Dr. J. Michael Adams

Widely known for his commitment to international education and fostering cross-cultural understandings, Dr. J. Michael Adams joined Fairleigh Dickinson University as president in 1999 and inspired a new mission dedicated to preparing world citizens through global education.

In his decade of leadership , Fairleigh Dickinson developed the first Internet-based university requirement in the world with a groundbreaking distance-learning program; established a new category of Global Virtual Faculty scholars and professionals from around the world who contribute to the online-learning environment created the United Nations Pathways programs, which brings members of the diplomatic corps to campus for interaction with students; launched The PublicMind, a survey research center; gained nongovernmental organization (NGO) status at the United Nations; became the first comprehensive university to gain special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); established scholars programs that provide students global living and learning experiences; increased the number of dual-degree programs offered with institutions overseas; and earned accreditation for the business school from AACSB International -- the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Active in national and international education organizations, Adams i presidents-elect of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP), chair of its North American Council and is an IAUP representative to the United Nations. He also is a National Council member of the United Nations Association of the United States of America, a steering committee member of the World Bank's Researchers Alliance for Development, and serves on the editorial board of International Education, the flagship publication of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. His most recent book, Coming of Age in a Globalized World: The Next Generation, explores the impact of globalization, the need for global education and the case for world citizenship.