Texas A&M Associate VP For Student Affairs, Former Dean Of Students, Retiring After 30 Years

After more than 30 years of service, Dr. Anne Reber, associate vice president for student affairs and former dean of students, will retire on Dec. 31. Her colleagues say her wisdom, passion for student well-being and servant leadership leaves an enduring legacy at Texas A&M University.

In a retirement celebration last week, Dave Parrott, former interim vice president for student affairs, who was Reber’s supervisor, spoke of the qualities that have made her so beloved by students and staff. “Perhaps one of your greatest strengths is your ability to find humor, to use humor to disarm, to connect and to communicate,” Parrott said. “Your consistent, stable, level-headed leadership and the associated decision-making, particularly during conflicts, is the hallmark of your tenure at the dean of student life.”

Texas A&M Today spoke with Reber about her memorable experiences in Aggieland.

Describe your road to Texas A&M.

My life goal was to be a teacher and educator of children. My undergraduate degree is in special education from the State University of New York at Geneseo. I started my career as a schoolteacher in New York and taught early childhood and elementary school. Then in 1983, I followed my husband to Texas where he had taken a position at Texas A&M University in the Department of Recreational Sports. I accepted a teaching position at Bryan High School and spent the next 11 years working as a teacher and administrator before returning to school full time as a doctoral student at Texas A&M. While working on my dissertation, I started working in what was then called Services for Students with Disabilities — college students who had disabilities could come to this office for assistance. I eventually worked my way up to the director position of this department and then in 2010, I was selected to be the director of student life. That position became the dean of students and in 2017, I also joined the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs as an associate vice president.

Tell us about some of your most memorable experiences at the university.

I’d only been working at Texas A&M for three years when the Bonfire fell in the early morning hours of Nov. 18, 1999, but I was familiar with the tradition having attended many years. I still feel the loss of those 12 students today, especially when I visit the Bonfire memorial. As the years passed, and I became the dean of students, I started to attend Silver Taps each month. It was tied to my emotions surrounding Bonfire, but it is a small gesture to attend Silver Taps and honor those Aggies who have passed and let their families know we are here for them as well.

Another challenging day for me was Sept. 11, 2001. I was already at work when we learned that the Twin Towers were struck by two planes that had been hijacked. New York is my home state so the emotions rose quickly in me as I watched news reports, but I also know that we would need to start addressing the needs of members of our campus community who would also feel the impact of this event. The response of the Texas A&M community in times of crisis is an amazing thing to experience and I will never forget the things we did to support our students, staff and faculty during this event.

On a more positive note, there’s nothing that gives me more joy than when a former student returns to Aggieland and pays me a visit. First, I am so happy that they even thought to stop by and then I’m even more humbled when they tell me where they are in life and that I played a role in their journey. It happened last month during a football weekend when a former student surprised me when he brought his three sons into my office and introduced me to them as someone influential in his time here. There’s not much more that can top that.

What is special about the Division of Student Affairs?

I would have to say that it is the leadership and the staff that make the Division of Student Affairs here so special. I have been fortunate to work with incredible leaders over the years who provided and led with a mission and vision that align with the core values of Texas A&M every day. In addition, the staff of the division are some of the most talented and creative people you will ever meet. They embody the core values with their work, especially that of selfless service. Student affairs staff are dedicated professionals who desire to serve and support our Aggies until their graduation day.

Tell us about the Reber family. 

My husband, Tom Reber, serves as the executive associate vice president for student affairs and chief of staff to the vice president. Tom has been working at Texas A&M since 1982 and we’ve worked right next door to each other for the last five years. I’m not sure every couple could do it, but we’ve had some great success working together through the years.

We have two children: Chelsea ’10 works for the Bryan Broadcasting Corp. as a co-host for a morning radio talk show, The Infomaniacs, and is also a broadcaster for Texas A&M volleyball and softball games, which stream on SEC Network+. She also hosts the KAMU-TV show Texas A&M Today. I was able to present Chelsea her Aggie diploma on stage, which was one of the highlights of my career.

Our son, Will, works for Texas A&M in the Division of Technology Services as a senior cyber defense infrastructure analyst. It’s great having a technology specialist in the family — even if he does roll his eyes at some of our questions. Will’s partner, Allison, is an early childhood teacher at the Becky Gates Children’s Center and their daughter, Wyatt, attends the center in the 12^th Man Classroom.

We love that our children have chosen to live and work here in Bryan/College Station, and I am so looking forward to enjoying and supporting them in their careers and being the best Babi (grandmother) I can to Wyatt in my retirement.

What did you find most rewarding about your job?

Some have described me as a “helper.” In my work, I have seen numerous students face times of crisis or challenge while they were trying to pursue their dream of a degree from Texas A&M. And it was my job or the job of my staff to assist students through those times of crisis or challenge regardless of what they were. It has been extremely rewarding to know that we have been able to support students through something like the loss of a family member or friend, a financial crisis, an accident, or a natural disaster like Hurricane Harvey or Ike. Students can be impacted by so many things in their lives here, and their parents or family members can’t always be here in person to assist, so we do. There’s no greater reward than seeing that student persevere, with a little help, and achieve their goal of a diploma and an Aggie Ring.