August 16, 2008
Courtesy of the Michigan State University Press.As its president from 1941 to 1969, John Hannah led Michigan State University (formerly Michigan State College) through its most explosive period of growth both in its student population and stature as an institution of higher learning. During Hannah’s long and, for the most part, successful tenure, enrollment at MSU grew from about 6,000 to just fewer than 40,000 students, scores of buildings were constructed, academic programs were upgraded and the college garnered university status.
Michigan State College: John Hannah and the Creation of a World University, 1926-1969 chronicles the transformational changes on campus during the era. The 500-page hardcover, published by Michigan State University Press, is the second in a series of three books commissioned to celebrate the university’s sesquicentennial.
Domemagazine.com had an opportunity to talk with David A. Thomas, author of the book and a 1967 MSU grad, about the project and Hannah’s influence.
When asked what he found to be most surprising to learn about Hannah, Thomas pointed to his own misperceptions.
“When I was a student there in the early ’60s, the time period when we were having student demonstrations, we were getting some young professors in and it seemed like it was their job to criticize everything that was happening in society,” said Thomas. “I had one prof who would come in [to class] with the State News and say, ‘these are some of the stupid things ‘Uncle John’ did today,’ and so I grew up in the university thinking that [Hannah] was an arrogant, controlling kind of man.
“I went into the book with these perceptions…and I found out Hannah was not controlling, he was not arrogant. There were problems, but in the long run, I think that John Hannah was very good for this university and his personality helped build MSU into what it is today.”
Part of Hannah’s personality, Thomas’ extensive research reveals, was that he was a stickler for details. He insisted that the college cast a positive reflection, and he worked to build faculty quality, construct leading research facilities and even dictate building placement and landscaping around campus to improve the college’s image.
It can be argued that a significant part of Hannah’s success in growing MSU can be attributed to this tight control of public and legislative perceptions.
“Hannah’s philosophy was that PR efforts, especially since MSU is so close to the Capitol, should be about looking good to the legislature,” explained Thomas.
“He’d wander around the Union building and when he’d find students making out in public there would be a letter in the campus publication the next day saying…‘hey, the legislators come here, your parents come here, citizens of Michigan who will contact legislators come here…’”
“The 1950s panty raids infuriated him because the publicity made the university look bad to legislators,” added Thomas. “His feeling was why should legislators approve funding for us after you guys are going out and embarrassing us?”
As with most successful leaders, Hannah also took care to surround himself with capable “lieutenants.” In the public policy arena that meant James Denison and Jack Breslin.
Denison was Hannah’s assistant and had formerly served as an aide to Michigan Governor Harry F. Kelly.
As the college prepared for the thousands of returning World War II veterans the administration expected would take advantage of the GI Bill, Hannah’s attention turned to securing legislative appropriations to build academic facilities.
In earlier decades, the college had funded building programs mainly through alumni donations, student fees and federal Public Works Administration money, but Hannah realized the State of Michigan would need to become more invested to help the school ramp up quickly.
Denison, with his experience as a gubernatorial aide and knowledge of the legislative process and personalities, was a key player in the college’s efforts to attract state funds. After construction on several buildings began, the college met resistance, with some conservative members of the legislature questioning whether the expected veteran demand for education would materialize.
Hannah’s strategy, carried out with Denison’s lobbying, was to start construction on several buildings at once. Hannah bet that lawmakers, once they saw that the buildings were started, would agree that it was a waste not to finish them.
Later in Hannah’s tenure Jack Breslin joined his team as his special assistant and, in 1961, became secretary to the Board of Trustees.
“Hannah did not approve of faculty contacting legislators directly,” said Thomas. “He had everybody go through Breslin.
“From the [university] policy standpoint…he believed in the board creating the policy but not implementing it. His team would implement policy. I think it worked until the mid-’60s, when suddenly the faculty wanted access directly to the board and to lawmakers.”
As this 1941 presentation chart reveals, Hannah’s focus at that time was on securing appropriations to improve academic facilities at the college. Courtesy of Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections.One of the most interesting chapters in the book chronicles the college’s efforts to become Michigan’s second university. The administration went to the legislature in 1949, 1951 and 1954 to plead for the name change — and failed each time. Finally in 1955, the college overcame bad timing, student apathy and intense lobbying against the effort by the University of Michigan to secure the university designation.
“Hannah had major battles with UM and the legislature — where several more members were UM grads, rather than State grads,” said Thomas. “But Hannah, the board and the students finally won.”
When starting the project, Thomas had been cautioned by some not to make Michigan State College a “PR piece” for John Hannah. He succeeded. The book is a well-researched, balanced and entertaining look at how an era played out on a U.S. campus and how a capable university leader carried out his ambitious vision for improved education and service to the land grant philosophy.
Bookworm Jean B. Eggemeyer recently formed communications and marketing firm Carillon Communications LLC, serving the business and association communities. | E-mail
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