CHICAGO, September 1, 2011—Robert T. Michael, renowned scholar, teacher, and founding dean of the Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago has been named Senior Fellow by NORC at the University of Chicago.
Michael is currently the Eliakim Hastings Moore Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the Harris School and teaches courses on economics of child and family policy, leadership in Chicago, and co-teaches a course on "science, technology, and policy."
“When one thinks of the many luminaries who have been associated with NORC since its founding in 1941, certainly Bob Michael’s name comes quickly to mind,” said Dan Gaylin, NORC Executive Vice President of Research Programs. “His contributions to scholarship and social research have been numerous, unique and extremely valuable.”
Michael has had a long and distinguished association with NORC, serving as its CEO from 1984-89. He currently serves as the project director of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) Program. Michael helped to design and conduct the NLSY79, the Children of the NLSY, the NLSY97, and the Children of the National Child Development Study (NCDS) in Great Britain.
He was one of three who designed and published extensively using the "National Health and Social Life Survey," America's first national probability sample survey of adult sexual behaviors. He chaired the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council Panel on Poverty and Family Assistance, which recommended major changes in the official measure of poverty in the United States.
Michael’s current research focuses on parental investments in children, and on adolescent and adult sexual behavior in the United States. Michael has written on the causes of divorce; the reasons for the growth of one-person households; the impact of inflation on families; the consequences of the rise in women’s employment for the family, especially children; teenage fertility; sexually transmitted disease; and abortion.
He serves on the Board of Trustees of Western Reserve Academy, and served on the Federal Advisory Committee to the National Children’s Study 2002–2006. In 2005, Michael received the Robert J. Lapham Award from the Population Association of America in recognition of his many contributions during his career blending research with the application of demographic knowledge to policy issues.
His books include:
About NORC
NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent research organization headquartered in downtown Chicago with additional offices on the University of Chicago's campus and in the D.C. Metro area. NORC also supports a nationwide field staff as well as international research operations. With clients throughout the world, NORC collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to provide data and analysis that support informed decision making in key areas including health, education, economics, crime, justice, energy, security, and the environment. NORC’s 70 years of leadership and experience in data collection, analysis, and dissemination—coupled with deep subject matter expertise—provides the foundation for effective solutions.