Advisory Committee

Michael S. McPherson is the fifth President of the Spencer Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2003 he served as President of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota for seven years. A nationally known economist whose expertise focuses on the interplay between education and economics, McPherson spent the 22 years prior to his Macalester presidency as professor of economics, chairman of the Economics Department, and dean of faculty at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He holds a B.A. in Mathematics, an M.A. in Economics, and a Ph.D. in Economics, all from the University of Chicago.

McPherson is co-author and editor of several books, including Crossing the Finish Line: Completing College at America’s Public Universities, College Access: Opportunity or Privilege?, and Keeping College Affordable, Economic Analysis and Moral Philosophy, and was founding co-editor of the journal Economics and Philosophy. He has served as a trustee of the College Board and the American Council on Education, as well as President of the Board of Overseers of TIAA-CREF. McPherson has been a Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study and a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.