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The Brenau Sign is Up on the Jacksonville Campus!

Coming ever closer to opening our doors for students in the Jacksonville, Florida area, we now have our logo and name up on our new Jacksonville campus.

Workers from General Sign Service installed the sign on the office building at 6622 Southpoint Drive South that will be home to the school’s first out-of-state campus Wednesday, June 10.

The sign will be set and fully illuminated tonight, June 11.

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Surprise Veterans Reunion Highlights Brenau Graduation Ceremony

When Brenau University President Ed Schrader gave his welcoming remarks at the 2015 commencement, he gave a special acknowledgment to the active duty military personnel and veterans among the graduating class. Schrader singled out one veteran: Debra Cooper from Winder, Georgia, who was about to receive a diploma for a Master of Occupational Therapy degree.

Not only had Cooper served in the U.S. Army herself, Schrader said, but also her daughter, Staff Sgt. Markita James of Dublin, Georgia, was currently serving in Afghanistan. Then Schrader corrected himself.

“Actually Sgt. James is not in Afghanistan,” he said. “She is here so that she could be with her mother at graduation.”

James had stealthily positioned herself in the audience behind the graduating class, but when Schrader said the words “not in Afghanistan,” mom Cooper got the hint and began frantically looking around. The run-hug-squeal-cry mother and daughter re-union became an instant “YouTube” moment.

"She's my she-ro," James later said about her mother.

Read the full article at the URL and view a photo gallery from graduation at http://brena.us/1Qakqzs.

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28-year-old Entrepreneur Amanda Slavin Challenges Graduates to ‘Look Back’ as Well as Forward

Amanda Slavin, the 28-year-old entrepreneur that Forbes magazine recognized as one of the top 30 marketing and advertising professionals who have not yet celebrated their 30th birthdays, cautioned members of the 2015 Brenau University Women’s College graduating class to measure success as they go forth in life “not by what you accomplish…but by who you are.”

Read the full article and see the photo gallery at http://brena.us/1GDEIu8

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Governor Deal Signs Brenau Student-inspired Law Benefiting Military’s Special Needs Children

Governor Nathan Deal today signed into law a legislative act inspired by a group of Brenau University occupational therapy graduate students that would speed state educational benefits to special needs children of military personnel based in Georgia.

The new law started as a 2014 project by four Brenau students in a graduate-level public health administration course. After the students presented the proposal to some Georgia legislators, the idea developed legs. The measure was one of the first bills introduced during the 2015 General Assembly session, and it received overwhelming approval in both the Georgia State Senate and state House of Representatives. The four students involved – Ashley McCoy of Maysville, Georgia; Allison Guisasola of Braselton, Georgia; Shelby Wrenn of Clarkesville, Georgia; and Rachel Strazynski Sushner, originally from Atlanta and now living in Baltimore, Maryland – all received Master of Occupational Therapy degrees in May 2014. McCoy, who was scheduled to be on her honeymoon, was the only one who did not attend the bill-signing ceremony.

Read the full article at http://brena.us/1EE0X6h

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Tickets for our evening with Jack and Suzy Welch, authors of "The Real-Life MBA" are going fast. The event is on Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. in Pearce Auditorium in Gainesville.

Whether you are a business executive, entrepreneur or a student, you will not want to miss this exciting event on our campus.

Tickets include a copy of their book "The Real-Life MBA: Your No-BS Guide to Winning the Game, Building a Team, and Growing Your Career." Get yours at http://brena.us/jacksuzywelch.

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The Brenau Golden Tigers Track and Field Team continued their dominance of the Southern States Athletic Conference by capturing their third consecutive championship on Saturday in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

The Golden Tigers scored 363.5 points, winning 15 individual championships and scoring at least one point in every event. William Carey (Miss.) College came in a distant second place with 119.5 points, while Loyola (La.) University finished in third place with 77 points.

Congratulations to all the members of the Track and Field team. Get full results at http://brena.us/1EezzdP

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Forbes ‘30-Under-30’ Entrepreneur Amanda Slavin Will Address Brenau Graduates May 1-2

Amanda Slavin, the Las Vegas-based entrepreneur who made this year’s Forbes magazine list of top marketing and advertising professionals who have not yet celebrated their 30th birthdays, will address more than 600 Brenau University graduates at commencement exercises May 1 and 2.

Slavin, 28, who holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Connecticut, is founder and CEO of CatalystCreativ, an organization that develops creative approaches, which it calls “experiences,” to help corporations and institutions tell their brand stories in more impactful ways – particularly to the highly desirable “millennials” market sector. The start-up company received major funding from Downtown Project, the venture-support organization established by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, the online world’s largest online shoe and apparel shop that Amazon acquired in 2009 for $1.2 billion.

Slavin will deliver the commencement address for the 167 Brenau Women’s College graduates who earned undergraduate diplomas during the academic year at a 4:30 p.m. ceremony Friday, May 1, on the front lawn of the historic Brenau campus in Gainesville. On Saturday, May 2, at 9:30 a.m. she will deliver the commencement address for Brenau’s 150 other undergraduates, from nonresidential programs on all Brenau campuses and online, and for the 358 receiving graduate degrees.

Read the full article at http://brena.us/1DI84G4

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Brenau Academy alumna ('85) Janie Bryant is just breaking new ground. We like to keep up with our what our alums are doing, and this Emmy-winning alumna is on the move. From costume design for "Deadwood" and "MadMen" to launching lines for apparel companies, Janie has done it all. Check out this great piece in the New York Times about Janie and her latest branding endeavors.

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Golden Tigers ‘Break Ground’ for First Phase of $4.4 Million Athletics Park

With the Golden Tigers softball team winding down the 2015 season, players joined athletics from soccer, track and field, swimming and other sports in an unofficial ground-breaking ceremony for Brenau University’s new athletics park that is now under construction in mill town New Holland located about two miles from the historic campus.

However, with heavy equipment operating in the background to level the playing field for what will be the home game park for the Golden Tigers softball team next season and construction supervisors pouring over site plans with university facilities personnel, there was not a lot of ceremony involved. Athletes taking a break from final examinations and some of their coaches clambered aboard a piece of idle earth-moving equipment to pose for pictures, then queued up for chilidogs, hamburgers and onion rings from the Varsity food truck that the university arranged to have stop by. Thus ended the ceremony.

“During finals week, with several teams still working their way toward playoff season, we wanted simply to get as many of our athletes as possible together one more time before the end of the academic year to show our appreciation for all they do for Brenau University,” said Brenau University President Ed Schrader. “No speeches. Just hotdogs.”

Read the full article and see the gallery at http://brena.us/1PonGXC

Pictured: Members of the Golden Tigers Softball Team pose for a portrait on the site of the new Ernest Ledford Grindle Athletics Park. Top row: Mason Garland, Allison Gunn and Elizabeth Schneider. Bottom row: Madison Strickland, Kathrine Cole and head coach Devon Thomas.

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New additions to campus and some beloved traditions marked this year's Alumnae Reunion Weekend and May Day celebrations for the near 200 alumnae and students in attendance. Besides the traditional May Court, class day and Maypole wrapping, the official dedication of "Brenau Woman #2" took place in front of the Simmons Visual Arts Building on the historic campus. The statue which depicts a confident, self-possessed Brenau Woman walking away from the school, ready to take on the world, is the sister of "Brenau Woman #1" who is already in place and is walking towards the school looking over her shoulder, hesitant to begin her transformation into a Brenau Woman. “Brenau students’ experience of the world is expanding, even as some aspects seem to be shrinking,” said sculptor and former Brenau galleries director Jean Westmacott. “The women graduating from Brenau are being prepared for this ‘new world’ we all share.” Meanwhile alumnae and their families toured the nearly-open, new sorority houses and Academy alumnae dedicated Academy Corner with a plaque celebrating Dean of the Academy C.B. Branham. These events were followed by the May Day Fashion Show and the Brenau Collaborative reception. 

We're still receiving and processing photos from our photographer. As we process new pictures we will post them to the URL below.

Thank you for coming home again to Brenau.

http://brena.us/mayday2015pics Password: MayDay

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Sculpture Depicts ‘Coming and Going’ of Women’s College Students

About 200 former Brenau University students attending annual reunion weekend festivities on April 11 witnessed the official union of two “Brenau students of today” with the dedication of the second of two statues depicting a somewhat timid young woman’s arrival on campus and the departure of a more confident, self-assured woman stepping with ease into the world, no matter what it holds in store.

With both bronze sculptures now permanently installed overlooking the front lawn of the historic Brenau campus, university officials and alumnae of the 137-year-old Brenau Women’s College and Brenau Academy dedicated the art works to “the lasting inspiration of the Brenau Ideal,” the university’s century-old mantra that challenges students and graduates to be “serenely confident of the limitless reaches of human endeavor.”

Read the full article at http://brena.us/1D88acN

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We'll be posting a full gallery of images from May Day 2015 early next week, but for the for now you can follow us on Instagram (https://instagram.com/brenauuniversity/) and share your own photos as a comment on this post and on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag‪ #‎BrenauMayDay‬.

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Brenau University Research Symposium April 10 Showcases Student and Faculty Work in Sciences and Humanities

Brenau University’s fourth annual Research Symposium on Friday, April 10,  highlights graduate, undergraduate and faculty research projects at the Brenau Downtown Center and the Brenau East campus. Keynote speaker is Tahirih Varner, a Georgia State University expert in conflict resolution.

The interdisciplinary forum features work from all four of Brenau’s academic divisions. More than 150 participants submitted 50 unique abstracts for presentations. This year’s program also features four new faculty-led panels as new additions. All Brenau chapters of national academic honor societies jointly sponsor the symposium.

The symposium, which runs from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. is free and open to the public. It opens with the 10 a.m. keynote address at the Brenau Downtown Center, 301 Main St. SW in Gainesville. That is followed by an international and art history panel until 12:30 p.m.  

Afternoon sessions from 1 to 4:30 p.m. occur at Brenau East, 1001 Chestnut St. SE in Gainesville.  Abstract proceedings include research in areas of art, education, and nursing, therapeutic approaches in health care, dance, social, as well as international and regional issues.  

Read the full article at: http://brena.us/1ceZ0m6

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Alumnae Reunion Weekend and ‘May Day’ Bring Graduates “Forever Home” to Brenau Campus April 10-11

Brenau University Women’s College and Brenau Academy alumnae, families and friends will converge on the Gainesville historic campus Friday and Saturday, April 10-11, for the annual day of class reunions and the “May Day” celebration for current students.

Themed “Forever Gold, Forever Home,” the weekend events include fancy hats and daisy chains for nearly 200 Brenau graduates of all ages who will swap stories, share family photos and show off their new spring fashion. The university expects about 400 people on campus to attend the public and private events included in the May Day weekend.

Read more at http://brena.us/1NUJbMX

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Former GE CEO Jack Welch and Former Harvard Business Review Editor Suzy Welch to Speak at Brenau University April 30

Open-to-the-public event includes discussion of their new book, ‘The Real-life MBA’

The legendary former General Electric Company CEO Jack Welch and his wife, business journalist and television commentator Suzy Welch, will appear on stage at Brenau University’s historic Pearce Auditorium here Thursday, April 30, in a public event following publication of their second book, “The Real-life MBA.”

Read the full article at http://brena.us/1GSCTh1 Learn more and get tickets at http://brena.us/jacksuzywelch

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Military OT and RD Discuss Their Expanded Role in the Army

On Friday and Saturday March 20 and 21, Brenau School of Occupational Therapy hosted presentations from Capt. Lori Maggoni, and Capt. Yao Yao Zhu, a 2008 graduate of Brenau's OT program. Both women discussed the role of Occupational Therapy in the U.S. Army, where OTs serve a combat role dealing with mental health, and orthopedic and brain injuries. Military OTs also help do the work traditionally done by physicians; ordering certain medications and diagnostic tests that their civilian counterparts cannot.

While she attended Brenau Dr. Mary Shotwell and Dr. Robin Underwood served as mentors to Zhu. After her graduation from the Women's College with her MSOT in 2008 Zhu entered the military and went on to earn a doctorate from Baylor while doing a residency at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. She was later certified to work with military members who have experienced traumatic brain injuries and was deployed to Afghanistan.

Zhu is currently stationed in the Washington, D.C. area and is serving as a recruiter for the Army Medical Specialist Corps, which consists of Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Registered Dietitians and Physician Assistants.

"I think I speak on behalf of the entire university when I say that we are proud of our graduates who are serving or have served in the military" said Professor and Department Chair of North Atlanta/Norcross OT Programs Mary Shotwell, who is herself a former Army occupational therapist.

Capt. Lori Maggioni is an Army Healthcare Recruiter for the Atlanta area and welcomes any questions. Contact her at (877) 682-8357 / lori.maggioni@goarmy.com.

Picture 1: Army Capt. YaoYao Zhu, DScOT, OTR/L, speaks to occupational therapy students on the Norcross campus about working as an OT in the military.

Picure 2: Army Capt. Lori W. Maggioni, MS, RD, passes out information about working as an occupational therapist in the military.

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Are you living the dream?

Without imposing a theme on tomorrow's colloquium, the idea of making your life better has been a current in this year's program. The keynote address by Marissa Kraxberger is titled "Creating the Life You Want to Live." Other presentations have titles like "Developing Yourself for Your Dream Job" from Lindsey Nelson and "Waiting for Prince(ss) Charming: Finding and Being the ImPERFECT Mentor" by Alumna Tracy Rhodes, WC '02.

RSVP at http://brena.us/1OahyT6