About Michael
Michael Schneider started his first enterprise at age 7 – a museum in his bedroom. The museum ultimately closed its doors to the public. But years later one of the collections on display – namely, 36 1984 Topps Mark McGuire Olympic cards – funded Michael’s education at McPherson College, where he graduated cum laude in 1996.
Michael got his big break when the partners at Summit Catalog Company invited him to help run their company. With hard work and long hours, Michael looked up to find himself leading a company and only halfway through his 20s. He’s never looked back. His list of life adventures has included earning an MBA from the University of Denver and supporting start-ups in everything from information technology to green energy.
In 2002, Michael’s alma mater called him to return, and he made the decision to answer that invitation. Michael has moved through a list of key staff positions at McPherson College: director of career services, vice president of advancement and vice president of admissions – helping spearhead increased giving to the college and enrollment numbers now at a 40-year high.
Michael now finds himself as the youngest college president in the United States, a job he enthusiastically took on in 2009. Michael’s passionate vision to lift up liberal arts through entrepreneurship has sparked the interest and imagination of the entire campus. The concept is leading to major changes at MC.
Michael has helped college students at MC have the “Freedom to Jump” – to explore their ideas, to learn through doing and to make a difference in their world. This initiative has included the Horizon Fund, awarding micro-grants of up to $500 to students with a great idea; the Global Enterprise Challenge, which dared students to create a sustainable venture to help in Haiti – then sent a winning team to Haiti; and the transformative entrepreneurship minor, giving students the essential tools of an entrepreneur and allowing students to explore the classes that matter to them – even if it’s outside of their major.
Michael and his wife, Kandee, have two daughters, Perrin and Hayden. They remind him every day that life is more than just being a college president.
