GAINESVILLE - Brenau University plans to hold the ceremonial opening of its new campus in Jacksonville, Florida, late today in preparation for beginning its first graduate school class in October followed by the first undergraduate program in early 2016.
Brenau President Ed Schrader has scheduled a cookout for prospective students and others interested in learning more about Brenau from 4:00-6:00 at the site of the school's Florida operation, 6622 Southpoint Drive South. The schedule also includes a “ribbon-cutting” ceremony at 6:30.
Peter Miller, chairman of the university board of trustees, and the board’s newest member – retired Rear Admiral Patty Wolfe of Jacksonville, who earned a Brenau Master of Business Administration in 1987 – will join Schrader for the festivities along with university faculty and staff.
“This is really an outstanding honor for Brenau University to be in this community,” said Schrader. “We have some amazing connections in the area already, including more than 600 alumni living in the Jacksonville area. If you count those who have passed on, like Freda Stein and Grace Hambrick Osborn, you will know how strong those Brenau family ties are.”
Brenau already has campuses in Gainesville, its base of operations, the Kings Bay Navy Submarine Base, Fairburn, Norcross and Augusta, all in Georgia.
“I’ll admit that, in addition to strong ties with hundreds of alumni from north Florida, we saw some areas in which the region was underserved by higher education,” said Schrader. “We believe that we can significantly improve the mix of college and university options from the people in this area.”
Brenau will launch its first academic classes in mid-October – a graduate-level Master of Business Administration cohort program.
The campus is on the south side of Jacksonville near the J.T. Butler Boulevard and I-95 interchange.
Donny Moore, who has overseen Brenau’s operations in Augusta since 2002, is the administrator for the Jacksonville site.
