A high-ranking administrator for the University System of Georgia will step into an interim position leading one of the system’s schools, the University of West Georgia.
Ashwani Monga, hired in 2022 as the University System’s chief academic officer and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, will serve as West Georgia’s interim president starting Aug. 19. The appointment was announced Tuesday.
The presidential vacancy was created by Brendan Kelly’s decision to leave for a job as president of the Arkansas State University System. Kelly has served as West Georgia’s president for just over four years. He announced his resignation in June, and he’ll leave at the end of August.
“President Kelly has done tremendous work, and I’m looking forward to working with faculty and staff as the university builds on its momentum, helping students succeed in college and in their careers,” he said in a statement.
Monga previously worked as the provost at Rutgers University-Newark. He has a doctorate in business administration from the University of Minnesota, and his research focuses on consumer behavior. He’s also on the faculty at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business.
The University System includes 26 public Georgia colleges and universities. Officials have not yet announced who will perform Monga’s current duties, which include overseeing systemwide academic and enrollment initiatives, while he’s in the temporary post. Monga intends to return to his University System job once a new West Georgia president is selected.
Sonny Perdue, the University System’s chancellor, said placing Monga in the interim job “will help bring consistency and strategic insight to UWG ahead of a national search to find its next president.”
West Georgia enrolls just over 12,700 students.
