Brenau University and the Board of Trustees held a dedication ceremony on Nov. 8 to honor their late 10th president, Dr. Anne A. Skleder who died in October of last year.
The ceremony saw students, faculty, staff, and guests gather to honor Skleder as an official portrait was dedicated in her honor and New Hall was renamed to Skleder Hall.
Gainesville-based artist Travis Massey was commissioned earlier in the year to work on the official portrait that was revealed on Nov. 8.
“Today we name this great building and dormitory in her honor and memory because of what the students meant to her,” Trustee Anna Jacobs, WC ’86, said. “Skleder Hall will forever be filled with you, bright-eyed and hopeful young women and men looking every day to strive for better. This was Dr. Skleder’s dream. We have all grieved that dream seemed to have been cut short. But if we listen to her own words, it was always about you and never about her.”
A scholarship created by Skleder in 2019 was also renamed to the Anne A. Skleder First Generation Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Dr. David L. Barnett, the 11th president of Brenau, commented on Skleder’s dedication.
“Though her positive nature had us all filled with hope of her best outcomes, Dr. Skleder nonetheless ensured the university was continuing, without suspension, to focus on its mission of challenging students to live extraordinary lives of personal and professional fulfillment,” Barnett said. “When she approached me to ask if I would consider serving as acting president, she expressed her desire that her personal situation would not delay the progress being made for the students Brenau supports.”
Shalom Delgado Forero, a Brenau marketing student, commented on Skleder’s support for a Women’s Day event she held.
“Dr. Skleder came to me and gave me a warm hug and said how beautiful and powerful the event was for the community,” Forero said. “Then I gave her one of the roses we were handing out, and I took a picture of her, which I can still visit now, and I feel the support and kindness that she emanated daily.”
The chair of the Board of Trustees Mike Smith also commented, stating that Skleder called Brenau’s students “our reason for being.”
“Over the past year, Trustees’ thoughts kept coming back to Brenau’s students as we reflected on the best way to honor the late Dr. Skleder’s legacy and lasting impact on the university,” Smith said. “We think Dr. Skleder would be pleased that she will forever be connected to the students she loved so dearly, yet humbled because she never sought individual recognition.”
Under Skleder’s leadership, Brenau established the Miller Institute for Global Education and brought its Department of Psychology to the Lynn J. Darby School of Psychology and Adolescent Counseling.
She also prepped the university for its decennial review by its accrediting body and started the university’s next round of strategic planning.
The university’s first vice president for student development and engagement who was hired by Skleder, Whitney McDowell-Robinson, made closing remarks.
“In our first meeting, in March of 2023, we talked through strategy and operations and thought about how we can impact students and make the change that we hope to see,” McDowell-Robinson said. “So, I'm so excited that the university has not only dedicated this space to her, but has an opportunity to continue her memory through her endowment. Students, which are our reason for being here, are continually improved upon and continually supported and know that they belong here at the university.”
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