The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) today named Dr. Mike Hobbs president of Georgia Highlands College (GHC), effective July 1, 2022.
Hobbs currently serves as vice president for student affairs and athletic director at Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham, Ala.
Dr. Dana Nichols, GHC’s chief academic officer and provost, has served as the college’s interim president since President Don Green left in July 2021.
“Dr. Hobbs has a demonstrated ability to connect with today’s students and successfully support them toward graduation. That vision, combined with his experience in admissions and student affairs, will help more Georgia Highlands students achieve a college education and grow the college’s reach in Northwest Georgia,” USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue said. “Thanks to an already solid faculty and staff, Georgia Highlands has a bright future ahead. As we welcome Dr. Hobbs to Georgia, I also want to thank Dr. Nichols for her leadership and service in the interim.”
Hobbs has been Jefferson State’s vice president since 2018. During that time, he has played a key role leading the college’s efforts to increase overall cohort graduation by 200%, student retention by 22% and transfer-out rate to four-year schools by 20%. He also supported capital campaigns that generated more than $50 million for Jefferson State and the St. Clair County School Board. He assisted with completion of two successful SACS-COC accreditation reaffirmations with a third in progress.
“I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to serve the people of Northwest Georgia and the Georgia Highlands community,” Hobbs said. “The college’s student-focused degree programs, strong faculty and partnerships with industry give it a dynamic foundation to build upon. I am grateful Chancellor Perdue and the Board of Regents have put their faith in me, and I can’t wait to join the charge by leading the college to even greater success.”
About Dr. Mike Hobbs
Originally from Ensley, Ala., Hobbs earned an associate degree in applied science from Jefferson State and completed his bachelor of science in criminal and justice science from the University of Alabama – Birmingham (UAB). He also earned his master of arts in education supervision and leadership from UAB and completed his Ph.D. in community college leadership from Mississippi State University. He has also completed post-graduate coursework in economics from the University of Detroit Mercy.
Prior to joining Jefferson State, Hobbs served as coordinator of Admission Services at UAB.
Hobbs’ previous roles at Jefferson State include dean of Enrollment Services, director of Enrollment Services, coordinator of Transfer Advising and Dual Enrollment and professor of economics. In addition to teaching at Jefferson State, he has been an adjunct instructor in economics at Samford University in Birmingham and in higher education for the executive Ed.D. program at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.
While at Jefferson State, Hobbs spearheaded the enrollment efforts to bring three separate instructional sites to full campus status, established a mental health response team called “Jeff Care,” created a new scholarship program focused on student retention and drove student success efforts with new initiatives in counseling, career assessment, academic advising, veteran affairs and Americans with Disabilities Act services.
