Brookdale College President Maureen Murphy is a finalist for the position of president at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas.
In an email to colleagues Friday, Murphy said she sought the opportunity “for personal and professional reasons.”
Murphy, formerly the president of San Jacinto College South in Houston, was appointed president in 2012 by the Board of Trustees after a yearlong search that considered 93 candidates. She succeeded President William Toms.
She is the first female president of Brookdale Community College in Lincroft.
“My commitment to Brookdale is steadfast, but I am exploring select opportunities,” she said in her statement.
“I was hired three years ago to lead Brookdale during a turbulent time,” she said. “We have had to make some tough decisions, but my time at Brookdale has been one of the most rewarding periods of my professional career. The new structure is in place, the college is stabilized financially, and I am proud of what we have accomplished.”
Earlier in her career, Dr. Murphy was chief academic and student services officer of Rappahannock Community College and Wytheville Community College, both in Virginia. Prior to these administrative positions, she rose through the academic ranks as an instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and later Dean of Mathematics and Communications at St. Louis Community College – Meramec. Dr. Murphy earned a Ph.D. in American Studies from Saint Louis University, an M.A. in English from the University of Missouri – Columbia, and a B.A. in English from the University of Louisville.
Her parents grew up in Monmouth County, she has relatives in Red Bank and Atlantic Highlands.
