Where everybody knows his name

Dr. Chris Bridges

        Mansfield is a little bit like Cheers. We're a small school and mostly everyone to knows your name. One name that every student knows is Dr. Chris Bridges, the Associate VP of Student Affairs and Dean of Students.

          The popular Dean joined MU in November 2012, and has given the Student Life department a face lift. Dr. Bridges interacts with students on a daily basis and knows our names too. Every Monday he eats lunch in the student cafeteria and sometimes the entire Bridges family has dinner there. His wife and three younger children have also become a huge part of the Mansfield, both on campus and in town. So what can I share with all of you that you may not already know about Dr. Bridges? Probably not much, so I decided to let him do the talking.

What made you want to take the job at Mansfield last year?

            “Coming here met both my personal and career goals.  I was looking to expand on my responsibilities and I wanted to do more good for more people and I saw that opportunity here. I loved Mansfield as a school because I’ve worked at all types of schools, community colleges, small private institutions as well as large public schools and I felt like Mansfield was the combination of all of those things. I’m a first generation college student and I like that Mansfield offers a small, community feel as a public school. It’s incredibly unique in that way.”

What is your favorite tradition or program that you’ve been to in the past year?

Who knew humans and zombies
could get along?

            “My favorite program is easily Humans vs. Zombies. I jumped right into playing last spring and was amazed by the student dedication and excitement about the game. It’s a really fun time and I was very happy when the President decided to play during the fall semester. We’re already looking forward to the spring.

            The tradition I’m most excited about is the new Leadership Celebration. This month will be the first one held on campus but we plan to hold it annually in the future. I read the 78 submissions and the stories of incredible things people are doing on this campus are so fantastic, I can’t wait to share them.”

What would you say is your biggest accomplishment in the past year?

Dr. Bridges supporting student
Carlos Rodriguez's campaign
"Javier Melodica"

            “Since starting here, I’ve been rebuilding my team which has been a huge accomplishment. More importantly though, I’ve gotten to know so many students on campus and I’m enjoying being part of the Mansfield community.”

If there is one thing students would be surprised to learn about you, what would it be?

            “That I dropped out of law school. I went to law school for a year and a half and planned to work as a mediator or with the under-privileged. I made the very difficult choice to drop out because I realized that I couldn’t do the things I wanted to and make as great of an impact on people being a lawyer. It was one of the hardest choices I’ve ever made, but I have never regretted it.”

If there is one thing you want students to know about life in college, what would it be?

            “Make choices out of love not fear. Don’t decide to do something because you’re scared of what will happen if you don’t do it. Make your decisions because you’re excited about the choice and you love the choice you’re making.”

What is the biggest change you’ve seen at Mansfield over the past year?

The HvZ group on the turf after the last battle of the week.

“President Hendricks. It’s been a hard year for the community here, but he’s helped us rally together and I’ve seen a renewed sense of community from students, faculty and staff. There is a new energy and a feeling of ‘we can do it together’ which is really incredible. He’s brought a sense that you can have fun while you’re working which was really seen when he joined in the Humans vs. Zombies game.
What change do you hope to see in the next year?

            “I want to see us to continue to better tell our story. Mansfield is a great place and we really have something special here. It’s time that we tell people outside of the Mansfield campus and greater community about how incredible this place is and that’s what I want to see continue and most importantly grow over the next year.”