History professor Sharon Ann Murphy awarded prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship
By Chris Machado
Sharon Ann Murphy, Ph.D., professor of history and a member of the Providence College faculty since 2005, has been awarded a 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation — one of the most distinguished honors bestowed on scholars and artists in the United States and Canada.
Murphy, who also serves as director of the college’s signature Development of Western Civilization Program, was among 223 individuals selected as members of the 101st class of Guggenheim Fellows from nearly 5,000 applicants.
“There are so many amazing scholars and artists whom I greatly admire among the former recipients,” said Murphy. “It is a tremendous honor to be included on that list, but it is also a great obligation. I want to make sure that this next project lives up to the expectations of the fellowship.”
Murphy will use the fellowship to support her book project, Doing Business in the Public Interest, during a full‑year sabbatical in the 2027–28 academic year. The project examines early 20th‑century American corporations — particularly life insurance companies — that challenged the emerging concept of shareholder primacy by pursuing policies they believed served the broader public good. Her research traces the evolution of corporate governance and corporate responsibility. In addition to the book, Murphy plans to develop several scholarly articles related to the project.
“For scholars trying to maintain an active research agenda while carrying a heavy teaching load, the freedom to devote sustained time to research and writing is invaluable,” Murphy said. “Fellowships like the Guggenheim are essential. Being able to take a full year off from teaching will allow me to complete a significant portion of this project.”
Thomas Smith, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said Murphy’s selection is a testament to the originality and relevance of her scholarship.
“Her work connects deep research to questions that continue to shape public life today,” Smith said. “This recognition is richly deserved, and we are immensely proud of her achievement.”
The Guggenheim Fellowship was established in 1925 by U.S. Senator Simon Guggenheim and Olga Guggenheim in memory of their son, John Simon Guggenheim. Since its founding, the foundation has awarded nearly $450 million to more than 19,000 Fellows, including more than 125 Nobel laureates and many of the world’s most influential scholars, scientists, writers, and artists.
Murphy also was selected to receive the Faculty Service Award, recognizing exceptional dedication to the college, for 2026. Murphy serves on numerous college-wide and department committees, mentors junior faculty, and is a dedicated advisor to students, including as the primary director for senior honors theses in the Department of History and Classics. In the last three years, she has been president of the Business History Conference, associate editor of the peer-reviewed journal Enterprise & Society: The International Journal of Business History, and served as soccer coach for several middle and high school teams.
More about Sharon Ann Murphy
- Author of Banking on Slavery: Financing Southern Expansion in the Antebellum United States (University of Chicago Press, 2023), Other People’s Money: How Banking Worked in the Early American Republic (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017), and Investing in Life: Insurance in Antebellum America (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010).
- Recipient of the SHEAR Book Prize, the Kemper and Leila Williams Prize in Louisiana History, the Ralph Gomory Prize, the Bennett H. Wall Award, and the Hagley Prize for her books.
- Has taught courses that include Marketing Campaigns in U.S. History, c. 1850-present; The Business of Race: People of Color as Entrepreneurs & Consumers in U.S. History (1870-present); and Panics and Depressions U.S. History, 1789-present.
- Former fellow with the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the American Antiquarian Society.
- Associate editor of the Enterprise & Society journal, member of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic, and a member of the American Historical Association Committee on Affiliated Societies.
