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Edward Lynn Ayers is an American historian, professor, administrator, and ninth president of the University of Richmond. In July 2013, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama at a White House ceremony.
Ayers is the author of four and editor of seven books on the history of nineteenth-century America. His book, In the Presence of Mine Enemies, Civil War in the Heart of America, won the Bancroft Prize for distinguished writing in American history and the Beveridge Prize for the best book in English on the history of the Americas since 1492. The Promise of the New South: Life After Reconstruction was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
Ayers received a Bachelor of Arts degree in American studies from the University of Tennessee in 1974. He then earned both a Master of Arts and a doctorate in American studies from Yale University. During his presidency he developed of The Richmond Promise, a five-year strategic plan to guide University priorities. In addition to teaching a first-year seminar, Ayers serves as a senior research fellow with the University’s Digital Scholarship Lab, which creates digital tools to reveal the patterns of American history.
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