Joseph S. Murphy

Joseph Samson Murphy (November 15, 1933 – January 17, 1998) was an American political scientist and university administrator, who was President of Queens College, President of Bennington College, and Chancellor of the City University of New York.

Early life and education

Murphy was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Doris and Joseph Murphy, a labor organizer. Murphy graduated from Weequahic High School in 1951.

He attended the University of Colorado, and then attended and received his bachelor's degree in philosophy with honors from Olivet College in 1955. He was a recipient of the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. CUNY at the time was the third-largest university in the United States, with over 180,000 students. It was established in 1984 as a Queens College program offering courses and programs in labor and urban studies. It is a challenge-grant scholarship of up to $30,000 for undergraduate and graduate students entering the labor studies degree programs at the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies.