Dr.
Michael S. McPherson
Economist; Foundation executive; Educator
Area
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Specialty
Education
Elected
2014
Economist whose expertise focuses on the interplay between education and economics. Sought to improve education by finding ways to align the search for new knowledge with the practical challenges of effecting positive change, and led the Spencer Foundation in support of projects addressing the purposes and values of education, education and social opportunity, and organizational learning in schools, school systems, and higher education institutions. Served as president of Macalester College (1996-2003) and was professor of economics, chairman of the Economics Department, and dean of faculty at Williams College. Coauthor or editor of several books, including College Access: Opportunity or Privilege? (2006), Keeping College Affordable (1991), and Economic Analysis, Moral Philosophy, and Public Policy (2006). Founding coeditor of the journal Economics and Philosophy. Former fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Last Updated
Academy Involvement
Projects
Publications
Dædalus|
Fall 2019
The Human Factor: The Promise & Limits of Online Education
Authors
Sandy Baum and Michael S. McPherson
Dædalus |
Fall 2019
Improving Teaching: Strengthening the College Learning Experience
Editors
Sandy Baum and Michael S. McPherson
Dædalus|
Fall 2019
Improving Teaching: Strengthening the College Learning Experience
Authors
Sandy Baum and Michael S. McPherson
Events
Event |
Higher Education Forum 2024
Featuring
Sandy Baum, Gilda A. Barabino, Michael Bennett, David Campbell, Shirley M. Collado, Katherine J. Cramer, Michael M. Crow, Sean M. Decatur, David DeSwert, Alain-Philippe Durand, Susan M. Dynarski, Adam F. Falk, Kaye G. Husbands Fealing, L. Kealoha Fox, Joan T.A. Gabel, Howard Gillman, Jonathan Haidt, Sara Hebel , Fiona Hill, Xuedong Huang, Rishi Jaitly, John B. King, Jr., Bridget Terry Long, Jon Marcus, Steven W. McLaughlin, Michael S. McPherson, Angela Villela Olinto, David W. Oxtoby, Lynn Pasquerella, Avis Proctor, Francesca Purcell, L. Song Richardson, Elizabeth H. Simmons, Blanton Tolbert, Frances Ward-Johnson, Sisi Wei, Ben Wildavsky, and Teresa K. Woodruff
Aspen, CO
Event |
Academic Learning or Occupational Skills? Discussing a Dichotomy
Featuring
Thomas Bailey, Clive Belfield, Sandy Baum, and Michael S. McPherson
New York, NY
Event |
Promoting Excellence in Undergraduate STEM Education
Featuring
Mary Sue Coleman, Emily R. Miller, Tobin Smith, Sandy Baum, and Michael S. McPherson
Washington, D.C.
Event |
Improving Teaching: One Professor’s Experience
Featuring
Harry Brighouse, Sandy Baum, and Michael S. McPherson
Madison, WI
Event |
Improving Teaching and Learning to Strengthen the College Experience
Featuring
Sandy Baum and Michael S. McPherson
Cambridge, MA
Event |
Launch and Discussion of “The Future of Undergraduate Education, The Future of America”
Featuring
Jonathan Fanton, Roger W. Ferguson, Michael S. McPherson, Mitchell E. Daniels, Deborah Loewenberg Ball, and John J. DeGioia
Washington, D.C.
Event |
From Enrollment to Excellence: New Opportunities for American Undergraduate Education
Featuring
Vartan Gregorian, Nicholas B. Lemann, Michael S. McPherson, and Gail O. Mellow
New York, NY
Event |
Priorities for Progress: Advancing Higher Education in America
Featuring
Jonathan Fanton, Robert J. Birgeneau, Bob Jacobsen, Monica Cecilia Lozano, and Michael S. McPherson
Berkeley, CA
News
In the News
The Imperative to Improve College Learning
Source
Inside Higher Ed
In the News
Putting the college admissions scandal in context
Source
Brookings
In the News
The Future of Undergraduate Education
Source
International Higher Education
In the News
As Higher Education Grows More Crucial, How Can It Be Improved?
Source
The Chronicle of Higher Education
In the News
A Highways Project for College Completion
Source
Inside Higher Ed