R. Gerald Turner

Robert Gerald Turner (born November 25, 1945) is an American academic administrator. He served as the tenth president of Southern Methodist University (SMU), holding office from 1995 to 2025. Previously, he was the Chancellor of the University of Mississippi.

At SMU, Turner was lauded as a "transformational" figure who helped rehabilitate the university's national reputation following the infamous 1980s football scandal and NCAA death penalty. His 30-year tenure as president, the longest in SMU history, was notable for massive campus expansion, growth in the endowment, the university's joining of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and attempts to legally separate the university from the United Methodist Church. During his career, Turner was one of the most highly-compensated university presidents in the United States.

Despite his successes, Turner drew criticism for failing to translate his fundraising prowess into significant improvements in the national rankings of SMU and its constituent colleges. He also courted controversy for his heavy-handed approach to certain issues, such as bringing George W. Bush Presidential Center to SMU and the university's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before coming to SMU, Turner served as Chancellor of the University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss") from 1984 to 1995. Under his leadership, Ole Miss increased its endowment from $80 million to $640 million. Provided by Wikipedia