Atlanta — February 11, 2025

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) today named Dr. Jermaine Whirl president of Savannah State University (SSU), effective April 1, 2025.

Whirl, an Aspen Fellow, most recently served as president of Augusta Technical College (ATC), a role he has held since November 2020. Whirl’s career includes nearly 20 years of service as a faculty member and administrative leader at public colleges and universities in his home state of South Carolina and in Georgia. He has previously worked at several institutions, including Greenville Technical College, Savannah Technical College, Georgia Southern University and East Georgia State University. 

“As we welcome Dr. Whirl back into the USG family, we deeply appreciate the steadfast and dedicated leadership of interim President Cynthia Robinson Alexander,” USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue said. “Cynthia has laid a strong foundation for Savannah State’s future, one that Dr. Whirl is well-equipped to build upon. He has a clear and strategic vision for Savannah State and its students, staff and faculty, and we’re confident his leadership will usher this historic public HBCU into a new era of growth and prosperity.”

Whirl’s appointment follows being named the sole finalist last week after a rigorous six-month national presidential search. SSU has been led by Alexander since July 2023, following the departure of President Kimberly Ballard-Washington.

“I’m honored and humbled to accept the role of president of Savannah State University,” Whirl said. “I can’t wait to work with the campus community to build upon SSU’s proud HBCU legacy and advance our priorities of student success, academic excellence, leadership stability and financial sustainability. Through collaboration, innovation and a steadfast commitment to excellence, we’ll create new opportunities, strengthen the university’s impact and position SSU for long-term success.”

About Dr. Jermaine Whirl

A native of South Carolina, Whirl comes to USG after over four years at ATC. There, he oversaw a record enrollment of new first-year students and a 20.3% increase in headcount between Fall 2021 and Fall 2024. Skilled at cultivating strategic partnerships for student success, Whirl has introduced multiple agreements for ATC including partnerships with Augusta University, Piedmont Augusta, the city of Augusta and Amazon. 

Before accepting the presidency at ATC, Whirl served as the vice president for learning and workforce development at Greenville Technical College. In addition to his roles at ATC and Greenville Tech, Whirl previously served as dean of Gwinnett Technical College’s School of Business and School of Arts & Design and as a dean at Savannah Technical College. He has taught as a full-time faculty member at two USG institutions: Georgia Southern University and East Georgia State College. 

He has received many awards for his work, including Georgia Southern University’s 2024 George and Lucy Armstrong Alumni Award, the Leadership Award from the Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce, the Paragon Award for new presidents from Phi Theta Kappa and the Soul Awakening Award of Excellence from Perry Broadcasting of Augusta. Whirl is a member of the Georgia Titan 100 2025 Hall of Fame class. Georgia Trend also recognized him as a Notable Georgian honoree in 2025 and listed him on its 2024 40 under 40 list of the state’s most successful and civic-minded people under age 40.

Outside of his academic work, Whirl is an advisor for many organizations, including as a member of the board of directors for the Warrior Alliance, TD Bank New Market Tax Credit Advisory Board, Queensborough National Bank & Trust, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Inaugural 21st Century Energy Workforce Advisory Board and the Human Capital Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He’s chairman of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, an honorary board member with the Morris Museum of Art and a member of the Rotary Club of Augusta.

Whirl grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, and earned an associate of arts degree at Trident Technical College and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Winthrop University. He holds an MBA in business administration from Charleston Southern University, an M.Ed. in adult education and community leadership from Armstrong State University (now Georgia Southern University) and an Ed.D. in organizational leadership from Valdosta State University.

He and his wife, Marqueta, have two children, Jaylen Lee Whirl and Madison Renee Whirl.

About Savannah State University

Founded in 1890 as a result of the Second Morrill Act, Savannah State is the first public historically Black college and university in Georgia and the first institution of higher learning in the city of Savannah. Initially located in Athens, it moved to Savannah in 1891 and became a member of the newly formed University System of Georgia in 1932. Known then as Georgia State College, the institution in 1950 changed its name to Savannah State College. The Board of Regents granted the school university status in 1996, and the institution became Savannah State University.

Serving more than 3,200 students, SSU offers the region’s only four-year Naval ROTC program with tuition-assisted training in science and technology leading to commissioned service in the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. With 30 baccalaureate and five graduate degree programs in four colleges – Business Administration, Education, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences and Sciences & Technology – SSU has the only marine science undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Georgia based entirely on a coastal campus and is one of the few institutions in the country to offer a Bachelor of Arts degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

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