Members of University of West Georgia shared their thoughts on Kyle Marrero leaving and memories of his time at the university.

Judy Butler, president of faculty senate at UWG, said she and Marrero have been close for years and that he was popular among the community.

“He’s just good to everybody,” Butler said. “He’s very accepting of everybody and I’ve never seen him down, even when he’s been sick or something. He always has a smile on his face.”

Butler said Marrero has pushed UWG to be the best in can be during his time as president.

“We have hired, in the last two years, 201 new faculty lines. [Marrero] has pushed that growth,” Butler said. “One big thing he’s done is nurture the leaders on campus.”

Jonny Denny, executive vice president for the UWG’s Student Government Association said that Marrero was active in the UWG community and tried to engage with his students.

“He regularly attends as many student events as possible, keeping his presence on campus very inviting and open to students,” Denny said.

Denny shared some of his favorite memories of Marrero.

“Some of my favorite experiences have been him judging our ‘Spring Cook-off’ event between student organizations, his Presidential 5K run he does every year at homecoming and his monthly ‘Lead Lunches’ where he has lunch with various student leaders on campus and asks them questions on how the university can serve them better,” Denny said.

Marrero was also active with SGA and kept them up to date on everything happening on campus, Denny said.

“I have worked with Dr. Marrero for over two years and it has been a pleasure having him as president of our university. While I am truly saddened by his departure, I know he will be an excellent president at Georgia Southern because he is an outstanding leader,” Denny said.

More interesting facts about Marrero

Marrero is currently the president of the University of West Georgia. During his time at UWG, he improved the university’s enrollment, GPA and graduation rates, according to his biography on the university’s website.

He was named one of the top 100 in Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians for three straight years.

Before serving as UWG’s president, Marrero served as vice president for university advancement at the University of West Florida. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in vocal performance from Bowling Green State University and a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Michigan.

He has served as an artistic ambassador for the United States embassies and 40 states as a singer and stage director. His wife Jane Redding Marrero is a nationally acclaimed opera singer.

The University System of Georgia will vote on whether or not Marrero will be selected as GS’ next president soon. The George-Anne will continue to provide updates as they become available.

Emma Smith, The George-Anne News Editor, ganewsed@georgiasouthern.edu

Brendan Ward, The George-Anne Coverage Managing Editor, gamed@georgiasouthern.edu