Georgia Board of Regents puts chancellor search on 'pause'
ATLANTA - The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia announced on Thursday the search for the next chancellor is on "pause."
In January, the Board of Regents launched a search to find a replacement for current Chancellor Steve Wrigley, who announced he would be retiring on July 1. The advisory group held a series of virtual listening sessions in March and has an online survey to take public input.
In a statement released to FOX 5 Atlanta on Thursday, the Board of Regents wrote:
"After thoughtful discussions, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has elected to pause the current search for Chancellor. We value the input received from faculty, staff, students, and community leaders throughout this process and want to ensure we meet the expectations of this challenging, yet critically important time in higher education. As we pause to reflect and determine our next steps, please be assured we remain dedicated to our vision of creating a more educated Georgia."
The announcement comes a day after FOX 5 reported about a grassroots group of Georgia college students’ efforts to advocate against the hiring of former Gov. Sonny Perdue as the next chancellor
"Students Against Sonny" published a petition on Change.org and planned to hold a protest in front of the Board of Regents building next week.
The group sent the following statement to its supporters in response to the Board of Regents' decision:
"We have successfully won a delay in the appointment process this afternoon, where Regents cited grassroots pressure (our work) as the cause for the delay."
Perdue served as governor of Georgia from 2003 to 2011 and also served as U.S. Agriculture Secretary under President Donald Trump.
WATCH: FOX 5 Atlanta live news coverage
_____
Sign up for FOX 5 email alerts
Download the FOX 5 Atlanta app for breaking news and weather alerts.