Nicholas Henry, prominent Georgia Southern president, remembered for his devotion to public service

During Nicholas Henry’s retirement after serving as Georgia Southern University’s president, he led a weekly discussion group in Savannah known as "the forum." The group talked about civic issues, often drawing from Henry’s textbook on the topic, titled “Public Administration and Public Affairs.”

William Gladden, a friend of about 25 years and member of the group, said the contents of the book and group discussion often touched on Henry’s convictions about the need for effective governance and decision making in the public interest. While the discussion groups often dealt with hefty topics, there were also moments where Henry’s full personality shined through.

“Such serious subjects were often lightened up by Nick with spot-on quotes from sources including the comic strip characters in Dilbert or Doonesbury,” Gladden said in an email to the Savannah Morning News.

Henry, the 10th president of Georgia Southern University who thrust the school into regional prominence, passed away March 5 in Savannah. Henry moved to the "Hostess City" in his retirement and remained active in local civic life, serving on the Savannah-Chatham County Metropolitan Planning Commission’s Historic District Board of Review from 2008 to 2016, and the Historic Sites and Monuments Commission from 2016 to 2024.

Ellen Harris, now a principal at Ethos Preservation, was the MPC’s director of Historic Preservation during Henry’s tenure on the MPC boards. Although Henry had his extensive credentials in public affairs, Stone remembers him as always being humble, frequently asking for insight from the “experts” staffed by the MPC, Stone said.

“He was extremely knowledgeable, extremely competent, and a highly accomplished professional,” Stone said. “But he never alluded to that, he was almost self-deprecating.”

Georgia Southern issues statement

A statement this week from Georgia Southern’s President Kyle Marrero laid out Henry’s impact on the university. Henry led Georgia Southern to its status as a university, achieved in 1990 just three years after Henry’s term as president began. He served as president from 1987-1998, the second-longest term in school history. For seven years of his tenure, Georgia Southern was the fastest-growing university in the U.S., according to the statement.

It was also in 1990 that Henry invited a personal friend, the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court Sandra Day O’Connor, to speak at commencement. Marrero said in the statement the event was one of the most significant in the university’s history.

Marrero also credited Henry with launching the university’s national reputation in research through establishing the Smithsonian Institution and National Institutes of Health National Tick Collection at the university. The list of accomplishments and impactful initiatives extends even more, and the full statement can be read here.

“There is so much more that Nick accomplished in 11 years as president. He was an advocate for students, staff and faculty,” Marrero said in the statement. “He raised the bar for what a university president could do for the community, region and state. He will be sorely missed by all of Eagle Nation.

Could read him like his book

Gladden, who participated in Henry’s weekly discussion group, said Henry would often “humorously share” his array of goals for Georgia Southern. Items on the list Gladden recalls were to raise academic achievement, continue rapid growth, promote the national championship-winning football program, and even achieve a national magazine’s number one rating as a fun place to learn.

Henry would refuse to rank the priorities but often remarked he was equally proud of each, Gladden said.

Gladden said the table of contents for Henry’s textbook reflect the author. Chapter titles include “The Constant Quest: Efficient and Effective Governance,” “The Fibres of Organizantions: People,” and Part One of the book is titled “In Defense of Governing Well.”

“To his many friends, the book reflects Nick himself,” Gladden said.

Evan Lasseter is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Prominent past Georgia Southern president remembered for devotion to civic life