As a first-generation student with children, Murphy developed a passion for creating graduate learning environments where all students can thrive. After serving as associate academic dean for STEM fields at Arcadia University College of Global Studies, Murphy joined Princeton Graduate School in 2013 as associate dean for academic affairs and became associate dean in 2020. Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Murphy said he sees many significant similarities between BC and Princeton. “BC, like Princeton, is known for its reputation as a liberal arts university. Additionally, BC, like Princeton, is an R1 institution; It is the highest Carnegie classification for research activity. “It is therefore vital that we showcase BC’s strengths across the spectrum of teaching and research, and Morrissey College stands as a prime example of this.”

Having been raised Catholic (his first paying job was working in a church rectory), Murphy finds that Jesuit, BC’s Catholic mission, and MCGS resonate with him.

“A Boston College education is a mission-driven education,” he said. “You are taught to find the value in thinking about how your work impacts the greater good and the wider world. “This applies to both the undergraduate and graduate experience: we want BC students to see the bigger picture in the work they do because research helps drive positive change.”

Financial support for students continues to be a key focus area for MCGS, which aims to offer benefits and salaries similar to peer institutions, along with health and wellness, sick/vacation time and parental leave, among others, according to Murphy.

“We appreciate the investment and commitment these students have made to BC and want to give back,” he said. “Graduate students use the tuition discount and scholarship they receive from BC to support themselves and, in some cases, their families. We are keen to enable them to live locally during their stay at Morrissey College. “BC values ​​in-person learning and scholarships because they help students complete their degrees on time and also create friendships and connections for our students.”

Additionally, Murphy said MCGS is committed to providing “more holistic support” to its students, considering their academic, financial and social needs and preparing them to use their degrees in a wide variety of careers.

“Academic advising is an important component of graduate education. It is also important that students have access to mentors inside and outside academia who can support them as they consider their next steps after graduate school and design a career path. We also need to provide graduate students with resources that support them as students, teachers, and scholars who often balance classroom learning and teaching with independent research.

“The experience of graduate students is a little different than that of undergraduates, but they want to feel a connection to the larger campus community; they want to know how to find resources and they also want to make friendships. BC has Murray House and MCGS to provide support and enrichment to graduate student life.” “We are lucky.”

Murphy earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in chemistry from Ursinus College. He completed his doctoral work in chemistry at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with Professors Thomas J. Meyer and Holden Thorp; where he was a Graduate Assistant Fellow in National Areas of Need and a member of the Frank Porter Graham Honor Society. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in biochemistry at Duke University. He is a highly respected speaker in higher education and a member of many leading national organizations.