R. Gerald Turner
President, Southern Methodist University
Dr. Gerald Turner was named co-chairman of the Knight Commission in May 2006. Dr. Turner served on the NCAA Presidents’ Commission from 1989-1992 and was its chairman in 1991. He is the founding chair of the NCAA Certification Committee and served on the NCAA Board of Directors from 2002-2003.
Dr. Turner also serves as chairman of the subcommittee on presidential leadership of internal and external constituencies for the NCAA’s Presidential Task Force on the Future of Division I Athletics. The subcommittee is charged with examining the relationship between college presidents and their trustees concerning athletics issues.
Since becoming president of Southern Methodist University in 1995, Dr. Turner has developed a long-term strategic plan, campus master plan, and the largest major gifts campaign in the history of SMU. Ending in May 2002, The Campaign for SMU: A Time to Lead exceeded its $400 million goal, generating more than $542 million in gifts and pledges. The five-year campaign has raised funds for academic endowments, new scholarships, endowed faculty chairs and professorships, student life initiatives, and full or partial funding for 14 new or renovated facilities, and a new campus, SMU-in-Legacy in Plano, Texas.
Beyond the campus, Gerald Turner serves on the boards of the United Way of Dallas, the Methodist Hospital Foundation, the Salvation Army of Dallas, and three publicly traded companies: JC Penney, American Beacon Funds, and Kronos, Inc.
A native of Texas, Gerald Turner earned an A.A. degree from Lubbock Christian College, a B.S. degree in psychology from Abilene Christian University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He served in various administrative capacities at Pepperdine University from 1975-1979, and the University of Oklahoma from 1979-1984, and as the Chancellor of the University of Mississippi from 1984-1995.
Photo
Download high resolution photo here
