The President of Savannah State University is the chief operating officer of the university. The position is sometimes called the chancellor or rector, at other American colleges and universities. There have been fourteen presidents and five acting presidents in the history of Savannah State University. [1]
Name | Dates | Notes |
---|---|---|
Richard R. Wright | 1891–1921 | An American military officer, educator, politician, civil rights advocate, and banking entrepreneur, who served as president from 1891 to 1921. During this term as president enrollment increased from the original 8 students to more than 400 and the curriculum was expanded. [2] |
Cyrus G. Wiley | 1921–1926 | Wiley was a 1902 graduate of Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth. During his term as president the first female students were admitted as boarding students on the campus. [2] |
Benjamin F. Hubert | 1926–1947 | During his tenure as president the college became a full-time degree granting institution (1928). [1] |
James A. Colston | 1947–1949 | During his term as president Savannah State became accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). and the college's land-grant status was transferred to Fort Valley State College (1949). [1] |
Timothy Meyers | 1949 | Acting President |
William K. Payne | 1949–1963 | The college received its first accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the name was changed to Savannah State College during his tenure. [1] [2] |
Howard Jordan Jr. | 1963–1971 | The first master's degree program was developed at a Savannah college during his tenure. [2] |
Prince A. Jackson Jr. | 1971–1978 | As the second alumnus to become president of Savannah State (Cyrus G. Wiley was the first), he was responsible for the establishment of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps and WHCJ at Savannah State, and the institutionalization of the Title III program. [1] |
Clyde W. Hall | 1978–1980 | Acting President |
Wendell G. Rayburn | 1980–1988 | His administration implemented the Desegregation Plan mandated by the Georgia Board of Regents and he led the institution through the first major building program since the 1970s. [1] |
Wiley S. Bolden | 1988–1989 | Acting President |
William E. Gardner Jr. | 1989–1991 | His tenure as president saw unprecedented enrollment growth (13 percent) for the college and he successfully led the College to SACS accreditation. Additionally, he developed a plan to reestablish a teacher certification program at the college. [3] |
Annette K. Brock | 1991–1993 | Acting President |
John T. Wolfe Jr. | 1993–1997 | During his tenure the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia granted the school university status (1996) and the institution was renamed Savannah State University (1996). [1] |
Carlton E. Brown | 1997–2006 | The eleventh president of Savannah State University. |
Julius Scott | 2007 | Acting President |
Earl G. Yarbrough Sr. | 2007–2011 | Former president of Savannah State University. [A] |
Cheryl Davenport Dozier | 2011–2019 | Former President of Savannah State University. [4] [B] [5] |
Kimberly Ballard-Washington | 2019-present | Interim President. [6] |
The University System of Georgia (USG) is the government agency that includes 26 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The system is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates general policy to educational institutions as well as administering the Public Library Service of the state which includes 58 public library systems. The USG also dispenses public funds to the institutions but not the lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship. The USG is the sixth largest university system in the United States by total student enrollment, with 333,507 students in 26 public institutions. USG institutions are divided into four categories: research universities, regional comprehensive universities, state universities, and state colleges.
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Savannah State University is a public historically black university in Savannah, Georgia. It is the oldest historically black public university in the state. The university is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
The Savannah State Tigers and Lady Tigers are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that play for Savannah State University in Savannah, Georgia.
Earl Glenn Yarbrough Sr. was a former president of the Savannah State University from May 30, 2007 until May 8, 2011.
Alfred Ely Beach High School is one of the oldest public high schools in Savannah, Georgia, United States.
Howard Jordan Jr. served as president of Savannah State College from 1963 and until 1971.
John T. Wolfe Jr. is a higher education consultant and retired administrator who served as president of Kentucky State University from 1990–1991 and president of Savannah State College from 1993 until 1997.
Ricardo Azziz is a Uruguayan-American obstetrician/gynecologist, reproductive endocrinologist and executive administrator who has served as the chief executive officer of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine since 2020.
Hill Hall at Savannah State College, also known as Walter Bernard Hill Hall and built between 1900 and 1901 by students studying manual arts and blacksmithing, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. The building was named for Dr. Walter Barnard Hill.
James Emory "Jim" Boyd was an American physicist, mathematician, and academic administrator. He was director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute from 1957 to 1961, president of West Georgia College from 1961 to 1971, and acting president of the Georgia Institute of Technology from 1971 to 1972.