New leader selected for Savannah State after years of enrollment and funding problems
ATLANTA (AP) — After an interim president led Georgia’s oldest historically Black university for a year and a half, Georgia’s Board of Regents named Jermaine Whirl the sole finalist to lead the school on Tuesday.
Whirl could leave the mostly Black Augusta Technical College, where he currently serves as president, for Savannah State University. The coastal Georgia school has been struggling for years with declining enrollment and funding problems. It has also undergone layoffs, tensions between faculty and an administrator and program cuts.
Being named a sole finalist is typically a prelude to being named president of a public college or university in Georgia. Under state law, regents must wait at least five days before confirming Whirl’s appointment.
Whirl specializes in workforce education and revamped Augusta Tech with new academic schools, funding and programs. The school saw record enrollment this past fall.
“We prioritized finding a leader who values Savannah State’s historic legacy and embraces its modern role in moving this state and the region’s workforce forward,” University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue said in a statement.
Interim president and longtime lawyer for the University System of Georgia Kimberly Ballard-Washington stepped down in May 2023, citing “personal issues.” In the months leading up to her resignation, a campus reorganization plan eliminated majors in English, history, environmental science and Africana studies to cut costs. Cynthia Robinson Alexander, who was the system’s associated vice chancellor for finance, replaced her.
“Savannah State has a rich history of producing world class artists, educators, scientists, military leaders, corporate executives and public policy advocates,” Whirl said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater Savannah community to continue the legacy of the state’s first public HBCU.”