Hall of Fame - Milton Morris

Milton "Buff" Morris Milton Morris was one of a few true pioneers and visionaries in this profession. As Director of the Ex-Student's Association at West Texas State University, he recognized the need for a way to help needy students finance their higher education. In 1954, four years before the National Defense Student Loan began, he founded the Opportunity Plan, Inc. (OPI). OPI is a private non-profit foundation in Canyon, Texas. Its purpose, then as now, is to raise money for loans and scholarships so students who need financial assistance can go on to higher education. Since it's beginning, OPI has given over $11 million in loans and scholarships to over 10,000 qualified students.

Although his contributions to the profession are too long to list, a few of his major accomplishments are:

He, along with Arch Hunt (Baylor University), Logan Ware (Texas Christian University), Mack Adams (Southern Methodist University) and others met in Waco, Texas to organize a regional financial aid association - the result is the Southwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SWASFAA).
Senator Grady Hazelwood sought his counsel and advice on student aid programs for Texas. Mr. Morris worked with the Senator helping draft the legislation that created the Texas Opportunity Plan (named for the Opportunity Plan in Canyon) and was instrumental in its passage. Today, we know the TOP program as the Hinson-Hazelwood College Student Loan Program. Milton Morris earned recognition in the Texas Senate when Resolution 182 was passed in 1968, citing him for his dedication to young people of Texas and for "helping them to fulfill dreams, which might otherwise have not been possible."
When it became apparent that the federal government was going to force loan programs out of the Federally Insured programs and into guaranteed agencies, he believed that Texas should have its own agency and not rely on someone or something out-of-state. He was instrumental in the passage of the legislation that created the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corp (TGSLC) and served on its first Board of Directors.
Recognizing the need for additional lenders and loan capital for the Panhandle and west Texas area, he began working with Clifford Baker and other area professional to organize Panhandle Plains Higher Education Authority. PPHEA is now helping lenders provide capital for loans to students, while servicing over $250 million in student loans.

Milton Morris was never one to push himself into the spotlight. He preferred instead to work quietly in the background. He was a true visionary, with the uncanny ability to recognize needs long before others, a man of foresight and boundless energy, dedicated to making higher education available to all students, regardless of financial background. His service to the profession set a standard we should all strive to emulate, but few will be able to duplicate. His service to countless thousands of students has had an impact; not only on individual lives but also, on the State and the Nation that cannot be measured.