Walter Massey
Morehouse College President and former National Science Foundation director

[Biography | Honorary Degree]

Walter Massey is the ninth president of Morehouse College, the nation’s largest private four-year liberal arts college for men. He has had a varied and distinguished career as a physicist, educator and director of the National Science Foundation.

Born and raised in Hattiesburg, Miss., Massey attended a predominantly black high school and was such an outstanding student that he graduated at age 16. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College when he was only 20, and went on to earn his master’s and Ph.D. in physics from Washington University in St. Louis.

Massey’s work as a researcher has involved the study of quantum liquids and solids, but his interests include the teaching of science and math education, the education of minorities and the role of science in a democratic society.

In a 1992 article in Science magazine, Massey portrayed his own background, pointing out that without the help of mentors, he would not have pursued a career in science. He described himself as a promising young student who, despite having a supportive family and good teachers, was unprepared academically for college and greatly lacking in confidence. He had never heard of physics, nor had he taken a high school course in chemistry, trigonometry or advanced algebra. Without mentors, he wrote, “I would not have been a scientist.”

In the same article, Massey said, “I have come to the conclusion that it takes more than willingness to increase the number of minority students in science and engineering. It takes commitment, not unlike the kind of commitment my mentors demonstrated toward me, on the part of institutions as well as individuals.”

After earning his doctorate, Massey held research and teaching positions at several universities, including the University of Illinois, Brown University and the University of Chicago. He served as vice president for research at Argonne National Laboratory from 1984 to 1991, and as founding chairman of the University of Chicago Development Corp. from 1986 to 1991. In 1991, he was appointed director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), serving until 1993, when he was named provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of California system.

While he served as the NSF director, Massey delivered a speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology about excellence in research: “Good science and engineering research is the uncompromising pursuit of truth,” he said. “As such, it represents the highest achievement of human intelligence and provides a constant source of enrichment to mankind’s existence intellectually, spiritually and materially…The conduct of research is a complex and demanding task. Why, then, pursue it? The answer is straightforward. The possibility of observing or understanding what no one has ever observed or understood before can be irresistible.”

Massey was chosen as Morehouse’s ninth president in 1995. The school was twice ranked number one by Black Enterprise magazine for educating African-American students. Founded in 1867, Morehouse has an enrollment of approximately 2,800 students and confers bachelor’s degrees on more black men than any other institution in the world. Among its alumni are Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., filmmaker Spike Lee, actor Samuel L. Jackson and Lerone Bennet Jr., executive editor of Ebony magazine. Morehouse is one of only two historically black colleges or universities to produce three Rhodes Scholars.

Massey has called on the Morehouse community to renew its long-standing commitment to a culture of excellence. Under his leadership, Morehouse has embraced the challenge of becoming one of the nation’s finest liberal arts colleges.

He will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree.