- John A. Hannah
John Alfred Hannah (1902-1991) was president of Michigan State College (later Michigan State University) for 28 years, making him the longest serving of MSU's presidents. He is credited with transforming the school from a little-known, regional agricultural college into a world-class research institution. After his resignation from the university, Hannah became head of the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID). [cite web | url = http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Torture/Hidden_Terrors_5.html | title= Hidden Terrors Part 5 | last = Langguth | first = A.J | accessdate = 2008-03-18]Life
A native of
Grand Rapids , Hannah was most noted for expanding Michigan State from a respected regional undergraduate-oriented institution into a comprehensive nationalresearch university , and for helping to get Michigan State into theBig Ten Conference . He was also the first chairman of theUnited States Commission on Civil Rights .cite web |url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0010-1958%28196005%2960%3A5%3C755%3AROTUSC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-J&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage |title=Civil Rights Commission report from 1960 |accessdate=2008-03-18 |publisher=Columbia Law Review]Hannah became president of Michigan State College in 1941. He thus began the largest expansion in the school's history, with the help of the 1945 G.I. Bill, which helped
World War II veteran s get an education. During this time the university grew by leaps and bounds to accommodate an ever-growing influx of students. One of Hannah's strategies was to build a newresidence hall , enroll enough students to fill it, and use the income to start construction on a new dormitory. Under Hannah's plan, enrollment increased from 15,000 in 1950 to 38,000 in 1965.cite book | author=Heineman, Kenneth J. | title=Campus Wars: The Peace Movement at American State Universities in the Vietnam Era | location=New York | publisher=New York University Press | year=1993 | id=ISBN 0-8147-3512-6 | pages=p. 21]By 1969, Vietnam-era protests had completely reshaped the university. Much of the controversy surrounded Hannah and the University's involvement in Vietnam with the Michigan State University Group (MSUG). Hannah was accused of being responsible for allowing the CIA to involve itself in MSUG, which many believed corrupted the pure intentions of the project. [* cite book | last = Ernst | first = John | title = Forging a Fateful Alliance: Michigan State University and the Vietnam War | publisher = Michigan State University Press | date = 1998 | location = East Lansing | isbn = 0-87013-478-7 | pages = pp. 131-134] Hannah resigned to become the head of USAID, and today these transgressions are generally overlooked. On September 17, 2004, MSU dedicated a bronze statue of Hannah in front of his namesake administration building.cite web |url=http://newsroom.msu.edu/site/indexer/2131/content.htm |title=Sculpture honoring former MSU President Hannah unveiled |accessdate=2006-12-09 |publisher=Michigan State University Division of University Relations ]
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