The University System of Georgia is hunting for college presidents and will need at least eight new campus leaders by August.
The system currently has presidential search committees in operation for Valdosta State and Georgia College & State universities. Four other colleges have interim presidents, and two additional presidents plan to retire June 30. The new president of Gordon College starts Jan. 1.
On top of that, Chancellor Hank Huckaby is searching for a new chief academic officer, a key position that provides leadership over academics and research for more than 318,000 students and 11,000 faculty members at the state's 35 public institutions. The system expects to have finalists for that position in early 2012.
"We have a lot of turnover right now, but there have been other years where there were about 10 president openings," system spokesman John Millsaps said.
The number of openings in Georgia "is not surprising" considering national trends, said Gretchen Bataille, senior vice president for the American Council on Education. The California university system has 23 colleges and is searching for five presidents, she said.
The council warned in 2007 that many colleges would lose leaders to retirement because about half the presidents are 61 or older. At that time, the average president's tenure was about 8.5 years.
Augusta State President William Bloodworth and Gainesville State President Martha Nesbitt will retire June 30. Bloodworth has been president for 18 years, and Nesbitt has served for 14 years.
Some people decide to leave or retire when the system gets a new chancellor, Millsaps said. Huckaby started July 1.
Still, the openings and delayed search committees have caused some concern because of merger discussions. Huckaby suggested merging campuses to save money, and consolidation candidates are expected to be announced this winter. Campuses without permanent presidents have wondered whether their schools are at risk.
Huckaby said presidential openings won't be a factor. Logistics prevent the system from conducting too many searches at one time, he said.
College president vacancies
Eight of the 35 institutions in the University System of Georgia are either searching for new presidents or will be in coming months.
Augusta State -- President William Bloodworth will retire June 30. A search committee has yet to be formed.
East Georgia -- Robert Boehmer, an associate provost at the University of Georgia, will begin serving as the interim president Jan. 1, following the retirement of President John Black. A search committee has yet to be formed.
Gainesville State -- President Martha Nesbitt will retire June 30. A search committee has yet to be formed.
Georgia College & State -- A search committee was formed in August, and Stas Preczewski is the interim president. He was the vice president for academic and student affairs at Georgia Gwinnett College.
Georgia Highlands -- Robb Watts, who was recently the system's chief operating officer, starts as interim president Jan. 1, following the retirement of President Randy Pierce. A search committee has yet to be formed.
Savannah State -- Cheryl Dozier has served as the interim president since May. She was an associate provost at UGA. A search committee has yet to be formed.
Valdosta State -- Louis Levy, who previously served as the provost, has been the interim president since July 1. A search committee was formed in August.
Waycross -- Mary Ellen Wilson, previously a vice president at Middle Georgia College, has been the interim president since July. A search committee has yet to be formed.
Source: University System of Georgia
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