Biography

Dr. Linda M. Bleicken
President of Armstrong Atlantic State University


Dr. Linda M. Bleicken joins Armstrong Atlantic State University after serving at Georgia Southern University for 19 years. She becomes the seventh AASU president and the first woman to lead the institution since the establishment of Armstrong Junior College in 1935.

A woman with deep roots in Iowa farm country, Bleicken began her career at Georgia Southern as an assistant professor of management in 1990. Over the following years she would serve as acting chair of the department of management, associate dean of the College of Business Administration, vice president for student affairs, acting provost and vice president for academic affairs and lastly provost, a position she held since 2005.

A marketing major from Georgia State University who graduated magna cum laude,
Bleicken’s experiences in the business arena include a foray into real estate in Atlanta as owner and manager of residential properties and serving as a sales representative for Innerface International. She also spent two years in marketing research for BellSouth and Brittain Associates, both in Atlanta.

It was her experiences in marketing research that led her back to higher education. In 1987, she chose to continue her education in a university campus, this time as a teaching instructor at her alma mater, Georgia State University. Three years later she earned her academic credentials, a master’s and Ph.D. in management, once again from Georgia State.

A long-time resident of Savannah—she commuted to Georgia Southern all those years—Bleicken knows and cares deeply about Savannah and the Coastal Georgia region. She has served on the Ossabaw Island Foundation Board since 2007 and been involved with the Savannah Downtown Neighborhood Association.

As the new leader of AASU, Bleicken has strong ideas that will guide the future of the university. At the top of her agenda are to continue AASU’s tradition of anticipating and meeting the region’s workforce needs and elevating the level of student success. Over the coming years, she sees AASU enhancing partnerships with area businesses, education, and healthcare providers to build great opportunities for the citizens of the region.