Education
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University of North Georgia president plans to retire

University president Bonita Jacobs was introduced during a pep rally to mark the beginning of the University of North Georgia. University of North Georgia is a merger of Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University. She will retire in June 2023. BRANT SANDERLIN / BSANDERLIN@AJC.COM

Credit: Brant Sanderlin / AJC

Credit: Brant Sanderlin / AJC

University president Bonita Jacobs was introduced during a pep rally to mark the beginning of the University of North Georgia. University of North Georgia is a merger of Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University. She will retire in June 2023. BRANT SANDERLIN / BSANDERLIN@AJC.COM
By Ty Tagami
Aug 1, 2022

Bonita Jacobs, the first president of the University of North Georgia, plans to retire after the upcoming school year.

Jacobs was the first woman to lead North Georgia College & State University after the State Board of Regents hired her ahead of the 2011-12 school year. She was also the second woman to lead one of the country’s six Senior Military Colleges. She then oversaw the consolidation of her institution with Gainesville State College. Together they became UNG in 2013.

In an email to faculty and staff on Monday, Jacobs said she will retire in June, and will work with University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue and university leaders as they search for her successor.

“I am announcing my plans now to ensure the Board of Regents has ample time to select UNG’s next president and to provide for a stable transition over this next year,” she wrote.

The university had about 19,000 students last fall, the sixth-largest enrollment in the University System.

About the Author

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

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