{"id":11976,"date":"2025-10-01T08:58:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T12:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/?p=11976"},"modified":"2025-10-10T11:07:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:07:03","slug":"georgia-southern-alumnus-jermaine-whirl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/2025\/10\/01\/georgia-southern-alumnus-jermaine-whirl\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia Southern Alumnus Jermaine Whirl Leads Savannah State University"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Jermaine Whirl, Ed.D., (\u201910) is celebrating. At age 39, the new leader of Savannah State University is the youngest president of a Historically Black College and University in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He started his college journey as an economics student, hoping to serve as an economist for the Federal Reserve Bank. But whispers of an old prophecy spoken by a pastor in South Carolina continued to follow him, guiding him toward his destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere was a minister in town from California,\u201d Whirl recalled as he explained his fi ght with the raging fevers of the Kawasaki disease that ravaged his body as a child. His mother, frustrated by the hours her son spent in ice chambers, took him to church looking for a divine answer. \u201cSimply put, he prayed for me and told my mother, \u2018your son’s going to be fine.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The preacher said he felt something special about the five year old. \u201cHe\u2019ll be a teacher one day,\u201d Whirl recounted softly. \u201cHe\u2019s going to be a great teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s what led him to start his journey through academia. He got his Bachelor of Arts in economics and then received a Master of Business Administration from Charleston Southern University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the while, those prophetic words from the pastor grew louder, rising from whispers to a deafening crescendo that would lead him to the front of the classroom’s whiteboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It just hit me when I was working on my MBA,\u201d he said. \u201cI kept having vivid dreams of myself teaching in the classroom, answering questions, guiding discussions. It\u2019s something that just suddenly made sense. And I couldn\u2019t run away from it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This calling led him to what is now Georgia Southern University\u2019s Armstrong Campus to earn a master\u2019s in adult education and community leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whirl credits professors like Patricia Holt, Ed.D., John Bartosh and Don Stumpf, Ed.D., as essential to his success. But there was one who distinctly stands out as being instrumental in shaping his future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was Professor Kathie Fabrikant who strongly pushed me to get my doctorate,\u201d he said, adding that experiences he had in the classroom also fueled him to push forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had such a great time as a student,\u201d Whirl said, smiling as he reminisced on memories of dinner in the classroom with his cohort. \u201cWe\u2019d have a full chicken from Publix, mac \u2018n cheese, a real spread. We\u2019d eat and then class would start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those classroom relationships were crucial to Whirl\u2019s educational development. He particularly enjoyed the camaraderie of working on plans for group service projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the best things I did while I was at Armstrong,\u201d he said. \u201cWe created a health and wellness fair for the senior citizens in the area, which touched on advocating for adult literacy. We served hundreds of seniors that day, but getting to fundraise, coordinate and market the event was a very fulfilling learning experience, to say the least.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His career continued to grow as he pursued a future in higher education. He held positions as a professor of management in the Parker College of Business on the Statesboro Campus, the dean of adult education at Savannah Tech and dean of the Business School at Gwinnett Tech near Atlanta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was experiences like these that prepared me to step into the president\u2019s shoes at Savannah State,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The alumnus was serving as president of Augusta Technical College, a job he called a highlight of his career, before joining Savannah State. Whirl’s journey to the presidency has led him to a simple office, lined with bookshelves and neatly framed awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a professional look for a Zoom call. But if you look closely, you\u2019ll notice photos of his family in the reflection of his glasses, illuminated by the so glow of his computer screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’ve been extremely fortunate to have my wife\u2019s support throughout my academic journey,\u201d he said. \u201cShe gave up on her professional career to make our family work while I pursued mine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whirl is armed with a strong support network that will help him as he becomes Savannah State’s new leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I look at Savannah State, I see the opportunity and the potential to be an anchor institution,\u201d he explained. \u201cThere’s so much opportunity in this city and in this region. I want to ensure that we\u2019re considered in the important conversations, given that we\u2019re so close to a corridor of innovation in this city.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe state landed the Hyundai partnership, which is incredible. But now they need suppliers. I want to make sure Savannah State has a seat at the table for those discussions. When it comes to expanding the off erings of those suppliers and providing talent for the future workforce, I want them to think of Savannah State and the graduates we produce.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whirl is honored to have the opportunity to lead the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know a lot of people who went to college at Savannah State,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo I know there is a lot of pride with the alumni base in that community. To be selected as the next president is an extremely humbling honor, one I don’t take for granted. They could have picked somebody else!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there\u2019s also a personal point of pride for Whirl as he assumes the role of president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, as a Black man, to lead the fi rst Historic Black College and University established in the state of Georgia is truly a blessing,\u201d he said. \u201cSavannah State is an institution with a rich foundation of Black history. We\u2019ve always had great presidents, and to sit where they have is an honor. One of my favorite quotes is, \u2018We are still rising,\u2019 and that\u2019s exactly what I intend to instill in every student who attends Savannah State.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014BRADLEY MULLIS<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jermaine Whirl, Ed.D., (\u201910) is celebrating. At age 39, the new leader of Savannah State University is the youngest president of a Historically Black College and University in the country. He started his college journey as an economics student, hoping to serve as an economist for the Federal Reserve Bank. But whispers of an old […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":898,"featured_media":11978,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[90],"class_list":["post-11976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-spring-2025"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/898"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}