Michael J. Sorrell

Michael J. Sorrell is the president of Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas. Under his leadership Paul Quinn has become one of the most interesting and celebrated small colleges in America. In the last eight years, the school has transformed its football field into an organic farm to fight the food desert conditions of its community; banned pork from the cafeteria; become the first urban work college in America; partnered with Marybeth Gasman of the Unviersity of Pennsylvania, Duke University, and SMU to create new academic experiences for the student body and neighborhood; been mentored by Yale University and Babson College; and created a cost of attendance model that allowed the college to reduce tuition and fees by almost $10,000 per year. “Prez” (as he is known to the students, staff, and alumni) holds degrees from Oberlin College (B.A.), Duke University (M.P.P. and J.D.), and the University of Pennsylvania Ed.D.) and is a frequent contributor to the national debate on the use of educational institutions to address the needs of America’s inner-cities. He and his wife Natalie are the proud parents of two children.