In her office in Virginia Hall, Debra Dobkins, Ph.D., is surrounded by pink walls – her signature color – and built-in bookshelves stacked with various books. Each one has a purpose in her classes throughout the past 27 years, complete with her own notes and annotations.
“The very best part of my 27-year experience here has been reading and talking about fascinating poems, plays, novels, any kind of literature, with smart students,” Dobkins says. “Those classroom moments have been the best.”
Dobkins most recently has served as Assistant Vice President and Dean of The Women’s College, but as a professor of English, Dobkins says she is drawn to literature because it asks the big questions.
“The point is how we enrich ourselves as human beings, grappling with the understanding of other humans and our place in the community.”
Dobkins undoubtedly found her place in the Brenau community, where she has taught since 1998. She was named Dean of The Women’s College in 2012, and Assistant Vice President and Dean of The Women’s College in 2022.
But first, she opened the Writing Center.
“I contacted Jim Southerland, who was the head of the Humanities Department for more than 40 years and asked for an informational interview,” Dobkins says. “It kind of makes me laugh now. I was specifically interested in the women’s college up the road, and while they had no jobs posted, he agreed to see me. I told him about my background, and he said, ‘You know what? We really need to start a writing center.’”
The serendipitous nature of the story glosses over the grit and determination Dobkins had to get where she is today. She enrolled as a non-traditional half-time student at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. She had an associate’s degree and extensive experience in public library leadership, but she wanted to do something different with her career.
Dobkins worked her way through her bachelor’s degree, graduating first in her class, and was a Woodruff Scholar and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Then, she was offered an opportunity to get her Master of Arts in Teaching.
Armed with her degrees and background in library administration, she opened and sustained Brenau’s Writing Center while teaching. From there, she helped reestablish academic and writing standards for all Brenau students. She founded a study abroad program in 2001, taking students to prestigious Cambridge University in England.
“Our students got to live there for a month, taught by Cambridge professors and lived in historic colleges,” Dobkins says. “For many of them, it was their first time traveling internationally, or at all. I think it opened their horizons in ways they couldn’t have imagined.”
The Women’s Leadership Colloquium and GOLD Program are also ideas of Dobkins that came to fruition. The GOLD Program was established in 2019 and is a four-year curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular program for Women’s College students. Students take specific courses related to the year’s theme, learn from accomplished speakers, participate in service efforts like GOLDen Grams, and volunteer in the community. The GOLD Speaker Series has welcomed several prominent names, including most recently Michelle Gray Haywood and author Tracey Enerson Wood.
Dobkins started the Women’s Leadership Colloquium in 2014. The annual event features three empowering female speakers who share their stories, experiences and advice as women in leadership roles with students and community members. It is supported by sponsorships from Onward Reserve, the Grace-Gaskins Women’s Studies Endowment Fund, and the Alumni Association.
“Debra and I have worked together for the good of The Women’s College throughout our shared tenure at Brenau, and I have personally appreciated her tireless efforts to serve the university and our students,” President David L. Barnett, Ph.D., said. “I am grateful for her service to Brenau and the legacy that she leaves in our Women’s College. It is meaningful and fitting to have her featured at this year’s colloquium.”
Dobkins spoke after keynote speaker Nicole Love Hendrickson, chair of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, and Alumni Association endowed speaker Nairika Cornett, executive director of the Quinlan Visual Arts Center and Brenau alumna.
“Usually, I’m just the planner and host. I say a few words and then keep everything going,” Dobkins says. “But this year was my last one. So I felt that it seemed appropriate to share some lessons learned with our audience.”
Each colloquium also includes a tea party reception, allowing students to talk to the speakers, network with the community and bond with each other.
“I am proud that if I helped any student along the way to think about themselves and their potential differently, as more, then I feel really good about that,” Dobkins says. “We all fall into that ‘I can’t do this, I don’t know how, this is too hard for me,’ but you can.”
Dobkins also was the keynote speaker at the annual research symposium, and was celebrated with a special toast at Alumni Reunion Weekend, and will offer words at commencement.
In 2008, Professor Dobkins became Dr. Dobkins, earning her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.
“It didn’t matter to me at that point that I was probably the oldest person in the classroom because I knew what I was there for,” Dobkins says. “I loved that I had a grant and was nominated for a Graduate Writing prize and a qualitative research prize. But you have to love it. For me, it was worth it, even the semesters I spent nearly 20 hours a week commuting, because I cared passionately about my subject.”
Dobkins leaves a lasting legacy on The Women’s College, but this is only a temporary parting, as she has been named a Professor Emerita.
When her office is packed up, her book collection is distributed, and regalia is tucked away, Dobkins says she will spend her time with family, gardening, and traveling.
“And, though I don’t really think I’m capable of this, I’m hoping to read without a pen in my hand,” Dobkins says. “I’m not sure about that goal. I tried the other day and had to go fetch a pen.”
Long story short: Memories shared by students and alumni
“As a scholar and writer, as a woman, as a leader, and as a mentor, she showed me how to wrestle with hard and complex ideas, to remain committed to what you believe in such as rights and value of all women, and to live with a gigantic heart and an infectious joy for learning.”
Chandra Owenby Hopkins, WC ’05, Dean of Converse College for Women
“Of all the lessons she taught me, the greatest has been not to seek out truth to judge, but rather, to understand.”
Amber Markman Simmons, Ph.D., WC ’03
“People like Dr. Dobkins are rare; they are diamonds in disguise, full of warmth and wisdom. Meeting someone like her is like discovering a guiding light that illuminates paths you never knew existed.”
Antonina Grib Lerch, WC ’03, Trustee
“Dr. Dobkins put me in spaces I never imagined I’d be in, introduced me to people who helped me shape my path and gave me opportunities that changed my trajectory. She saw potential in me before I fully saw it in myself. She poured so much into Brenau, especially The Women’s College, and her impact will never fade.”
India Williams, Class of 2025
“Dr. Dobkins has invested like no one else… and gold refined by fire has been the outcome, for all of us that she has graced with her kindness, knowledge and care. She epitomizes the mission of Brenau and has made the world a better place through her leadership.”
Emmie Henderson Howard, WC ’01, Trustee
“She has a way of making every student feel seen, heard, and valued, no matter how busy she is. Dean Dobkins is the embodiment of what it means to lead with kindness, wisdom, and a deep love for Brenau and its community.”
Mercedes Morgan, Class of 2026
