Brent Paterson

Dr. Brent Paterson has over 40 years of experience in higher education in a variety of roles in Student Affairs (administration, housing, student conduct) including serving as  Dean of Student Life, Associate Vice President, and Vice President.  Brent retired from Illinois State University in 2021 after serving 5 years as Assistant to the President/Chief of Staff.   He also served as an adjunct faculty member teaching graduate courses in student affairs and higher education administration at both Texas A&M University and Illinois State University. 

Brent has a long history in crisis response at universities including the creation, implementation, and oversight of critical incident response teams at Texas A&M University and Illinois State University as well as the student behavioral intervention team and threat assessment team at Illinois State University.  He is co-author of Crisis Management: Responding from the Heart and contributing author in Campus Crisis Management: A Comprehensive Guide to Planning, Prevention, Response, and Recovery (First Edition), and Enough Is Enough: A Student Affairs Perspective on Preparedness and Response to a Campus Shooting.  Brent is co-author of a research study that examined the impact on university leaders and responders twenty years after a crisis ("Reflections from Crisis: A Phenomenological Study of the Texas A&M Bonfire Collapse" published in the NASPA Journal).  

Brent is a recipient of the D. Parker Young Award in recognition of outstanding scholarly and research contributions in the area of higher education law and judicial affairs, The Order of Fraternal Excellence Award presented to a college or university administrator who has attained and sustained an outstanding level of professional accomplishment relating to the college fraternity, and was named a NASPA Pillar of the Profession for sustained professional distinction in higher education.