J. Michael Adams

(Deceased.) President of Farleigh Dickinson University

Dr. J. Michael Adams became Fairleigh Dickinson University’s sixth president on July 1, 1999, following 15 years as an academic dean at Drexel University in Philadelphia. He served as FDU president until his death in 2012.

Adams was the author of nine books and his publications and research cover a wide variety of topics including print, publishing, communication and career development, as well as topics specific to the field of higher education.

Prior to assuming the FDU presidency, Dr. Adams worked with many corporations providing expertise in management.

A former professor at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego, he was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence and was named to the Soderstrom Society of Fellows for lifetime achievement and contributions to the printing and publishing industries.

In 2006, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Kyungnam University, Korea, in recognition of his international leadership in higher education.

Dr. Adams was active on national and international education panels and commissions, including the United Nations/International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) Commission on Disarmament Education, Conflict Resolution and Peace.

He served on the Commission on Effective Leadership of the American Council on Education and was a National Council member of the United Nations Association of the United States of America.

Dr. Adams also served on the Executive Committee of the IAUP, was chair of its North American Council — and was an IAUP representative to the United Nations. And in 2007, he was named to the Steering Committee of the World Bank’s Researchers Alliance for Development.

He held a B.S. from Illinois State University in Normal, an M.S. from University of Illinois in Urbana — and a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.