Dr. Tony G. Waldrop, who helped raise academic standards, elevate research and usher in a new era at USA Health as the third president of the University of South Alabama, died on Saturday in Chapel Hill after a long illness.
After leaving South in 2021, Waldrop, 70, returned to his native North Carolina with his wife, Julee, who became assistant dean of the Duke University School of Nursing.
“President Waldrop was a pivotal figure and determined leader for the University of South Alabama,” said Arlene Mitchell, chair pro tem of the USA Board of Trustees. “He was instrumental in the extraordinary growth at USA Health and helped us develop and mature as an institution of higher learning.”
His years at South, beginning in 2014, saw great change at the University and USA Health.
During his presidency, the University started an Honors College, developed the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences and constructed Hancock Whitney Stadium. South significantly increased retention and graduation rates, bolstered study abroad programs, added more than a dozen degrees to its offerings and launched the Pathway USA program for transfer students, increasing access to and affordability of a four-year degree.
It also completed an Onward & Upward comprehensive fundraising campaign that raised more than $160 million for the University and USA Health.
Waldrop led dynamic growth of USA Health by hiring new leadership and developing a comprehensive strategic plan focused on being the only academic health system in the region. Research and education programs were expanded, as were primary and specialty care practices across the region. A new Fanny Meisler Trauma Center at University Hospital opened, $50 million was secured from Gov. Kay Ivey to build a new College of Medicine, and work began on the Mapp Family Campus in Baldwin County and the freestanding emergency department on Hillcrest Road in west Mobile.
“Dr. Waldrop lifted research activity and academic standards at the University of South Alabama and set it on a course for future growth and success,” said President Jo Bonner. “His legacy lives on in each of us through this commitment to education, research, service and healthcare. We will honor him as we build on his contributions at the Flagship of the Gulf Coast.”
Waldrop was a quiet academic and disciplined administrator who often woke…
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