of Engineering & Technology, the Ketner School of Business, the Jannen School of Arts & Sciences, the Franks School of Education, the Trine Virtual Campus and the School of Professional Studies, which includes the Angola Evening Program, and at its off-campus sites in Angola, Fort Wayne, Schererville, South Bend/Mishawaka, Howe, Warsaw, Columbus, Indianapolis and Logansport. The university's beautiful 450-acre main campus features the 18-hole championship Zollner Golf Course and is located in the scenic lake resort region of northeast Indiana, within easy driving distance of such major metropolitan areas as Fort Wayne, Ind.; Chicago, Ill.; Toledo, Ohio; and Lansing, Mich.