Former UGA President Michael Adams dies at 77

Former University of Georgia President Michael F. Adams died on Sunday at the age of 77 after a brief illness.

He led the state’s flagship public university for 16 years, significantly growing its enrollment, its faculty, and helping it consistently rank among the 20 best public universities in the country.

His successor, current UGA President Jere W. Morehead, credited Adams for increasing the school’s academic profile in a statement Sunday.

“When Dr. Adams became president, he outlined an ambitious vision for the future of our great institution, and during his 16-year tenure, he implemented that vision and elevated the national reputation of UGA in so many positive ways,” Morehead said. “I will always be grateful for his service to the University of Georgia and his unwavering commitment to advancing our mission.”

His impact remains visible on campus, as more than $1 billion was spent on construction and renovation during his tenure, including the creation of the East Campus Village and the Zell B. Miller Learning Center. He also helped open multiple new schools and programs at UGA, such as the College of Engineering in 2012.

Several years into his presidency, Adams butted heads with UGA’s legendary football coach and athletic director Vince Dooley. Dooley requested a two-year extension as the school’s athletic director in 2003, but was denied by Adams. Adams ultimately granted Dooley a six-month extension. The Dooley dispute clouded much of his tenure; critics questioned Adams’ leadership style and spending decisions.

When Adams took over the presidency in 1997, UGA’s enrollment was just shy of 30,000 students. By 2012, it had grown to 35,000. The school also added more than 100 endowed professorships and tripled its federal research expenditures. UGA’s endowment also tripled during his time leading the school. Adams’ last day as president was June 30, 2013.

Emory University interim President Leah Ward Sears, the former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, said she got to know Adams during his tenure as UGA’s president. She described him as a “quintessential scholar and gentleman.”

“But perhaps his greatest legacy is that of an institution builder. He was a visionary who didn’t just manage for the present; he thought in decades, not years,” she said in a LinkedIn post.

His former chief of staff, Meg Amstutz, said Adams was a believer in the “transformational power of higher education” and created programs to help students. “He clearly understood that the future health of the state was tied to the strength of its flagship university, and he worked tirelessly to strengthen academic offerings for students so that they might then become proud alumni and leaders in their communities,” said Amstutz, dean of the Morehead Honors College.

In his final State of the University address, Adams said his success was about more than the numbers. “It is about people, about opportunity, about the power of education to improve both an individual’s life and the community in which he or she lives. It’s about transformation,” he said.