Education Faculty Member Retires After 53-Year Tenure

“I came to Brookdale the morning after the moonwalk for my interview,” said Arthur E. Marshall, professor of Education at Brookdale Community College. “They were just taking the horses out of Barn A.”

Professor Marshall started making a significant impact when he came to Brookdale in 1969. He has seen many of his former students evolve into colleagues and friends. Through enthusiasm and a strong work ethic, Professor Marshall developed an impressive and caring community of students and colleagues throughout his career. All will miss him as he enters retirement.

“Professor Marshall helped shape our institution into one of the top community colleges in the nation,” said Dr. David Stout, president of Brookdale Community College. “I am grateful for the influence that this institution has had on nearly 400,000 students whom Brookdale has touched throughout our history. He had the ability to ignite a fire within so many of our students, inspiring them to serve as teachers who have touched the lives of countless students. His impact has been profound. Some people look at an orchard and see thousands of apples. He looked at a single apple seed and seen a thousand orchards.”

He is a two-time recipient of the Brookdale Community College Alumni Association’s Barringer Award, two-time recipient of the Outstanding Colleague Award, the Quiet Hero Award, and First Runner Up (Honorable Mention) for the Outstanding College or University Professor in New Jersey. In addition, he is held in high regard by his colleagues nationally, as he has received three times the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development’s Excellence (NISODE) Award for his outstanding commitment and contribution to his students and colleagues.

Having served as an Academic Advisor, Counselor, Dean of Students, and Professor of Education, Professor Marshall epitomized the quality of excellence in Education by continually enhancing students’ educational experiences and success opportunities.

Professor Marshall said he tells his students all the time, “No matter what career you go into, make sure it is something you enjoy.” He explains, “I have spent three-quarters of my life teaching, at Brookdale and including before I came to Brookdale. It is a long time in a career, longer than most. I wish I could continue because that is how much I enjoy being at Brookdale.”

He was instrumental in founding the Theater, International Student Association, Student Government, Education Club, and One Step Ahead Club for Students with Disabilities and served as their first Advisor and mentor.

“Brookdale was brand new and innovative, and exciting at the time I joined the faculty in 1971, said William B. Harvey, president, Danubius University, Romanian. “I was part of a team of five faculty members who were given the latitude to construct educational experiences for students that were not limited to disciplinary boundaries. We had several meetings with Art because he was both a sounding post and a constructive critic, respectful of our intentions but also quick to gently ask how, why, we were serving the students’ academic and personal development. To this day, I value the time at Brookdale because of the interactions with people like Art. A foundation was laid on which I have been able to build a career that has taken me through five decades and around the world.”

There is much admiration from the Brookdale Education Department of which he is a distinguished leader and teacher. His many leadership roles include Department Chair, Division Chair and a shared faculty position within the Education and Sociology Departments.

“We, of the Education Department, consider ourselves most fortunate to have had him on our team,” said Dr. Ave Latte, professor, and department chair of Education. “Professor Marshall (Art, as I fondly call him) and I worked together for over 20 years. From that vantage point, I confidently share that there has not been a department or an institute at Brookdale that has not been touched in some positive way by Professor Marshall. If we needed the real story or had to weed out truths from opinions, he was one of our most trusted sources. His was a gentle leadership style, approaching each project with a sense of gratitude for being asked to serve, and with the highest regard for those with whom he worked. Many among us at Brookdale can attest that Professor Marshall’s counseling style and listening skills were genuine and, above all, immensely effective. Whatever the source of his wisdom, he always made me, and countless others, feel that our voices and concerns truly mattered. I will truly miss working alongside my friend. His wisdom and integrity, his caring nature and humble heart, are the leadership model I strive to achieve. Indeed, I consider Professor Marshall to be one of Brookdale’s most valued treasures.”

Although he was thanked for his long-distinguished service at Brookdale by President David Stout and the Board of Trustees at their December meeting, Professor Marshall wanted to thank the Board for renewing his contract 53 times!

Reflecting on his time at Brookdale, Professor Marshall cannot name that time after the famous Brookdale Farm racehorse “Regret,” the first female horse to win the Kentucky Derby, because he said, “I have no regrets!”