Bobby Hill, president of the Black Student Union, and University President Robert MacVicar prepare to cut the ribbon, officially opening OSU's Black Cultural Center. Looking on is Betty Griffin, assistant professor of education and chairperson of the Black Cultural Advisory Board. Photo was in the Oregon Stater issue, June 1975, vol.9 no.4, p. 4.
President Robert MacVicar is shown at his last commencement as President of Oregon State University. Robert W. MacVicar was president of Oregon State University from 1970-1986. MacVicar was also a professor of chemistry and tripled the size of the university's budget. During his years as president, the size of the campus increased with 23 additional buildings.
Mercedes Bates was receiving the Distinguished Service Award from President Robert MacVicar. Mercedes Bates graduated in 1936 with a degree in Food and Nutrition. In 1967, Bates was appointed the Vice President of the General Mills Betty Crocker Division, becoming the first female corporate officer of General Mills. Bates created the Mercedes A. Bates Family Study Center in 1992, the first center to study entire lifespans of families. Bates has received the Distinguished Service Award and Distinguished Alumni Award.
John V. Byrne came to Oregon State University as an Associate Professor of Marine Geology in 1961, becoming the Chairman of the Oceanography Department in 1968. Byrne was the OSU President from 1984-1995.
Robert W. MacVicar was president of Oregon State University from 1970-1986. MacVicar was also a professor of chemistry and tripled the size of the university's budget. During his years as president, the size of the campus increased with 23 additional buildings.
Less than two weeks after taking over as OSU president, Dr. MacVicar made a five-day swing through Eastern Oregon to meet and talk with Oregonians, both young and old. Visits to other parts of the state followed and in his first year, he visited over 50 different Oregon communities. This continued throughout his presidency and by his retirement, he had "been everywhere -- on every road in the state of Oregon" and had "discovered things about Oregon that Oregonians [didn't] even know." Robert W. MacVicar served as President of Oregon State University from 1970 until 1984.
The BSU President speaking here is believed to be Geoffrey Brooks. In December 1970, the Black Student Union protested multiple OSU athletic events held with BYU, objecting to Mormon Church policies that denied the priesthood to African Americans. Robert W. MacVicar (second from left) was president of Oregon State University from 1970-1986.