in 1900, h. j. pearce purchased the institution and renamed it brenau, a linguistic blend formed from the german word brennen, “to burn”, and the latin aurum, “gold”. its motto is “as gold refined by fire”. brenau college remained privately owned until 1911 when a board of trustees assumed stewardship of the college, as remains the case today. in 1928, brenau created a female, residential, college-preparatory school serving grades 9 through 12.