In Behind the Hedges, the late Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Rich Whitt shines much-needed light into the dark corners of a controversy that was too easily misunderstood from a distance. Imperial presidencies are never attractive and rarely successful over the long haul. Preoccupation with power, perks, and petty politics weakens the glue of trust necessary to bind highly educated, independent-minded scholars together with others in the common cause of excellence. And, if a university is lucky enough to have a Vince Dooley or a Mike Krzyzewski running athletics, there need be no trade-off between academic and athletic excellence. There is enough glory in Old Georgia for all.

—Rich Whitt, BBA and PhD, University of Georgia; former president, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; former chancellor, Texas A&M University System

Have you ever actually read a forensic report? If not (or even if you have), buy a copy of Behind the Hedges: Big Money and Power Politics at the University of Georgia by Rich Whitt and enjoy. [A] riveting work of non-fiction. Whitt provides an insider’s view of events. Whitt’s access to key individuals and painstaking documentation of his sources remove the gossip and hearsay from the scandals that rocked UGA at the beginning of the decade. Read the book for the details and the political analysis. Then, answer for yourself, 'What happened at UGA?'

—Business in Savannah

The late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Rich Whitt takes readers into the behind-the-scenes power struggle at the [Georgia’s] flagship university ... Readers will pore through pages upon pages of documents, many obtained through Open Records requests, as Whitt makes a case for a culture of shady dealings emanating from Athens ... UGA graduates will find some of the revelations disheartening and surprising.

—Dalton Magazine

This authoritative tale of colorful characters thrashing about in a tangled web of compromised moral principles should be required reading for everyone in higher education. Behind the Hedges is a clear demonstration that within our universities, the highest ethical precepts should be the foundation of both good politics and effective leadership.

—Sheldon Hackney, historian; former provost, Princeton University; former president, the University of Pennsylvania and Tulane University; former chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities

Behind the Hedges is a riveting tale of self-interested bureaucrats, politicians, and power-brokers and how they will do most anything to preserve their power and influence.

—Karl Jones