Brenau University President Dr. Anne Skleder participated in one of three panel discussions as part of the Focus Atlanta Official Virtual Launch Conference Nov. 19 on the topic of Inclusive Education: Diversity and its impact on upward mobility.
Skleder was one of four Georgia college presidents to serve on the panel that was moderated by Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. More than 600 participants attended the panel discussion via Zoom.
President Skleder was especially well positioned to address this topic as Brenau consistently rates high in Campus Ethnic Diversity, Social Mobility and Economic Diversity by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges. In the publication’s recent 2021 report, Brenau was top in the state and second in the region in Economic Diversity. The university also ranked No. 2 in Georgia in Social Mobility and was the top university in the state and tied for sixth overall in Campus Ethnic Diversity. Brenau also was ranked the No. 3 Best Regional University and No. 3 Best Value Schools in Georgia.
During the course of the 60-minute discussion, Dr. Skleder mentioned how Brenau’s Executive Women’s MBA equips and promotes uniquely driven women currently successful in the workplace to advance to the C-suite. She also touted how the GOLD Program of The Women’s College provides its students the skills, tools and education they need to become visionary leaders in their future careers. Regarding how Brenau has navigated the pandemic, she attributed much of the success to the creativity of faculty and how well Brenau’s students are following the school’s culture of prevention.
Skleder was joined on the panel by fellow college presidents Leocadia Zak of Agnes Scott College, Brendan Kelly of the University of West Georgia and George French of Clark Atlanta University. All four presidents are relatively new to Georgia and each answered questions about their school’s vigorous response to the current pandemic and efforts in inclusive education on their campuses.
The other two panel discussions were Looking towards 2021: What the future holds for Atlanta’s real estate market and Financial institutions and their adaptation to the virtual world.
Watch a recording of the panel discussions on YouTube at https://youtu.be/NChogLvIe6s.
