After more than a decade of absence, former MSU President John A. Hannah will soon be seen on campus again.

Plans are underway for a bronze statue of the university’s 12th president, a welcome addition to the place so heavily marked by Hannah. The $250,000 statue, scheduled to be erected in 2003, will stand in front of the north side of the eponymous Hannah Administration Building,.

Hannah died in 1991.

We hope the Hannah statue will increase the interest in historical art developments around campus, with this bronze artwork being the first of five planned projects. The cost of the statue, along with the other planned projects, is being funded privately via donations ,which covers the maintenance of the statue when needed.

Hannah became MSU’s president in 1941 and made it into the university it is today. Because of an influx of students after World War II and Hannah’s efforts, the student population grew dramatically.

He also had his hands in numerous academic and athletic efforts we’ve all become accustomed to at MSU. The Honors College, Lyman Briggs School, James Madison College and MSU admittance into the Big Ten Conference were all results of Hannah’s presidency.

In addition to the academic programs, Hannah established an informal group called the Spartan Roundtable, which met monthly for student representatives to discuss issues with administrators. It was said Hannah knew the name of every student at the university, even when enrollment numbers began to soar.

Hannah also had a profound impact outside of university life. He served the administration’s of eight U.S. presidents, sitting as chairman of the Commission on Civil Rights from 1957-1964, and serving as the assistant secretary of defense from 1953-1954. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the highest honor for a civilian, in 1953.

The development of the Hannah statue is something to recognize because he is considered by many to be the most important president in MSU history.