The story
History
Brenau was founded in 1878 as a private institution for the education of women. W.C. Wilkes, the institution's first administrator, is credited with building many of the historic buildings that still stand today. Although founders initially called the institution Georgia Baptist Female Seminary, it has never been affiliated with or governed by any religious organization. Through the years Brenau evolved from a proprietary college to a not-for-profit institution governed by an independent board of trustees. Although the residential undergraduate Brenau Women's College remains, other undergraduate programs on campuses, and all graduate and online programs, admit both men and women.
In 1900, H. J. Pearce purchased the institution and renamed it Brenau, a linguistic blend formed from the German word brennen, "to burn", and the Latin aurum, "gold". Its motto is "As Gold Refined by Fire". Brenau College remained privately owned until 1911 when a board of trustees assumed stewardship of the college, as remains the case today. In 1928, Brenau created a female, residential, college-preparatory school serving grades 9 through 12.
In the late 1960s, Brenau began offering evening and weekend classes to both men and women apart from Women's College classes.
Brenau College became Brenau University in 1992 by a vote of the board of trustees, a name change that reflected the comprehensive programs of study, the diverse student body, new and stricter employment criteria for professors, and the scope of available graduate programs.
Brenau offered its first online programs in 2002 to meet needs of students who, because of professional or personal responsibilities, were unable to attend classes on campus.
The institution is led by president David Barnett, who was appointed to the position in February 2024 after the death of president Anne Skleder the previous fall. Brenau is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and several subject-specific accrediting organizations. The Clinical Counseling Psychology master's degree program is accredited by the Master's in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC).
The Women's College
The Women's College of Brenau University continues the tradition of education for women, serving both residential and commuter students. The mission of the university is reflected in the strong emphasis on the broad-based liberal arts education supporting its 50-plus areas of study. The college includes an interdisciplinary Women's Leadership Certificate Program designed to offer students academic and experiential opportunities to develop leadership skills informed by gender awareness. In addition to taking foundational courses in gender studies and leadership principles, students complete an internship related to women in leadership.
Sidney O. Smith Jr. Graduate School
At the beginning of the 21st century, following the first decade of operations as a master's level university, graduate programs at Brenau represented a small percentage of the student body. By 2010 it was clear the demand for graduate studies would increase and, by 2025, graduate students at Brenau would represent more than half the student population. Thus, the university created the Sidney O. Smith Jr. Graduate School to place focused attention on the needs of graduate students. Graduate studies at the university include programs based on campus, online programs, and a mix of online and on-campus classes. In November 2010 the institution's accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, approved Brenau University's application to become a Level V doctoral degree-granting institution, paving the way for Brenau to launch a Doctor of Nursing Practice program in August 2011. A year earlier Brenau launched its first terminal degree program, a Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design. The first cohort of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program started in 2014 and a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program began in 2015. The graduate school also offers a wide array of master's-level programs as well as education specialist graduate degrees.
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Brenau Academy
Brenau Academy was formed in 1928 when Pearce told his wife that some of the first-year college students were having trouble with their course work. She began a program to help prepare young women for college which evolved quickly into the Brenau Academy, which until 2012 remained the only female, college preparatory, residential school for grades 9–12 in the state of Georgia. The academy evolved in 2011 into an early college program of the women's college in which qualified young women could earn college credits during the time of their lives in which they normally would complete high school studies. Today, the historic academy space is utilized by the women's college.
Legal issues
In the late 2000s, two current or former employees were convicted of sexual assaults in separate cases.
History
Early in the college's history, athletics were neglected in favor of academic programs and fine arts. A new emphasis on developing Brenau's athletics department came in 2002 when Mike Lochstampfor became head coach of the soccer team. Lochstampfor came to Brenau after serving as the director of the Men's and Women's Soccer programs at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. Beginning with Lochstampfor's tenure, and credited to the support of Brenau President Ed Schrader, the university's athletic program would more than triple over the next 15 years. A boost to campus athletics came in 2004, when Brenau's softball team played its inaugural season. The 2005–2006 academic year saw new basketball and volleyball teams hit the courts. In 2009, Lochstampfor was named Brenau University's Athletic Director, overseeing all athletic teams while remaining head coach of the soccer team. In 2013, Brenau formed a track & field program and a golf program. Finally, the university' latest team began play in the 2017–2018 school year with a new lacrosse program. This brought the total number of teams at Brenau, including junior varsity teams and a spirit cheerleading squad, to 15.
In 2017, the Golden Tigers softball team played its inaugural season at Ernest Ledford Grindle Athletics Park, the first of its kind for the university. The team had a record-setting year as SSAC conference champions, with head coach Devon Thomas named the 2017 SSAC Coach of the Year for leading his squad in his 15th season to an unprecedented 30–0 record, including conference tournament play, and a No. 2 national ranking. The Tigers went 48–5 overall in the regular season. Thomas and assistant coaches Gary Hatfield and Mike Ledford were also selected as the 2017 East Region Softball staff of the year and were among six staff finalists for the national coaching staff of the year.
Brenau teams have regularly been named NAIA Scholar Teams, or those teams with a minimum GPA of 3.0. In 2018, five Brenau teams finished nationally ranked: cheer, No. 6; swimming & diving, No. 7; tennis, No. 14; softball, No. 19; and golf, No. 24.
Northeast Georgia History Center
During the 1970s, James and Francis Mathis started collecting artifacts from the early days of those who settled in Northeast Georgia. A number of items were soon displayed at Gainesville's Home Federal Savings Bank. As others in the community started to express an interest in remembering the past, a nucleus began to be formed with plans to start a museum.
The City of Gainesville made available to the group a vacant fire station building downtown. Volunteers then began collecting objects that would relate to the history of this area. The Georgia Mountain History Museum was underway. School children, tourists, and home-folks were soon attracted to the museum.
By the early 1990s, it was realized that the future of the museum had to include its own building in a more accessible location. The turning point came in 1995 when Brenau University President John Burd committed a tract of campus property for the History Museum, the White Path Cabin, and a blacksmith shop donated by Hoyt Herrin. Volunteers started soliciting the community for contributions and, after some years of stop and go, architectural plans were finally completed and all stood in readiness for its grand opening, held in May 2004.
Today, the Northeast Georgia History Center at Brenau University is a not-for-profit institution dedicated to promoting and displaying historical artifacts and displays from the northeast Georgia area from the past 150 years with on-site education programming for school groups, families and adults.
From Wikipedia’s article on Brenau University, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5