REMEMBERING
J. Mic hae l A d ams
“Through the opportunities he created for students and colleagues alike,
FDU Milestones Under the Presidency of J. Michael Adams
1999 J. Michael Adams is named the sixth president of FDU. Park Avenue Residence Hall on FDU's campus in Madison, N.J., is opened to students.
2000 The Board of Trustees approves a new mission statement dedicating FDU to preparing world citizens through global education. Silberman College of Business receives AACSB accreditation.
2001 FDU’s PublicMind™ begins political and social public-opinion polling. FDU introduces a unique distance-learning requirement, and freshmen take the online Core course The Global Challenge. New
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In addition to serving as FDU president, Adams earned an international reputation for his advocacy of global education and was the president of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP). Prior to his inauguration in 2011, he was chairperson of the organization’s North American Council and a member of the IAUP Executive Committee. Under his leadership, the organization embarked on bold new initiatives, including the WISE Education Leadership Program, which provides leadership training for newly appointed university presidents in the developing world, and the IAUP/Microsoft Academic Summit, which helps equip university leaders around the world to more effectively use technology to address institutional challenges. He dedicated his IAUP tenure to the goal of using higher education to build bridges to a more peaceful and prosperous future. “Although Michael’s tenure as IAUP president was far too brief, he leaves us with a compelling vision to follow,” said IAUP Secretary General Neal King.“Michael Adams understood that higher education has the potential to be a transformative force for good in the world — but only when its leaders are able to make their case effectively. He was an inspiration and a mentor to many of us, who will deeply miss his dynamic leadership.”
Adams also served as a Governing Council member of the United Nations University, a National Council member of the United Nations Association of the United States of America and a Steering Committee member of the World Bank’s Researchers Alliance for Development. The author of many articles and nine books, Adams most recently co-wrote Coming of Age in a Globalized World: The Next Generation, which explores the impact of globalization on education. Following news of the death of President Adams, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released the following statement:“The SecretaryGeneral has learned with sadness of the death of Dr. J. Michael Adams, president of the International Association of University Presidents and of Fairleigh Dickinson University. Dr. Adams was a strong United Nations champion and partner, and a personal friend. He brought his wisdom and energy, and that of the institutions he led, to serve the greater global cause, in particular, through his meaningful contribution to the United Nations Academic Impact. The eloquence of Michael Adams’ scholarship and writing had a democratic, intergenerational appeal, which brought the power and promise of the United Nations home to so many in a world whose globalization he saw as a resource of