Quick Facts
Biography
Stuart S. Nagel (August 29, 1934 – November 18, 2001) was an American academic. A Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, he is notable for having coined the terms "super-optimizing" and "win-win analysis" and advancing the boundaries of policy studies.
Early life and education
Born in West Rogers Park, a neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, Nagel attended Senn High School and Central YMCA High School in Chicago.
He completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at Northwestern University, receiving a law degree in 1958 and a Ph.D. in political science in 1961.
Career
Death and legacy
After Nagel's unexpected death, age 67, the Policy Studies Journal published, in 2003, a series of articles about Nagel's personal and academic life, entitled "Symposium in Honor of Stuart S. Nagel".
On September 13, 2007, University of Illinois Professor Robert Weissberg wrote in an essay, ""The Hidden Impact of Political Correctness", that Nagel committed suicide partially because of an anonymous accusation of racism and workplace violence that resulted in an internal investigation and two federal trials. Despite such claims in the Weissberg article, no such allegations ever appeared in any of the lawsuits filed by Nagel or appeared before any committee reviewing his case. Nagel died not long after being removed as an officer of the Policy Studies Organization, which he founded.