Former longtime Columbia College President Gerald Brouder remembered as 'a thought leader'

Gerald Brouder, Columbia College’s 16th president, died last Wednesday at the age of 79. A funeral mass will be Tuesday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church at 903 Bernadette Drive.
Gerald Brouder, Columbia College’s 16th president, died last Wednesday at the age of 79. A funeral mass will be Tuesday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church at 903 Bernadette Drive.

Gerald Brouder, one of Columbia College's longest-serving presidents, died last week at age 79.

Brouder served as president of Columbia College for 18 years, from 1995 to 2013, after which he became just the college's second president emeritus.

The final building project of his time on campus opened a few months after his retirement, the state-of-the-art Gerald T. and Bonnie M. Brouder Science Center.

Current Columbia College President David Russell sent an email to faculty, staff and students after Brouder's death. Russell wrote that as state commissioner of higher education, he saw Brouder's impact first-hand.

"Dr. Brouder and I worked together for years to strengthen Missouri higher education policies designed to help students successfully complete their college degrees," Russell wrote. "He was highly respected by his peers in the independent college sector as a thought leader. I always found him to be a tireless advocate for students and a servant leader of the first order."

Columbia College President Gerald Brouder speaks during an event.
Columbia College President Gerald Brouder speaks during an event.

Brouder and his wife started the campus tradition of the holiday lighting in 1996 and in 2012 began the "storm the gate" celebration to welcome new students.

He presided over the creation of the college's graduate programs in 1996 and its online program in 2000. The college experienced record enrollment growth in its adult higher education program.

Brouder was born in Chicago in 1943 and served in the medical corps in the Army, leading to a career as a nursing educator. He earned his doctorate in nursing from the University of Texas and was on the faculty of the University of Missouri School of Nursing.

His 17 years at the University of Missouri included time as interim chancellor, deputy chancellor and provost.

Flags on Columbia College campuses nationwide have been lowered, Russell wrote.

"Our college community mourns this great loss; our faculty, staff and alumni loved him, and we will miss him," Russell wrote.

A funeral mass will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 903 Bernadette Drive.

Roger McKinney is the education reporter for the Tribune. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on Twitter at @rmckinney9.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Gerald Brouder, who died at 79, was only the second president emeritus