Greetings, Brenau community.
What a whirlwind this spring has been! It has been exciting to see so many of your smiling faces in person over the last few months.
This first week of May is bookended by two of the biggest events that Brenau holds during the year – Alumni Reunion Weekend and Spring Commencement.
Last weekend, we celebrated the first in-person Alumni Reunion Weekend in two years. I offer special recognition for our 50th reunion attendees from the classes of 1970-72, who also were inducted into Brenau’s 24 Carat Club. What a fantastic and impressive group!
I also offer my personal appreciation and congratulations to all of the 2022 alumni award winners:
- Alumni Hall of Fame Inductees: Jennifer Allison, WC ’92, BU ’03, ’16, Brenau assistant professor of occupational therapy; Jessica Vaughn Moss, WC ’80, retired Cherokee County solicitor general; and Carole Ann Carter Daniel, WC ’68, businesswoman and Brenau trustee
- Sage Magness, WC ’07, Young Alum award
- Joan Pafford, WC ’69, Service to Brenau Award
- Capt. Christopher Culp, BU ’14, Professional Achievement Award
- Benjamin Keeling, BU ’18, Community Service Award
- Lucia Dougherty, A ’83, Academy Alumna of the Year
We had several award winners from the past two years who joined us, and we honored their achievements as well since we were not able to present awards in-person during 2020 and 2021.
We ended the weekend with an inspirational celebration of the Athletics Hall of Fame inductees: Lyn See Choo, WC ’12, tennis; Dominika Jasova, WC ’14, tennis; Jenny Shepherd Wasden, WC ’14, softball; and Olamide Sokunbi, WC ’16, track. The impact Brenau coaches have on our athletes, even decades later, was clear from the moving speeches by our inductees.
I’m grateful for the ongoing support of the members of the President’s Club, with whom I had a chance to meet during Alumni Reunion Weekend. This group also includes many faculty, staff and Trustees – three groups with 100% giving.
Brenau couldn’t be where it is today without the support of all of our friends, and especially our alumni this past weekend, as we seek to bridge the legacy of our history with the changing needs of our community and the world.
As I told our alumni during my State of the University address, Brenau University is strong. I am dedicated to maintaining that strength and building upon it.
I enjoyed seeing our alumni and our current students, especially those graduating from The Women’s College this weekend, gather to celebrate traditions like Class Day and May Court. It’s a beautiful sight to behold the past and the present of this institution coming together to celebrate what it means to be part of the Brenau family.
This weekend we will celebrate the future when we recognize some 370 graduates of The Women’s College and the university’s co-educational undergraduate and graduate programs. I am honored to address the graduates during the 143rd year of Brenau University commencement exercises. I congratulate all of our graduates, yet I challenge them to live the words of the Brenau Ideal as they forge their futures and make their marks upon the world.
As the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said: “Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks. That means don’t do it just for yourself. You will want to leave the world a little better for your having lived.”
This month, Brenau also will honor the faculty and staff who take those words to heart in serving our students and the university community. Employees are recognized for every five years of service to this institution, and this year we honor 600-plus cumulative years of service – including 10 people who have been with Brenau for more than two decades. We will also honor a distinguished member of our community with the Hagerman-Thompson Staff Excellence Award, faculty promotions, and faculty and staff retirees.
As we finish one academic year and prepare to welcome new students to summer orientation sessions for another, I’m incredibly grateful to our alumni, trustees, faculty, staff, donors and friends for your dedication to Brenau. I know that the future of our students and this institution is bright and I am grateful and energized every day for the ability to serve Brenau.
Until the next post, please follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn for more of what’s happening at Brenau.
