President’s Office

Community by Design 2.0

The McPherson College culture is integrated into four strategic initiatives in the 2024-2034 Strategic Plan: Academic Program Growth Mindset, East McPherson, Wellness and Inclusion, and $1B Endowment.

Read more about these initiatives on the Strategic Plan page.

“How do we give liberal arts value? We’re going to lift it up through the entrepreneurial mindset, because we want our graduates to be enterprising and perceptive.” – President Michael Schneider

McPherson College believes the classic concept of liberal arts is intimately tied to the modern idea of entrepreneurship and strives to weave the concepts of entrepreneurship across the curriculum and student life, regardless of a student’s chosen major.

This idea transcends any one department, giving students the room to experiment and explore – while still landing on their feet. McPherson College students discover that the only failure is the failure to learn.

Michael Schneider started his first enterprise at age 7 – a museum in his bedroom. The museum ultimately closed its doors to the public. But years later, one of the collections on display – namely, (36) 1984 Topps Mark McGwire Olympic rookie cards – helped fund Michael’s education at McPherson College, where he graduated with honors in 1996.

Michael got his early career break when the partners at Summit Publishing invited him to run the company. Only halfway through his 20s, he found himself leading a company into the electronic commerce era. His list of life adventures has included earning an MBA from the University of Denver, a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, and supporting start-ups in everything from information technology to green energy.

In 2002, Michael answered the call to return to his alma mater. Advancing quickly through several key administrative positions, he helped spearhead growth to all-time highs in both charitable giving and enrollment. McPherson College also boasts one of the largest endowments of any private college in Kansas. When Michael was named president in 2009, he was one of the youngest college presidents in the United States.

Michael’s passionate vision to lift up liberal arts through an entrepreneurial mindset has sparked the imagination of the entire campus. McPherson’s commitment to debt-free education and post-graduation placement rates is an important part of the student experience. During his tenure, job and graduate school placement rates have led the nation, while average debt per student at graduation is the lowest of any four-year college in Kansas. With niche degree programs such as automotive restoration and rural healthcare management, McPherson is reinventing itself as a significant contributor in higher education. McPherson College garnered recent notoriety for having a student-restored 1953 Mercedes Benz accepted into the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance, the most prestigious car show in the world, and for securing a $500 million endowment commitment, which is the largest commitment to a small, private college in the United States. One of Michael’s favorite accomplishments is McPherson College being named in the Chronicle of Higher Education as a “Great College to Work For,” with honor roll recognition in more categories than any other college in the country.

Since becoming president, Michael has served the higher education community as board chair of the Associated Colleges of Central Kansas, Kansas Campus Compact, and Kansas Independent College Association; as executive committee member of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; and as national advisory board member for Future Business Leaders of America and Distributive Education Clubs of America.

Michael and his wife Kandee have two daughters, Hayden and Perrin, and a blue 1966 Pontiac named Ruth.