FROM POLITICS TO ACADEMIA

Here are some people who have made the switch.

CATHY COX

Cox was Georgia’s secretary of state from 1999 to 2007 before becoming president of Young Harris College in North Georgia later that year. She worked there for 10 years before taking a job as dean of Mercer University’s law school, her alma mater. Cox was named president of Georgia College & State University in October.

MITCH DANIELS

Daniels became Purdue University’s president in 2013 after two terms as Indiana’s governor. He’s still in the position.

JANET NAPOLITANO

The former U.S. Homeland Security secretary had no experience in higher education leadership before becoming president of the University of California in 2013. She initially received low marks for a top-down managerial style but was praised for opening the system to more students. Napolitano resigned after seven years on the job.

SAM OLENS

Olens, former Cobb County Commission chairman, was the state’s attorney general when he was picked by the Georgia Board of Regents in November 2016 to be Kennesaw State University’s president. He left the job in February 2018 after a state report found Olens and other administrators ignored guidelines on its response to a protest by some cheerleaders.

DONNA SHALALA

The former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary was the University of Miami’s president from 2001 to 2015. Shalala was credited with expanding the university’s research capabilities. Critics note her tenure included improper benefits to some student athletes and Miami’s medical school laying off several hundred employees after it failed to meet its budget.