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.
