Jere W. Morehead, vice president for instruction and the Meigs Professor of Legal Studies at UGA, will serve as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
Morehead was chosen from among four finalists identified in a national search to fill the second-highest position in the university’s administration. He will succeed Arnett C. Mace Jr., who will retire on Jan. 1 after 18 years of service to UGA, with seven of those years as provost.
“After reviewing all of their résumés and considering carefully these matters for 10 days or so, I became convinced that the person most capable of leading the academic mission of the University of Georgia for the next several years was already here in our vice president for instruction, Jere Morehead,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams.
“There were three final tipping points in what was a difficult decision, given the qualifications of all the candidates,” he added. “First is Jere’s unquestioned integrity that exhibits itself in the sense of concern and compassion for everyone with whom he deals. Second are the lengthy discussions the senior administration has had about the need to focus in the next five years on research and graduate and professional education, discussions in which Jere has participated and where he is prepared to take a leadership role. And finally, there is simply no way that anyone was going to have a deeper commitment to or knowledge of the University of Georgia.”
Adams thanked the 20-member search committee, led by University Librarian and Associate Provost William Gray Potter, as well as the faculty, staff and students who submitted feedback and attended University Council forums and public sessions for the finalists.
Morehead has served UGA in several leadership positions since joining the faculty in 1986. He was named vice president for instruction in 2007 after serving on an interim basis in 2006. He was named Meigs Professor of Legal Studies in the Terry College of Business in 2004.
He served as vice provost for academic affairs from 2004 to 2006 and as associate provost and director of the Honors Program from 1999 to 2004.
Before serving in those positions, he was acting executive director for the Office of Legal Affairs from 1998 to 1999. Before joining the UGA faculty, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney with the Department of Justice for six years.
“I appreciate the opportunity to serve the university as its next provost,” Morehead said. “In everything I do in this position, I will attempt to maximize our academic resources to benefit this university, the state and those we serve around the world. We will continue to pursue a vision for academic excellence centered on recruiting and retaining great faculty and bringing the best and brightest graduate, professional and undergraduate students to the University of Georgia. Doing so is key to achieving the highest levels of excellence in instruction, research and public service.”
Since 2003, Morehead also has served as the faculty athletics representative and secretary of the Athletic Association. He co-chaired the university’s Task Force on General Education and Student Learning in 2004-2005 and the President’s Task Force on the Quality of the Undergraduate Experience in 1996-1997. He currently serves on the University System of Georgia General Education Committee.
As a Meigs Professor of Legal Studies, he has published books and scholarly articles on legal topics ranging from export controls to jury selection.
He has served as editor-in-chief of the American Business Law Journal and held every other major position on the editorial board of that journal. He is co-author of the 15th edition of the McGraw-Hill textbook, The Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business.
Morehead has been honored with several teaching awards, including the Josiah Meigs Teaching Award, the Richard B. Russell Undergraduate Teaching Award, the Teacher of the Year Award in the Terry College of Business and the Tresp Outstanding Honors Professor Award.
Morehead will work closely with Mace through Jan. 1 to ensure a seamless transition. Mace will continue his leadership role in the Medical College of Georgia/University of Georgia Medical Partnership under the title special assistant to the president.
As the chief academic officer of UGA, the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost oversees instruction, research, public service and outreach, and student affairs. The vice presidents of these four areas report to the provost, as do the deans of UGA’s 16 schools and colleges.
Seven associate provosts of academic fiscal affairs, information technology, institutional diversity, institutional effectiveness and extended campuses, international affairs, the libraries, and economic development also report to the provost.
Additional units that report to the provost include the Office of Faculty Affairs, the Faculty of Engineering, the Georgia Museum of Art, The Georgia Review, the Office of Performing Arts and the University Press.
