Walter E. Massey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Walter E. Massey
Massey (left) meeting with President Jimmy Carter on February 28, 1980
14th President of School of the Art Institute of Chicago
In office 2010–2016
Preceded by	Wellington Reiter
Succeeded by	Elissa Tenny
10th President of Morehouse College
In office 1995–2007
Preceded by	Leroy Keith
Succeeded by	Robert Michael Franklin, Jr.
9th Director of the National Science Foundation
In office 1991–1993
President	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Erich Bloch
Succeeded by	Neal Francis Lane
Personal details
Born	(1938-04-05) April 5, 1938 (age 87) Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Nationality	American
Education	Morehouse College Washington University in St. Louis
Scientific career
Fields	Theoretical physics
Institutions	Argonne National Laboratory University of California University of Chicago Brown University University of Illinois
Thesis	Ground state of liquid helium - boson solutions for mass 3 and 4 (1966)
Doctoral advisor	Eugene Feenberg

Walter Eugene Massey (born April 5, 1938) is an American educator, physicist, and leader. He has been a president of both the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Morehouse College. Currently, he leads the board for building the Giant Magellan Telescope.

Throughout his amazing career, Walter Massey has held many important roles. He was the head of the National Science Foundation and director of Argonne National Laboratory. He also served as chairman of Bank of America. He has taught and led at top universities like the University of California, University of Chicago, Brown University, and the University of Illinois.

Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Walter Massey grew up during a time of Jim Crow laws. He loved math from a young age. After attending Morehouse College, a historically Black college, he earned his PhD in physics from Washington University in St. Louis. He then worked at Argonne National Laboratory and taught at the University of Illinois. There, he helped African-American students during the Civil Rights Movement.

Massey later became a professor at Brown University. He then returned to lead Argonne National Laboratory. He also became a top leader at the University of California. Later, he went back to Morehouse College to be its president. After retiring from Morehouse, he led the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has also served on many important boards, including Bank of America during a big change. He was also asked to lead the Giant Magellan Telescope project.

Walter Massey is special because he is the only person to have led both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD). He also received two major awards: the Enrico Fermi Award for Science and Technology and the Public Humanities Award. He is a member of important groups like the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Early Life and Education

Walter Massey was born on April 5, 1938, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. As a child, he showed a natural talent for mathematics. In high school, he earned a special scholarship from the Ford Foundation to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

At Morehouse, he began studying theoretical physics. He chose this field partly because it offered a way to rise above the discrimination he saw growing up in the segregated South. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1958.

Mentors were very important in Massey's life. At Morehouse, a physics teacher named Sabinus H. Christensen helped him a lot. Christensen's guidance helped Massey earn his degree in physics and mathematics. Later, he continued his physics studies with Eugene Feenberg at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

In 1966, while finishing his PhD, Massey started working at Argonne National Laboratory. This lab is run by the University of Chicago for the U.S. Department of Energy. At Argonne, Massey studied how particles interact in liquids and solids. He also researched liquid and solid helium. Two years later, he became a professor at the University of Illinois.

Career Highlights

Early Work and Helping Others

At the University of Illinois, Massey continued his research. But he also worked hard for racial and social equality. He wanted to improve science and technology education for everyone. On his first night on campus, many Black students were arrested for protesting discrimination. This led him to become an advisor for the Black Students Association. He also became the first chairman of the Black Faculty and Staff Association.

Massey noticed that many Black students needed more help with math and science. This made him want to improve science teaching in high schools. In 1970, he became a professor at Brown University. There, he did important research on sound waves in superfluid helium. By 1975, he was a full professor and dean of the college.

At Brown, Massey also continued to support diversity in science. He created a program called Inner City Teachers of Science (INCTOS). In this program, Brown students studying to be science teachers helped high school students in city schools. This program was very successful. In 1975, Massey received an award for his great work from the American Association of Physics Teachers.

In 1979, Massey's success as a researcher and leader led him back to Argonne National Laboratory. This time, he became its director. He also became a physics professor at the University of Chicago.

Leading Argonne National Laboratory

As director of Argonne, Massey managed a large budget and nearly four thousand staff members. At that time, national laboratories faced challenges. Their research was not always used by industries. Also, scientists inside the labs felt discouraged.

To fix this, Massey changed how the lab was run in the early 1980s. He encouraged scientists to have more say in decisions. He also helped create ARCH, an organization that helped transfer new technologies from the lab to businesses. Massey also supported nuclear energy programs and helped get funding for major research facilities. These included the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) and the Advanced Photon Source (APS).

While at Argonne and the University of Chicago, Massey also worked to promote science education. He led a task force for high-tech development in Chicago. He also helped create the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. This was one of the first high schools in the U.S. focused on science and math. He also helped train almost 17,000 Chicago public school teachers in math and science.

Leading the National Science Foundation

In 1989, Massey became president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His efforts to connect science, government, and industry led to a big role in 1990. He was appointed director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) by President George H. W. Bush.

In this role, Massey started many important projects. He worked to strengthen the link between universities and industries. He also created new groups within the NSF. He strongly supported basic research and science education. He focused on giving grants to universities and individuals. He also worked to improve science education before college. He especially wanted to attract more women and minority groups to science careers.

In 2016, scientists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) observed gravitational waves for the first time. This confirmed Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. Dr. France Cordova, the current NSF director, gave credit to Massey. She said he helped get approval and funding for the LIGO project almost 25 years earlier. Massey was even invited to the Nobel Prize in Physics ceremony by a LIGO scientist, Kip Thorne.

Global Science Leadership

Walter Massey has also played a big role in science beyond the U.S. He served on the National Science Foundation's committee for international programs. He was also on the advisory board for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He helped plan programs between the Soviet Academy of Sciences and the AAAS. He also helped strengthen science and engineering in sub-Saharan Africa. He was a founding member of the African Academy of Sciences. This group works to improve science research and education in Africa.

Massey was also the first chairman of the National Society of Black Physicists. This group helps Black physicists grow in their careers. It also encourages more African Americans to enter the field of physics.

Return to Academia

After his time at the NSF, Massey became a top leader at the University of California system in 1993. This is one of the largest university systems in the U.S. He oversaw academic matters at its nine campuses and three national laboratories.

In 1995, he became president of his old college, Morehouse College. As president, Massey had a vision for the college's future. He worked to improve the campus, update its courses, and raise money. He retired from Morehouse in 2007.

From 2010, Massey took on a new role as president of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This is a leading school for art and design. He also led the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. In 2016, he became chancellor of SAIC. That same year, he also agreed to lead the board for building the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile. In 2017, Massey became chairman of the board of trustees for the City Colleges of Chicago.

Business and Community Work

Besides his work in science and education, Walter Massey has served on the boards of many large companies. These include McDonald's, Bank of America, BP, and Motorola. In 2009, he became chairman of the board for Bank of America.

He has also served on the boards of many groups that help communities. These include the Mellon Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Awards and Honors

Walter Massey has received many awards during his career. He has been given forty-one honorary degrees.

He received an award from the American Association of Physics Teachers for his great work in teaching physics. He was also part of a national group that suggested ways to improve science and math teaching in the U.S.

In 1987, Massey received the Order of Lincoln. This is the highest honor in the State of Illinois. In 1992, he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. In 1999, the Georgia State Senate praised Dr. Walter E. Massey for his work as President of Morehouse College.

In May 2016, Massey received the Public Humanities Award from Illinois Humanities. This award honors people who use humanities to improve lives and communities. In 2012, he received the Enrico Fermi Award in science and technology from the Chicago Historical Society.

Massey was a member of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.