Patricia M. King Ph.D., professor of education in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, School of Education, retired from active faculty status on May 31, 2021.

Professor King received her B.A. degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1972 and her Ph.D. degree from the University of Minnesota in 1977. Professor King joined the University of Michigan Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education in the School of Education as a professor of education in 2000. She served as the center director from 2003-06. Previously, she served on the faculty of the Department of Higher Education and Student Affairs at Bowling Green State University from 1982-2000, where she also served as chair from 1993-98. She was assistant vice president for student services at The Ohio State University from 1979-81, and was a senior research psychologist in the Division of Student Services at the University of Iowa from 1977-79.

Throughout her distinguished career, Professor King’s scholarship advanced the field’s knowledge of the learning and development of college students and other adults in educational settings. She co-authored two books: Developing Reflective Judgment: Understanding and Promoting Intellectual Growth and Critical Thinking in Adolescents and Adults (1994) and Learning Partnerships: Theory and Models of Practice to Educate for Self-Authorship (2004). She also co-authored the monograph, Assessing Meaning Making and Self-Authorship: Theory, Research, and Application (2012). In recognition of her significant scholarly contributions, she received the Exemplary Research Award from the American Educational Research Association in 2020 and multiple awards from the American College Personnel Association, including the Wise Woman Award (2004), Diamond Honoree (2000), and the Contribution of Knowledge Award (1996).

She held a number of prominent national service roles. She was founding co-editor of About Campus: Enriching the Student Learning Experience, the national magazine sponsored by the American College Personnel Association. She served on several advisory boards for the American Association of Colleges and Universities, including the Research and Educational Change Collaborative, part of the Educating for Personal and Social Responsibility Project.

The Regents now salute this distinguished faculty member by naming Patricia M. King, professor emerita of education.