Nicholas S. Zeppos, J.D.

Nicholas S. Zeppos was named Vanderbilt University’s eighth chancellor on March 1, 2008.

A distinguished legal scholar, teacher and executive, Zeppos served from 2002 to 2008 as Vanderbilt’s chief academic officer, overseeing the university’s undergraduate, graduate and professional education programs as well as research efforts in liberal arts and sciences, engineering, music, education, business, law and divinity. As provost and vice chancellor, he chaired Vanderbilt’s budgeting and capital planning council and led all fundraising and alumni relations efforts across the institution, in addition to overseeing the dean of students and dean of admissions.

Zeppos has led a number of important initiatives at Vanderbilt, including the planning processes for The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons, a landmark transformation of the first-year experience, and College Halls at Kissam, the next phase of the university’s unique living-learning residential college system. Other key advancements include the Strategic Academic Planning Group; innovative efforts in undergraduate admissions and financial aid; and the development of new programs in Jewish studies, law and economics and genetics.

Chancellor Zeppos is a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and serves on a number of institutions’ Board of Directors: the Association of American Universities, the Foundation for Educational Exchange Between Canada and the United States of America (Fulbright Canada) Board of Directors, the Mary Parrish Center, and Conexión Américas. He also recently served as president of the Southeastern Conference, on the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board, and as co-chair of the Senate-appointed Task Force on Government Regulation of Higher Education.