About
Nicholas S. Zeppos is Chancellor Emeritus and University Distinguished Professor of Law and Political Science at Vanderbilt University. He served as Vanderbilt University’s eighth chancellor from 2008-19. He joined the Vanderbilt law faculty in 1987 and prior to his service as Chancellor served as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The university recognized Zeppos’ leadership and legacy by naming one of its newest residential colleges, the Nicholas S. Zeppos College, in his honor. He rejoined the faculty in 2020.
An esteemed legal scholar, teacher, and university leader, Zeppos teaches Civil Procedure and seminars on American politics and history. He currently serves as a member of the board to Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital and was recently elected as a Corporation Member of Mass General Brigham Incorporated. He is on the Board of Advisors for the Center for Effective Lawmaking and a Faculty Affiliate for the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions.
Under Zeppos’ leadership, Vanderbilt University has become one of America’s foremost research institutions. With a strong commitment to access, community, and inclusion, in 2008 Zeppos led the launch of Opportunity Vanderbilt, the university’s pioneering financial aid program, which replaced all undergraduate student loans with scholarships. Zeppos was also instrumental in planning and executing Vanderbilt’s residential college system, and its pioneering Martha R. Ingram Freshmen Commons.
Zeppos also placed a constant focus on ensuring Vanderbilt is a welcoming and inclusive environment. He created the role of vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer and has been an outspoken advocate for the university’s imperative to foster opportunities, respect, and safety for all. In 2016 he ended a decades-long controversy by removing the name “Confederate Memorial Hall” from one of the university’s residence halls. He also led efforts to honor and tell the stories of university trailblazers, including Perry Wallace, who broke the color barrier in SEC basketball.
Mental health and care and treatment for those with mental illness was a top priority during Zeppos’ time. He helped lead a university-wide campaign to foster a culture of openness, honest reflection, and brave dialogue about mental health. Zeppos’ “GO THERE” campaign to address mental wellness and early diagnosis and care for mental illness remains a pathbreaking initiative. Substantial investments in basic and translational science to spark and develop new treatments for those who suffer from mental illness were part of the “bench to bedside” strategy Zeppos developed and implemented in this area long neglected stigmatized on and off university campuses.
In 2016 Zeppos led the complex transition of the university and Vanderbilt University Medical Center into two separate legal and financial entities, a prescient restructuring that positioned both institutions for long-term success. In Zeppos’ time, the endowment increased from a low of $2.9 billion after the financial crisis of 2008, to $6.4 billion. Almost half of the money in the endowment was added during Zeppos’ eleven-year tenure.
Throughout his career, Zeppos has been an effective advocate for universities and the essential value and impact of academic research at the state and federal level and a vigorous and successful defender of critical funding for research and education. In 2015 he co-chaired the bipartisan U.S. Senate Task Force on Government Regulation of Higher Education and conducted the foremost national study on the high cost of regulatory burdens on America’s research universities. He served as the chair of the Association of American Universities Board of Directors and served as a board member for the Consortium on Financing Higher Education, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, and as president of the Southeastern Conference.
Strong support for free speech and civil dialogue with a diversity of opinions and perspectives also marked Zeppos’ tenure and his overall vision for campus culture. To promote inquiry and dialogue, he has hosted a range of globally renowned speakers from all sides of the political spectrum and a variety of disciplines, including President George W. Bush, President Joe Biden, former Georgia House minority leader Stacey Abrams, authors Charles Krauthammer and Peggy Noonan, former U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, actor David Diggs, and leading cancer researcher and author Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, among many others.
He has been recognized with multiple awards, including INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine’s Giving Back Award in 2016, the Tennessee Tribune’s “Person of the Year” in 2016, and the Jack C. Massey Leadership Award from Mental Health America of Middle Tennessee in 2011.
Prior to serving as Chancellor and Provost, Zeppos had won numerous teaching awards. Upon his return to the faculty in 2020 he won his sixth law school teaching award.