Biography
Michael R. Fein is Dean of the John Hazen White College of Arts & Sciences at Johnson & Wales University and Professor of History. Since joining the university in 2007, he has supported the development of academic programs that integrate the liberal arts with applied, career-relevant learning, helping students build the knowledge, skills, and adaptability needed for long-term professional success.
As a historian, Fein’s research focuses on 19th- and 20th-century American political history, public policy, transportation, and infrastructure. He has taught courses in American history, government and politics, cultural history, and critical thinking, and is the author of several scholarly publications on American transportation politics and public policy.
Before joining JWU, Fein taught at Babson College and Brandeis University and served as a research associate at Harvard Business School. He was also awarded a Crown Fellowship at Brandeis University and a Fellowship in Contemporary History, Public Policy, and American Politics from the Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.
Education
PhD, Brandeis University
American History
MA, Brandeis University
American History
BA, Columbia University
History
Fellow in Contemporary History, Public Policy, and American Politics
Miller Center for Public Affairs University of Virginia
Crown Fellowship
Brandeis University
Fein, M. (2019). The Tvs of Tomorrow: How RCA’s Flat-Screen Dreams Led to the First Lcds.
Oxford University Press Oxford, UK.
Fein, M. (2018). Getting Out of the Mud: The Alabama Good Roads Movement and Highway Administration, 1898–1928 by Martin T. Olliff. (Journal Article).
Journal of Southern History, 84(4), 1028–1029.
Fein, M. (2015). Tammy Ingram. Dixie Highway: Road Building and the Making of the Modern South, 1900–1930..
Oxford University Press.
Fein, M. (2014). Christopher W. Wells. Car Country: An Environmental History..
Oxford University Press.
Fein, M. (2014). Realignment: Highways and livability policy in the post-interstate era, 1978–2013. (Journal Article).
Journal of Urban History, 40(5), 855–869.
Fein, M. (2013). States of Disrepair: Authority, Conflict, and Connectivity in the Age of Infrastructure.
Sage Publications Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA.
Fein, M. (2012). Crossing under the Hudson: The Story of the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels.
ORGANIZATION AMER HISTORIANS 112 N BRYAN ST, BLOOMINGTON, IN 47408 USA.
Fein, M. (2012). Highway under the Hudson: A History of the Holland Tunnel.
Oxford University Press.
Fein, M. (2012). The King’s Best Highway: The Lost History of the Boston Post Road, the Route that Made America. (Journal Article).
Technology and Culture, 53(2), 484–486.
Fein, M. (2012). Tunnel Vision: “Invisible” Highways and Boston’s “Big Dig” in the Age of Privatization. (Journal Article).
Journal of Planning History, 11(1), 47–69.
Fein, M. (2009). A Political Turn: Highways and Mass Transit in American Mobility History. (Journal Article).
Mobility in History, 1, 117–22.
Fein, M. (2009). The Highway Revolution, 1895–1925: How the United States Got Out of the Mud. (Journal Article).
Technology and Culture, 50(2), 488–489.
Fein, M. (2008). Paving the way: New York road building and the American State, 1880-1956. (Book).
University Press of Kansas.
Fein, M. (2007). New York State Road Networks and the Transformation of American Federalism. (Journal Article).
Road History: Planning, Building and Use, 63–75.
Fein, M. (2003). Public works: New York road building and the American state, 1880–1956. (Book).
Brandeis University.
Moss, D. & Fein, M. (2003). Radio regulation revisited: Coase, the FCC, and the public interest. (Journal Article).
Journal of Policy History, 15(4), 389–416.
Faculty Leadership Program (FLiP), ““Academic Leadership Pathways”,” Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI. (2025).
2025 NACE Competency Symposium, ““Designing a Scalable, Competency-Based Curriculum”,” National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE). (2025).
New England Commission of Higher Education Annual Meeting, ““Integrating Integrative Learning at Johnson & Wales University,” New Models of General Education,” New England Commission of Higher Education, Boston, MA. (2019).