Considering the Past: Topics in M.C. History

John Weems was formally inaugurated as Meredith College's sixth president on September 22, 1972 - although he had been active on campus since the first days of January. In a newspaper profile during his first year, he was clear about his new responsibilities at a women's liberal arts college - to support "a tough program that will produce a many-faceted individual." 

Weems became president during a period of cultural shifts - and in a Twig interview shortly after arriving on campus, he was prepared for to be open-minded, calling for the school to have a "climate of change," - not simply for the sake of change, but because "there are a lot of things we can do better... because they're the kind of things you naturally do."

And this proved to be the case under Weems' administration. During his 27 years, enrollment and full-time faculty nearly doubled, while the number of faculty doctorates did double from 40 to 82%. The college remained debt-free while building 12 new facilities. In addition, the school was able to greatly increase both the endowment and financial assistance. 

In November 1997, the N.C. Baptist Convention and Meredith College adopted new relational guidelines, with the Convention essentially ceding control and acknowledging that Meredith would now select its own members of the Board of Trustees. With this self-government came the loss of the conventions' budget allocation, approximately 4% of the school's budget. 

Dr. Weems came to Meredith from Middle Tennessee State University, where he most recently had served as vice-president for finance and administration. He earned his B.S., M.A. and D.Ed degrees from George Peabody College in Nashville, TN (now part of Vanderbilt University.)

Dr. Weems retired from Meredith College in 1999. In making the announcement, Board of Trustees president, Norman Kellum, said of Dr. Weems, "(he) has led Meredith to a position of great strength and prominence."