Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the final vote to hire the president.
John Fuchko III has been named the next leader of Dalton State College.
The Georgia Board of Regents on Wednesday voted to appoint Fuchko as president after announcing last week that he was their sole finalist for the job. Fuchko has been working as the interim president at Dalton State since June, after the school’s longtime president, Margaret Venable, retired.
The University System received more than 85 applications for the job, Chancellor Sonny Perdue said during Wednesday’s board meeting.
Fuchko previously worked as the interim president at Columbus State University. He’s also held various administrative roles within the University System of Georgia, which oversees both Dalton State and Columbus State and 24 other public schools. His roles within the system included vice chancellor for organizational effectiveness and chief audit officer.
The board formed a committee earlier this year to conduct a national search for the Dalton State presidency.
“Working directly with students, faculty and staff has only served to energize John’s passion for public higher education and its importance to Georgia families and our state,” said Perdue in a written statement last week.
Dalton State was Georgia’s first public college to be designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution. Those are colleges where at least a quarter of the students are Hispanic. About 35% of the 4,535 students enrolled at Dalton State as of last fall were Hispanic.
Fuchko is a commander of the 122nd Regiment in the Georgia Army National Guard. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Kennesaw State University. He has several master’s degrees, including one in business administration from Georgia State University. He received a doctorate in education from the University of Georgia.
He and his wife are the parents of 12 children, according to a University System news release.
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