News Taffy

Dr. Thomas C. Meredith has served as the head of three university 

systems  and as a university president during his 36 years in higher education. He has been 

the Commissioner of Higher Education for Mississippi’s university system of eight 

universities. In January 2002 Meredith was appointed Chancellor for the University System 

of Georgia, responsible for the state’s 34 public colleges and universities. Prior to this 

appointment, Meredith serviced as Chancellor of the University of Alabama System, as well 

as President and professor of educator at Western Kentucky University. He also was Vice 

Chancellor at the University of Mississippi. Meredith began his career as a high school 

teacher and later as a high school principal. He holds a B.A. from Kentucky Wesleyan 

College, an M.S. from Western Kentucky University, an Ed.D. from the University of 

Mississippi, and he completed the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard 

University and the Higher Education Roundtable at Oxford University.  

Dr. Meredith holds two honorary doctorates and has been recognized by his alma maters for 

his achievements, including the naming of a building in his honor at Western Kentucky. He 

was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor and headed the Governor’s task force on 

developing and implementing a long term strategic plan for economic development in that 

state.  

Meredith was president of the National Association of System Heads (NASH). an 

organization comprised of the chief executive officers of the 52 public higher education 

systems in the United States. He was chair of the American Association of State Colleges and 

Universities (AASCU), the first head of a university system to serve in that capacity. 

Meredith has also served on the executive committee of the Southern Regional Education 

Board (SREB) and has served as the chair of the Council of Presidents in both Alabama and 

Kentucky.  

Dr. Meredith consults in the areas of presidential mentoring, development and performance 

appraisal (over 79 presidents have reported to him); presidential compensation; leadership 

training; board development and self evaluation; board relations; executive searches and 

multi-institutional system matters.