Atlanta — August 3, 2005

Board of Regents Chair J. Timothy Shelnut announced today that the board would conduct a special meeting next Thursday to finalize discussions regarding the selection of an interim chancellor for the University System of Georgia, to temporarily fill the vacancy that will be created by the impending departure of current USG Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith.

The special meeting will be conducted via conference call, at 10 a.m., on August 11. At the conclusion of that meeting, the board expects to name their appointee to the interim chancellor’s post.

Original plans called for the Board of Regents to name an interim chancellor by the conclusion of this week’s regularly scheduled monthly board meeting, held yesterday and today (Aug. 2-3), in Atlanta. However, the chairman indicated the board had not fully concluded its deliberations and administrative responsibilities associated with the appointment.

The appointment of an interim chancellor and the search for a permanent chancellor were among the various topics that both the Board of Regents’ Executive Committee and the full board addressed during the past two days of meetings.

“We will have this decision finalized and wrapped up next week,” Shelnut stated. “There is strong board consensus regarding the direction in which we are moving. At this stage, we are conducting the appropriate due diligence that is necessary with such actions.”

Chancellor Meredith will continue to serve until he assumes his new position as the commissioner of higher education for the State Institutions of Higher Learning in Mississippi, on Oct. 1. Once the interim chancellor is named, the two will work together to ensure a seamless transition.

« News Releases