President of Savannah State University

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]

List of the presidents of Savannah State University
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 2019–2023 Former president of Savannah State University.[6]
Cynthia Robinson Alexander 2023–present Interim president[7]

Notes

A.^ On April 19, 2011 the Georgia Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia voted not renew Dr. Earl Yarbrough's annual contract as president of the university.[8]
B.^ Cheryl Davenport Dozier was named as acting president of the university on April 21, 2011.[9] The Georgia Board of Regents named Dr. Dozier the permanent president on May 9, 2012.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "History of SSU". Savannah State University.
  2. ^ a b c d "New Georgia Encyclopedia". Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  3. ^ "William E. Gardner, Jr., Hall". Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  4. ^ Meyer, Ann. "Savannah State University President Cheryl Dozier to retire". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  5. ^ a b "Dozier named president of Savannah State University". University System of Georgia. 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
  6. ^ "Kimberly Ballard-Washington, Interim President of Savannah State University (2019-2021), President (2021-)". Savannah State University. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  7. ^ "Savannah State University names new interim president". Grice Connect. 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  8. ^ Jones, Walter (2011-04-20). "Earl Yarbrough loses Savannah State University presidency". SavannahNow.com. The Savannah Morning News and Evening Press. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  9. ^ "UGA administrator named acting Savannah State president". 11alive.com. Pacific and Southern Company, Inc. 2011-04-21. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2011-05-09.