Dr. Michael F. Adams was named the 21st president of the University of Georgia on June 11, 1997. He immediately focused on securing UGA’s future as one of America’s premier public research universities. Widely recognized as a leader in higher education administration, Dr. Adams recently completed a term as chair of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. He is the only person to have served as chair of both the American Council on Education and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in speech and history from David Lipscomb College. He earned a master’s in political communications and a doctorate in political communications, with a cognate emphasis in educational administration, from The Ohio State University and obtained his Ph.D. in 1973 from Ohio State University.