Virginia Carson, president of South Georgia State College, plans to retire at the end of June, after three years leading the consolidated institution.
Carson was appointed interim president of the former South Georgia College in March 2008 and named permanent president the following April. When the school consolidated with Waycross College in January 2013, she became president of the merged school in Douglas, Ga., in Coffee County. The consolidation was one of four mergers of state colleges and universities approved at that time by the state Board of Regents.
During Carson’s tenure, South Georgia became a state college offering bachelor degrees. The first cohort of bachelor of science in nursing students graduated in 2014, and the first cohort of biological sciences students will graduate with bachelor’s degrees this year.
South Georgia State, which enrolls about 2,650 students, is one of the smallest state colleges based on enrollment, but has seen slight increases in students over the past two years after a decline following the merger.
“I am proud of the opportunities created for current and future South Georgia State College students during my time and have them in my heart,” Carson said in a statement Monday. “It has been a signal honor to be a part of the traditions of this important institution and to strengthen it for the future.”
Information on the search for Carson’s replacement will be announced later, according to the state for the University System of Georgia.
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