Michael Kent Young (born November 4, 1949) is an American lawyer and academic administrator who served as president of
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M Unive ...
from 2015 to 2020.
Early life and education
Young was born and raised in
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...
. He earned a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree from
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da ...
(BYU) in 1973 and a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class i ...
in 1976, after which he clerked for Supreme Court
Associate Justice
Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...
William Rehnquist
William Hubbs Rehnquist ( ; October 1, 1924 – September 3, 2005) was an American attorney and jurist who served on the U.S. Supreme Court for 33 years, first as an associate justice from 1972 to 1986 and then as the 16th chief justice from ...
.
Career
After law school, his judicial clerkships, and positions at two law firms, Young joined the
State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
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.
Among many other international agreements, Young worked on treaties related to German unification, as well as the
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA ; es, Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte, TLCAN; french: Accord de libre-échange nord-américain, ALÉNA) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that crea ...
(NAFTA) and Uruguay Round negotiations leading to the
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...
and
Earth Summit
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio Conference or the Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92), was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to June 14, 1992.
Earth S ...
.
Following his State Department work, Young became a professor and administrator at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
from 1994 to 1998 and
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, presi ...
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.
Young was president of the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University ...
from August 2004
to May 2011.
From 2011 to 2015, Young was the president of the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle ...
. He became president of Texas A&M University in May 2015.
Young also served on the
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the lead ...
from 1998 to 2005, including twice serving as its chair.
He is a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is a nonprofit organization that is independent and nonpartisan. CFR is based in New York City ...
and a fellow of the
American Bar Foundation.
Young announced his intention to retire from the presidency of Texas A&M University on September 2, 2020 to be effective in May 2021. In November, it was announced the resignation would take effect earlier on December 31, 2020.
Personal life
He served as
president of the
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
Stake
Stake may refer to:
Entertainment
* '' Stake: Fortune Fighters'', a 2003 video game
* '' The Stake'', a 1915 silent short film
* "The Stake", a 1977 song by The Steve Miller Band from ''Book of Dreams''
* ''Stakes'' (miniseries), a Cartoon Netw ...
of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...
from 1985 to 1989.
Young married fellow BYU alumna Suzan Stewart and they are the parents of three children. They divorced in 2010.
On June 3, 2011, he married Marti Denkers (Young). 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, 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.
Honours
*
Royal House of Portugal:
Knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...
of the
Order of Saint Michael of the Wing
The Royal Equestrian and Military Order of Saint Michael of the Wing ( la, Regia Equitum et Militum Ordo Sancte Michaelis Sive de Ala, pt, Real Ordem Equestre e Militar de São Miguel da Ala) is a Portuguese Roman Catholic dynastic order that ...
(2007)
See also
*
References
External links
*
Michael K. Young CV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Michael K
Presidents of Texas A&M University
Presidents of the University of Washington
Presidents of the University of Utah
Columbia University faculty
George Washington University faculty
Harvard Law School alumni
Brigham Young University alumni
American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
American Mormon missionaries in Japan
Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States
Living people
Latter Day Saints from Texas
1949 births
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Latter Day Saints from Massachusetts
Latter Day Saints from New York (state)
Latter Day Saints from Washington, D.C.
Latter Day Saints from Washington (state)