Adam Herbert

Adam Herbert is the former President of Indiana University and of the University of North Florida. He was Indiana's seventeenth president and the first African American. On February 28, 2007, Herbert announced that he would resign, because a successor, Michael A. McRobbie, had been found.

Vita

Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Adam Herbert earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1966 and a Master of Public Administration degree in 1968 from the University of Southern California. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in urban affairs and public administration from the University of Pittsburgh in 1971.

Herbert has held academic appointments in political science and public administration at the University of North Florida; Florida International University, where he was dean of the School of Public Affairs and Services and vice president for academic affairs; the University of Southern California; Howard University; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech); and the University of Pittsburgh. He is a member of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) and has served two terms as a member of its board of trustees. His research focuses on the politics of higher education and on the policy, political and administrative challenges of enhancing public education from pre-kindergarten through higher education, with particular emphasis on issues that impact low income and minority communities.

In 1974, he became one of 15 White House Fellows in the Ford Administration. He served as special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. Following the fellowship year he served as special assistant to the U.S. Undersecretary of Housing and Urban Development and subsequently as director of research for the Joint Center for Political Studies in Washington, DC.

Herbert has also served as president of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. He is a member of the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and previously served as chair of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division II Presidents Council. He was chair of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce in 1993. He has served as a Florida Commissioner on the Education Commission of States and is a member of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission.

Leadership in Florida

Dr. Herbert served as Regents Professor at the University of North Florida and founding executive director of the influential Florida Center for Public Policy and Leadership. He served as president of the university from 1989-1998. From 1998 to 2000, Herbert was the sixth chancellor of the State University System of Florida, the second-largest university system in America. Although Herbert's tenure in this position was highly received, outsiders argued that Florida's higher education is top heavy and does not value faculty governance. His later critics would argue this became apparent during his leadership of Indiana University.

In 1998, Governor-Elect Jeb Bush named Adam Herbert to lead his transition team. That same year John Lombardi, then the president of the University of Florida, infamously referred to Herbert as an "Oreo" who was black on the outside and white on the inside. Herbert was then criticized by some for failing to fight to save the Board of Regents when Gov. Jeb Bush and Republican lawmakers dismantled the board in 2000 after it refused to approve a medical school at Florida State University. [http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051204/NEWS/512040350/1036]

With no palatable job left after the university system was disassembled, he landed a $240,000 job at a newly created position at the University of North Florida. In 2002 Herbert served as co-chair of Governor Bush's Reading Priority Transition Team for Florida.

Leadership at Indiana University

Upon assuming leadership of Indiana University, one of Herbert's biggest initiatives focused on "mission differentiation" for IU's eight campuses, which includes making the flagship Bloomington campus choosier among freshman applicants. Under the proposal Indiana University Bloomington would educate the professionals, executives and researchers while the regional campuses would educate the state's remaining labor force. Advocates believe it will rejuvenate Indiana's economy while critics argue it betrays the university's mission of educating more of Indiana's populace. [http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050925/OPINION01/509250332/1031]

Herbert's initiative was further complicated by his failure to timely fill top administrative posts. After Chancellor Sharon Brehm resigned, Herbert left the position unfilled for over two years. When faculty members of a search committee submitted finalists to fill the spot he disregarded the recommendation and began the search anew. These problems prompted controversy among faculty members. [http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051110/NEWS01/511100450/0/NEWS06]

His ongoing obligation as director of two out-of-state companies has required some time away from IU responsibilities.

The mean SAT score for IU's 2005 incoming freshman class is 1147, an improvement over last year and 140 points above the state average. The university is also making progress in its quest to become one of the nation's top cancer centers. Plans are in place for a new cancer hospital in Indianapolis, and IU has managed to attract a number of world-class faculty members to join its already-impressive staff.

Herbert was one of the biggest proponent in hiring Kelvin Sampson as Indiana University's basketball coach. As a result, Herbert has received criticism for this hiring after Sampson was fired. Herbert still has not publicly defended his position.

On January 13, 2006, Herbert announced that he would retire at the end of his current contract in 2008. On February 28, 2007, IU announced that Interim Provost Michael McRobbie will succeed Herbert [http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070228/LOCAL/70228021] .