Last modified: Thursday, September 4, 2008
IU names Tom Morrison new state government liaison
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 4, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Thomas A. Morrison, a senior administrator at Ball State University, has been chosen as Indiana University's chief liaison and representative to members of the Indiana General Assembly.
Morrison will join IU on Oct. 13 as associate vice president for public affairs and state relations, reporting to Mike Sample, vice president for public affairs and government relations. Morrison replaces J Thomas Forbes, who left IU in July to represent Cummins Inc. in the State House.
"Tom Morrison has earned a reputation among Indiana lawmakers as a knowledgeable and effective advocate for higher education," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. "Tom has mastered the intricate workings of the legislature's budgetary process, and he knows how to provide lawmakers and state officials with the essential information they need to make well considered decisions. We are fortunate to have found someone with such depth of experience. He will be a great asset for IU as we go into the upcoming budget session."
"I am very honored to be chosen for this position," Morrison said. "Indiana University is in the midst of many changes that will secure its standing as one of the world's top institutions of higher learning, and I am pleased to have an opportunity to be a part of these exciting developments."
Morrison, Ball State's associate vice president of business affairs, has been at the 18,000-student school for 17 years. In addition to representing Ball State in several legislative sessions, he has held a wide variety of other administrative responsibilities.
During the 2007-08 academic year, he served as the university's interim chief financial and administrative officer, overseeing a $400 million budget, while the incumbent vice president performed a special project. At various times, Morrison also has had responsibility for facilities management and strategic planning, development of a capital budget, government relations, auxiliary services and human resources. He came to Ball State in 1991 as director of athletic, physical education and recreation facilities.
Morrison worked with the General Assembly to secure funding for several major projects at Ball State, totaling more than $150 million. These included the art and journalism building, a music building, the communication media building, the boiler and chiller plant renovation and central campus renovation project. He also was instrumental in procuring several federally funded projects, including the $13 million McKinley/Riverside Avenue reconstruction project.
Before coming to Ball State, Morrison was assistant director for intramural-recreational sports and facilities manager for intercollegiate athletics at the University of Virginia.
Morrison holds a doctorate of higher education administration from Ball State, a master of arts degree from the University of Maryland and a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Denver.
He and his wife, Kathryn, have three children. In his spare time, he serves as a technical race official for the Indy Racing League and the Indianapolis 500, and a football official for the Indiana High School Athletic Association.
