Michael B. Poliakoff is an American academic and educator who serves as president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), a non-profit organization with a stated mission of advancing academic quality, academic freedom, accountability, and affordability at colleges and universities in the United States. [1]
Poliakoff spent his childhood in New Jersey before enrolling at Yale University, where he was on the wrestling team. He graduated magna cum laude with an undergraduate degree in classical studies in 1975. He then went on to attend the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, where he earned Class I Honours in Literae humaniores. He then earned his Ph.D. in classical studies from the University of Michigan. [2] [3]
Poliakoff began his career as an assistant professor at Wellesley College before becoming a professor at Hillsdale College, where he founded the classics department and served as its chair. [4]
In 1992, Poliakoff left full-time teaching to work at the National Endowment for the Humanities, although he continued to serve as a visiting or adjunct faculty member at George Washington University, Georgetown University, and George Mason University over the course of his career.
Poliakoff has held numerous positions throughout his career, including Deputy Secretary for Postsecondary and Higher Education at the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Director of the Division of Education Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research at University of Colorado System.
In 2010, Poliakoff joined the American Council of Trustees and Alumni as Vice President of Policy. In 2016, Poliakoff succeeded Anne D. Neal, becoming the organization's third president. [5]