Armstrong State gets new president to guide campus merger

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Armstrong State University in Savannah is getting a new president as it moves toward a merger with Georgia Southern University.

Steve Wrigley, chancellor of the state's university system, has named Jennifer Frum to serve as interim president at Armstrong State. Frum currently works as vice president for public service and outreach at the University of Georgia.

Frum will start her new job at Armstrong State on July 1. That's when the school's current president, Linda Bleicken, is scheduled to retire.

The Board of Regents agreed last month to merge Armstrong State with Georgia Southern in Statesboro. Both campuses will remain open under the Georgia Southern name, with a combined enrollment of roughly 27,000 students.

The merger is expected to be completed in the fall of 2018 at the earliest.