Date: August 4, 2023

To the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia:

We, the undersigned alumni, stakeholders and supporters of Savannah State University (SSU) believe that it is our responsibility and moral obligation to use our collective voice in support of our alma mater, and to express our deepest concerns about the selection of the institution’s highest-ranking administrator. In light of the ongoing challenges with regard to the presidential search process, financial pressures, and dwindling enrollment at Savannah State University, we are offering some recommendations to help guide and influence future decision-making. Our goals align with the previous letter composed and sent by the Savannah State University National Alumni Association leadership team. We also want to acknowledge the precariousness of many employees who may feel vulnerable and unable to speak out. We are in solidarity with the faculty, staff, students, and stakeholders seeking a more transparent, equitable, and inclusive search process for the University’s next president.

As Savannah State University seeks a new leader to navigate the evolving landscape and challenges that higher education institutions are facing across the country, it is critical that we choose the best possible candidate for the position. In this time of incredible uncertainty, we recognize the University System of Georgia (USG) has been faced with its own unique challenges with political pressures, financial constraints, and other logistical issues. However, it is time to meet the moment with strong, sterling leadership, shared decision-making, nonlinear planning, and a strategic mindset.

We urge you to seize this opportunity to help strengthen shared governance and the USG’s commitment to the “efficient use of available resources and human insight and charge its collective intellectual power” on behalf of Savannah State University to help select its future president. In the past, the Board has taken an autocratic approach to other presidential searches. Therefore, we are seeking maximal involvement in the entire process. As you work to determine the next steps, we petition that the Board of Regents exercise best practices for presidential and CEO searches and consider the following ten recommendations:

1. Conduct a national search by January 2024 that is transparent, congruent with policy and law, and at least consistent with the search process for other USG institutions, but meets the highest standards for searches with engaged and shared governance.
2. Select an external search firm such as Spelman Johnson, WittKieffer, Isaacson Miller, or AGB to guide, shape and advise the search process.
3. Develop an appropriate and accurate profile for the position.
4. Host listening sessions each constituent groups including alumni, students,, and faculty, staff community partners to ascertain their views on the needs of the institution, what professional and personal characteristics that the next president should possess, the background experiences, training and accomplishments should be evidenced in the person’s background, and what current issues and challenges the institution faces. The same questions should be accessible to all members of the constituent groups via an online survey.
5. The developed profile and job prospectus should be very public and reflective of the content and sentiments of the constituents as well as those of the BOR.
6. The search committee should have representation from alumni, students, faculty, and staff, and community partners.
7. After a selection and interview of semifinalists(6 -8), at least three finalists should be selected for further review and background checks.
8. Each finalist should be brought to campus for a full day of conversation, interview and presentation involving each constituent group. An open, online survey should also be used to capture the responses, feedback, and preferences of constituent groups for those interview days.
9. Once a president is selected, the Chancellor and the BOR should be obligated to discuss and explain their selection to the community and elucidate their performance and outcome expectations.
10. Set-up a transition committee to assure proper orientation to the campus and advising the new president including the following: acquaintance with alumni leadership (formal and informal);building relationships with faculty, staff and students; orientation to policy and process; critical and immediate issues facing the campus; grasp of institutional history, and connectivity to key persons and organizations in the institution’s region.

While solving financial issues is critical. However, the survival and growth of Savannah State will require a president prepared to address several other challenges. We believe that the University’s next president must possess the values, qualities, and skills to uphold the mission and protect the historic significance of Savannah State University. This includes, but is not limited to the following core competencies:

• HBCU Alumni/Advocate – an HBCU alumni or higher education professional with a well-developed knowledge of post-secondary education and a keen sense of the HBCU culture and needs of the student population, built from a broad experience in higher education leadership.
• Strategist– with an interest in, and a successful record of strategic planning and action, requiring the identification and elimination of barriers to the delivery of the required results.
• Financial/operational acumen and an entrepreneurial spirit – in the development of a budgeting plan and sustainability program with various revenue streams—academic programs, grants, alumni engagement, and legislative/federation relationships, in addition to campaigns for fundraising, and private-public partnerships.
• Multidisciplinarian/Multidimensional – possess the ability to build a campus community that is responsive, nimble, innovative, and effective as a results-oriented culture is reinforced.
• Communicator and storyteller – thought leader who operates with integrity and transparency and can effectively communicate their ideas and insights to all university stakeholders. Ability to articulate the institution’s value proposition, represent the SSU brand, and enhance the visibility of the institution on a local, state, national, and global level.
• Academic and intellectual leader – the individual capacity to hone shared intellect to create powerful ideas that spur scientific, social, technological, and institutional innovations that transform visions into realities.

As Georgia's oldest public historically Black institution, Savannah State University is uniquely positioned as an anchor in the community and a critical platform for higher education, and the advancement of economic mobility in the state of Georgia and beyond. We believe now is the time for decisive, strategic, and inclusive action to help ensure the vitality and success of our alma mater, its programs, and most importantly the faculty, staff, and students. We therefore respectfully ask that the Board of Regents approaches the presidential search process in good faith, with respect for the expertise of faculty, staff, and alumni, our professionalism, and our sense of ethics, with student success as the primary objective. The SSU community has a repository of talented individuals who can aid in achieving this goal. We welcome a conversation with you to discuss our requests further. As we were impelled by the needs of our community to make this ask, we hope you will strongly consider our proposed items.

In conclusion, we invite members of the Board of Regents, University faculty, staff, students, and constituents to stand and work together with us to uphold Savannah State University’s founding mission and purpose.

Thank you for your consideration. We ask that this letter be documented as a part of the Board’s official records and we look forward to your timely response and collaborating with you on this very important matter.

Sincerely,

One SSU

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*This petition is not associated with the SSU whistleblower messages.