Michael F. Adams
President, University of Georgia
Dr. Michael F. Adams was named the 21st president of the University of Georgia on June 11, 1997. He also holds an academic appointment as professor of speech communication.
Dr. Adams is widely recognized as a national leader in the advancement of higher education. He is the only person to serve as chairman of both the American Council on Education and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. He has been chair of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and chaired the Rhodes Scholarship committee for Georgia for five years.
Under his leadership, the University of Georgia has risen into the upper echelon of American public universities and has now been in the U.S. News & World Report top 20 for four consecutive years. External funding for UGA research now exceeds $230 million annually and private giving is at an all-time high.
Dr. Adams holds an undergraduate degree in speech and history from David Lipscomb University and a master’s and Ph.D. in political communications from the Ohio State University. He served as chief of staff to U. S. Senator Howard Baker and as a senior advisor to Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander. He was vice president for university affairs at Pepperdine University and president of Centre College in Kentucky before coming to the University of Georgia.
