BY KAREN E. BOWES
Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN — From BCC to NBC, Anchorman Brian Williams is back in town to help raise funds for his alma mater.
Williams, who recently took over for Tom Brokaw as the “NBC Nightly News” anchor, is an alumnus of Brookdale Community College (BCC) and chairman of this year’s fund-raising campaign.
The theme, “I Came With a Dream and Left With a Plan,” is a direct reflection of Williams’ own career journey, from humble journalism student to major network news anchor.
“I didn’t have great skills and a résumé when I started, but I knew I had to grab all I could in the time I was at Brookdale,” Williams said in a press release. “I can safely say I did.”
With “a lofty, far-off dream of going into television,” Williams studied English and journalism at BCC in the 1970s. The future anchor also wrote for the student newspaper, The Stall, and a BCC employee newsletter called The Communicator.
“You will get as good as you are willing to give,” said Williams of his time at the two-year college. “I was an active and involved student. … Today, I take the lessons I learned at Brookdale and, through television, I have a chance to teach history as it is happening.”
The college is hoping Williams’ high-profile status will help raise funds for future scholarships.
“Brookdale is an educational getaway for thousands of Monmouth County residents and the first step toward earning a four-year degree or gaining job skills for a current or future job,” said John Elkes, head of the campaign committee. “Higher education can launch a lifetime of opportunity, and this campaign seeks to raise dollars for scholarships so that Brookdale students with financial need can stay on track to pursue their dreams.”
Tim Zeiss, executive director of the Alumni Affairs Department, will continue to sponsor events such as the President’s Scholarship Ball, a black-tie event to be held June 11.
In addition to the events, this year marks the first time the Alumni Affairs Department has decided to launch a mail campaign, sending out hundreds of appeals to businesses and alumni, asking for contributions of any size.
“The campaign theme of ‘I Came With a Dream and Left With a Plan’ is reflective of the experience of so many thousands of individuals who have attended Brookdale since it first opened it 1969,” said Elkes. “We are now asking alumni and the community at large to respond by giving generously.”
Hoping to raise $350,000 by the end of the year, the college has already collected $130,000 through appeal efforts. For more information, call the alumni affairs office at (732) 224-2887.