Tiger of the Week: M. David Rudd ’83, the Next President of the University of Memphis

Last month in Paris, the annual Princeton-Fung Global Forum focused on the future of higher education around the world. If this year is any indication, it looks like Princeton alumni will have a growing role in shaping that future from positions of leadership: Since Christopher Eisgruber ’83 was installed as the University’s 20th president last fall, at least four other alumni have been selected to lead colleges and universities.

The latest is a classmate of Eisgruber, M. David Rudd ’83, who will move to the president’s office at the University of Memphis, the institution where he has served as provost since March 2013.

The Tennessee Board of Regents approved Rudd’s appointment May 1. In a statement published by the University of Memphis, Rudd said he looked forward to “supporting and serving our students, continuing our excellence in the classroom, expanding vibrant and impactful research, and strengthening our ties to the city of Memphis.” The 102-year-old research university has more than 21,000 students, including about 17,000 undergraduates. Its mascot? The Tiger, of course.

Rudd, a former psychology professor, spent much of his career in his home state of Texas, where he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and held faculty positions at the Texas A&M College of Medicine, Baylor University, and Texas Tech. He served as dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science at the University of Utah from 2009 to 2013, before departing for Memphis.