Herbert Garfinkel was the founding dean of James Madison College at Michigan State University. He received his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD each from the University of Chicago. He held a number of instructor and research assistant roles at various institutions, including at Michigan State from 1951 to 1953, before returning to Michigan State full-time as an associate professor of political science in 1959. Garfinkel obtained full professor status in 1964 and became the founding dean of James Madison residential college in 1966, serving until 1972. During this time, Garfinkel played an instrumental role in the planning, implementation, and development of this MSU College that continues to thrive today. He spent another couple years as director of the Public Administration program at Michigan State before moving onto administrative roles at several other universities. These roles included serving as provost and interim chancellor at the University of Nebraska Omaha and vice president of academic affairs at the University of Louisville. Garfinkel’s scholarship as a political scientist often focused on providing information to common citizens including producing citizen guides to elections and on the topic of legislative apportionment. Garfinkel enjoyed teaching but equally enjoyed the administrative ranks and the opportunity to shape the collective goals of an institution.
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