Savannah State University (SSU) is proud to welcome Dr. Jermaine Whirl as the 15th president of Georgia’s oldest public Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Dr. Whirl starts his tenure on April 1, 2025.
Whirl, an Aspen Fellow, most recently served as president of Augusta Technical College (ATC), a role he held since November 2020. Whirl’s career includes nearly 20 years of service as a faculty member and administrative leader at public colleges and universities in his home state of South Carolina and in Georgia. He previously worked at several institutions, including Greenville Technical College (GTC), Savannah Technical College (STC), Georgia Southern University (GSU) and East Georgia State University (EGSU).
“I am looking forward to returning to the beautiful city of Savannah and helping to shape the next generation of leaders in our area and region,” Whirl said. “Working with our alumni and community partners I think we can take an SSU education to the next level and provide more opportunities for the Tiger nation.”
As he starts his new position, Whirl has already identified several goals for the next decade. Whirl hopes to make SSU a doctoral-degree granting institution, the first choice and largest HBCU in Georgia and the primary driver of economic development and increased social mobility in the Greater Savannah Region. In addition, he would like SSU to become the anchor institution of Savannah and a nationally recognized institution for academic programs, facilities, and collaborative and innovative partnerships as well as a top 25 HBCU by 2035 as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
“As interim president for the last 21 months I have had the opportunity to implement many changes that I think will lay a firm foundation for Dr. Whirl’s ambitious goals,” said SSU Interim President Cynthia Robinson Alexander, JD. “Although I am sad to leave the SSU community, I am encouraged that I am leaving it in good hands.”
Whirl has a proven track record of success. At ATC Whirl oversaw a record enrollment of new first-year students and a 20.3% increase in headcount between Fall 2021 and Fall 2024. Skilled at cultivating strategic partnerships for student success, Whirl has introduced multiple agreements for ATC including partnerships with Augusta University, Piedmont Augusta, the city of Augusta and Amazon.
Before accepting the presidency at ATC, Whirl served as the vice president for learning and workforce development at GTC. In addition to his roles at ATC and GTC, Whirl previously served as dean of Gwinnett Technical College’s School of Business and School of Arts & Design and as a dean at STC. He has taught as a full-time faculty member at two USG institutions: GSU and EGSU.
He has received many awards for his work, including GSU’s 2024 George and Lucy Armstrong Alumni Award, the Leadership Award from the Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce, the Paragon Award for new presidents from Phi Theta Kappa and the Soul Awakening Award of Excellence from Perry Broadcasting of Augusta. Whirl is a member of the Georgia Titan 100 2025 Hall of Fame class. Georgia Trend also recognized him as a Notable Georgian honoree in 2025 and listed him on its 2024 40 Under 40 list of the state’s most successful and civic-minded people under age 40.
Outside of his academic work, Whirl has served on the board of directors for many local, regional and national organizations. Whirl earned an associate of arts degree at Trident Technical College and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Winthrop University. He holds an MBA in business administration from Charleston Southern University, an M.Ed. in adult education and community leadership from Armstrong State University (now GSU) and an Ed.D. in organizational leadership from Valdosta State University. He and his wife, Marqueta, have two children, Jaylen Lee Whirl and Madison Renee Whirl.
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