Complex sentence: Educated at the Phillips Exeter Academy, he graduated in 1975; four years later he graduated from the University of Virginia; receiving his M.A. in history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1982, he earned his Ph.D. in 1989.
Split into simpler sentences: Educated at the Phillips Exeter Academy, he graduated in 1975; four years later he graduated from the University of Virginia. Receiving his M.A. in history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1982, he earned his Ph.D. in 1989.