ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 05: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue speaks during a run-off election night party at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Buckhead January 5, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. Voters in Georgia headed to the polls today for the two Senate run-off elections, pitting incumbents Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) against Democratic candidates Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, which will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The way is apparently clear for former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to become the next leader of the state’s public university system.  Regents on Tuesday named Perdue the sole finalist to serve as chancellor of the 26-member University System of Georgia, which includes Augusta University.

A vote formally naming the two-term governor and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture the Chancellor is expected within weeks.  The 75 year old Perdue is first cousin to former U.S. Senator David Perdue, who is mounting a primary challenge to Governor Brian Kemp.

Story courtesy of Mary Liz Nolan with WGAC.