Thomas Warren Ross Sr. is an American public official who served as the president of the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

system from 2011 to 2016. He succeeded

Erskine Bowles Erskine Boyce Bowles (born August 8, 1945) is an American businessman and political figure from North Carolina. He served from 2005 to 2010 as the president of the University of North Carolina system. In 1997–98 he served as White House Chi ...

on January 1, 2011. Formerly, he was president of

Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan� ...

, a private

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

from August 1, 2007, to January 1, 2011, and received membership in

Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is one of the most prestigious honor societies in the United States with chapters at more than 300 college campuses. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington and Lee University in ...

while there in 2008.

Career

Ross, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, graduated from Davidson in 1972, as did his father in 1937 and his children in 1999 and 2001. In 1975, he graduated with honors from the

University of North Carolina School of Law The University of North Carolina School of Law is the law school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, Carolina Law is among the oldest law schools in the United States and is the oldest law school in North Carol ...

. Ross became an attorney, chief of staff to Congressman

Robin Britt Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...

, a state

superior court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

judge for 17 years, director of the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, and executive director of the

Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation was formed by Mary Reynolds Babcock and her siblings to honor their brother, Zachary Smith Reynolds, who died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 20 at the Reynolds family home, Reynolda House. The Foun ...

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

(2001–2007). He is a former chairman of the

UNC Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...

Board of Trustees. Ross is the recipient of the William Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Governing Magazine's National Public Official of the Year award (one of ten, 1994), and the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Ross is known for his controversial sentence of a non-violent offender to 160 years in prison. In 1989, he sentenced Derek Twyman (a Canadian citizen living in North Carolina) to 160 years in prison for non-violent property crimes. In 2016, 27 years later, he was surprised to hear that Twyman was still in prison. The following year, Ross helped obtain parole for Twyman who was able to return to Canada that summer. On August 26, 2010, Ross was elected president of the

system. On June 6, 2015, Ross delivered the commencement address at the

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) is a two-year, public residential high school located in Durham, North Carolina, that focuses on the intensive study of science, mathematics and technology. It accepts rising juniors ...

, a UNC member institution. Ross was fired as president by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors; he publicly stated that his departure was not voluntary. His last day at the University of North Carolina was January 3, 2016. In an article on the Washington Post on May 18, 2016, as of July 1, 2016, Ross will become the president of the Volcker Alliance, a nonpartisan organization aimed at rebuilding public trust in government that was founded by Paul Volcker. Ross was named the first Terry Sanford Distinguished Fellow at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy in 2016.

References

External links

Winston-Salem Journal article: Davidson College alum returns as its new presidentDavidson press releaseOfficial BiographyDistinguished Alumnus Award citation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Thomas W. 1950 births Davidson College alumni Living people North Carolina lawyers North Carolina state court judges Presidents of the University of North Carolina System University of North Carolina School of Law alumni Presidents of Davidson College Grimsley High School alumni