UCO Remembers Professor Brenda Brent

The University of Central Oklahoma reflects on the passing of Academy of Contemporary Music staff, Brenda Brent.

Brent at UCO:

Brenda Brent is a two-time alumna of UCO and served as the Director of Academic Student Services at the ACM. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Adult Education and Community Service.

Brenda started her career with UCO as the Freshman Academic Advisor more than 20 years ago and has advised students pursuing many different majors. According to those who knew Brent, her legacy is defined by student and faculty support. ACM@UCO students describe Brent as an anchor, handling recruitment, admission, and course advising. She is remembered for her empathy, student advocacy, and daily kindnesses, such as always keeping candy outside her office door, said students.

ACM Faculty and previously Oklahoma’s only Ableton Trainer, Dustin Regland worked alongside Brent. He provided The Vista with words of remembrance:

“…Brenda was a muscle that both held everyone together, from faculty to student staff, and… helped us get anything done as teachers to better equipped and care for students we got to work with. I will never forget getting to go to [The Texas Music Educators Association] (TMEA) with her…and for a million visits to her office during each semester to get help and guidance, and a piece of candy, too. May her memory be a blessing.”

Efforts:

Before moving to the ACM@UCO in 2013, Brenda was the Assistant Director for Undergraduate Academic Advising. In 2001, she was celebrated for her involvement in cracking a grade-changing-scam by a temporary faculty member at UCO.

“Brenda Brent, an academic advisor, found a discrepancy that indicated someone had gained access to the university database and had changed students’ grades,” said DPS officer Jon Peoples in an affidavit from the case.

“I was not talking to a student when I found the discrepancy. I was told not to talk to anyone about the incident,” Brent Said.

According to reports from 2001, 16 computerized student records had been altered and 106 grades were changed.

The Vista article covering this case can be found here.

Faculty Reflection:

Myron Pope, former Vice President for Student Affairs at UCO*:

“Thank you for reaching out and for giving me the opportunity to reflect on Brenda and the impact she had on the UCO community.

I had the privilege of knowing Brenda for many years (2004 – 2019), including during my time as Vice President for Student Affairs at UCO, when I had the opportunity to supervise her work. When I think about Brenda, the word that immediately comes to mind is advocate. She was the consummate advocate for students.

For many years, Brenda worked closely with nursing students, and I consistently heard students speak highly of the support and guidance she provided. She understood that academic advising was about much more than helping students select courses. It was about helping them find a pathway to their goals. If a student was unable to gain admission to nursing, for example, Brenda did not simply allow that student to fall through the cracks. She worked with them to identify other possibilities and helped them find a path forward. That was representative of the way she approached her work. She cared deeply about whether students succeeded.

Brenda also had an extraordinary ability to recognize barriers students were experiencing and communicate those concerns to university leadership. She understood both the student experience and how the university worked, and she used that knowledge to help us identify problems and, whenever possible, remove obstacles that stood in the way of student success.

Her influence extended well beyond the students she personally advised. Brenda was a leader within Academic Advisement and an exceptional mentor to younger advisors. She helped develop a generation of professionals who learned from her attention to detail, her commitment to students, and her belief that good advising could make a tremendous difference in a student’s life.

That part of her legacy was especially apparent when we gathered at her family’s home last Saturday. I had the opportunity to reconnect with a number of current and former UCO colleagues who had worked with Brenda over the years. We shared stories and memories, and what struck me was how consistent they were. Regardless of when or how someone had worked with Brenda, we kept returning to the same things: she was a wonderful colleague, a mentor, and above all, an advocate for students. Hearing those stories reminded me that her influence continues through the many professionals she mentored and the students whose lives she touched.

One of the things I remember most is Brenda’s presence at the important moments in her students’ lives. You could see her at nursing pinning ceremonies and at graduation, cheering for students she had helped along the way. She didn’t simply advise students and send them on. She was invested in seeing them reach the finish line and celebrating with them when they did.

Although Brenda eventually left the advising office and continued her career in student services at ACM@UCO, the impact she made at Central remains. Universities are ultimately about people, and Brenda understood that as well as anyone. Her legacy can be seen not only in the students she helped graduate, but also in the advisors she mentored and the colleagues who gathered years later and still had stories to tell about what she meant to them.

UCO lost a tremendous asset when Brenda passed away last week, and all of us who knew her have lost a wonderful colleague and friend with her passing. But the work she did and the people she influenced will continue to carry her legacy forward.”

Details about Brent’s passing have not yet been released.