New University of Georgia President Named
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia unanimously approved hiring Jere Morehead as the 22nd president of the University of Georgia today. Morehead has spent most of his career at the university and has served as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at UGA since 2010.
Morehead will assume the new position on July 1st to replace current UGA president Michael Adams. Adams is scheduled to retire in June. In a press conference following the decision by the Board of Regents, UGA Chancellor Hank Huckaby says Morehead was selected for several reasons.
“It’s been said over and over again that many people don’t know anyone among our alumni, among our staff who loves the University of Georgia more than he does. He has committed a substantial part of career to advancing the university in the various positions he’s held, so he’s the person that can hit the ground running, he’s a person who is committed to achieving all the goals that I think the search committee hopes that we will achieve over the next several years.”
Morehead is a 1980 graduate of UGA’s school of law. He says becoming president of the university is a dream come true.
“And while the University of Georgia faces many economic challenges. I believe that if we focus on our academic priorities. We can and will reach new heights as an academic institution.”
Morehead plans to spend the next five months evaluating the university’s strengths and weaknesses…as he contemplates possible organizational changes and prepares for large fundraising efforts.
“The most important thing I can do as president, well I would say two things, is to keep us focused on a goal of being the strongest academic institution we can possibly be, and to do that to get our major structure behind a major capital campaign.”
The campaign is aimed at helping the university remain nationally competitive after several years of tight state budgets.
Morehead was selected after a university search committee embarked on a national search for Adams’ replacement.
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