Photo courtesy of Pepperdine University
After 25 years, Michael F. Adams is returning to Pepperdine as the university’s new chancellor. He accepted current president Andrew K. Benton’s request to return, according to Adams.
Adams said, using his prior experience, he hopes to help Pepperdine along its path to becoming a better Christian university. Adams has years of experience in academic authority positions, the most notable of which include his roles as Pepperdine’s vice president in 1982 and as the University of Georgia’s president in 1997.
Part of his motivation for rejoining the Pepperdine community was because of the man who offered him the position, Adams said.
“I have great respect for Andy Benton and I thought it would be good to work for him,” Michael Adams said.
Benton said he asked Adams what he was going to do now that he was no longer the president of the University of Georgia. He then offered him the chancellor position, which Adams accepted this past June.
Adams said he was eager to return back to the campus where he was formerly vice president.
“My wife and I love this part of the country,” Adams said. “We like Malibu, we like Southern California.”
As the new chancellor, Adams said his goals are to build the university’s financial endowment and its reputation. He said his past experiences will assist in his efforts.
According to Adams, he began his career at the age of 27. He spent nearly six years raising political funds as chief of staff for late U.S. Sen. Howard Baker, and another two for current U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander. He would later expand his fundraising experience to academic fields when Pepperdine’s former president, William Banowsky, and president at the time, Howard White, recruited him in 1982, to be the university’s vice president.
“I really think the things I learned in the ‘80s helped me in my other pursuits,” Adams said.
Benton said Adams’ extensive experience will also help Pepperdine attract the support of high profile individuals. Adams said his experiences as vice president taught him how to build relationships with important people. According to Adams, he became friends with many of the people whose names would become prominent enough to be used as names for various buildings across campus.
After his initial departure from Pepperdine, Adams continued to offer his leadership services to institutions across America.
In 1989, he was given an offer to become the president of Center College in Kentucky. According to Adams, he received multiple offers to lead at other colleges, but ultimately took that one because he wanted to accomplish things at a higher level.
However, it was his tenure at the University of Georgia, starting in 1997, where Adams said he derived much of his experience. Adams spent 16 years as president, and two more as president emeritus. He said in that time he helped the university raise over $1 billion, added about 6,000 students and added 3 million square feet of space to the campus. He summarized the overall accomplishment as enhancing the academic reputation of the university.
“It was a very productive time,” Adams said.
In addition to fundraising and establishing connections, Adams said he will be establishing a connection with Pepperdine’s senior administrative team. According to Rick Marrs, Pepperdine’s provost, Michael Adams is a very personable individual.
“He’s lot of fun to talk to,” Marrs said. “You can talk to him about a lot of different things.”
Marrs knew Adams as a churchgoer 25 years ago and Adams said he has close ties with the Church of Christ now. According to Adams, his parents and sister were part of the Church. He said he often went to church two to three times a week.
“I would say the heroes in our family were teachers and preachers,” Adams said. “Those were the people we looked up to as [children].”
In addition to being a follower of the Church of Christ, Adams said he is a proud family man.
Adams’ two sons, David and Tyler, grew up on the Pepperdine campus while he was vice president. According to Adams, his sons were exposed to college life much earlier than most other children, which, he said, had a positive impact on them overall.
“They had access to plays and lectures and ballgames and an intellectual community their whole life,” Adams said. “Exposure to good, talented people.”
Though neither of his children attended Pepperdine during their college years, Adams said he is proud of what they accomplished. David attended Center College and went on to become a lawyer. He has a wife and three daughters. Tyler went to Emory University and is a financial consultant.
Adams’ wife Mary, however, did get her degree from Pepperdine. Both he and his wife described themselves as partners who play an equal part in raising the endowment and reputation.
“We are a twosome,” Mary Adams said. “We have an enduring love.”
According to Benton, Mary Adams is a great fundraiser who will contribute to her husband’s effectiveness as a chancellor. According to Adams, she too had a strong reputation in Georgia. She is a member of Georgia’s State Women of Achievement, the state’s 100 most influential women, he said.
Though he has been in the field of academics for quite some time, Adams said he has no intentions of slowing down. Adams estimates his time as chancellor to be about three to four years, at least. He said he hopes to help Pepperdine achieve greatness.
“I would like to see Pepperdine be the best Christian university in the country,” Adams said.
According to Benton, Adams is currently experiencing the position’s learning curve. Despite the similarities to his previous jobs, Benton said the fundraising is more complex, and the system of relationships is more mature.
“Many things are similar to how they were when he left,” Benton said, “but just as many things have changed.”
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