Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, who also served as United States Secretary of Agriculture, was named the sole finalist to lead the state’s public college and university system, despite concerns about his lack of educational experience and fears that his Conservative political past viewed as such could be divisive for some students.
The Georgia Board of Regents voted unanimously to approve Perdue as a finalist for chancellor of Georgia’s university system at a special convened meeting Tuesday afternoon. Under state law, regents must wait at least 14 days between naming a finalist and voting on their approval. If Perdue passes the full vote, as expected, he will take over the reins from interim chancellor Teresa MacCartney, who has headed the system’s 26 public colleges and universities since former chancellor Steve Wrigley retired in July.
“I consider being named a finalist as chancellor of the Georgia university system to be a wonderful capstone to a career in public service,” Perdue said in a statement. “Education is the number one issue at the federal, state and local levels, and as such, as a legislator, I have striven to be chair of the Senate Committee on Higher Education to work with Gov. Zell Miller and former USG Chancellor Steve Portch on important initiatives to work .”
Perdue rose through the Senate as a Democrat before switching parties in 1998 and becoming Georgia’s first Republican governor since reconstruction in 2002. In 2006 he easily won re-election.
In 2017, he was appointed Secretary of Agriculture by then-President Donald Trump, and he served until the end of Trump’s term.
Sonny Perdue is flanked by ex-President Trump and ex-Vice President Mike Pence at an event in 2018. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
CEO Harold Reynolds said Perdue’s impressive resume made him an ideal candidate.
“He has an extensive background in public service, including government management experience and leadership at the highest level. He was twice elected our governor by the people of that state, and he has served our nation as United States Secretary of Agriculture. During his time in the Georgia General Assembly, he also served as chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee. He holds a PhD in Veterinary Medicine from his beloved alma mater, the University of Georgia, and has a passion for higher education and particularly the state’s public colleges and universities. I look forward to the future of the higher education system with him at the helm.”
However, critics point out that his resume lacks academic leadership.
“He is totally inexperienced in education, and this appointment — while it shouldn’t be — is patently political,” read a 1,529-signature Change.org petition created by a group called Stop Sonny. Gov. Brian Kemp tried to dismiss those allegations in a statement congratulating Perdue shortly after the hearing.
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“As a Cabinet-level official confirmed with overwhelming bipartisan support, he managed a budget roughly 15 times that of USG and navigated challenging times of upheaval that required innovative thinking,” Kemp said. “Georgians will benefit from his decisive and creative leadership over a system that now serves more than 340,000 students. I look forward to working with future Chancellor Perdue to ensure the quality of our higher education continues to be worthy of the best place to live, work, learn and raise a family.”
Perdue has long been considered Kemp’s first choice, despite the fact that Perdue’s first cousin, former US Senator David Perdue, is challenging Kemp for the governorship. Sonny Perdue helped accelerate Kemp’s political rise by appointing him Secretary of State in 2010. Though Kemp is now at odds with Trump over not repealing the 2020 election, the former governor reportedly convinced the president to offer his support and help Kemp in 2018 defeat then-Lt. gov. Casey Cagle in the GOP primary.
The search was marred by political payback charges. The College Commission of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools sent a letter to the Board of Regents warning against undue political interference and a recruitment firm hired to help find a replacement for retired former Chancellor Steve Wrigley to help announced last year in the face of whether Perdue was a done deal.
“The search for a chancellor must be conducted openly and involve meaningful faculty involvement,” the American Association of University Professors wrote in an open letter to regents Monday. “The USG system deserves and demands a Chancellor who understands higher education, who has the trust of the faculty working in the system, and who works to improve the entire Georgian system to ensure Georgian students have the best educational experience to have.”
Some of his past political stances may also put Perdue at odds with some in Georgia’s campus communities. His first election for governor was fueled by the 1956 state flag debate, which his predecessor, Democratic Governor Roy Barnes, changed to remove the Confederate cross. Perdue supported a nationwide referendum that would have included the old flag with its Confederate symbolism. He later declared Confederate History Month in April 2006 in Georgia. Just over a quarter of Georgia’s 340,638 public college students are black, and for many Georgians, the Confederate flag is an enduring symbol of racial hatred.
Perdue’s unwavering support of Trump is also causing heartburn among some young people in a state that narrowly rejected the former president in 2020. Georgians between the ages of 18 and 29 supported President Joe Biden over Trump by 56% to 43%, a wider range than any other age group in the state, according to the Washington Post exit poll.
But Perdue’s reputation as a staunch conservative could endear him to other members of the state government, which is still dominated by the GOP on all three branches. Republican lawmakers introduced several bills in this session to address what they see as increasing cultural change at Georgia campuses, including bills to ban the promotion of “divisive concepts” in classrooms and expand on-campus speakerphone zones, after complaints were received about censorship by right-wing speakers.
If Perdue wants to comment on these hot topics, he didn’t signal this Tuesday, but instead vowed to help students learn and staff teach.
“I want to make a difference by providing leadership and resources to enable faculty to thrive in their teaching, research and service, and to inspire and support students to graduate, find rewarding careers and become productive citizens” , he said. “I’m honored to be considered for such an important role.”
