Paul Hardin III (June 11, 1931 – July 1, 2017) was an American academic administrator who spent 27 years as a leader in higher education.
He was the chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1988 to 1995, president of Wofford College from 1968 to 1972, of Southern Methodist University from 1972 to 1974, and of Drew University from 1974 to 1988.
He was trained as a lawyer at Duke University and at the Duke University Law School.