at the beginning of the 21st century, following the first decade of operations as a master's level university, graduate programs at brenau represented a small percentage of the student body. by 2010 it was clear the demand for graduate studies would increase and, by 2025, graduate students at brenau would represent more than half the student population. thus, the university created the sidney o. smith jr. graduate school to place focused attention on the needs of graduate students.