Georgia’s oldest public HBCU, Savannah State University (SSU), recently appointed Dr. Jermaine Whirl as its 15th president. At 39 years old, he is the youngest HBCU president.
Whirl, who began his position on April 1, was previously the president of Augusta Technical College (ATC), a position he had held since November 2020.
An Aspen Fellow, Whirl has served as an administrative leader and faculty member at public colleges and universities in his home state of South Carolina and in Georgia.
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Previously, the groundbreaker held positions at Georgia Southern University (GSU), East Georgia State University (EGSU), Savannah Technical College (STC), and Greenville Technical College (GTC).
He told SSU, “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. 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.”
His long-term goals include making SSU the largest and most popular HBCU in Georgia, a doctorate-granting university, and the main force behind economic growth and social mobility in the Greater Savannah Area.
He also hopes that by 2035, SSU will be ranked among the top 25 HBCUs by U.S. News & World Report as well as become the anchor institution of Savannah and a nationally renowned university for academic programs, facilities, and creative and cooperative partnerships.
In a statement, SSU Interim President Cynthia Robinson Alexander, JD, stated, “Although I am sad to leave the SSU community, I am encouraged that I am leaving it in good hands.”
During his time at ATC, Whirl supervised a 20.3% rise in headcount between Fall 2021 and Fall 2024, as well as a record enrollment of new first-year students, according to the school. Among the several agreements he proposed for ATC are collaborations with Piedmont Augusta, Augusta University, the city of Augusta, and Amazon.
But before taking the helm at ATC, Whirl served as GTC’s vice president of workforce development and learning. Apart from his positions at ATC and GTC, Whirl was also dean of STC and the School of Business and School of Arts & Design at Gwinnett Technical College. He has held full-time faculty positions at GSU and EGSU.
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His efforts have earned him several awards, such as the Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Award, Phi Theta Kappa’s Paragon Award for new presidents, Perry Broadcasting of Augusta’s Soul Awakening Award of Excellence, and GSU’s 2024 George and Lucy Armstrong Alumni Award.
In 2025, Whirl was inducted into the Georgia Titan 100 Hall of Fame. Additionally, Georgia Trend named him a 2025 Notable Georgian honoree and included him on its 2024 40 Under 40 list of the state’s most accomplished and civic-minded individuals under 40.
He has also held director positions on the boards of numerous local, regional, and national organizations in addition to his academic career. He has two children, Madison Renee Whirl and Jaylen Lee Whirl, with his wife, Marqueta.
Whirl graduated from Winthrop University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and Trident Technical College with an associate of arts degree. His degrees include an Ed.D. in organizational leadership from Valdosta State University, an M.Ed. in adult education and community leadership from Armstrong State University (now GSU), and an MBA in business administration from Charleston Southern University.
