Thomas McRoberts ’68 (1946–2010), history major, continued to be a student advocate and campus leader long after he served on Morris Campus Student Government as a student leader himself. After graduating, McRoberts earned a master of arts in history at the University of Oregon.
He returned to Morris in 1975, taught history, and served as first assistant and then associate director of continuing education. In 1988, he coordinated Morris’s first common freshmen course, Inquiry: Values in the Changing World. His contributions to the University’s masters in elementary education program resulted in Recognition of Service Awards in 1986 and 1988. In 1991, the University honored him with the John Tate Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising. In 1993, he received the all-University Academic Staff Award. In the early 1990s, McRoberts helped establish the Center for International Programs, a program that has significantly benefitted Morris international and study abroad students, as well as faculty. He served on the committee that developed the Gateway program in 1995 and invented the Summer Scholars program. In 2003, McRoberts was honored with the University of Minnesota President’s Award for Outstanding Service recognizing exceptional commitment to the University community. In 2006, McRoberts was appointed director of Continuing Education, Summer Session, and Regional Programs, and the Center for Small Towns (CST) after serving as interim director for one and one half years. In that same year, CST in partnership with the city of Morris won the Carter Partnership Award for Campus-Community Collaboration.
In total, McRoberts contributed 34 years of loyalty, innovation, wisdom, compassion, kindness, gentle influence, dedication, and graciousness to the Morris campus. McRoberts served all people in all avenues of life, on campus and in the community. He was an active member of the Morris Human Rights Commission.
