ATLANTA – The Georgia Board of Regents has announced that a retired University of Georgia administrator is the lone finalist to become the new chancellor of the University System of Georgia.
State Rep. Hank Huckaby is a Georgia native who retired in 2006 as the senior vice president for finance and administration at UGA, where he oversaw the university’s $1 billion budget. In November, the regents launched a national search to replace Chancellor Erroll B. Davis, who retires June 30 after five years at the helm of the 300,000-student system.
By state law, the board must wait 14 days after naming finalists to officially vote on an appointment.
Board of Regents Chairman Willis Potts said Huckaby is the right man for the moment.
“This nation and this state are both suffering through some extremely difficult financial times, and the university system has been right in the middle of it,” Potts said in a telephone interview on Friday.
“As we were evaluating what we have to be able to do as a board in taking care of our institutions and students, obviously financial management rises to the top of the list right now. Our mission is teaching, research and service, but all of that has to be done in the context of available resources. Whomever we select as chancellor needs to clearly understand how this financial puzzle fits together and at the same time, understand higher education. That’s a tall order.”
The Watkinsville Republican would take over a 35-campus system grappling with several years of deep budget cuts that have led to layoffs and slashed programs.
