| Michael F. Adams | |
|---|---|
| President of the University of Georgia | |
| Term | 1997 – present |
| Predecessor | Charles Boynton Knapp |
| Born | March 25, 1948 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Lipscomb University Ohio State University |
Michael F. Adams (born March 25, 1948)[1] is the president of the University of Georgia in the U.S. state of Georgia.
Adams began his career in education as faculty at Ohio State University 1973-1975. He later served as vice president for university affairs at Pepperdine University 1982-1988. After his tenure at Pepperdine, Adams was president of Centre College in Danville, Kentucky for nine years, 1988-1997. During Adams' tenure at Centre, the endowment tripled to $120 million, faculty salaries nearly doubled, and Centre was usually first in the nation in percentage of alumni making donations to the school each year.
Since 1997 Adams has served as president of the University of Georgia. Under Adams' leadership, the university has increased total enrollment from 29,000 to nearly 35,000 and constructed or renovated a number of buildings and facilities, including an expansion of the Georgia Museum of Art, a new special collections library, newly relocated art school and science research facilities, and expansion of the university's Tate Student Center.
Adams has received more than 50 awards in higher education, including the Knight Foundation Award for Presidential Leadership, the Pioneer Award for Leadership in Civil Rights and the James T. Rogers Award from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. He received the Governor’s Award in the Humanities from the Georgia Endowment for the Humanities. He has also been elected to lead a number of national education organizations, including the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, the American Council on Education, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Executive Committee.
Prior to entering higher education, Adams held a number of political positions. He served as chief of staff for Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker 1975-1979 and as an aide to Governor Lamar Alexander of Tennessee 1980-1982. Adams was the Republican nominee for the United States House of Representatives in 1980 for Tennessee's Fifth District, but he lost the general election to Democrat Bill Boner 118,506 votes (65.4%) to 62,746 (34.6%)
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Adams holds a B.A., speech and history, David Lipscomb College, 1970; M.A., communication research methodologies, Ohio State University, 1971; Ph.D., political communication, Ohio State University, 1973). To support himself during the OSU years, he served as minister at the Indian Springs Church of Christ in Columbus.
On January 8, 2008 Adams made national news when, as chairman of the NCAA executive committee, he advocated establishing an eight team playoff for an NCAA football national championship. Adams, citing the influence of the television networks and commissioners of the various conferences and bowls, noted that some recent BCS matchups had been disappointing and stated that the current BCS system is "undercutting the sportsmanship and integrity of the game."
| Preceded by Richard L. Morrill |
President of Centre College 1988 – 1997 |
Succeeded by John A. Roush |
| Preceded by Charles Boynton Knapp[1] |
President of the University of Georgia 1997 – present |
Succeeded by incumbent |