Michael Aiken

Michael T. Aiken (August 20, 1932 – August 25, 2025) was an American sociologist and academic who served as the 6th chancellor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and provost at the University of Pennsylvania.

Education Aiken received his bachelor's from the University of Mississippi in 1954 and his master's degree from the University of Michigan in 1955, and respectively his Ph.D. in 1964.

Career Aiken's career spans across multiple universities. After earning his Ph.D., Aiken was a professor at the University of Wisconsin from 1963 to 1984. He was promoted to full professorship in 1970.

1n 1993 Aiken was appointed the sixth chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and served until June 2001. Under his leadership, the Grainger Engineering Library was dedicated, and the university made efforts to create a research park.

Death Aiken died in Cody, Wyoming, on August 25, 2025, at the age of 93.