Dr. Craig Morgan of Huntington, West Virginia, made a $10,000 gift to establish the scholarship in honor of his father Dr. Willard Morgan, Professor Emeritus of Education Administration & Counseling, of Cape Girardeau.
Dr. CraigMorgan says he is pleased to be able to honor his father and acknowledge his service to the University through this scholarship, adding he hopes his support through this scholarship will encourage graduate students atSoutheast Missouri State who share the passions and interests that both he and his father have pursued throughout their lives.
The renewable scholarship will be awarded to a graduate student enrolled at Southeast Missouri State University who has been accepted into the graduate assistant program in the Department of Athletics (preference for football), College of Education or College of Science, Technology and Agriculture.
The Graduate Studies Scholarship Committee will select the recipient through an interview process. First preference will be given to a student with a Christian affiliation. Second preference will go to an active duty military service member, guardsman or reserve member, or an honorably discharged military veteran. Recipients must have a minimum 2.0 grade point average.
Dr. Willard Morgan:
Dr. Willard Morgan joined the faculty of Southeast Missouri State University in 1963. During his 28-year tenure, he served in many roles, including coordinator of student teaching, professor of educational administration, director of school services, dean of Continuing Education, director of summer sessions, and coordinator of the specialist program. Under his leadership, more than $2 million in funding for the University and area public schools was garnered for various programs unique to the region, state or nation.
Dr. Willard Morgan was the recipient of many honors, including the first Service to Secondary Education Award presented by the Missouri Association of Secondary Principals and the Distinguished Service to Education Award given by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. In addition, he was appointed to membership on the National Association of Secondary School Principals Committee of Professors of Secondary School Administration and Supervisors. He was the only faculty member at Southeast to be selected as a member of this prestigious committee.
He was a graduate of Crete Community High School, where he was the first four-sport athlete in the schools history and captain of the schools first football team. He earned his bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, lettering in football and baseball. Both his masters degree and his doctorate were earned at the University of Wyoming. In addition, he served in the Army during the Korean Conflict and, after separation, served in the Wyoming National Guard and the Active Reserves until his honorable discharge at the rank of Captain in 1968.
Dr. Willard Morgan is enjoying his retirement concentrating on traveling, fishing and lawn work. He married the former Diane Biddison in June 1954, and they have three children and seven grandchildren.
Dr. Craig Morgan:
Dr. Craig Morgan is the son of Dr. Willard and Diane Morgan. He was born in Laramie, Wyoming, and raised in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where he graduated from Cape Central High School in 1973. From 1973-1977, he attended Southeast Missouri State University, andgraduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in pre-medical education.
Throughout his high school and college careers, Dr. Craig Morgan excelled in both academics and athletics. At Southeast Missouri State, his extracurricular activities includedparticipation in academic organizations such as the American Chemical Societyas well asplaying on the varsity football team. He graduated asvaledictorian of his graduating class, and his academic success at Southeast was furtheracknowledged in Whos Who Among American Colleges and University Students, as member of the Tri Beta Biological Honor Society and asrecipient of Cardinal Key, Southeasts former honors fraternity.
Dr. Craig Morgan went on to receive a medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine where he graduated second in his class in 1981. He completed his ophthalmology training throughan internship with Presbyterian Hospital of Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, a residency at University of California San Francisco and a fellowship at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Craig Morgan is an ophthalmologist in Huntington, West Virginia, who specializes in the treatment of retinal disorders. In addition to his medical practice at Eye Consultants of Huntington, he has been ordained as a pastor at Christ Temple Church in Huntington, where he lives with his wife Rhonda Morgan. He has dedicated his life to serving God through both his personal and professional life.