Walter E. Massey
Walter Eugene Massey | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 5, 1938 Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Physicist, educator, executive leader |
| Known for | President Emeritus of School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Morehouse College; Director of National Science Foundation; Director of Argonne National Laboratory; Chair of Bank of America; Chair of Giant Magellan Telescope board; Founder of National Society of Black Physicists |
Walter Eugene Massey (born April 5, 1938) is a distinguished American physicist, educator, and leader in various executive roles. He holds the title of President Emeritus at both the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and Morehouse College, and currently chairs the board responsible for the development of the Giant Magellan Telescope. Throughout his career, Massey has directed the National Science Foundation, served as director of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), led Bank of America as its chair, and acted as trustee chair for the City Colleges of Chicago. His academic and administrative appointments include positions at the University of California, University of Chicago, Brown University, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Originating from Hattiesburg, Mississippi during the era of segregation, Massey cultivated a passion for mathematics early in life. Following his graduation from Morehouse, a prominent HBCU, he completed a doctoral degree in physics at Washington University in St. Louis during the 1960s. His postdoctoral work took place at ANL before he joined the physics faculty at the University of Illinois, where he actively supported African-American students amid the civil rights era. Striving to combine scientific research with social activism, he accepted a professorship in physics at Brown University prior to returning to lead ANL in the late 1970s. In the 1990s, Massey was provost at the University of California before assuming leadership at Morehouse College, where he strengthened its role as an HBCU. After retiring from Morehouse and moving to Chicago, he became president of SAIC. Massey’s extensive board service includes chairing Bank of America during its pivotal restructuring after the 2008 financial crisis. In the following decade, he was appointed to oversee the Giant Magellan Telescope initiative.
Massey holds the unique distinction of having been both President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Chair of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD). Additionally, he is the sole individual honored with both the Enrico Fermi Award for Science and Technology from the Chicago Historical Society and Illinois Humanities’ Public Humanities Award. He is an elected fellow of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Early life and education
Born on April 5, 1938, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Massey exhibited a strong aptitude for mathematics from a young age. He received a prestigious Ford Foundation fellowship to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Motivated partly by experiences with racial discrimination in the segregated South, he pursued theoretical physics. Massey completed his undergraduate studies with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1958.
Guided by mentors Sabinus H. Christensen at Morehouse and later Eugene Feenberg at Washington University in St. Louis, Massey earned his Ph.D. in physics. By 1966, he had joined the research team at Argonne National Laboratory, concentrating on many-body theory related to liquids and solids, with particular emphasis on liquid and solid helium. In 1968, he accepted an assistant professorship at the University of Illinois.
Academic Pursuits and Early Advocacy
During his time at the University of Illinois, Massey merged scholarly research with active engagement in promoting racial and social justice. He provided guidance to the Black Students Association and led the Black Faculty and Staff Association. Observing the inadequate science preparation among black students, he dedicated himself to expanding access to science education.
In 1970, Massey accepted a position as associate professor at Brown University, where he collaborated on studies involving superfluid helium. By 1975, he had advanced to full professor and dean. He established the Inner City Teachers of Science (INCTOS) initiative, which linked Brown undergraduates with urban high school science programs—a contribution acknowledged by the American Association of Physics Teachers in 1975.
Massey returned to Argonne National Laboratory in 1979 as director and simultaneously became a physics professor at the University of Chicago, highlighting his dual leadership roles in research and institutional management.
Argonne National Laboratory
At Argonne, Massey oversaw an annual budget surpassing $250 million and directed nearly four thousand employees. He confronted challenges related to the lab’s ambiguous public image and low internal morale, issues common among national laboratories striving to translate research breakthroughs into commercial applications.
To enhance organizational governance, Massey implemented a system of "participatory democracy" involving scientific staff. He co-established the Argonne National Laboratory – University of Chicago Development Corporation (ARCH) to facilitate faster technology transfer to industry partners. Massey also secured continued backing for nuclear energy initiatives during periods of funding reductions and spearheaded financing efforts for key facilities such as the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS), Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II), and initial funding for the Advanced Photon Source (APS).
Outside Argonne, Massey was an advocate for science education and technological innovation within Chicago. He led the Chicago Mayoral Task Force on High-Technology Development, founded the Chicago High-Tech Association, served on the Illinois Governor's Commission on Science and Technology, contributed to establishing the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, and supported professional development for nearly 17,000 math and science educators in Chicago public schools.
National Science Foundation
In 1989, Massey served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The following year, President George H. W. Bush appointed him director of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
While at NSF, Massey championed programs that bridged academic research with industrial applications and created both the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences and the Commission on the Future of NSF. His priorities included bolstering fundamental research funding and enhancing pre-college science education, with an emphasis on increasing STEM involvement among women and minority groups.
Massey’s early endorsement was instrumental in launching the advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) project, which successfully detected gravitational waves in 2016. NSF Director Dr. France Cordova credited him with securing initial approval and funding nearly 25 years prior. LIGO physicist Kip Thorne recognized Massey’s contributions by inviting him to attend the Nobel Prize in Physics ceremony.
Other domestic and international science policy
In 1987, Massey was appointed president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an organization comprising over 140,000 members and 285 affiliated scientific societies. As the first African American to hold this position, he brought attention to the pressing national issues surrounding science education.
During his tenure, Massey spearheaded the launch of Project 2061, an initiative aimed at overhauling K–12 science education by focusing on fundamental scientific principles. This program sought to enhance the United States' economic standing during a period of global transformation in the mid-1980s and to better prepare the country for emerging health and environmental challenges. Massey advocated for broadening the national agenda in science and technology beyond its traditional wartime emphasis.
Massey's leadership extended to roles such as vice president of the American Physical Society, chairmanship of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB), and participation on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) under two presidential administrations. He also contributed as a member of the National Science Board and held board positions at both the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory.
On an international scale, Massey influenced science policy through involvement with the National Science Foundation's Advisory Committee for International Programs, serving on the advisory board for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and co-chairing collaborative projects between AAAS and the Soviet Academy of Sciences. He co-directed AAAS efforts to develop scientific capacity in sub-Saharan Africa and played a foundational role in establishing the African Academy of Sciences, which promotes research and education across the continent.
Additionally, Massey founded the National Society of Black Physicists to foster professional growth and increase African American representation in physics. He also provided guidance in forming the Society of Black Physics Graduate Students.
Return to academia
Following his service at NSF, Massey took on the role of provost and vice president for academic affairs within the University of California system in 1993, managing academic programs across nine campuses along with three national laboratories: Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, and Los Alamos.
In 1995, he returned to his alma mater, Morehouse College, as president. There, he revitalized campus life, revised the core curriculum, and significantly enhanced fundraising initiatives. After retiring from Morehouse in 2007, Massey chaired the board of the Salzburg Global Seminar until 2010.
Massey then became interim president—and subsequently full president—of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), a premier institution for art and design education. He also served as chair for the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. In 2016, he transitioned into the role of chancellor at SAIC while assuming chairmanship of the board overseeing Chile’s Giant Magellan Telescope project. The following year, Massey was appointed chair of the board of trustees for the City Colleges of Chicago.
Corporate, civic, and philanthropic involvement
In addition to his academic leadership and scientific achievements, Massey has held board positions at several leading global corporations, including McDonald's, where he continues to serve as a director. He formerly chaired the board of Bank of America. His experience in corporate governance also extends to companies such as BP, Tribune Company, Motorola, First National Bank of Chicago, Continental Materials, Amoco, Research-Cottrell, and Analytic Services.
Massey was chairman of the board at Bank of America in 2009.
His philanthropic commitments include board memberships with distinguished organizations like the Mellon Foundation, Commonwealth Fund, MacArthur Foundation, Rand Corporation, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Smithsonian Institution, and Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
Awards and distinctions
Throughout his professional journey, Massey has been honored with 41 honorary doctorates.
He received the Distinguished Service Citation from the American Association of Physics Teachers in recognition of outstanding contributions to physics education. Additionally, he participated in the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, which was established to enhance science and mathematics education in the United States.
In 1987, Massey was bestowed with the Order of Lincoln, Illinois’ most prestigious accolade. The American Academy of Achievement awarded him their Golden Plate Award in 1992, with Nobel laureate Leon Lederman presenting the honor. The Georgia State Senate passed resolution SR 113 in 1999 acknowledging his leadership as President of Morehouse College.
In May 2016, Illinois Humanities recognized Massey with its Public Humanities Award for his transformative impact through the humanities. Earlier, in 2012, he was presented with the Making History–Enrico Fermi Award by the Chicago Historical Society for contributions to science and technology.
Massey has been an elected member of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
External links
- Oral History Interview of Walter Massey by David Zierler on July 28, 2020, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD USA