UAS Chancellor's Bio

Dr. Malcolm Portera is Chancellor of The University of Alabama System, which is Alabama’s largest higher education enterprise. Comprised of doctoral research universities in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville as well as the UAB Health System, the UA System budget (including affiliates) exceeds $4.5 billion, with student enrollment nearing 57,000, over 25,000 employees, and an annual economic impact surpassing $7.1 billion.

Dr. Portera earned two degrees from Mississippi State University, where he was president in the late 1990’s. He received his doctorate from The University of Alabama, where he held numerous senior-level positions. Dr. Portera is well known for his achievements in economic development, job creation, global initiatives and academic partnerships.

He has been instrumental in the creation of numerous research and instructional programs, including the Materials in Information Technology Program, which achieved National Science Foundation recognition as an engineering and materials research center. His technology network initiative was designated a Manufacturing Extension Program by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. His long history of involvement in industrial development has contributed to the location of $5 billion of capital investment in the Southeast. Closely involved in various new global initiatives involving the three UA System campuses, Dr. Portera was the chief international patron and keynote speaker for the September 2011 International Heart Protection Summit in New Delhi, India.

In 2011 Dr. Portera was appointed by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley to the Alabama Economic Development Alliance and to the Governor’s Tornado Recovery Action Council. In the aftermath of the 2010 BP oil spill, he served on the Baldwin County Oil Spill Recovery Plan, which led to creation of the Coastal Resiliency Coalition.

Former chair of the Council of Presidents of the Southeastern Universities Research Association, and Vice Chair of the Alabama Research Alliance, he serves on several corporate boards and economic development agencies. They include the Alabama Technology Network, the Southern Research Institute, PARCA, Alabama Power Company, Protective Life Corporation, and the Birmingham Business Alliance as well as the American Council on Education’s Commission on Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity.

He is a member of the Alabama Academy of Honor, comprised of 100 living Alabamians elected on the basis of service to the state. He is a recipient of the Governor’s Award for Distinguished Service to Alabama and served on the Governor’s Commission on Education Spending. A member of Japan’s Foundation for Advanced Information and Research and co-founder of the International Business Advisory Board, he is a recipient of the Japan America Society of Alabama’s Samuel Ullman Award.

Chancellor Portera and his wife Olivia are natives of West Point, Mississippi. They have two sons, Andy and John Paul, owners of a landscape architecture company with offices in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa; and four grandsons.

11/2011

401 Queen City Avenue
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401-1551
Phone: 205-348-5861
Fax: 205-348-9788

The Chancellor is appointed by the Board and serves as the chief executive officer of the System, exercising such executive powers as are necessary for the appropriate governance of the System. The Chancellor is the principal link between the Board’s responsibility for policy and each President’s responsibility for operations. The Chancellor reports directly to the Board regarding the current affairs of all components of the System and discusses with the Board basic issues, new directions, and policy recommendations. The Chancellor directs the planning, development, and appraisal of all activities of the System, and is responsible for their coordination and implementation. The Chancellor also provides linkage between the System and various components of state government, as well as other educational groups and organizations.