Both the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the Florida Department of Education’s Commission for Independent Education made it official and lifted the strict “Cone of Silence.” Brenau may now begin advertising for, recruiting and enrolling students at its newest location in Jacksonville, Florida, the first out-of-Georgia operation since the early 1900s.

Brenau several months ago completed the $210,000, 4,380-square-foot build-out for leased space on the top floor of a former Bank of America four-story office building at 6622 Southpoint Drive South on the south side of Jacksonville. “We could not do anything there – or even broadcast publicly that we planned to do anything there without the proper regulatory approvals,” said Brenau President Ed Schrader. “Now we can. Technically, we could begin teaching graduate and undergraduate students on the Jacksonville campus today if we had enough people ready to start.”

Although there is plenty of room for growth at the new facility, Jacksonville will start slowly. Brenau will offer both undergraduate- and graduate-level business degrees – including Brenau’s highly regarded Master of Business Administration – and a two-year Associate of Arts degree on the new campus. David L. Barnett, chief financial officer and senior vice president over all administrative operations of the university, said that Brenau’s educational format allows for continuous enrollments throughout the year and enables the university to schedule programs at the convenience of the students. Adding to the convenience, he said, Brenau will provide all its Jacksonville programs both in on-campus classrooms and online formats.

The new location will not affect continuing Brenau operations on the U.S. Navy’s Kings Bay Submarine Base 47 miles north just across the Georgia state line. Although Brenau Kings Bay continues to meet needs of students in and out of the military, its location on the highly secure nuclear submarine base restricts growth potential, especially for the civilian population in the area, Schrader said. He added that the Jacksonville facility will expand Brenau’s catering to the military. Jacksonville boasts one of the heaviest concentrations of military personnel, veterans and their families – a major factor in the military- and veteran-friendly university’s decision to locate there.