by Ross Williams, Georgia Recorder, [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission]

August 13, 2025

Chancellor Sonny Perdue, head of the University System of Georgia, could be getting a pay raise to the tune of $50,000, bringing his salary to $572,500.

The Board of Regents voted to move the raise forward Tuesday and kick off a 30-day waiting period before they can vote on the raise. The vote came at the very end of the board’s regular meeting, directly after an executive session in which members of the public were asked to leave the room and the livestream was cut off.

Perdue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The proposal is not finalized and is part of a formal, transparent process that requires full Board of Regents review and approval,” said Board of Regents Chair T. Dallas Smith in a statement. “Following the required notice period, I know the Board will consider the proposal in the context of its responsibility to serve students, campuses and the public while being good stewards of state resources.”

Perdue, 78, was appointed chancellor by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022. He previously served as secretary of agriculture from 2017 to 2021 under the first administration of President Donald Trump and as governor of Georgia for two terms, from 2003 to 2011.

According to data compiled by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts, Perdue’s salary in fiscal year 2024 was $531,900, which made him one the top-earning state employees in Georgia.

Compared with university system heads in the states bordering Georgia, Perdue’s salary is toward the middle of the pack and less than what the leaders of Alabama and North Carolina’s systems make following a couple big raises of their own.

The University System of Georgia has celebrated successes in recent months, including record enrollment numbers. Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, Perdue touted a pair of recently released studies he said show the system’s economic impact to the state grew 5.4% in fiscal year 2024 and that the class of 2024 will earn on average $1.4 million more over their lifetimes than they would without a college degree.

The regents’ next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 16, 35 days after Tuesday’s meeting and outside the minimum 30-day waiting period to vote on the increase.

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