ATLANTA — One Georgia college will get a new president while another loses him, as Gordon State College President Donald J. Green moves to Valdosta State University.
Green will become president of Valdosta State effective Aug. 1, the University System of Georgia announced Friday, succeeding interim President William R. “Bill” Crowe.
Crowe has led Valdosta State since the start of the year after former President Richard Carvajal resigned to take the presidency of California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.
Green, who earned a Doctor of Educational Leadership degree from Western Michigan University, was named Gordon State’s fifth president in November 2023. There, he implemented a three-year plan to reduce the time it was taking students to graduate and to better align courses with employer demand.
The college in Barnesville surpassed many of the plan’s goals a year ahead of schedule, according to the university system.
Green said in a statement that he looks forward to aligning Valdosta State’s courses with industry needs, too.
“I’m eager to get to campus, build strong partnerships with the community and local industries and create new workforce pathways that will help both Blazer Nation and the entire region grow,” he said.
Valdosta State was founded in 1906 as a women’s college but is now coeducational, with more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students from nearly every county in Georgia, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and over 60 countries.
