Brenau University announces new president

GAINESVILLE - Brenau University announced a new president Thursday - a successor to Dr. Jack Burd, who is retiring after 20 years on the job.

Dr. Edward Schrader, currently the president of Shorter College in Rome, will assume the helm at Brenau January 1.

"I am honored by the trustees' confidence in me to lead this well-known and historic liberal arts university," Dr. Schrader said.

During his term as president of Shorter,
that school grew in enrollment by over 400 students and developed a new scholarship program of over one million dollars per annum from external funding. Before taking the job at Shorter, Schrader served at Millsaps College as an associate dean, in industry as a chief executive and a chief geologist, and at the Univesity of Alabama as a professor of geology.

The Presidential Search Committee, chaired by Judge Sidney O. Smith, Jr., conducted a "comprehensive" national search, according to Brenau officials, assisted by national executive search consultants Jon McRae & Associates, Inc. In the course of the search, more than 300 prospective candidates were personally contacted through relationships with various organizaitons representing higher education.

The search committee then considered 96 resumes, interviewed nine candidates personally and hosted the top five of those on campus for meetings with various Brenau constituencies.

"Even if there is interest on both parts - the candidate and the search committee - the timing for all parties has to be right," said Smith.

After a thorough evaluation of all the candidates, including "extensive" background investigations and consideration of feedback from those who met with the candidates, the search committee unanimously recommended Schrader to the Board of Trustees for confirmation.