0702REGENTSAUD
Hear Michael Stoy, vice president for academic affairs at Gainesville State College, discuss his new job as president of Middle Georgia College.Michael Stoy, vice president for academic affairs at Gainesville State College, was named the new president of Middle Georgia College.
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia named Stoy president of Middle Georgia College Tuesday.
Stoy said he has served as vice president for academic affairs at Georgia State since 1999, and will start as president of Middle Georgia in Cochran on Aug. 1.
Regent W. Mansfield Jennings served as chairman of the Special Regents’ Committee for the presidential search at Middle Georgia College and said Stoy is "an excellent choice for the next president of Middle Georgia College" and "is ready to take his leadership skills to the next level."Stoy will be presiding over three separate campuses at Middle Georgia College where roughly 3,000 students are enrolled.
Stoy said he has watched Gainesville State grow to about 8,000 students over the years, and has also been a part of shifting the college from an institution offering two-year degrees to one that began offering four-year degrees in 2005.
This summer, Middle Georgia received accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer four-year degrees in aviation management.
"I think Middle Georgia is following a similar story as what happened at Gainesville State," Stoy said.
"It just seemed like a good match. They’re moving their new programs forward with new baccalaureate degrees, and that’s very attractive. ... It’s a good opportunity."
Before serving as vice president at Gainesville State College, Stoy was a biology professor at Darton College in Albany.
He said the new job will be a big change, and he cherished his time at Gainesville State. "I will miss all my friends in Gainesville. I will miss all the faculty and staff that have been phenomenal at this institution," he said.
Stoy said Penny Mills will serve as interim vice president for academic affairs at Gainesville State College until the position is permanently filled.