John A. Hannah

This article is about the former president of Michigan State University. For the former American football player, see John Hannah (American football).

For other people named John Hannah, see John Hannah (disambiguation).

John A. Hannah
Hannah at a USAID ceremony in 1969
Born	(1902-10-09)October 9, 1902 Grand Rapids, Michigan
Died	February 23, 1991(1991-02-23) (aged 88)
Title	President of Michigan State University
Term	1941–1969
Signature

John Alfred Hannah (October 9, 1902 – February 23, 1991) was president of Michigan State College (later Michigan State University) for 28 years (1941–1969), making him the longest serving of MSU's presidents. He is credited with transforming the school from a regional undergraduate college into a large national research institution. After his resignation from the university, Hannah became head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Biography

A native of Grand Rapids, Hannah was most noted for expanding Michigan State from a respected regional undergraduate-oriented institution into a comprehensive national research university, and for helping to get Michigan State into the Big Ten Conference. He was also the first chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. ^[1]

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 veterans 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 new residence 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. ^[2]

1. "Civil Rights Commission report from 1960". Columbia Law Review. JSTOR   1120048.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
2. Heineman, Kenneth J. (1993). Campus Wars: The Peace Movement at American State Universities in the Vietnam Era. New York: New York University Press. p. 21. ISBN   0-8147-3512-6.
3. Kuhn, Madison. (1955). Michigan State: The First Hundred Years, 1855–1955. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press. p. 471. ISBN   0-87013-222-9.
4. "Buildings & Structures". OU-Main-Page. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
5. • Ernst, John (1998). Forging a Fateful Alliance: Michigan State University and the Vietnam War. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press. pp. 131–134. ISBN   0-87013-478-7.
6. "John A. Hannah Distinguished Professors". Michigan State University. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
7. "Sculpture honoring former MSU President Hannah unveiled". Michigan State University Division of University Relations. Archived from the original on 2006-12-14. Retrieved 2006-12-09.
8. Anderson, Kristin K. (2004-09-17). "Ceremony pays tribute to 'pragmatic visionary'". MSU Today. Archived from the original on 2007-07-02. Retrieved 2008-03-18.

External links

• International developmental assistance : a statement by the Task Force on International Developmental Assistance and International Education, National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, John A. Hannah, Ira L. Baldwin, et al., International Programs Office, National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC), January 1969

John A. Hannah
4th Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
In office 1969–1973

Academic offices
Preceded by Robert S. Shaw	President of Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science 1941–1955	Succeeded by Himself
Preceded by Himself	President of Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science 1955–1964	Succeeded by Himself
Preceded by Himself	President of Michigan State University 1964–1969	Succeeded by Walter Adams
Political offices
Preceded by Agency Founded	Chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights 1958–1969	Succeeded by Theodore M. Hesburgh