Nicholas S. Zeppos

Nicholas S. Zeppos
Nick Zeppos in 2008
8th Chancellor of Vanderbilt University
Incumbent
Assumed office August 1, 2007
Preceded by	Gordon Gee
Personal details
Born	1954 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Lydia Howarth
Children	Benjamin and Nicholas
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin–Madison

Nicholas S. Zeppos (born 1954) is an American lawyer and university administrator. He serves as the eighth Chancellor of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He is one of the highest-paid university presidents in the United States.

Nicholas Zeppos was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1954. He received both his B.A. in history in 1976 and his J.D. in 1979 from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1978-9, he served as the editor-in-chief of the Wisconsin Law Review.

Zeppos started his career as a practicing attorney in Washington, D.C..

Zeppos joined the faculty of the Vanderbilt Law School in 1987. During his tenure at Vanderbilt, he has held a number of posts, including professor of law, associate dean of the law school, associate provost for academic affairs, vice chancellor for institutional planning and advancement, and, in 2001, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. In this last role, he oversaw academics, development, alumni relations, and residential and student life. After Gordon Gee's departure in 2007, he was named interim chancellor. He was named chancellor suo jure on March 1, 2008, by the university's Board of Trust.

He has also written widely on legislation, administrative law, and professional responsibility. He has served as the chair of the Scholars Committee on the Federal Judiciary and as chair of the Rules Advisory Committee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.