Columbia College of Missouri hires Freeport campus director

Columbia College of Missouri hires Freeport campus director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE          

Columbia College of Missouri hires Freeport campus director

Freeport, IL., Jan. 24 — Sarah Brinkmeier has been named director of Columbia College of Missouri-Freeport. Brinkmeier will be responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the campus, including class scheduling and student and faculty recruitment.

        “Sarah is truly a dynamic and passionate individual,” said Kim Bonine, assistant dean for Adult Higher Education. “As an adjunct faculty member, Sarah has shown an innate ability to connect with students and we are excited to add her talents to our team.”

Prior to joining the college, Brinkmeier served as the director of Social Services and Activities at the Woods Crossing, a skilled nursing and assisted care facility in Brodhead, Wis. Brinkmeier also served as a resident and family services social worker at Pleasant View Nursing Home in Monroe, Wis., where she developed interdisciplinary care for clients and their families.

Brinkmeier holds a master’s degree in social work and a bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing science, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Brinkmeier also holds certification as an Advanced Practical Social Worker. Columbia College-Freeport was established on the campus of Highland Community College in 1996. The program originated from the request of community leaders who desired a four-year degree program in the city. Columbia College-Freeport is one of four Columbia College Nationwide Campuses housed on a community college campus.

                Columbia College, a private, nonprofit institution, was founded in Missouri in 1851 as Christian Female College, the first women’s college west of the Mississippi River to be chartered by a state legislature. The college changed its name to Columbia College in 1970 when it became coeducational.

                The campus of Highland Community College, Columbia College-Freeport was established in 1996 and originated as a request by community leaders who wanted a four-year degree completion  program in the city. Columbia College-Freeport is part of the college’s extended network of more than 30 Nationwide Campuses across the country.

Columbia College of Missouri features four campuses in the state of Illinois, located in Lake County (Gurnee), Crystal Lake, Elgin and Freeport, and offers a variety of in-seat and online degrees. In 1974, the college entered into an agreement to provide post-secondary education opportunities for sailors at Naval Station Great Lakes. Today, over 38 years later, the Columbia College of Missouri campuses in Illinois serve more than 2,250 students annually. There are more than 4,700 Columbia College alumni in the state of Illinois, the third largest college alumni population in the nation.

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