Preceded by Gordon Gee Spouse(s) Lydia Howarth | Children Benjamin and Nicholas Name Nicholas Zeppos | |
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Alma mater University of Wisconsin–Madison (B.A., J.D.) Education University of Wisconsin-Madison Similar People Martha R Ingram, Orrin H Ingram II, John R Ingram, Cornelius Vanderbilt, David B Ingram | ||
Vanderbilt celebrates selection of nicholas s zeppos as cha
Nicholas S. Zeppos (born 1954) is an American lawyer and university administrator. He serves as the eighth Chancellor of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He is one of the highest-paid university presidents in the United States.
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Early life
Nicholas Zeppos was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1954. He received both his B.A. in history in 1976 and his J.D. in 1979 from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1978-9, he served as the editor-in-chief of the Wisconsin Law Review.
Career
Zeppos started his career as a practicing attorney in Washington, D.C..
Zeppos joined the faculty of the Vanderbilt Law School in 1987. During his tenure at Vanderbilt, he has held a number of posts, including professor of law, associate dean of the law school, associate provost for academic affairs, vice chancellor for institutional planning and advancement, and, in 2001, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. In this last role, he oversaw academics, development, alumni relations, and residential and student life. After Gordon Gee's departure in 2007, he was named interim chancellor. He was named chancellor suo jure on March 1, 2008, by the university's Board of Trust.
He has also written widely on legislation, administrative law, and professional responsibility. He has served as the chair of the Scholars Committee on the Federal Judiciary and as chair of the Rules Advisory Committee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Zeppos serves on the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board, a program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Fulbright Canada.
Zeppos was the fifth-highest-paid university president in the United States in 2012, with an estimated salary of US$2.2 million according to Forbes.
Personal life
Zeppos is married to Lydia Howarth, a writer, and has two sons. In 2008, he earned $2.4 million.