Brenau University

Quick facts Location, Coordinates ... Brenau College District U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. Historic district Pearce Auditorium Show map of Georgia Show map of the United States Location Bounded by Academy St. E, Prior St. NE, Washington St. SE, and Boulevard Coordinates 34.3033°N 83.8219°W / 34.3033; -83.8219 Area 20.2 acres (8.2 ha) Built 1878–1920 Architectural style Queen Anne, Second Empire, Classical Revival NRHP reference number "}]]}">No. 78000987 Added to NRHP August 24, 1978 Close 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". [ 3 ] 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. [ 4 ] Brenau is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools [ 5 ] 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). [ 6 ] 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.

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.

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.