Heidrick & Struggles Seeking President for Georgia Institute of Technology
February 7, 2019 – Heidrick & Struggles has been selected to conduct a national search for the next president of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
After 10 years in the job, G.P. “Bud” Peterson will be retiring this summer. His $1.1 million annual compensation package is the highest of any public college president in the state, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Dr. Peterson has overseen a significant boost in Georgia Tech’s enrollment with the school’s expansion of its online offerings in recent years, said the newspaper, but state officials rebuked him last year for lax management and ethics abuses by several former top administrators. Georgia Tech’s handling of student mental health issues has been another source of criticism.
“President Peterson has set records in research, enrollment and fundraising while leading Georgia Tech for the past decade,” said chancellor Steve Wrigley. “I’m grateful for the members of the search committee who are dedicating their time and energy towards securing a bright future and talented leadership for Georgia Tech. We expect Georgia Tech’s next president to lead its world-class faculty, staff and students to even greater heights.”
Last month, the board of regents of the University System of Georgia named the members of the Georgia Tech presidential search committee. “This is an important endeavor, and we are committed to ensuring that Georgia Tech retains a president who will continue building off its strong traditions,” said search committee chair Ben Tarbutton. “Like president Peterson, the next president must continue to work closely with the institution’s faculty, staff, students, community and state of Georgia. I look forward to working with the committee as we work to find the right leader for Georgia Tech.”
Formally Charged
The search committee will guide the first stage of the talent hunt process. The committee’s initial meeting will be held next week at Georgia Tech, at which time members will be formally charged with their roles and responsibilities in conducting the search.
Related: Why Universities Have Stepped Up Efforts to Involve Search Firms
A Top Ranked School
The Georgia Institute of Technology is among the top-ranked public universities and one of the leading research universities in the U.S. Founded in 1885 as the Georgia School of Technology, the college opened its doors three years later with 84 students. In 1948, the school’s name was changed to the Georgia Institute of Technology to reflect a growing focus on advanced technological and scientific research. Today, Georgia Tech provides a technologically focused education to more than 32,000 undergraduate and graduate students in fields ranging from engineering, computing, and sciences, to business, design and liberal arts.
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Chicago-based Heidrick & Struggles’ education and social enterprise practice provides advice and counsel to a wide range of institutions. Its areas of specialization include associations, culture and arts, education markets, foundations and philanthropy, government and policy, higher education, non-governmental organizations, and both public and private schools. Twenty-one percent of the placements the practice recruited over the past four years moved across country borders or global regions, said the firm.
The practice’s higher education specialty team conducts searches for public and private colleges and universities, including system head, chancellor, president, vice chancellor, vice president, provost, vice provost and deans, as well as functional roles such as chief financial officer, chief information officer, vice president of human resources, vice president of advancement and general counsel.
Related: Academic Sector Pumping Big Fees Into Search Firms
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
