Cheryl Green, president of Governors State University, has announced her resignation effective March 1, 2025.
In an email to the GSU community, Green said she was retiring from higher education after 37 years, taking a brief sabbatical after undergoing cancer treatment last year.
“After much prayer, reflection, and consultation with my family and doctors, I have concluded that the time has come for me to put my health ahead of my professional ambitions and retire,” Green wrote.
Green, who became GSU’s sixth president in 2020, highlighted the significant challenges and successes that occurred during her tenure. She noted that her presidency coincided with unprecedented global and national events, including the pandemic. Despite these challenges, Green emphasized that the university has remained true to its mission of providing exceptional and accessible education.
During Green’s tenure as president, GSU underwent numerous changes, including the introduction of new administrative roles and initiatives, the creation of the Social Justice Center and the Center for Community Media, the opening of a College of Graduate Studies and an Honors College, and the accreditation of several programs.
In her announcement, Green thanked the GSU Board of Trustees, her Cabinet and the entire university community for their unwavering support. She also noted that during her tenure, GSU graduated its first class of doctoral students and secured unprecedented financial gifts to the university foundation.
Green stressed that she will ensure a smooth transition to her successor in the coming months. “The Board of Trustees will use a similar process to that used to recruit me by engaging a search firm to conduct a nationwide search,” Green wrote. “More information will be forthcoming on how the entire campus community will be involved in the process of finding the university’s seventh president. This includes ensuring representation from all campus members on the presidential search committee.”
Looking back on her time at GSU, Green added a statement she often made to the campus community: “Together we can; together we must. And now I can say with great pride: Together we did it.”
She expressed her confidence that the university will continue to reach new heights under the incoming leadership and conveyed her best wishes to the GSU community.
