Mary Patterson McPherson

Mary Patterson McPherson (born c. 1935) has served as the president of Bryn Mawr College (1978–1997), the vice president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (1997–2007), and the executive officer of the American Philosophical Society (2007–2012).

McPherson is widely credited with renewing and revitalizing Bryn Mawr and enhancing its stature during a time when the role of women's colleges was being challenged.

McPherson served as vice president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation from October 1997 to February 2007.

She was named the executive officer of the American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the United States in 2007. She has been a member of the society since her election to membership in 1983. the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Brookings Institution, the American Council on Education, and the National Humanities Center.

Awards Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Mount Holyoke College, May 2, 2000 M. Carey Thomas Award, 2002 Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from DePauw University, May 23, 2004 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Delaware, January 10, 2009 The McPherson Fund For Excellence was established at Bryn Mawr in 1997 to honor president emeritus McPherson, recognizing McPherson Fellows for "excellence and service to the community, either within or beyond the boundaries of [the] institution".