GSC’s Fifth President Installed in Formal Investiture Ceremony
By Karolina Philmon, GSC marketing manager
Gordon State College celebrated the investiture of Dr. Donald J. Green as its fifth president on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.
Distinguished guests, elected officials, and higher education leaders from across the region joined students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners at GSC’s Fine Arts Theatre to celebrate Green’s investiture, marking the start of a new chapter for the college.
During the invocation, Pastor Billy Smith of Christ Chapel Community Church in Zebulon, Georgia, emphasized Green’s clear commitment to student success, highlighting his vision to equip students with in-demand skills, connect them to career opportunities, and ensure a GSC diploma provides a competitive edge in the workforce.
“Dr. Green has become a respected mentor for college students, generously sharing his experiences and insights to guide emerging leaders as they shape their futures,” Smith said.
The ceremony featured greetings to the President from distinguished guests and musical performances by GSC Theatre students Apollo Baker and Kay Kimble in celebration of the occasion. In his presidential address, Green emphasized that the investiture was not about him but rather about “celebrating a college with an amazing history and a valuable future.”
“It is about a college changing trajectories of lives, communities and the economy. It requires a team to make an educational institution successful in those endeavors, and all of you are on Gordon’s team,” Green said.
Dr. Sonny Perdue, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, delivered the charge and presented the presidential medallion. Worn as part of the Chain of Office, the medallion symbolizes the authority of the college’s president. The GSC medallion features the college seal on the front, with miniature plates above it representing each president who has served since Gordon State joined the university system in 1972.
“We’re here to celebrate Dr. Green’s leadership and his vision for guiding the Gordon State College Highlanders forward. This ceremony marks the beginning of a new chapter in the college’s rich history and reinforces its future under his direction,” Perdue said. “[GSC] is deeply connected to both this community and our education system, and President Green fully understands the vital role education plays in shaping lives and family trees.”
A reception followed the ceremony, providing an opportunity for guests to celebrate with President Green and members of the GSC community.
“I am incredibly proud of Gordon State College’s legacy and excited for the bright future ahead as we create new educational opportunities to develop the next generation of talent and drive our economic growth,” Green said. “Better-educated individuals succeed. Better-educated families succeed. Better-educated states and nations succeed. Their economies succeed, and their people flourish. This is the very reason Gordon State was founded.”