Michael F. Adams | |
|---|---|
 Adams at the Peabody Awards in 2013 | |
| 21st President of the University of Georgia | |
| In office September 1, 1997 – June 30, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Boynton Knapp |
| Succeeded by | Jere Morehead |
| 19th President of Centre College | |
| In office December 1988 – June 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Richard L. Morrill |
| Succeeded by | John A. Roush |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 25, 1948 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Mary Lynn Ethridge (m. 1969) |
| Education | David Lipscomb College (BA) Ohio State University (MA, PhD) |
Michael Fred Adams (born March 25, 1948) is an American former political staffer, educator, and academic administrator.
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Adams began his career as a staffer for Senate minority leader Howard Baker, including three years as Baker's chief of staff. After an unsuccessful run for the House of Representatives in 1980, he worked as a senior advisor to Governor of Tennessee Lamar Alexander. His first foray into academia was as a professor and the vice president for university affairs at Pepperdine University, where he remained until 1988. That year, he took the presidency of Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, which he held until 1997. At Centre, he added several degree programs, completed a $60 million fundraiser, renovated and improved many buildings on campus, and tripled the school's endowment. He applied for the presidency of the University of Georgia (UGA) on the last day to apply and was ultimately selected for the job. He was announced as UGA's twenty-first president in June 1997 and took office that September.
Adams' presidency at UGA was not without controversy. Shortly into his term, he reduced the number of senior vice presidents from seven to three and his own expenses prompted an audit. His disagreement with athletic director Vince Dooley and Adams' subsequent refusal to extend Dooley's contract was unpopular among many. A poll among faculty from the largest of the university's colleges also showed that a majority of that college's faculty lacked confidence in his administration. His presidency saw significant growth for the university, however; enrollment grew to 35,000 students and the endowment nearly tripled. Five new colleges were created, and UGA athletics won nineteen national championships and saw their revenue nearly quadruple. He resigned as UGA president in May 2012 and left office in July 2013. He was later named chancellor at Pepperdine, a position he held from August 2015 to July 2018.