Papers of William E. Morgan

William E. "Bill" Morgan, served as the 8th president of Colorado State University from 1949 to 1969. He earned his B.S. in 1930 from Texas A & M College, his M.S. in 1933 from the University of California, and spent 1939-1940 at Harvard University on a Rockefeller Scholarship. Previous to his appointment as president at Colorado State, Morgan served as an agricultural economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, professor of Economics at the University of Texas, extension economist at Texas A & M College, and president of Arkansas A & M College.

William Morgan was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 30, 1909, and spent much of his childhood working on his family's ranch. He enrolled at Texas A & M College with the intention of becoming a cattle breeder, but soon developed a keen interest in the field of agricultural economics. After earning his B.S. degree in agricultural administration in 1930, he accepted a position as assistant registrar at his alma mater.

Morgan entered the graduate program in agricultural economics at the University of California at Berkeley, earning his M.S. in 1933. After earning his master's degree, he returned to his former position at Texas A & M and he married Lilla Bryan in 1933. They soon left Texas A & M following an invitation for Morgan to become an agricultural economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While in Washington, D.C., Lilla gave birth to their daughter, Dorcas Murray (nee Morgan) in 1934. Morgan accepted a position at the University of Texas as professor in economics in 1935 and moved on to a post with the Extension Service at Texas A & M in 1936, which he held until 1946. His son Bryan was born in 1937. After several years, he accepted a Rockefeller Scholarship that allowed him to attend Harvard University from 1939 to 1940.

Morgan held an army reserve commission and in 1941 he was ordered to report for active duty in the Army Air Corps. His military service included duty in Washington and later the China-Burma-India Theater. After his active duty assignment ended in 1946 he returned briefly to Texas A & M, left to pursue a private business undertaking, and then accepted the position as president of Arkansas A & M College.

Taking a leave of absence, in August 1948 Morgan joined the Food and Agricultural Section of the European Recovery Program in Paris, France as Deputy Chief for the Marshall Plan. Morgan accepted the position as president of Colorado A & M in 1949.

Morgan was an experienced administrator, with knowledge of land-grant higher education and a solid background as an agricultural economist. The most pressing problem confronting him when he assumed office was the task of finding adequate income to support the college's operations. He understood that future difficulties could be averted only by long-term planning. Enrollment projections, physical plant requirements, contemplated programs, and fiscal needs were among the matters that received his attention. Morgan met this challenge by actively seeking federally sponsored contracts and grants and promoting a strong graduate program in carefully defined fields.

Soon the name of Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College no longer adequately conveyed the school's true function and mission. Under Morgan's leadership, effective May 1, 1957, Colorado A & M became Colorado State University.

His concept of campus planning resulted in the emergence of a vastly expanded modern campus, transforming the institution into a bona fide university. Moreover, his political skill in dealing with the legislature and in promoting cooperation among the state's institutions of higher learning, his grasp of the importance of contracts and grants research, and his courageous stand in securing a proper library for the school were all reflections of strong and able leadership.

During the late 1960s, campus unrest--focusing on student rights, civil rights, and Vietnam War opposition--became a major institutional issue. Weary of pressures related to the student power movement, Morgan retired as president effective June 1969.

In addition to his academic appointments, Morgan held various leadership positions in both federal and higher education organizations, including: chairman of the Economics Research Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Agriculture (1952-1960); commissioner, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (1956-1972); member, Board of Visitors to the Air University, U.S. Air Force (1959-1961); member, Agricultural Advisory Committee, W.K. Kellogg Foundation (1961-1967); director, president and chairman of the Executive Committee of Associated Rocky Mountain Universities, Inc. (1963-1967); director, Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (1966-1996).

Bill and Lilla Morgan remained active in cultural and civic endeavors, providing Colorado State University and cultural organizations with endowments and funding. Lilla Morgan died on August 16, 1991. William E. Morgan died on March 17, 2005, at the age of 95.