Michael Birkner

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Michael Birkner |image = |office = President of the Pennsylvania Historical Association |term_start = 2014 |term_end = 2016 |predecessor = Kenneth C. Wolensky |successor = Allen Dieterich-Ward |birth_name = |birth_date = |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |party = |spouse = |children = |education = Gettysburg College (BA)<br>{{nowrap|University of Virginia (MA)}} |blank1 = Institutions |data1 = Gettysburg College |website = {{URL|https://www.gettysburg.edu/|Official website}} }} '''Michael J. Birkner''' is an American academic and author. He served as the Benjamin Franklin Chair of Liberal Arts at Gettysburg College from 2001 to 2016 and has taught at the school since 1989.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gettysburg.edu/academic-programs/history/faculty/employee_detail.dot?empId=02000174320013342&pageTitle=Michael+J.+Birkner|title=Michael J. Birkner, Gettysburg College|access-date=November 23, 2020|publisher=Gettysburg College}}</ref> Birkner is recognized for his biographies of presidents James Buchanan and Dwight Eisenhower. He served as the President of the Pennsylvania Historical Association from 2014 to 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pa-history.org/about/leadership/past-officers/|title=Officers since 1933 (PA History)|access-date=November 23, 2020|publisher= PA History}}</ref> Birkner announced his retirement from teaching at Gettysburg College in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prieto |first=Ella |date=2025-12-09 |title=Professor Michael Birkner ’72 Retires After 38 Years at Gettysburg College |url=https://gettysburgian.com/2025/12/professor-michael-birkner-to-retire-after-38-years-at-gettysburg-college/ |access-date=2025-12-16 |website=The Gettysburgian. |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Education and Career == alt=aerial view of gettysburg college campus|thumb|Gettysburg College, where Birkner taught for 38 years Michael Birkner entered Gettysburg College in 1968 where he studied history and served as the editor-in-chief of ''The Gettysburgian'', the college's student newspaper.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prieto |first=Ella |date=2025-12-09 |title=Professor Michael Birkner ’72 Retires After 38 Years at Gettysburg College |url=https://gettysburgian.com/2025/12/professor-michael-birkner-to-retire-after-38-years-at-gettysburg-college/ |access-date=2025-12-16 |website=The Gettysburgian. |language=en-US}}</ref> He graduated with a BA from Gettysburg College in 1972 and went on to earn his MA and PHD in American history from the University of Virginia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prieto |first=Ella |date=2025-12-09 |title=Professor Michael Birkner ’72 Retires After 38 Years at Gettysburg College |url=https://gettysburgian.com/2025/12/professor-michael-birkner-to-retire-after-38-years-at-gettysburg-college/ |access-date=2025-12-16 |website=The Gettysburgian. |language=en-US}}</ref>

Birkner returned to Gettysburg College in 1989 where he served as a professor of history. There he served as the Benjamin Franklin Professor of Liberal Arts from 2001 to 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Michael J. Birkner - History - Gettysburg College |url=https://www.gettysburg.edu/academic-programs/history/faculty/employee_detail.dot?empId=02000174320013342 |access-date=2025-12-16 |website=www.gettysburg.edu}}</ref> After 38 years of teaching at Gettysburg College, Birkner announced his retirement in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prieto |first=Ella |date=2025-12-09 |title=Professor Michael Birkner ’72 Retires After 38 Years at Gettysburg College |url=https://gettysburgian.com/2025/12/professor-michael-birkner-to-retire-after-38-years-at-gettysburg-college/ |access-date=2025-12-16 |website=The Gettysburgian. |language=en-US}}</ref>

Outside of teaching Birkner served as the editorial page editor and chief editorial writer for New Hampshire's ''Concord Monitor'' in the 1980s. He has also written and contributed to many books including “The Governors of New Jersey: Biographical Essays” (2013), A Country Place No More: The Transformation of Bergenfield, New Jersey, 1894-1994 (1994), a book on the history of Gettysburg College's campus in 2006, multiple volumes on President James Buchanan and a variety of books on Dwight Eisenhower and his family including “Encounters With Eisenhower” (2015) and "Eisenhower’s Gettysburg Farm (Images of America)" (2017).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Michael J. Birkner - History - Gettysburg College |url=https://www.gettysburg.edu/academic-programs/history/faculty/employee_detail.dot?empId=02000174320013342 |access-date=2025-12-16 |website=www.gettysburg.edu}}</ref> He also worked twice on the Pulitzer Prize jury for History, including as a jury chair in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prieto |first=Ella |date=2025-12-09 |title=Professor Michael Birkner ’72 Retires After 38 Years at Gettysburg College |url=https://gettysburgian.com/2025/12/professor-michael-birkner-to-retire-after-38-years-at-gettysburg-college/ |access-date=2025-12-16 |website=The Gettysburgian. |language=en-US}}</ref>

== References == <references />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birkner, Michael}} Category:American academic administrators Category:American male non-fiction writers Category:Gettysburg College faculty Category:Gettysburg College alumni Category:University of Virginia alumni Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)