The Board of Trustees of Brenau University has authorized the naming of a residence hall on the Historic Gainesville Campus to honor the late Anne A. Skleder, Ph.D.
The residence hall, referred to as “New Hall,” since it opened in fall 2016, will be renamed Skleder Hall. Additionally, Brenau’s Trustees commissioned a portrait of Skleder that will be installed in the second-floor lounge of Skleder Hall.
“President Skleder loved Brenau and especially its students, who she often called ‘our reason for being,’” Mike Smith, chair of Brenau’s Board of Trustees, said. “In seeking a way to honor her legacy and lasting impact on Brenau, we found it fitting that her memorial be connected with students. I think she would be pleased yet humbled, as she never sought individual recognition for doing the good work of Brenau.”
Trustees also authorized changing the name of the scholarship created by Skleder in 2019 to the Anne A. Skleder First Generation Endowed Scholarship Fund, a perpetual fund to receive gifts in her memory.
“President Skleder established a scholarship for first-generation college students soon after she came to Brenau, and the Board strongly feels it should remain active as a reminder of her dedication to expanding access to higher education,” Smith said.
President David L. Barnett expressed his support of the honors for Skleder.
“Brenau appreciates the actions taken by the Trustees to honor President Skleder, who worked tirelessly to support Brenau and the students,” Barnett said. “Skleder Hall, along with the scholarship fund for first-generation students that meant so much to her, will make a difference in the daily lives of countless Brenau students for years to come.”
Skleder, the 10th president of Brenau and the first female president in the institution’s 146-year history, passed away in October 2023.
Under her leadership, Brenau elevated its Department of Psychology to the Lynn J. Darby School of Psychology and Adolescent Counseling and established the Miller Institute for Global Education. She successfully prepared the university for its decennial review by its accrediting body and launched the university’s next round of strategic planning.
Skleder was actively involved in a number of national and regional organizations, where she represented the interests of Brenau University and private institutions.
The three-story residence hall on Prior Street in Gainesville houses more than 70 upper-level students and was constructed as part of Brenau’s ForeverGold improvement project.
An event to mark the unveiling of the hall and the portrait will be held Friday, Nov. 8, at 4 p.m. at Skleder Hall.
