Guilbert "Gil" Brown

1956 - 2022

Guilbert "Gil" Brown, of Slippery Rock, university vice president, author and speaker, died at age 65 on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, in The Villages, Fla., after a short illness. He was surrounded by his loving wife and love of his life, eldest son and his two daughters. His two other sons joined their siblings and their father's wife via phone to commend their father's soul to God in the hours preceding his death.
Gil was born in Galesburg, Ill., on Dec. 9, 1956.
He attended the University of Denver, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in philosophy and completed his M.A. in interdisciplinary studies, with a concentration in higher education, at George Mason University, where he was a 2012 Fulbright Scholar.
Despite being accepted to law school during his undergraduate years, Gil felt his path of service and talents would be better suited for a career in higher education. It became clear early in his career that he had a talent for budgeting and strategic planning, and by his mid-30s he became the first person to serve as budget director for Rice University.
From Rice University, Gil went on to hold similar positions in financial administration at Georgetown University, Oregon State University, George Washington University, George Mason University, Edinboro University and Millersville University. He consulted nationally and internationally on linking academic, enrollment and financial planning, with organizations such as SBC Group, which he co-founded with a longtime friend; the National Association of College & University Business Officers (NACUBO); the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities (AGB); and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). He presented workshops and annual meeting sessions for NACUBO, the Society for College & University Planning (SCUP), and numerous other organizations. He also served as a consultant to private and public institutions on enrollment management, budget, information systems strategies, sustainability initiatives and other projects.
He was a co-author and chapter contributor to several books on strategic enrollment management, including the 2014 Jossey-Bass text Handbook of Strategic Enrollment Management. He served as a special trustee for finance for the Southeastern University Research Association (SURA) and sat on the board of the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). He received the George Mason University College of Humanities and Social Sciences Distinguished Alumni award in 2019. He retired on July 29, 2022. Gil looked forward to continuing his consulting work with NACUBO during his retirement years.
While his professional accomplishments were formidable, so was his impact as the father of his five children. As he raised his children, the family traversed together at least 40 of the lower 48 states in either their thousand-dollar 1978 Volkswagen Kombi or their 1993 Plymouth Voyager. Trips included traveling the entire Oregon Trail during its sesquicentennial celebration, frequent camping trips on beaches or in the mountains, and visits to numerous national parks.
Gil loved bacon, hated spiders, and his favorite word started with f… finance. Throughout his life, he possessed a remarkable acuity for mechanics, writing and music. If something broke in the home - whether electronics, plumbing, or the car - this consummate pragmatist found a way to get the problem solved on his own -disassembling the engine of the Volkswagen at least three times, for example. When a computer program did not quite meet his needs, he wrote his own program. He spent hours of leisure time plucking out original melodies on the piano. Music was one of Gil's great passions from his earliest days; in his retirement, he looked forward to making music with friends and reconnecting with his years playing in a band.
Gil spent the final third of his career working in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education alongside his partner, Carrie Birckbichler. His love for the quiet serenity of Slippery Rock was exceeded only by his love for Carrie, whom he treated as a princess (even bringing her a bouquet of fresh flowers every week). Together they enjoyed the simple pleasures of gardening (Gil especially took pride in growing peppers of all types as ingredients for homemade salsa), walking or just sitting outside.
Gil loved entertaining family and friends. Over the years, he learned to become an amazing cook. Carrie and Gil spent much time traveling, both as companions on business trips and on leisure trips around the world. They enjoyed trips to Paris, Rome, Bora Bora and a cruise of the Western Mediterranean with Carrie's family; however, his favorite recurring travel destination remained Aruba. They purchased their retirement home in The Villages, Fla., and were looking forward to enjoying this retirement together playing their many golf courses while driving Gil's prized golf cart. Gil died in a place that he loved, having fulfilled his life's work successfully. May he rest in peace.
Gil was preceded in death by his father, Guilbert H.; his sister, Claudette; and his first wife, Ann.
He is survived by his wife and love of his life, Carrie Birckbichler; his mother, Barbara J. Brown; his sister, Lynn; his brother, Barry; five children; 19 grandchildren; and his nieces and nephews.
BROWN - A Mass of Christian burial for Guilbert "Gil" Brown, who died Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Peter's Church, 670 S. Main St., Slippery Rock, followed by a luncheon in the parish hall.
Interment of the remains will take place at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the Mausoleum of Calvary Cemetery, 1004 N. Main St., Butler.
Arrangements are under the direction of SMITH FUNERAL HOME, Slippery Rock
In lieu of flowers, donations in Gil's memory can be made to a charity of your choice.