Dr. Kevin J. Brown has many duties as the president of Asbury University. Since students have left campus to continue their education from their own homes, his duties have changed as a result. One of the new aspects of his job is a little less serious, but it still holds importance to the community: Brown and his wife Maria read a weekly bedtime story to students over Zoom.
The presidential storytime was born from student suggestions.
“As memory serves, Demarion Johnson made the request via Twitter,” said Brown. “I am not sure how serious the suggestion was at first, but we were happy to oblige.”
From the start, the storytime was a hit. The Browns were not initially planning on making the bedtime story reading a regular event, but decided to continue with it due to its popularity.
“I was not sure what the student interest would be for us to read bedtime stories, but given the large turnout and positive response, we wanted to do it again,” said Brown. “Frankly, we would do it as long as there is interest.”
Each week, the Browns host a Zoom call on Sunday at 8 p.m. where they read a children’s book to students. Like the storytime idea itself, book suggestions come from students.
“For our first call, my wife chose some of her favorites. On our second Zoom call, students provided some requests,” said Brown. “When we did not have the books, our new director of strategic communications, Jennifer McChord, was kind enough to provide them to us. She has quite the stash of books!”
Brown said that choosing his favorite part of the storytime is easy: It’s “seeing students.”
“I am energized by being around students — even if it occurs through an online medium like Zoom. These are unique days, but I love the opportunity to stay connected with everyone,” said Brown. “On campus — I love the energy of students in chapel. I love the buzz of students during fall semester. I love the noisy enthusiasm of a sporting event, Friday night Stuce events, or the dining commons on Spicy Chicken Thursday. I love the splurge of outdoor activity in the Kentucky Spring — hammocking, frisbee, Spikeball, picnicking, etc….but if connecting through Zoom to read bedtime stories is an alternative in lieu of those other experiences, then count me in.”
Although this is a difficult season, Brown hopes that the storytime provides some joy for students as they anticipate the coming semester when everyone reunites.
“My hope is that the difficulty of this pandemic season — and the new realities of an empty campus, student isolation, remote classes, and social distancing — will make our time all the more fulfilling, significant and sweet when we do get to reconvene together,” said Brown. “Whether together or apart, we are always happy to read bedtime stories to students.”
