Director of Student Life Brett Bruner has accepted the position of director of persistence and retention at Fort Hays State University.

“I think for me, it is just a great next step in my career when I think about my career in student affairs,” Bruner said. “It is an opportunity to step into this next role. My position will be working with orientation, transition, first-year experience and retention initiatives, so doing very much similar to what I work with now with a lot of (Baker’s) orientation and transition programs, so I think it is just a great next step for me when thinking about how my career path will unfold.”

Since arriving at Baker in 2008, Bruner has served as the director of student life, health education and Greek life.

“Brett has brought so many programs to the campus,” Dean of Students Cassy Bailey said. “Before his arrival, (Baker) did not have an orientation program … certainly no summer orientation program. We did not have an (Emerging Leaders Summit). We did not have the same level of Student Activities Office, so the good thing is that Brett has built programs that will sustain even after he is gone.”

While Bruner is excited for his new job at Fort Hays State, he is thankful for the opportunity that Baker gave him for his first professional job experience.

“The students that I get to work with … they brighten my day,” Bruner said. “They made the past four years an amazing experience. The staff that I got to work with and the faculty and staff on campus and building those collaborative partnerships has been an amazing opportunity along with that and just the Baker culture and the Baker experience.”

With Bruner’s last day at Baker scheduled for Aug. 3, Bailey hopes to have someone hired by no later than the middle of August.

“We’re doing a national search for a replacement and so that position is listed so far on the Baker website as well as something called HigherEdJobs.com and then we have sent it out to numerous list serves, so we’re really searching,” Bailey said.