Dr. Jermaine Whirl, an Aspen Fellow, is a nationally sought-after, award-winning authority in workforce development & higher education. He currently serves as the 15th president of Savannah State University. During his tenure at Savannah State University, he’s developed a five-year strategic plan, entitled “The Uproar 2030 Plan,” established five new academic colleges, obtained the university’s largest corporate gift of $5 million, and established the first named college in the university’s history: Hyundai College of Education. He assisted in the reaffirmation of three programmatic accreditations: AACSB for Business, ACEJMC for Mass Communications, and ABET for Engineering Technology Programs. He secured $7.5 million to create a new 12,500SF physical plant maintenance facility, the first new facility built on the campus in over a decade. Over $5m in Title III supplemental funding has been invested in creating new academic labs across four colleges. He also secured the institution’s largest state investment of $42.8 million to support the construction of a new Wilcox Wiley Gymnasium, the renovation of the King-Fraizer facility, and the creation of an outdoor amphitheater and marsh walk.
Previously, Dr. Whirl served as the 5th president of Augusta Technical College, where he transformed the institution with an enrollment increase of 20.3% growth over 4 years, multiple million-dollar gifts, the creation of Accelerate Augusta, the Piedmont Augusta School of Health Sciences, the Greater Augusta Banking and Finance Institute, the Augusta Advantage Transfer Program with Augusta University, the CDL Truck Driving Academy in McDuffie County, the Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering Technology Campus in Columbia County, and the redeveloped Augusta Municipal Golf Course (The Patch) in partnership with First Tee of Augusta and Augusta National Golf Club.
A Georgia Titan 100 Hall of Famer, Georgia Trend 40 Under 40 honoree, a Notable Georgian, and a Georgia Trend 500 Most Influential recipient, Dr. Whirl has amassed numerous awards and recognitions while serving on boards such as Queensborough National Bank & Trust, TD Bank, First Tee- Savannah, Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Warrior Alliance.
A Charleston, South Carolina native with degrees in economics, business administration, adult education, and organizational leadership, Dr. Whirl is married to Mrs. Marqueta Whirl and has two children: Jaylen Lee Whirl and Madison Renee Whirl.
