Since its creation in 1890 as a result of the Morrill Act, 17 individuals have held the title of President at Oklahoma State University, which was known as Oklahoma A&M College until 1957.
Robert Barker
(1891-1894)
Barker, A&M's first president, served from 1891-1894. He established the first academic departments, including Agriculture. In heavily Democratic Oklahoma, he was dismissed for Republican leanings. |
Henry E. Alvord
(1894-1895)
Appointed president of A&M and director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, Alvord left in 1895 to head up the Dairy Division of the Bureau of Animal Industry in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. |
Edmund D. Murdaugh
(January-June 1895)
Murdaugh established the college's press bureau. He resigned over differences of opinion regarding Experiment Station operations. |
George E. Morrow
(1895-1899)
Having gained a national reputation for supporting development of the Magruder Plots, Morrow resigned for health reasons and died a year later. |
 Angelo C. Scott
(1899-1908)
After a stint as U.S. Commissioner for the Oklahoma Territory, Scott taught English and Literature at A&M, wrote the school's first fight song, and planned Morrill Hall. |
 John H. Connell
(1908-1914)
Connell was named president after teaching agriculture at Texas A&M. Here, he launched the Agricultural Extension Service and extension programs. |
 James W. Cantwell
(1915-1921)
Cantwell believed students came first and supported new student organizations. He also encouraged officer training programs as World War I escalated and vocational retraining for combat veterans. |
 James B. Eskridge
(1921-1923)
The first A&M president with a PhD, Eskridge strove to help impoverished students and improve relations with state high schools. In 1923, Governor Walton had the Oklahoma National Guard remove Eskridge from campus in order to install George Wilson. |
 George Wilson
(June-July 1923)
Two thousand students marched on downtown Stillwater, 1,000 protested in Oklahoma City, and 100 jammed the governor's office. Despite Governor Walton's threat to impose martial law in Stillwater, Wilson was forced to resign. |
 Bradford Knapp
(1923-1928)
Knapp left the practice of law to become president and set about to improve relations between the college and the citizens of Oklahoma. |
 Henry G. Bennett
(1928-1951)
Bennett brought tenure positions to A&M, formed the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, saved Old Central from the wrecking ball, and fostered the first campus-wide building plan. During World War II, he developed 12 military programs. After the war, Bennett founded A&M Tech - now OSU-Okmulgee - and brought A&M to the international stage. In 1950, President Harry S. Truman appointed Bennett to head the Point Four Program; traveling to promote the program in 1951, Bennett and his wife died in a plane crash near Tehran, Iran. |
 Oliver S. Willham
(1952-1966)
Willham was the first A&M grad to lead the university. During his term, A&M became OSU, the OSU Foundation was created, and 19 new buildings were financed and completed. |
 Robert B. Kamm
(1966-1977)
Kamm was appointed president after serving as dean of Arts & Sciences. His administration launched the Office of Affirmative Action, initiated the Emphasis People program, and established OSU-Oklahoma City. |
 Lawrence L. Boger
(1977-1988)
Boger's administration developed the campus's integrated communications system and helped bring the Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery into the OSU fold. |
 John R. Campbell
(1988-1993)
Campbell helped establish OSU's leadership role in global higher education. During his term, the Noble Research Center and the Center for International Trade Development were completed. |
 James Halligan
(1994-2003)
During his term, Halligan saw the university through the Colorado plane crash that killed 10 of the OSU family. His administration reversed 12 years of declining enrollments by expanding and centralizing services for students and building up-to-date student housing. Halligan oversaw renovation of Gallagher-Iba arena, construction of new campus research centers, and the launch of OSU-Tulsa . |
 David J. Schmidly
(2003-2007)
Taking office in January 2003, Schmidly initiated the first OSU strategic plan, encompassing the university's five campuses and all of its units across Oklahoma. He increased visibility of the university inside the state, in the region, and across the nation. He also launched a new system-wide building plan that will bring unprecedented growth and enhance OSU's ability to attract top students and faculty and produce graduates who will spur next new economy. |
