Phillip Brian Harper

Phillip Brian Harper is program director for Higher Learning at Mellon, overseeing initiatives undertaken by colleges, universities, and organizations in higher education committed to the humanities and social justice.

Previously, Phil was dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Science at New York University. While at NYU, he also served as the chair or director in four different departments and programs. A literary scholar and cultural critic, Phil has written extensively on twentieth- and twenty-first-century American and African American fiction, and on aspects of lived experience in the contemporary United States. In addition to publishing numerous articles, he has authored four books.

Phil has furthered the work of the Modern Language Association as a member of the advisory boards for the journals PMLA and Profession, and as member and chair of the James Russell Lowell Book Prize Committee. He has served on the editorial boards of American Literature, Camera Obscura, GLQ, Postmodern Culture, and Social Text.

He holds a BA from the University of Michigan, as well as an MFA in creative writing and an MA and PhD in English from Cornell University.