Educator Arthur Levine named 2022 John J. Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions

Arthur Levine, a prominent educator and author of books on higher education and teaching, has been named the 2022 John J. Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions at Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University.

Levine will be featured in the 2022 John J. Rhodes Lecture, titled “The Future of Higher Education,” scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 22, at the Tempe Center for the Arts.

The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are available here.

Levine is a Distinguished Scholar of Higher Education at New York University, President Emeritus of Teachers College, Columbia University and President Emeritus of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

He was a faculty member and chair of the Institute for Educational Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, president of Bradford College, senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation, and founder and first president of the Woodrow Wilson Graduate School of Teaching and Learning.

Levine has written 13 books, including "The Great Upheaval: Higher Education’s Past, Present, and Uncertain Future," and published many articles in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Politico, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Education Week and Inside Higher Education.

He has appeared on programs such as "60 Minutes," "The Today Show," "All Things Considered," "Morning Edition," "Open Mind" and Fox News. 

Levine has received a number of awards, including 26 honorary degrees and Carnegie, Fulbright, Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundation Fellowships. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

History of the lecture

The John J. Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions in Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University celebrates the career of public service of one of Arizona’s and the nation’s most distinguished leaders, John J. Rhodes, who represented Arizona in the United States House of Representatives for 30 years, from 1952 to 1982. He served as the minority leader of the House from 1973 to 1981.

Congressman Rhodes embodied the values of personal integrity, fiscal responsibility, respect for persons of all political beliefs and international foresight. His dedication to the country was perhaps best exemplified by his leadership role during Watergate, where ultimately, along with Sens. Barry Goldwater and Hugh Scott, he was one of three Republican congressional leaders who influenced Richard Nixon to resign his office as president.

In Arizona and Washington, Rhodes was known as a gifted legislator and leader who was willing to work with representatives of both parties. He worked tirelessly, along with other great Arizona leaders, to bring the Central Arizona Project — a 336-mile canal delivering Colorado River water to Arizona — to fruition.

Upon his retirement, Rhodes’ family and many of his friends wanted to establish an enduring tribute to his leadership. Rhodes and his wife Betty had long been supporters of higher education, so the family created an endowment for the John J. Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions, and selected Barrett, The Honors College to become the chair’s home.

The John J. Rhodes Chair was named an Arizona Heritage Chair by former ASU President Lattie Coor. ASU Heritage Chairs honor the achievements and values of Arizona leaders whose life work helped shape the character of Arizona. An archive of Rhodes’ congressional papers is available in the Special Collections at Hayden Library on the ASU Tempe campus.