Georgia regents choose John Fuchko as new president for Dalton State College

TIFTON, Ga. (AP) — John Fuchko is the new president of Dalton State College, Georgia’s Board of Regents confirmed Wednesday.

Fuchko had been named the sole finalist for the position last month, typically a prelude to be named president of a public college or university in Georgia.

He took over as the interim president at Dalton State in June following the retirement of Margaret Venable, who led the college for eight years. He will assume the permanent post Thursday at the 4,500-student college in Dalton.

Like the other eight colleges in the 26-unit University System of Georgia, Dalton State focuses on providing access to as many students as possible. It opened as a junior college in 1967 and started offering four-year degrees in 1998. Besides the main campus in Dalton, the school also has a campus in Ellijay.

Fuchko has worked for the University System of Georgia for 17 years and was serving as interim president at Columbus State University when he was tapped to lead Dalton State.

He earlier served as the vice chancellor for organizational effectiveness, overseeing accreditation, athletics, strategy implementation and other functions. Before that, Fuchko was the system’s chief audit officer.

Fuchko is also a colonel in the Georgia National Guard and commands the 122nd Regiment.

He earned bachelor’s degree in political science from Kennesaw State University, a master’s in business administration from Georgia State University, a master’s in strategic intelligence from National Intelligence University, a master’s in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College and a doctorate in education from the University of Georgia.