As part of a division-wide reorganization of the University of Notre Dame’s Division of Student Affairs, M. Brian Coughlin has been promoted to associate vice president for student development, effective Jan. 1, 2011. Coughlin, currently assistant vice president for student activities, has served as a member of the senior staff since 2007.
“Brian has done excellent work in Student Affairs. He is an innovator, a tremendous advocate for students, and has a long history of service to the University,” said Rev. Thomas P. Doyle, C.S.C., vice president for student affairs. “During his time as an undergraduate student leader, as rector of Carroll Hall, as director of student activities, and more recently as assistant vice president for student activities, Brian has demonstrated exceptional skill and leadership. He knows and cares for students, and has dedicated his professional career to student development. Our students will be well served by having such a gifted and passionate administrator working on their behalf.”
During his tenure in Student Affairs and Student Activities, Coughlin had oversight for the renovation and development of Legends of Notre Dame (formerly the Alumni-Senior Club) and its transformation into one of the premier live entertainment venues in the region and a mainstay in the nightlife scene at Notre Dame. He serves as advisor to Student Government, and has been at the forefront of the University’s responses to critical Student Government issues. Coughlin also worked with the renovation of the LaFortune Student Center, which included the overhaul of all social spaces as well as the introduction of Starbucks, Subway and Sbarro to the facility.
A 1995 Notre Dame graduate, Coughlin holds a bachelor’s degree in government and theology, as well as a master’s degree in educational leadership from West Virginia University in Morgantown, W. Va. Prior to his work in Notre Dame’s Student Activities Office, Coughlin served as rector of Carroll Hall for three years. While pursuing his graduate degree at West Virginia University, Coughlin held two different graduate assistant positions and worked as coordinator of residence life and student leadership development at Bethany College in Bethany, W. Va. He also spent a year at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., where he worked as a residence hall director responsible for four residential halls and a host of programs and events.