The state’s Board of Regents said Thursday it has paused its search for the next chancellor, hours after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported some members were opposed to a push to tap former Gov. Sonny Perdue as the next leader of the state’s higher education system.
“After thoughtful discussions, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has elected to pause the current search for Chancellor,” the board said in a statement. “We value the input received from faculty, staff, students, and community leaders throughout this process and want to ensure we meet the expectations of this challenging, yet critically important time in higher education. As we pause to reflect and determine our next steps, please be assured we remain dedicated to our vision of creating a more educated Georgia.”
Perdue and his aides have not publicly commented on the search. They declined comment Thursday. Efforts to contact Regents chairman Sachin Shailendra and Kessel Stelling Jr., the Regent who is chairing the advisory group of board members involved in the chancellor’s search, were unsuccessful Thursday.
Current chancellor, Steve Wrigley, announced several months ago his plans to retire in July after 36 years in state government. It was unclear Thursday how long the Regents, which has the final say in the decision, would pause the search. Their next meeting is scheduled for May 11. The following scheduled meeting is Aug. 10.
The AJC first reported last month a few Regents support Perdue, a Republican who served two terms as governor and most recently was U.S. Department of Agriculture secretary under former President Donald Trump. However, there doesn’t appear to be enough support yet on the 19-member board for him to be named chancellor, the AJC reported Thursday.
Regents members serve staggered seven-year terms and are selected by the governor. Many of them are executives at some of the state’s largest companies or have strong political connections.
Colleges and universities in other states have picked former elected officials to lead their schools and college systems in recent years because the job involves navigating different interests, from students, parents and faculty to donors, politicians, and lobbyists. Perdue was known to have an interest in higher education when he was a member of the Georgia Senate.
However, a growing number of students and faculty members oppose Perdue as chancellor, noting he has no experience in higher education leadership. They’ve also criticized some of his decisions concerning higher education during his time as governor. One online petition started last week had more than 1,100 signatures Thursday.
“Students deserve better than Sonny and we know it,” the group “Students Against Sonny” posted last week on Twitter.
The chancellor’s position, which oversees policy and many personnel matters within the 26-school University System, is one of the most powerful jobs in state government. The pause in the search may also mean delays in selecting presidents for several of Georgia’s largest public universities where leaders are retiring or resigning, and could dissuade some education leaders from applying for those openings.
The Board of Regents, the governing authority over the 341,485-student system, is currently conducting searches for new presidents at Clayton State University, Georgia State University, Georgia College & State University and Savannah State University.
Additionally, Kennesaw State University President Pamela Whitten announced last week she’s leaving to become Indiana University’s president. Also, Georgia Highlands College President Donald J. Green announced earlier this month he’s leaving to become president of Point Park University in Pittsburgh.
Parker Executive Search, a company based in Atlanta, is under contract to conduct a national search for the next University System chancellor and to fill some of the presidential searches.
Agencies that approve accreditation for colleges and university systems in recent years have come down hard on elected officials and boards found to have interfered with the governance or searches for leaders of colleges and university systems in other states. For example, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, last year found South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster exerted “undue influence” in the University of South Carolina’s presidential search, according to published reports.
