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Mayor of Southfield and CMU Alumna
The honorable Brenda L. Lawrence, Mayor of
Southfield, Michigan, recently sat down to talk with CMU at the grand
opening of the new Troy, Michigan center. She discussed her own CMU
experience, and how she never lost sight of her own educational goals even
while working at her demanding roles as mayor of a thriving Detroit suburb
of over 75,000 people, wife, mother and grandmother.
Mayor Lawrence is no stranger to hard work and breaking new ground. She is
Southfield’s first African American mayor and its first woman mayor.
Dedicated to promoting diversity and opportunities for all, Mayor Lawrence
has won many awards for her work including the "2004 Wand Award" for
breaking new frontiers for women and minorities, the Jewish War
Veterans-State of Michigan "Brotherhood Award", the Leadership Detroit
"Challenging the Process" award, the ABWA Millennium Chapter "Woman of the
Year Award", the Detroit Historical Society's "Enterprising Women",
Leadership Oakland's 2004 Distinguished Leadership & Future Leaders Award
for Exemplary Leadership, and the "Black Women Achiever Award".
CMU: What is the one thing you would tell a person who is
thinking about attending CMU Off-Campus Programs?
Mayor Lawrence: One of the best things about attending CMU and
being a working adult is they understand, and they get it. I had the ability
to call a counselor and make an appointment that was convenient for my
schedule. The counselors were very much aware and sensitive to working with
adults. This was a long journey for me. It didn’t happen in a one-year
program. I attended CMU for a long period of time, and during that time, I
was able to say, I am on track. As a working adult, I didn’t have the luxury
of taking frivolous courses. They had to be on point and contributing to the
goal of getting my degree. So with CMU, if I could compliment one thing the
most, it was the availability of counselors to assist me in my journey.
CMU: Did you try any of the different formats available for
your classes?
Mayor Lawrence: One of the great things about CMU is all the
flexibility in the ways that you can take a class. You can sit at home at
the computer. With a schedule as busy as mine – being able to come in at
10:00 at night, log in, and actually take a class and do my required
assignments or to type up a paper and to be able to submit it at 11:00 at
night – it really worked for me because my schedule is so volatile. The
weekend face-to-face courses were wonderful, too, because during the week
there is so much going on, and I could actually schedule time that belonged
to me - to my education.
CMU: There are many options out there when it comes to higher
education. What made you decide to attend CMU Off-Campus Programs?
Mayor Lawrence: I am asked a lot why did you choose CMU? Why
do you feel CMU is the university you should attend? Location and diversity.
Say for instance you are in a job and you work in Dearborn, or you work in
Troy, or you work in Southfield… you have the opportunity to be close to a
campus. Say for instance a course that you want is not being offered in
Southfield, it is being offered right up the road in Dearborn. So there are
absolutely no excuses. Then add to that the online courses that you can take
and the learning packages. You can get a course and at your leisure and at
your own schedule complete the course. All of those things combined, I can’t
find any reason or any excuses that you can find that CMU cannot overcome
and meet your educational goals.
CMU: Did getting your degree have an impact on your family
life?
Mayor Lawrence: One of the things that played an important
role for me during my educational journey was being able to respect the
responsibilities that I have to my family, to my community, and to my
employer. My family is very important to me. Being a mother – and now being
a proud grandmother – one of the things that is important to me is being
able to show the discipline that is required for an education is worth it,
something that can be achieved, and something that is so invaluable and
precious. I didn’t just tell my family that, they partnered with me, and
when I received my college degree from CMU, they were right there with me
and were enjoying every moment of it.
CMU: Is there one thing you are most proud of now that you
have your degree.
Mayor Lawrence: I am proud of it on a number of levels. It was
a commitment I made to my family and to myself personally. That is probably
the greatest satisfaction. I promised myself that I would complete this
goal, that I would receive my college degree. It is something that completes
me. What is so beautiful about CMU is when I sat down at the initial
conversation and said that I wanted to do this (and I have attended a lot of
different universities), I saw a plan. They worked with me and they said
that I could do this! The counselor was encouraging, as well as very
structured and provided me with a disciplined plan. I saw the light at the
end of the tunnel. That was energizing and exciting for me to see the
reality of finally getting there. Being an adult and a public figure, I
speak to young people all the time and tell them how important completing
your education is. I recognize that I have the responsibility of being a
role model. So now while I am talking the talk, I have walked the walk. That
is so important to me. It is an integrity issue, and it is something I am
just so proud of, and I am so grateful to CMU for being the conduit that got
me to where I wanted to be.
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