Michael Fein


Staff College of Arts & Sciences Providence

Biography and Expertise

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

MA
Brandeis University

BA
Columbia University

Fellow in Contemporary History, Public Policy, and American Politics
Miller Center for Public Affairs University of Virginia

Crown Fellowship
Brandeis University

Fein, M.
The Tvs of Tomorrow: How RCA’s Flat-Screen Dreams Led to the First Lcds
Oxford University Press Oxford, UK

Fein, M.
Getting Out of the Mud: The Alabama Good Roads Movement and Highway Administration, 1898–1928 by Martin T. Olliff
Journal of Southern History
84
4
1028–1029

Fein, M.
Tammy Ingram. Dixie Highway: Road Building and the Making of the Modern South, 1900–1930.
Oxford University Press

Fein, M.
Christopher W. Wells. Car Country: An Environmental History.
Oxford University Press

Fein, M.
Realignment: Highways and livability policy in the post-interstate era, 1978–2013
Journal of Urban History
40
5
855–869

Fein, M.
States of Disrepair: Authority, Conflict, and Connectivity in the Age of Infrastructure
Sage Publications Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA

Fein, M.
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.
Highway under the Hudson: A History of the Holland Tunnel
Oxford University Press

Fein, M.
The King’s Best Highway: The Lost History of the Boston Post Road, the Route that Made America
Technology and Culture
53
2
484–486

Fein, M.
Tunnel Vision: “Invisible” Highways and Boston’s “Big Dig” in the Age of Privatization
Journal of Planning History
11
1
47–69

Fein, M.
A Political Turn: Highways and Mass Transit in American Mobility History
Mobility in History
1
117–22

Fein, M.
The Highway Revolution, 1895–1925: How the United States Got Out of the Mud
Technology and Culture
50
2
488–489

Fein, M.
Paving the way: New York road building and the American State, 1880-1956
University Press of Kansas

Fein, M.
New York State Road Networks and the Transformation of American Federalism
Road History: Planning, Building and Use
63–75

Fein, M.
Public works: New York road building and the American state, 1880–1956
Brandeis University

Moss, D. & Fein, M.
Radio regulation revisited: Coase, the FCC, and the public interest
Journal of Policy History
15
4
389–416

“Academic Leadership Pathways”
Panel Presentation
Faculty Leadership Program (FLiP)
Roger Williams University
Bristol
RI

“Designing a Scalable, Competency-Based Curriculum”
Panel Presentation
2025 NACE Competency Symposium
National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE)
virtual

“Integrating Integrative Learning at Johnson & Wales University,” New Models of General Education
Panel Presentation
New England Commission of Higher Education Annual Meeting
New England Commission of Higher Education
Boston
MA