by (Recorder of Georgia) The president of the University System of Georgia, Chancellor Sonny Perdue, may receive a $50,000 compensation increase, increasing his salary to $572,500.
On Tuesday, the Board of Regents decided to proceed with the hike and begin a 30-day waiting period before casting a vote. The vote took place right after an executive session where the public was requested to leave the room and the livestream was switched off, at the very end of the board’s normal meeting.
A request for comment from Perdue was not immediately answered.
Board of Regents Chair T. Dallas Smith said in a statement that the idea is not yet completed and is a part of a formal, transparent process that needs full Board of Regents assessment and approval. I am certain that the Board will evaluate the proposal in light of its duty to serve students, campuses, and the public while being prudent stewards of state resources after the mandatory notice period.
In 2022, Governor Brian Kemp appointed 78-year-old Perdue as chancellor. He previously had two terms as Georgia’s governor from 2003 to 2011 and was Secretary of Agriculture from 2017 to 2021 during President Donald Trump’s first administration.
Perdue was one of Georgia’s highest-paid state employees in fiscal year 2024, with a salary of $531,900, according to figures published by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts.
Perdue’s compensation is in the middle of the pack when compared to university system heads in Georgia’s neighboring states, and it is lower than what the heads of the systems in Alabama and North Carolina make after a few significant rises of their own.
In recent months, the University System of Georgia has celebrated a number of accomplishments, including record enrollment figures. According to recent research, the system’s economic impact on the state increased by 5.4% in fiscal year 2024, and the class of 2024 will earn an average of $1.4 million more during their careers than they would have without a college degree, Perdue stated during his remarks at Tuesday’s meeting.
Thirty-five days after Tuesday’s meeting, on September 16, the regents will meet again, which is outside the required 30-day waiting period to vote on the raise.
