Michael K. Young
{{short description|American academic administrator}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Michael K. Young
| image = University President Michael Young recently speaking at a Council committee meeting, July 2011 (5984983352) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Young in 2011
| order = 25th
| title = President of Texas A&M University
| term_start = May 1, 2015
| term_end = December 31, 2020
| predecessor = Mark A. Hussey {{small|(Interim)}}
| successor = John L. Junkins {{small|(Interim)}}
| order2 = 31st
| title2 = President of the University of Washington
| term_start2 = July 2011
| term_end2 = April 2015
| predecessor2 = Mark Emmert
| successor2 = Ana Mari Cauce
| order3 = 14th
| title3 = President of the University of Utah
| term_start3 = August 2004
| term_end3 = May 2011
| predecessor3 = Bernie Machen
| successor3 = David W. Pershing
| birth_name = Michael Kent Young
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|11|4}}Marquis Who's Who on the Web
| birth_place = Sacramento, California, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education = Brigham Young University (BA)
Harvard University (JD)
| residence =
| profession = University Administrator
| spouse = {{plainlist|
- {{marriage| Suzan Stewart
|1972|2010|reason=div}} - {{marriage|Marti Young
|June 3, 2011}}
}}
| children = 3
| website =
| footnotes =
| module = {{Infobox academic | child=yes
| thesis_title =
| thesis_url =
| thesis_year =
| school_tradition =
| doctoral_advisor =
| academic_advisors =
| influences =
| era =
| discipline = Jurisprudence
| sub_discipline =
| workplaces = {{ublist|Columbia University|George Washington University|University of Utah|University of Washington|Texas A&M University}}
| doctoral_students =
| notable_students =
| main_interests =
| notable_works =
| notable_ideas =
| influenced =
}}
}}
Michael Kent Young (born November 4, 1949) is an American lawyer and academic administrator. He previously served as president of Texas A&M University from 2015 to 2020, president of the University of Washington from 2011 to 2015, president of the University of Utah from 2004 to 2011, and dean of the George Washington University Law School from 1998 to 2004.
Early life and education
Young was born and raised in Sacramento, California. He received a Bachelor of Arts with majors in political science and Japanese from Brigham Young University in 1973 and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1976.{{Cite web|url=http://www.byhigh.org/History/PresMikeYoung/PresidentMikeYoung.html|title=BY High Alumnus Named President, University of Utah|website=www.byhigh.org}}
Career
After law school, his judicial clerkships, and positions at two law firms, Young joined the United States State Department and served as Deputy Legal Adviser, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic and Agricultural Affairs, and Ambassador for Trade and Environmental Affairs in the Bush administration.{{cite web |title=Michael K. Young C.V. |url=https://president.tamu.edu/documents/Michael_K_Young_CV.pdf |website=Texas A&M University |access-date=2019-03-28 |archive-date=2019-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328152622/https://president.tamu.edu/documents/Michael_K_Young_CV.pdf |url-status=dead }} Among many other international agreements, Young worked on treaties related to German unification, as well as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Uruguay Round negotiations leading to the World Trade Organization and Earth Summit.{{cite web|title=About President Young|url=https://president.tamu.edu/president-young/index.html|access-date=2019-04-03|archive-date=2016-03-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310052943/https://president.tamu.edu/president-young/index.html|url-status=dead}}
Following his State Department work, Young became a professor and administrator at Columbia University from 1994 to 1998 and George Washington University from 1998 to 2004. His academic positions there included Fuyo Professor of Japanese Law and Legal Institutions and Director of the Center for Japanese Legal Studies at Columbia, and Dean and Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence at GWU's law school.{{cite web|url=http://www.admin.utah.edu/president/pres_bio.html|title=Michael K. Young|publisher=University of Utah|access-date=2009-12-26|archive-date=2004-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041011035843/http://www.admin.utah.edu/president/pres_bio.html|url-status=dead}}
Young was president of the University of Utah from August 2004 to May 2011.{{cite web|url=http://www.unews.utah.edu/old/p/042511-3.html|title=Michael K. Young|publisher=University of Utah|access-date=2011-05-31|archive-date=2011-11-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117202846/http://www.unews.utah.edu/old/p/042511-3.html|url-status=dead}} From 2011 to 2015, Young was the president of the University of Washington. He became president of Texas A&M University in May 2015.{{cite news|url=http://www.theeagle.com/news/regents-two-time-university-president-expected-to-serve-at-helm/article_e8cca324-abd7-11e4-97cb-f704a6d2f049.html|title=Regents: Two-time university president expected to serve at helm of Texas A&M|date=February 3, 2015|access-date=February 3, 2015|publisher=theeagle.com}}
Young also served on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom from 1998 to 2005, including twice serving as its chair.{{cite web|url=http://www.uscirf.gov/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=2182|publisher=United States Commission on International Religious Freedom|title=Past Commissioners|access-date=2009-12-26}}
He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations{{cite web|url=https://www.cfr.org/membership/roster|title=Council on Foreign Relations Roster|access-date=2019-04-03}} and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.{{cite web|url=https://president.tamu.edu/president-young/index.html|title=About President Young|access-date=2019-04-03|archive-date=2016-03-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310052943/https://president.tamu.edu/president-young/index.html|url-status=dead}}
In June, 2020, following an incident involving racist notes left on Isaih Martin's, a senior at Texas A&M, car, Young released this statement:
“Acts of racism are irreconcilable with the values we uphold here at Texas A&M University,” said Young. “Those who promote hate, discrimination and disrespect are not welcomed at this institution. We are tired of bigoted members of our community marring the experiences of students of color. For those found responsible of racial or ethnic harassment, we can and will enforce appropriate sanctions under our code of student conduct, which allows us to pursue action against stalking, harassment and related retaliation that violate a person’s civil rights."{{Cite web |last=DeMoss |first=Adrienne |date=2020-06-25 |title=A&M President offers reward for info on racist incident on campus |url=https://www.kbtx.com/2020/06/25/am-president-offers-reward-for-info-on-racist-incident-on-campus/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=KBTX |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Texas A&M University on X: “Yesterday afternoon I learned of a detestable racist event — messages of hate were left on the car windshield of a #TAMU student. Acts of racism are irreconcilable with the values we uphold here at Texas A&M University.” |url=https://x.com/TAMU/status/1276216858048331777 |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Twitter/X}}
President Young also offered a $1,200 reward for valid information leading to identifying the person or people responsible for the "racist incident on Texas A&M’s property."
Subsequently, Texas A&M University released copies of videos, photos, and audio clips from nearby surveillance equipment, which investigators used to see who was around Martin’s car in the moments before he claimed to have found the letters. Based on the clips, the investigators determined that Martin was the only person around his car long enough to place the letters there himself.{{Cite web |last=Surette |first=Rusty |date=2020-07-29 |title=A&M police release video used to help close case deemed a hoax involving racist letters |url=https://www.kbtx.com/2020/07/29/am-police-release-video-used-to-help-close-case-deemed-a-hoax-involving-racist-letters/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=KBTX |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Stone @bradystonex |first=By Rebecca Morris @RebeccaSheWrote and Brady |last2=Stone @bradystonex |first2=By Rebecca Morris @RebeccaSheWrote and Brady |date=2020-07-07 |title=Texas A&M police close recent investigation regarding racist notes on student’s car |url=https://thebatt.com/news/texas-as-car/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=The Battalion}}
Young announced his intention to retire from the presidency of Texas A&M University on September 2, 2020 to be effective in May 2021.{{Cite web|date=2020-09-02|title=Michael K. Young To Retire From Post As 25th President Of Texas A&M University|url=https://today.tamu.edu/2020/09/02/michael-k-young-to-retire-from-post-as-25th-president-of-texas-am-university/|access-date=2020-11-24|website=Texas A&M Today|language=en-US}} In November, it was announced the resignation would take effect earlier on December 31, 2020. Young expressed his desire to join the Bush School of Government and Public Service as soon as possible. There, he would become the first director of the Institute for Religious Liberties and International Affairs, where he would apply his expertise, cultivated both in the service of the Bush administration and, for eight years, at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.{{Cite web|date=2020-11-24|title=Announcement From President Michael K. Young|url=https://today.tamu.edu/2020/11/24/announcement-from-president-michael-k-young/|access-date=2020-11-24|website=Texas A&M Today|language=en-US}}
Personal life
He served as president of the New York Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 to 1989.Tiffany, Scott, ed., City Saints: Mormons in the New York Metropolis. (New York: Nauvoo Books, 2004) p. 62
Young married fellow BYU alumna Suzan Stewart in 1972, whom he met during her freshman year while dating her roommate, and they are the parents of three children.{{cite web
| url = https://continuum.utah.edu/back_issues/fall04/young.htm
| title = Go West, Young Man
| last = Desmond
| first = Theresa
| author-link =
| date = Fall 2004
| website =
| publisher = Continuum, The Magazine of the University of Utah
| access-date = April 12, 2023
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211021214539/https://continuum.utah.edu/back_issues/fall04/young.htm
| archive-date = October 21, 2021}} They divorced in 2010.
On June 3, 2011, he married Marti Denkers (Young).'Incoming UW President Michael Young gets married', in The Seattle Times, June 7, 2011 [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015258529_uwpresident08m.html] Young's relationship with Denkers was the subject of some controversy: Denkers was a student at the University of Utah during the time Young presided over it,{{Cite web|url=http://archive.seattleweekly.com/home/934580-129/education|title=Michael Young Weds University Student and (Hopefully) Puts Personal Drama to Rest|access-date=2016-06-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814050101/http://archive.seattleweekly.com/home/934580-129/education|archive-date=2016-08-14|url-status=dead}} and she was formerly married to Steve Denkers, a member of the wealthy Eccles family that has given hundreds of millions of dollars to the University of Utah over the years.{{Cite web|url=http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/news/51975588-78/university-denkers-eccles-family.html.csp|title=Michael Young: Former U. president remarries in Seattle|last=Tribune|first=Brian Maffly The Salt Lake|language=en-US|access-date=2016-06-30}}
Honours
- {{flagicon|Portugal}} Royal House of Portugal: Knight of the Order of Saint Michael of the Wing (2007){{Cite web|url=https://www.statesman.com/news/20160924/regents-name-michael-young-sole-finalist-for-texas-am-president|title=Regents name Michael Young sole finalist for Texas A&M president|first=Ralph K. M.|last=Haurwitz|website=Austin American-Statesman}}
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Jon|first1=Marmor|title=The Challenge of a Lifetime|journal=Columns Magazine: The University of Washington Alumni Magazine|date=June 2011|volume=30|issue=6|pages=24–27|url=http://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns/pdf/columns_june_2011.pdf|access-date=17 April 2015|publisher=The University of Washington Alumni Association|location=Seattle, WA}}
- [https://president.tamu.edu/documents/Michael_K_Young_CV.pdf Michael K. Young CV] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328152622/https://president.tamu.edu/documents/Michael_K_Young_CV.pdf |date=2019-03-28 }}
{{Texas A&M University presidents}}
{{University of Washington presidents}}
{{University of Utah presidents}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Michael K}}
Category:Presidents of Texas A&M University
Category:Presidents of the University of Washington
Category:Presidents of the University of Utah
Category:Columbia University faculty
Category:George Washington University faculty
Category:Harvard Law School alumni
Category:Brigham Young University alumni
Category:American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Category:American Mormon missionaries in Japan
Category:Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States
Category:Latter Day Saints from Texas
Category:Latter Day Saints from Utah
Category:Latter Day Saints from Massachusetts
Category:Latter Day Saints from New York (state)