On Friday, Aug. 19, Georgia College & State University (GCSU) will formally inaugurate Cathy Cox as its 12th president.
University System of Georgia (USG) Chancellor Sonny Perdue and Board of Regents Chair Harold Reynolds will participate in the investiture ceremony, as Cox dons the university’s insignia and regalia to accept leadership of the institution.
Her inauguration is an opportunity to rally the campus and community around Cox as president, reaffirm what Georgia College has accomplished in the past and mark a new starting point for the future.
The 3 p.m. ceremony will be held at Centennial Center, followed by a community reception. Both are open to the public.
The USG Board of Regents appointed Cox to lead Georgia College in August 2021. She assumed the role of President the following October.
The campus and surrounding community have embraced Cox for her vibrant and engaging personality. She began her administration with extensive listening sessions across campus and has worked to renew the university’s relationships with stakeholders in the greater Milledgeville-Baldwin County community.
In her inaugural State of the University address in January, Cox underlined the importance of a contemporary liberal arts education in the modern workforce. In most of her communications since then, she has woven GCSU’s distinctive role as the state’s designated liberal arts university into the relevancy it plays in preparing its graduates for jobs that require strong analytical and communication skills and the ability to work in teams to solve problems.
Originally from Bainbridge, Georgia, Cox has distinguished herself as an attorney, educator, public servant and journalist. She made history in 1998 as the first woman elected to be Georgia’s Secretary of State. Her background and personal story truly embody what can be accomplished with a liberal arts education.
Expected guests at the inauguration include delegates from various colleges, universities, learned societies and student organizations; officials in the University System of Georgia; as well as dignitaries from local and state government.
More information about Cathy Cox can be found at https://www. gcsu.edu/president/ biography.