Student Petition to Reinstate Professor Laurie Brockhaus, School of Social Work, Saint Louis University

We, the students of the Saint Louis University School of Social Work, and the broader SLU community, are writing urgently and collectively to request the reinstatement of Professor Laurie Brockhaus and the preservation of her full-time faculty line.

Professor Brockhaus is not simply an instructor; she is a vital pillar of the Social Work program and a transformative educator whose impact on students extends far beyond the classroom. Her removal due to budget cuts will cause deep and lasting harm to the quality, continuity, and integrity of our education.

Why Professor Brockhaus Is Essential to Our Education

• Professor Brockhaus consistently demonstrates the highest level of dedication, expertise, empathy, and commitment to SLU’s mission. She is:
• A full-time faculty member teaching across both the BSSW and MSW programs, ensuring continuity throughout students’ entire academic journey.
• A leader in social justice work—serving as Co-Chair of the Committee on Culture and Social Justice, teaching a class about advocacy, and shaping the climate and values of the School of Social Work.
• The instructor who helped develop and launch the new Antiracism course, which has already inspired students to establish ADEI initiatives and seek her guidance as a faculty mentor.
• A highly trained clinical social worker whose professional, real-world experience enriches every class she teaches.
• A deeply supportive mentor who is known for creating inclusive spaces, practicing genuine empathy, and helping students navigate academic and personal challenges.
• One of the most effective early-career instructors in the School of Social Work, as consistently reflected in student evaluations and faculty observations.

Her passion, skill, compassion, and leadership are irreplaceable. Students feel seen, supported, and genuinely valued in her classroom. She models the values that SLU teaches—cura personalis, social justice, equity, and service.

How Removing Her Position Harms Students

Cutting this line and losing Professor Brockhaus will have significant negative effects, including:

• Increased class sizes that reduce meaningful learning, mentorship, and the personal attention social work education requires.
• Reduced access to clinically trained full-time faculty, despite clinical social work being the program’s largest and most demanding concentration.
• More reliance on adjuncts, decreasing consistency and quality of instruction.
• Fewer faculty available for advising, which directly affects student success and retention.
• Loss of continuity in required clinical courses that depend on experienced, full-time instructors.
• A weakening of SLU’s ability to prepare competent social workers during a time when demand is rising statewide and nationally.

This decision is especially concerning given the recent loss of multiple teaching lines in the School of Social Work. Students are already feeling the strain.

What Professor Brockhaus Means to Us as Students

Many of us describe Professor Brockhaus as:

• “The best professor I have ever had.”
• “The most welcoming and supportive educator on campus.”
• “A role model who makes me want to become a better social worker.”
• “The one professor who made me feel like I belonged in this program.”

One student wrote:

“Her empathy, passion, and real-world experience are unbeatable. She makes class feel safe, welcoming, and meaningful. Losing her damages the program and the students who depend on her.”

Students don’t just learn from her, we are inspired by her.

A Call for Reconsideration

We understand that the university is facing budget constraints. However, we strongly believe that cutting a position that is high-impact, cost-effective, and essential to student success contradicts the mission and values of Saint Louis University.

Professor Brockhaus’s line:

• teaches 6 courses per year, including:

• Social Work Practice with Individuals
• Families and Groups
• Advanced Clinical Practice with Individuals
• Human Behavior and the Social Environment
• Antiracism in Social Work Practice
• Dismantling Oppression

• supports the largest concentration in the program,
• costs far less than the adjunct positions needed to replace her,
• Removing her is not only harmful, it is inefficient.

We respectfully request that Saint Louis University reconsider this decision and take action to:

1. Reinstate Professor Laurie Brockhaus’s faculty line,

or

1. Delay the termination of the line and explore alternative solutions that preserve her position and the integrity of the Social Work program.

We Stand Together

Social work teaches advocacy and this is our moment to practice it.

We sign this petition not only for ourselves, but for future SLU students and for the communities we will someday serve. The excellence of our education directly shapes our ability to serve others.

Professor Brockhaus is the kind of educator that SLU should fight to keep, not let go.

We urge SLU leadership to honor the values of cura personalis, academic excellence, equity, and student-centered education by reinstating Professor Laurie Brockhaus.

Our education depends on it.