G. Alexander Heard

George Alexander Heard (March 14, 1917 – July 24, 2009) was chancellor of Vanderbilt University from 1963 to 1982. He was also a political scientist and adviser to U.S. presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon.

Biography Early years and education George Alexander Heard was born on March 14, 1917, in Savannah, Georgia. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and master's degree and Ph.D. from Columbia University, all in political science. In later years, Heard received 27 honorary degrees, including degrees from Johns Hopkins University and Bard College. While a student at UNC, he became a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and Phi Beta Kappa society.

Academic career Heard was appointed as Chancellor of Vanderbilt University in 1963 during a time when many university administrators were confronting much internal strife and division in their respective institutions. He held quite frequent meetings with student leaders, even some of the university's most radical elements.

Heard increased the curricular options through the acquisition of the George Peabody College and the establishments of the Peabody College of Education and Human Development, the Blair School of Music and, the Owen Graduate School of Management. He also doubled enrollment, increased the annual budget, and recruited many new professors, distinguished for excellence both as teachers and as researchers.

On May 8, 1970, Heard was appointed Special Adviser on the Academic Community and the Young by President Nixon. Heard also served as chairman of the Ford Foundation when McGeorge Bundy was president. During his career at Vanderbilt, Heard was offered the presidency of other institutions including Columbia University, but consistently declined, returning to Vanderbilt.

Death and legacy Heard died July 24, 2009, in Nashville, Tennessee. Along with his wife Jean, Alexander Heard is the eponym of Vanderbilt's Jean and Alexander Heard Library, and the university, annually since 1982, has given a faculty member who has demonstrated exceptional understanding of contemporary society the Alexander Heard Distinguished Service Professor Award.