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Brenau University recently received a
$50,000 grant from the Mary Allen Lindsey Branan Foundation, managed by
Wachovia Trust, to support the renovation of Virginia Hall – a redbrick,
1954 structure on Academy Street.
Representatives of Atlanta-based Wachovia
Trust Alice Sheets, charitable advisor; Lydia Whitman, foundation trustee,
and local Wachovia banker Judy McPherson presented Brenau University
President Ed Schrader, Ph.D. with a check at an informal gathering Monday,
July 19.
“Some of the most memorable personal
growth opportunities for traditional-aged students come from living with
others of varying perspectives, skills and beliefs,” Schrader said. “While
the university’s plan for growth includes increasing enrollment and
retention of students, Brenau’s emphasis on the value of community in
residential living and learning remains its priority.”
The decision to restore Virginia Hall as
student living accommodation came in the wake of a 25 percent increase in
Brenau’s residential student population last year – and the university’s
projections that increased student enrollment growth will continue. The
estimated $400,000 restoration of the Hall – unused as a student dorm for
some 15 years – will restore the building to its former function,
resulting in 32 additional residential units, ready for start of fall
semester, Schrader said.
The project is part of Brenau’s strategic
plan for “Growth with Distinction” and will include a social room named in
honor of Mary Allen Lindsey Branan and in recognition of the foundation’s
contribution.
The Mary Allen Lindsey Branan Foundation
is a trust created under the will of Charles I. Branan, who died in 1929,
and named for his mother.
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President Schrader with Judy McPherson
Virginia Hall |
