Brenau University President Ed Schrader Receives Top Rotary Vocational Award

The Mississippi native worked in geology in several states after education in his home state, Tennessee and North Carolina

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Schrader, flanked by Abit Massey, left, and Tony Herdener, pushes Brenau into health care professions leadership.

GAINESVILLE, GA (02/15/2013)(readMedia)-- The Rotary Club of Gainesville, Ga., and the northeast Georgia district of the international organization on Feb. 11 presented Brenau President Ed Schrader with its W. Lee Arrendale Vocational Excellence Award for his role in spearheading the growth in career-oriented academic programs at the university.

Born in Vicksburg, Miss. but growing up in Long Beach, Miss., Schrader earned a Bachelor of Science in geology from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., a Master of Science in geology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., and a Ph.D. in geochemisty from Duke University in Durham, N.C. Before coming to Brenau, Schrader served as president of Shorter University in Rome, Ga., taught geology at University of Alabama and Millsaps, and worked as an executive in the international natural resource industry. 

The Schrader record during his eight years as Brenau president includes what presenter Abit Massey described as "one of the most significant, if not the most significant, developments in Brenau history" – initiating the development of the Brenau Downtown Center in Gainesville as the home for health care professions preparation programs, including a doctorate in physical therapy.

"In the short time that Ed Schrader has been part of this community, he has made significant impact in its development that people need to recognize," said Massey, a former Brenau trustee whose wife, Kayanne, is a Brenau alumna. Massey, one of the most influential behind-the-scenes political figures in Georgia as the top advocate for the state's poultry industry, received the Arrendale award himself in 1995 and nominated his fellow Rotarian, Schrader, for this year's honor.

Typical of the vision was Schrader's actions that led to the university's acquiring a long-term lease for the Georgia Mountains Center, the city-owned former money-losing convention center that will be recast as the home for a physical therapy doctoral program and other health professions preparation. At the same time, Massey added, Schrader has bolstered traditional Brenau strength, including building the music program with an initiative to position Brenau as an all-Steinway piano school and a tighter relationship with the John Jarrard Foundation. Schrader, Massey said, has been a key figure in the evolution of the vocational landscape of the area because of his "practical and visionary growth strategy" for Brenau. Schrader not only emphasizes growth of Brenau operations at home but also around the world. That is particularly true in China, where Schrader leveraged previous relationships to establish formal partnerships with three major higher education institutions, including the largest women's university in the country.

Schrader also built on the Brenau legacy in fine arts by establishing Brenau as the first academic partner for the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Rotary International District 6910 and the Rotary Club of Habersham County established the W. Lee Arrendale Award during Rotary year 1990-91 as part of the District's ongoing efforts in its vocational service program. Arrendale was an effective leader and worker in poultry associations but also worked extensively as a Rotarian, community leader and business leader.

The award recognizes the service of the recipient to society through excellence in one's vocation and promotes high ethical standards in the community by recognizing those individuals who most highly exhibit Rotary's motto of "Service Above Self."

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ABOUT BRENAU – Founded in 1878, Brenau University currently enrolls about 2,800 students in graduate and undergraduate programs on campuses and online. With a curriculum that blends professional preparation informed by the liberal arts, Brenau degree tracks range from Associate of Arts, which includes a special "early college" program for exceptional high school-age students to terminal degrees, a Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design and a Doctor of Nursing Practice. The main campus of the Georgia-based liberal arts institution, which includes the Brenau Women's College, is in Gainesville with other campuses in Augusta, Kings Bay and in two metro Atlanta locations, Norcross and Fairburn. Brenau's 2013 ranking as one of the top 15-best higher education values in the Southeast by U.S. News & World Report marks the university's eighth consecutive year in that position for the magazine's America's Best Colleges guidebook. In 2012 Brenau online programs scored high in national rankings by U.S. News & World Report, including a No. 9 in the nation "Honor Roll" listing for graduate degree tracks in Brenau's College of Education. Brenau University also has been cited as one of the best universities in the Southeast by The Princeton Review. The Chronicle of Higher Education accorded Brenau "honor roll" status as one of the top 10 best colleges and universities to work in its 2011-12 survey rankings.