ATLANTA (AP) – Former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue will take the reins of Georgia’s university system on April 1, with regents affirming his appointment unanimously on Tuesday after multiple regents sang his praises.
The 19-member Board of Regents had nominated Perdue as their sole public finalist for chancellor two weeks ago, but had to wait two weeks under state law before finalizing his selection to become chancellor overseeing 26 universities.
The meeting saw multiple regents, several with long connections to Perdue, express their gratitude to Perdue for accepting the highly paid post, illustrating how Perdue’s supporters pushed for him to lead the 340,000-student system for more than a year.
“He is the right person at the right time and I’m grateful for his willingness to continue to serve Georgia,” said Harold Reynolds of Greensboro, the board’s chair.
Regent Tommy Hopkins of Griffin, who was appointed by Perdue, also expressed his thanks to the person he hired.