The president of Georgia’s oldest historically Black public university is resigning amid employee layoffs sparked by declining enrollment and a faculty revolt against a top administrator.
Savannah State University President Kimberly Ballard-Washington announced Thursday that she would step down on June 30. The school on Friday announced it was laying off 27 employees on the same day, which is the last day of the state budget year.
Student numbers are shrinking, which in turn drags down the amount of state aid that Savannah State gets, because aid is generally driven by enrollment.
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Ballard-Washington wrote in a letter to faculty, students and staff that she was stepping down due to “personal issues.”
She’ll be replaced by Cynthia Robinson Alexander, who will become interim president on July 1, University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue announced. Alexander is currently the system’s associate vice chancellor for finance.
Perdue didn’t say how or when regents might name a permanent replacement, and system spokesperson Kristina Torres declined to comment further on Monday. Torres didn’t say if the Board of Regents or Perdue asked Ballard-Washington to resign.
Ballard-Washington was a longtime lawyer for the University System of Georgia and the University of Georgia before regents sent her to take charge of Savannah State in 2019. In recent months, the campus has been roiled by a reorganization plan that eliminates majors in English, history, environmental science and Africana studies. Documents obtained last year by the Savannah Morning News show the cuts could save $900,000.
Ballard-Washington told WTOC-TV that in addition to the program cuts, the university may close some buildings to reduce utility costs. The university has ended some faculty contracts and is freezing hiring for vacant positions.
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