UNG announces sole finalist for president. Professor criticizes 'closed-off' search process

May 24—Update: A sole finalist has been named to take the helm of the University of North Georgia.

Michael Shannon, a retired U.S. Army officer with a background in nuclear technology who currently serves as an administrator at Georgia Tech, is set to replace outgoing UNG President Bonita Jacobs, who will retire in June.

The University System of Georgia's Board of Regents, which oversees 26 colleges in the state including UNG, voted Wednesday and must wait at least five days before making Shannon's appointment official.

"I am so incredibly honored to be considered to serve as the next president of the University of North Georgia," Shannon said in a news release.

"The tradition, the character and the impact of this historic institution are unmatched," he said. "UNG's students represent the best of Georgia and the best of America."

"Dr. Shannon's nearly three-decade career in the military, as a researcher and in higher education has demonstrated tremendous leadership and effective communication while building solid relationships with his colleagues, peers and students," USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue said. "Mike likes to say he leads from the front and then gets out of the way, and I believe his deep experience and energy make him an ideal candidate to help students, staff and faculty at UNG build on the great success they found with President Jacobs."

UNG's budget is expected to shrink by $24 million by 2025 due to declining student enrollment and cuts in state funding for higher education.

Matthew Boedy, an associate professor of English at UNG and president of the Georgia conference of the American Association of University Professors, said the search process should have been more transparent and included more faculty input.

Last May, the Board of Regents approved a policy change that reduced the role of faculty in presidential search committees.

UNG's 15-member search committee included three professors and two students.

"Mr. Shannon looks like he's capable and has a great resume, but the closed-off process always puts the new president behind in terms of faculty trust," Boedy said. "I just would have liked more faculty say-so in the search process."

UNG held four virtual community listening sessions in January, but otherwise the search was conducted behind closed doors.

Shannon currently serves as interim executive vice president for administration and finance and interim chief business officer at Georgia Tech. He has served in a number of roles at the college, including as a research faculty member and principal investigator in the Advanced Concepts Laboratory at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.

"UNG is a special place, with five diverse campuses and a unique mission as the Military College of Georgia and one of only six senior military colleges in the nation," said Regent Jim Syfan, CEO of Syfan Logistics in Gainesville and chair of UNG's presidential search committee.

"I want to thank the presidential search committee members for their work in finding strong candidates to lead the university and know both the committee and the board were impressed by Mike's vision, background and knowledge that made him an ideal finalist to lead UNG forward," Syfan said.

Shannon served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for 20 years before retiring in 2015. After operational Army service as an Infantry and Signal Corps officer with assignments in the 82d Airborne Division, the 35th Signal Brigade and the 2nd Infantry Division, he was selected to serve as a U.S. Army Nuclear and Counterproliferation officer.

He worked for more than a decade as a nuclear technology expert for the U.S. Department of Defense and later held leadership assignments with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Shannon also served at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as an instructor and later as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering.

A native of New Jersey, Shannon is a first-generation college graduate and was commissioned through Army ROTC. He holds a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and a master's in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. He also holds a master's in health physics as well as a doctorate in nuclear and radiological engineering from Georgia Tech.

Shannon continues to serve veterans' causes, is an active member of his church and is a coach for multiple local youth sports programs, according to the news release.

He and his wife, Jessica, a U.S. Air Force veteran, met while they were assigned to Fort Gordon, Georgia. They have four children.

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Previous story: A sole finalist has been named to take the helm of the University of North Georgia.

Michael Shannon, a retired U.S. Army officer with a background in nuclear technology who currently serves as an administrator at Georgia Tech, is set to replace outgoing UNG President Bonita Jacobs, who will retire in June.

The University System of Georgia's Board of Regents, which oversees 26 colleges in the state including UNG, voted Wednesday and will make a final decision in the next five days.

"I am so incredibly honored to be considered to serve as the next president of the University of North Georgia," Shannon said in a news release.

"The tradition, the character and the impact of this historic institution are unmatched," he said. "UNG's students represent the best of Georgia and the best of America."

"Dr. Shannon's nearly three-decade career in the military, as a researcher and in higher education has demonstrated tremendous leadership and effective communication while building solid relationships with his colleagues, peers and students," USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue said. "Mike likes to say he leads from the front and then gets out of the way, and I believe his deep experience and energy make him an ideal candidate to help students, staff and faculty at UNG build on the great success they found with President Jacobs."

UNG's budget is expected to shrink by $24 million by 2025 due to declining student enrollment and cuts in state funding for higher education.

Shannon currently serves as interim executive vice president for administration and finance and interim chief business officer at Georgia Tech. He has served in a number of roles at the college, including as a research faculty member and principal investigator in the Advanced Concepts Laboratory at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.

"UNG is a special place, with five diverse campuses and a unique mission as the Military College of Georgia and one of only six senior military colleges in the nation," said Regent Jim Syfan, CEO of Syfan Logistics in Gainesville and chair of UNG's presidential search committee.

"I want to thank the presidential search committee members for their work in finding strong candidates to lead the university and know both the committee and the board were impressed by Mike's vision, background and knowledge that made him an ideal finalist to lead UNG forward," Syfan said.

Shannon served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for 20 years before retiring in 2015. After operational Army service as an Infantry and Signal Corps officer with assignments in the 82d Airborne Division, the 35th Signal Brigade (18th Airborne Corps) and the 2nd Infantry Division, he was selected to serve as a U.S. Army Nuclear and Counterproliferation officer.

He worked for more than a decade as a nuclear technology expert for the U.S. Department of Defense and later held leadership assignments with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Shannon also served at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as an instructor and later as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering.

A native of New Jersey, Shannon is a first-generation college graduate and was commissioned through Army ROTC. He holds a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and a master's in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. He also holds a master's in health physics as well as a doctorate in nuclear and radiological engineering from Georgia Tech.

Shannon continues to serve veterans' causes, is an active member of his church and is a coach for multiple local youth sports programs, according to the news release.

He and his wife, Jessica, a U.S. Air Force veteran, met while they were assigned to Fort Gordon, Georgia. They have four children.