This week marks the beginning of Chancellor Steve Wrigley’s tenure of service leading the University System of Georgia. Chancellor Wrigley has served as interim chancellor since August of last year when former Chancellor Hank Huckaby announced his retirement effective December 31.

Chancellor Wrigley has served as executive vice chancellor for administration for the University System of Georgia for the past five and a half years, prior to that serving as senior vice president for external relations at the University of Georgia. Chancellor Wrigley also served five years as chief of staff for former Georgia Governor Zell Miller.

At the Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators in Athens in December, Chancellor Wrigley set forth several of his priorities as the System’s new chancellor, which include boosting graduation rates and containing college costs. The University System is utilizing several strategies to help reduce college costs, including a program to provide free digital textbooks for a number of courses. Other cost-saving initiatives include providing more online courses and consolidating colleges.

One of the ways Georgia Tech seeks to reduce the cost of education is through the G. Wayne Clough Georgia Tech Promise Scholarship Program, which provides a debt-free education to all qualified Georgia residents whose family income is below 150 percent of the federal poverty level (~$35,000). To date, 475 Tech Promise students from around the state have graduated from Georgia Tech debt free.

“We at Georgia Tech embrace Chancellor Wrigley’s initiatives of boosting graduation rates and reducing college costs,” said Georgia Tech President G. P. “Bud” Peterson, “and we look forward to continuing to partner with Chancellor Wrigley in service to the University System and our state.”