Staff
Jerry C. Davis, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor, Center for 1776
Freedom is a fragile thing and it's never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people.
- Ronald Reagan
Jerry C. Davis, Ph.D. is from Hartwell, Georgia, and serves as a Senior Advisor for AFPI’s Center for 1776. He also serves as President of the College of the Ozarks. His tenure in the college presidency is among the longest in the United States. After graduating from the Mount Berry School for Boys in Mount Berry, Georgia, Davis attended Truett-McConnell University, received a bachelor’s degree from Mars Hill University, an master’s degree from the University of Tennessee, and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. He is the recipient of the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship, as well as the Missourian Award, one of the state’s highest honors. Davis previously served as the President of the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities. The author of a dozen books, he has led the College of the Ozarks in emphasizing its goal of patriotic education. Additionally, Davis was a presidential appointee to the 1776 Commission. He and the College of the Ozarks have received many recognitions, such as the Above and Beyond Award for support of the Guard and Reserve and the Secretary of Defense Freedom Award. Davis is a recipient of the Lee Greenwood Patriot Award, presented by Helping a Hero. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education awarded Davis with the E. Burr Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant and lasting impact on the field of institutional advancement.