University Organizational Chart
Michael Behnke
Vice President and Dean of College Enrollment
Michael Behnke
1101 E. 58th St.
Chicago, IL 60637
Ph: 773.702.8695
Michael Behnke is Vice President and Dean of College Enrollment. Behnke came to Chicago in 1997 to oversee the increase in the size of the entering class and expand awareness of the University of Chicago among talented prospective students. He has direct responsibility for the offices of College Admissions and College Aid. He also regularly convenes those responsible for admissions in all the Divisions and Schools in order to share experiences and plan improvements. He is the University Assembly Representative to the Consortium on Financing Higher Education. In that role, he coordinates campus research to identify academic and programmatic areas that need improvement.
Behnke received a B.A with Honors from Amherst College and an M.A. in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania. Before coming to Chicago, Behnke served as Dean of Admissions at MIT for twelve years. Prior to MIT, he served as Dean of Admissions at Tufts University for ten years and as Associate Dean of Admissions at Amherst College for five years. During his years at Amherst, he was also a Lecturer in American Studies and served for one year as Dean of Freshmen. Mr. Behnke has also taught history and mathematics on the secondary school level, in the Upward Bound Program, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Other administrative assignments have been as Education Director of the Northern Educational Service, a community action agency, and as Founder/Director of the Hillhouse Day Camp for Creative Arts.
Behnke has served twice as a Trustee of the College Entrance Examination Board and recently completed a term as Chair of the College Board’s Guidance and Admissions Assembly. Since 1989, he has served as a consultant for the Overseas Schools Project sponsored by the US Department of State. In that capacity, he has traveled to many foreign countries to give presentations on higher education in the United States. Behnke also serves as Chair of the Advisory Committee on Enrollment Management for the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. He was the higher education admissions representative to the National Education Goals Advisory Group on Standards and has been involved in several other education reform groups on the national and state level.
Behnke is married to Lee Behnke, Lecturer and Director of the Undergraduate Latin Program and of the Core Sequence in Human Being and Citizen.