by Dennis Dalman
Dr. Brian Bruess, the president of both the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, has been chosen by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to serve on the “Governor’s Workforce and Development Board.”
Bruess, who has just joined the 60-member board, will serve until July 1. He is replacing member Paul Pribbenow, who is president of Augsburg College.
Bruess is the first person to serve as the president of both CSB and SJU. He began his tenure on July 1, 2022.
The Governor’s Workforce and Development Board networks with public, private and community resources to enhance, strengthen and maintain economic prosperity for businesses and all Minnesota residents.
Some of its Workforce and Development Board’s partnerships include the following: The Minnesota Departments of Labor and Industry, Human Services, Health, Education, Commerce, Rural Police Development, Employment and Economic Development, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and non-governmental entities such as the Blandin Foundation, which focuses on strengthening life in rural Minnesota.
Bruess and Family
Before accepting the president’s position at SJU/CSB, Bruess had been president of St. Norbert in De Pere, Wis, where he had earlier earned his bachelor’s degree before acquiring a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in personnel/research/evaluation from Ohio State University.
Before his presidency at St. Norbert, Breuss worked for St. Catherine University, St. Paul, where he eventually became its executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Bruess and his wife, Carol, live at the “Renner House” on the CSB campus. Carol, who also has a doctorate degree is a professor emerita at CSB/SJU and is the author of five books.
The Bruesses have two young-adult children – Tony, a Stanford University graduate and tech entrepreneur in New York; and Gracie, a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, Los Angles.
Brian Bruess is the president of both the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University.
