Adding Value to our Community...

Enrollment at Brenau University totals nearly 2,300 students at its campuses in Gainesville, Atlanta, Augusta, and Kings Bay. A total of 3,800 Brenau alumni live in Northeast Georgia, contributing to every facet of community life.

Brenau University’s statewide economic impact is over $70 million. Of that total, $40 million is brought into the local communities of our four campuses by student spending associated with their attendance at Brenau.

Over 800 students attend the residential Women’s College. Through an engaging curriculum and an enhanced physical plant, the Women’s College student body is projected to rise to 1,000 in the future, greatly increasing the local economic impact though both institutional and student spending.

Local residents compose nearly 40% of the Women’s College student body. These students received from Brenau a total of $1,818,204 in institutional, non-government aid during fiscal year 2006, the majority of which is funded by the annual support of our corporate and individual donors.

During any given academic year, Women’s College students participate in internship and service opportunities in the discipline of their major field of study. Over 85% of these positions are located in Gainesville and the surrounding region, providing workplace support for local-area businesses and non-profit institutions and agencies.

Community service continues to be a focus of our institution, with nearly 50% of the Women’s College students involved in hands-on volunteer activities in the surrounding area. Brenau’s Greek organizations collectively provided 1,643 hours in service and $20,012 in gifts to local charitable organizations over the course of one semester.

A total of 411 School of Education graduates reside in the local area, many of whom serve as teachers and administrators in the Hall County and Gainesville School systems. While many other regions have resorted to using non-certified teachers, Brenau’s presence in the community ensures that fully trained and qualified teachers will be available to the local school systems.

A total of 363 graduates from the Department of Nursing reside in the local area. As Gainesville continues to develop as a regional medical center, the health professionals that Brenau provides to the local community through the expansion of our Nursing program ensures that the nursing shortage impacting other areas of the state and country will not occur in our region. In addition, our nationally ranked Occupational Therapy and Clinical Psychology programs provide a continuous source of allied health care professionals to serve our region.

A total of 45 home athletic events brought regional teams and their supporters to Gainesville during the 2005-2006 academic year. With basketball and swimming becoming varsity level sports during the 2006-2007 academic year, the number of home events will increase to over 60. In addition to the sales that such events will bring to local businesses, spectators will recognize our corporate and individual sponsors and how these groups are enhancing the Brenau experience through their financial generosity.

Brenau University’s soccer, softball, and tennis teams were nationally ranked during the 2005-2006 season, bringing greater attention to our successful athletic programs. Brenau had one all-region, three all-conference, and seven academic all-conference players on the soccer team, with an additional three first team all-conference, three second team all-conference, one conference all-freshman, and three all-academic athletes on the softball team.

Acting as a community learning center and arts facility, more than 125,000 Hall County and Gainesville residents of all ages visit Pearce Auditorium, the Burd Center for the Performing Arts, and the Brenau University Galleries each year. These facilities greatly add to the region’s quality of life, while also providing venues for increasingly diverse programming that encourages greater cultural awareness.

During the 2005-2006 academic year, Brenau venues provided over 130 cultural events, encompassing artistic performances and gallery exhibits, for both the campus and surrounding community. This includes performances undertaken and sponsored by the Gainesville Theatre Alliance, Wonderquest, the Gainesville Symphony, the Gainesville Ballet, the Brenau Dance Program, student and faculty music recitals, the Chamber Choir, and the International Opera Center. Without the presence of Breanu in Gainesville, none of these opportunities would be available to the local population.

Brenau University’s Learning and Leisure Institute (BULLI) offers life-enrichment courses throughout the year for mature community members, continuing our mission of providing educational opportunities for the region. With the baby boom generation’s ongoing transition into retirement, the BULLI program will meet this increasing need by enhancing and expanding its offering for this active and inquisitive population. The program currently serves 352 students from five surrounding counties. BULLI offers a total of 46 classes during the year, with participants taking an average of three classes per quarter.

For additional reasons why giving to Brenau makes a difference in the lives of our students and the lives of the residents of the communities where we are located, please see “Why Give to Brenau?”   by Vice President Jim Barco.