Michael S. McPherson is an American economist who was the 15th president of Macalester College between 1996 and 2003.[1][2][3] Before Macalester, McPherson taught economics at Williams College, where he was also chair of economics department and dean of the faculty.[4] After leaving Macalester, he led the Spencer Foundation for fourteen years before retiring in 2017, where he is president emeritus.[5]

Education

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McPherson graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1967. He continued at the University of Chicago for his graduate studies, and received a PhD in economics in 1974.[4][6]

Career

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Before joining Macalester, taught at Williams College for twenty-two years as a professor of economics.[7] At Williams he was also chair of the Economics Department and dean of the faculty.[6] McPherson's academic work mainly focuses on the relationship between economics and higher education. He has co-written several books with economist Morton O. Schapiro, the 16th president of Williams College and 16th president of Northwestern University.[8][9][10]

As president of Macalester, McPherson changed the organization of the Presbyterian-affiliated college's chaplaincy, also making Macalester's chaplain the associate dean of religious and spiritual life.[11]

McPherson has had fellowships from the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, the Brookings Institution, the Mellon Foundation, and the Urban Institute.[12] He served on the board of Wesleyan University, and is an advisor at the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences at Stanford University.[13][14] McPherson is a fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, and in 2022 he spoke at a Northwestern University symposium honoring Morton Schapiro.[14][15]

Works

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  • McPherson, Michael; Schapiro, Morton (1990). Selective Admission and the Public Interest. College Board. ISBN 978-0-87447-399-5
  • McPherson, Michael; Schapiro, Morton (1991). Keeping College Affordable: Government and Educational Opportunity. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 978-0-8157-5641-5
  • McPherson, Michael; Schapiro, Morton; Winston, Gordon (1994). Paying the Piper: Productivity, Incentives, and Financing in U.S. Higher Education. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-10404-8
  • Michael S. McPherson and Morton Owen Schapiro, The Student Aid Game: Meeting Need and Rewarding Talent in American Higher Education (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998)
  • McPherson, Michael; Schapiro, Morton (2006). College Access: Opportunity or Privilege?. College Board. ISBN 978-0-87447-774-0
  • McPherson, Michael; Schapiro, Morton (2008). College Success: What It Means and How to Make It Happen. College Board. ISBN 978-0-87447-830-3
  • Bowen, William G; Chingos, Matthew M; McPherson M. S (2009). Crossing the Finish Line: Completing College at America's Public Universities. Princeton University Press.
  • Brighouse, Harry; McPherson (2015). The Aims of Higher Education: Problems of Morality and Justice. University of Chicago Press.

References

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  1. ^ Bowen, William G.; Tobin, Eugene M. (2017-05-30). Locus of Authority: The Evolution of Faculty Roles in the Governance of Higher Education. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-17566-9.
  2. ^ Malkiel, Nancy Weiss (2023-11-14). Changing the Game: William G. Bowen and the Challenges of American Higher Education. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-24781-6.
  3. ^ Graubard, Stephen R. (2017-07-05). Distinctively American: The Residential Liberal Arts Colleges. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-52206-9.
  4. ^ a b "Michael S. McPherson - Scholars | Institute for Advanced Study". www.ias.edu. 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  5. ^ Pulley, John L. (November 2, 2002). "President of Macalester College Will Leave to Become Head of Research Foundation". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  6. ^ a b "Michael McPherson: The Teaching of Character and the Character of Teaching | McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society". ethicsinsociety.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  7. ^ "Michael McPherson | Urban Institute". www.urban.org. 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  8. ^ McPherson, Michael S.; Schapiro, Morton Owen (2010-12-01). Keeping College Affordable: Government and Educational Opportunity. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 978-0-8157-1669-3.
  9. ^ McPherson, Michael; Schapiro, Morton (2021-05-11). The Student Aid Game: Meeting Need and Rewarding Talent in American Higher Education. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-23091-7.
  10. ^ McPherson, Michael S.; Schapiro, Morton Owen (2006-10-03). College Access: Opportunity Or Privilege?. College Board. ISBN 978-0-87447-774-0.
  11. ^ Sullivan, William M. (2016-06-03). Liberal Learning as a Quest for Purpose. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-049926-6.
  12. ^ "Michael S. McPherson". Brookings. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  13. ^ "Michael McPherson". National Academy of Education. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  14. ^ a b "Advisory board welcomes Michael McPherson | Institute for Research in the Social Sciences". iriss.stanford.edu. 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  15. ^ "College Access and Success: Creating Avenues for Policy and Practice: Institute for Policy Research - Northwestern University". www.ipr.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-03.