04/28/2026
Sharon Ann Murphy, Ph.D., of the Providence College Department of History and Classics has been awarded a 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.
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.
This year, Murphy also was selected to receive the Faculty Service Award, recognizing exceptional dedication to Providence College. She 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 by history majors. 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.
Her books, Banking on Slavery: Financing Southern Expansion in the Antebellum United States, Other People’s Money: How Banking Worked in the Early American Republic, and Investing in Life: Insurance in Antebellum America, have received numerous awards as well.
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