With a Great Teacher, 'You Never Know Who Will Change Your Life'

The beloved political science and Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College professor is known for his genuineness and intentionality. He racked up a multitude of published articles, book chapters, grant awards and other accolades, including the Elsie M. Hood Award for Teaching, the university's highest honor for teaching, in 2015.

The qualities that garnered him that award have endured in Brown and have been shared with his students.

"He's someone who feels grounded," said Kachren Lacy, a sophomore history and economics major from Jackson. "He is consistent, honest and genuinely present in a very rare way. He challenges you, but at the same time makes you feel supported and seen.

"He is the kind of person who ends up meaning more to you than you can fully anticipate."

It all began when Brown got to experience different classes during his undergraduate studies at Northern Illinois University. One of the classes happened to be political science with someone who ended up meaning more to him than he anticipated, his eventual mentor, Bob Albritton.

"He was such a lovely man, an excellent political scientist and great teacher," Brown said. "He's the guy who took me under his wing and said, 'Hey, have you ever thought about grad school?'"

Albritton helped Brown get into graduate school and continued to be present throughout Brown's career.

"And then years later, to come full circle, I was able to help hire him as chair of our department at Ole Miss," Brown said. "That was really special to have him finish his career here."

That goes to prove one of Brown's life philosophies: "We don't know who is going to impact our lives." He lives this belief wholeheartedly and has not only passed it on to students, but has proved it.

"You just don't know the dominoes that fall, that lead someone to be in your path, at that moment where they make an impact on you, and we should try to think about those things and recognize them when we can," he said.

Just as Albritton influenced Brown, Brown has done the same with his students.

He came to Ole Miss to teach political science and help build that department. Along the way, he began teaching honors courses.

"Teaching in the Honors College gave me a chance to flex different muscles and learn how to do what I do better," he said. "I was able to explore a variety of new topics and engage with students on a deeper level, and that really re-energized my teaching.

No matter what classroom setting, Brown was intentional about student voice. He facilitated discussions ranging from current events to whatever else students wanted to talk about.

"Part of being a student is recognizing that you do, in fact, have a voice; and my job was to help them find their voice, and that meant allowing them to say things so there were no parameters on topics," he said.

From those discussions, students grew.

"One of the biggest things I learned from him was the importance of being authentic and open-minded," said Caroline Horn, a sophomore biology major from Greenville. "His classes helped me grow not only as a student, but also as a person."

Brown's tutelage was apparent.

"Throughout my time in his classes, I never once doubted that his primary goal was not only to see his students succeed, but also to spark passion and drive within them," said Murphy Rose Cunningham, a junior political science major from Orange Beach, Alabama.

Part of that passion and support took the form of visiting Square Books with his honors classes to illustrate the importance of supporting small-town Oxford.

"My hope is that it got them to recognize the role that independent bookstores play in a community," he said. "And this is a part of what it means to grow in a community and be part of something bigger than you. And that means supporting local businesses that help make this town the place that they all love."

The love for the community and Ole Miss created a sense of comfort that perhaps was one of the reasons he remained for 35 years.

"I became comfortable in my role here in a positive way," he said. "I felt like I continued to grow as a faculty member and as a person while I was here.

"And I really do credit the Honors College for a big part of that; it changed how I approach all my classes."

While Brown passed on subject-specific content and skills in his classes, students also learned life and people skills.

"He showed me what it meant to be a good person," said Harrison Foxworth, a former student and recent Ole Miss law graduate from Columbia.

"It's not always about surrounding yourself with people that think like you, but it's the ability to see the strengths, the weaknesses, the struggles of others, and you're able to befriend or find common ground with anyone."

Foxworth has taken those skills into his law practice.

"Having that ability to understand the emotions that a client is coming in with is definitely something Bob planted into me: invest or be there for that person," he said. "I try to do that in my practice the same way that Bob did for us as students – where you felt like the most important person – and that is the degree of care that I want to give, but also to show."

Brown received accolades over the course of his tenure at Ole Miss. But what really mattered was his students, many of whom he continues to keep in touch with and show up for.

"As I look back on what I've done here, I've been lucky to publish well and get grants and all those things, but the thing that's going to matter to me most are my students," Brown said.

"The biggest honor I've had was having two students ask me to officiate their weddings. That was something that was really, really impactful for me – to teach and care about kids and know that our experience together mattered that much."

The new chapter of life brings more time for the avid Chicago Cubs fan to fish, ride his motorcycle, tackle his "to be read" shelf of books and spend more time with his wife, Laura Diven-Brown, UM director of financial aid, and his son, Sean, who lives in Chicago.

But Brown is not completely calling it quits. He has agreed to advise Emma Scruggs, a senior public policy leadership and general business major from Ocean Springs, on her thesis.

"I am incredibly honored and thankful that he is continuing to be my thesis adviser even though he is retiring," Scruggs said. "He has taken additional time to read about my topic, so we'd be on the same page, and that's not part of his job description at all.

"I'm really dreading when my thesis is over and then I have to say goodbye a second time, but I know that he would always be one email away if I ever needed someone to talk to, or officiate my wedding."

Brown and his students were the dominoes that fell into place in one another's lives at the right time to learn about political science, people skills and life together.

"I'm going to miss the chance to meet and teach new students, because you never know when a student is going to walk into your classroom and make a difference in your life," Brown said.

Top: Political science professor Robert Brown leads a discussion session with students in the university's Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Brown, often praised by students for his thoughtful, honest mentoring, is retiring after 35 years at the university. Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services