Interim President of The College of New Jersey
Michael Bernstein, interim president of The College of New Jersey, began his two-year term July 1, 2023.
An accomplished educator and administrator, Bernstein previously served as provost at Stony Brook University, having also served as that institution’s interim president from August 2019 through May 2020. During that time, he guided the university through unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including a move to fully remote instruction in 2020.
At Stony Brook, Bernstein also led numerous initiatives aimed at supporting the university’s missions in research, scholarship, art-making, and teaching. He also fortified various programs focused on increasing the number of underserved and underrepresented students, enhancing retention and timely graduation outcomes, and facilitating the orientation (and success) of international enrollees.
From 2007 to 2016, Bernstein served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Tulane University, where he helped guide the institution’s recovery from the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina.
Bernstein spent 20 years at the University of California, San Diego, from 1987 to 2007. A faculty member in the departments of economics and history and of the science studies program, he also ultimately served as dean of arts and humanities and chair of the history department.
His tenure at The College of New Jersey represents a homecoming for Bernstein, who began his teaching career in the Garden State at Princeton University. From 1982 to 1987, he was an assistant professor of history, teaching U.S. economic history and assisting in general U.S. history and economics instruction.
The author of six books and numerous articles, essays, and commentaries, Bernstein also serves as a senior consultant with Keeling and Associates, a consulting and professional services firm that works exclusively in the field of higher education.
Bernstein received his PhD (1982), MPhil (1980), MA (1978), and BA (1976), all in economics, from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. His teaching and research interests focus on U.S. economic and political history, macroeconomic theory, industrial organization economics, and the history of economic theory.
A native of New York City, Bernstein has two daughters who are currently pursuing professional careers in Los Angeles. His domestic partner of over 20 years, Patti Harp, retired some years ago as a senior business affairs officer at UC San Diego.