About the Adams Chair of Excellence

Overview

As community physician, Dr. Carl Adams' concern for the quality and quantity of health care professionals to address the issues of a sufficient and well educated health care work force led him to establish the Adams Chair of Excellence in Health Care Services. The Adams Chair was established in November 1988 with funds donated by the late Dr. Carl Adams and his wife, Jennie Mae Adams, and matched by MTSU and the Tennessee Chairs of Excellence program. The Chair provides a platform for MTSU to engage an interdisciplinary group of scholars, in partnership with the community, to forge solutions to current health care concerns. The Center for Health and Human Services is the operational center for the Chair. It was approved in 1993 by the Tennessee Board of Regents.

The Adams family of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has been a strong supporter of MTSU for many decades. The late Dr. Carl E. Adams, a physician and lifelong resident of Tennessee, had a vision to provide higher quality healthcare services for seniors. He was the founding President and CEO of National HealthCare Corporation (NHC). Dr. Adams began his work in elder care by adding skilled nursing services, registered nurses, and rehabilitative services for NHC healthcare centers. Together with his wife, Jennie Mae, he was also devoted to improving the quality of life for all citizens in the regional community.

The Chair is available to serve on all health and human service faculty advisory councils and to assist various departments in establishing common goals that would benefit all programs in these service areas.

Mission

The primary mission of The Adams Chair of Excellence is:

  • To strengthen the working relationships between MTSU's programs in health and human services and the regional health care community
  • To enhance and continuously improve the image of MTSU at the regional, national and international level
  • To enhance the academic, research and service programs by involving faculty members in health and human service programs to ensure the continuous improvement of their skills and the relevancy and immediacy of the materials they impart to students
  • To make Middle Tennessee State University an institution of choice for those wishing to pursue careers in health and human services