Stephen (Steve) Granger was one of the most important administrators in the initial few decades of UMN Morris history. The first hire of Rodney Briggs, Granger went on to direct student counseling as well as serve as Briggs’ assistant under a number of different titles: Assistant to the Dean, Assistant Provost, and ultimately Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. As Briggs’ right hand man, Granger played a variety of different roles. He helped develop curriculum, participated in hiring decisions, and assisted in the construction and maintenance of the campus infrastructure. Much of the development of Student Affairs occurred under Granger’s watch and he became an expert at institutional data collection and analysis. He also taught psychology and later in his career developed a keen interest in campus history. Much of our understanding of the history of the campus landscape and buildings is attributable to the work done by Steve Granger and his daughter, Susan.
Chronology
born in St. Paul, MN on February 2
served in the Marine Corps in the Korean War until 1952
received his B.A. in psychology with cum laude honors from the University of Minnesota
married Elizabeth Arden Hill in May
received his M.A. in psychology from the University of Minnesota
received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Minnesota
began working as a counselor for chronic patients at the St. Cloud VA Hospital[1]
hired at UMN Morris as an assistant professor and student counselor
promoted to Assistant to the Dean
promoted to Assistant Provost
promoted to Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
changed to Professor and part-time Assistant to the Dean
retired from UMN Morris
received the President’s Award for Outstanding Service
died in Morris, Minnesota on October 5
Personal Life
Steve Granger was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, where in 1949 he would graduate from Cretin High School. As a Marine Corps reservist, he served in the Korean Conflict and upon his return to civilian life in 1952 enrolled at the University of Minnesota to study psychology. He earned his B.A. in 1953, his M.A. in 1955, and his Ph.D. in 1958.[2] Hired by the Veterans Administration, he worked in rehabilitation counseling at VA hospitals in both Minneapolis and St. Cloud before being asked in 1960 to join the newly founded branch campus at Morris.[3]
Granger was the first recruit of Rodney Briggs, who procured his name from Granger’s advisor at the Minneapolis campus. Arden Granger, his wife, recalled that when Steve returned home to St. Cloud after a two-day interview at Morris, he excitedly announced that they were moving to Morris. Her response: “Where’s that?”[4]
A stranger to small-town life, Granger upon the recommendation of Rod Briggs joined the Kiwanis Club to "meet the townies" and the Morris Golf Club to be part of the community.[5] Like the other young charter members of the UMN Morris community, Steve and his wife Arden, daughters Susan and Sarah, and son, Daniel were drawn into the excitement of building a new college on the prairie. Granger’s ability to sink deep roots in campus life and the greater Morris community was later expressed in the excellent research he accomplished with his daughter Susan in the history of the campus landscape. Much of the informal nature of campus culture can be traced back to the experiences of this first group of young, often newly married, academicians.
Research
Granger was an especially active writer of reports, and he devoted much time to the study of the UMN Morris student body. Because of his work in investigating the demographic characteristics of the first student cohorts at Morris--their home towns, their test scores, their parents' occupation and educational achievement level, their class rankings, etc.--we have an especially deep understanding of the college's early history and the challenges faced by the first administrators. Granger's research informed Gary McGrath's history of the founding of UMN Morris and its early growth.[6]
Later in his career Granger turned his attention to the history of the campus landscape, authoring two booklets on campus buildings, one detailing the history of historic buildings and the other, co-authored by his daughter, Susan, documenting construction after 1960. His work in this area paved the way for the West Central School of Agriculture campus's listing on the National Register of Historic Places.[7]
Campus Contributions
Granger came to the University of Minnesota Morris in 1960 as an assistant professor and student counselor.[8] In addition to being a counselor and teaching introductory psychology, he was involved in the administration of the new college and the implementation of systems like registration and class schedules.[9] This led to him becoming assistant to the dean in 1963.[10] In 1968, his position changed to assistant provost—a position he held until 1985.[11] In 1985 he became Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, but soon after took a part-time position as assistant to the dean.[12] Clearly Granger was a “Jack-of-all-Trades”—he held many different positions on campus both formally and informally. In fact, the opportunity to be involved in more than just counseling was one of the reasons he decided to make a career at UMN Morris.[13]
In addition to these positions, Granger advised honors seminars and was named professor of psychology in 1969.[14] Some of the campus issues he worked on included the housing shortage, the lack of space in the dining area, and budget issues. Granger also acted as the university’s Title IX coordinator, and throughout his career at UMN Morris remained deeply involved with student affairs.[15] For example, he was the administrative consultant for the student initiators of Agoraphobia, the UMN Morris student-run record store, in the early 1970s.[16]
Granger was involved in a variety of committees and participated in the UMN Morris campus governance throughout his tenure at the university. While on the Minority Student Committee, Granger and other committee members strived to increase the enrollment of minority students on campus, and he played an important role in creating and developing the Minority Student Program on campus.[17] In 1963, he was one of the committee members to help start the Elementary Education program at UMN Morris.[18]
After UMN Morris
Granger continued to work voluntarily at UMN Morris after his retirement writing grant applications, consulting, and participating on advising committees.[19] This earned him the system-wide President’s Award for Outstanding Service in 2010.[20] In his free time, he would hunt, travel, read, and host many parties until his death in 2013.[21]
Footnotes
[1] Stephen Granger, interview by Wilbert Ahern and Chuck Brunette, July 27, 1976, transcript, University Stories, West Central Minnesota Historical Research Center, Morris, MN.
[2] “Obituary of Stephen Graves Granger,” Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN), Oct. 9, 2013.
[3] “Local Man Appointed to Morris Staff,” St. Cloud Times (St. Cloud, MN), April 21, 1960.
[4] “Memory Tours of UMM: Arden Granger,” UMMRA (Morris, MN), Summer 2008.
[5] “Memory Tours of UMM: Arden Granger,” UMMRA (Morris, MN), Summer 2008.
[6] Gary L. McGrath, “The Establishment and Early Developments of the University of Minnesota, Morris,” EdD. diss. (Indiana University, 1974)
[7] Stephen Granger, Historic Buildings of the West Central School of Agriculture Converted to Use by the University of Minnesota, Morris in 1960, (Morris, MN: University of Minnesota, Morris Plant Services, 1998) ; Stephen Granger and Susan Granger, New Buildings Constructed for the University of Minnesota, Morris from 1965 to 2002, (Morris, MN: University of Minnesota, Morris Plant Services, 2002)
[8] “Local Man Appointed to Morris Staff,” St. Cloud Times (St. Cloud, MN), April 21, 1960.
[9] Stephen Granger, interview by Wilbert Ahern and Chuck Brunette, July 27, 1976, transcript, University Stories, West Central Minnesota Historical Research Center, Morris, MN.
[10] “University Promotes 313 Faculty, Staff Members,” Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), July 21, 1963.
[11] David Kuhn, “’U’ Regents to Ask ’69 Legislature for Record $211 Million,” Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), Oct. 12, 1968.
[12] Monica Wallgren, “Student Activities Reorganize,” Morris Weekly (Morris, MN), May 7, 1986.
[13] Stephen Granger, interview by Wilbert Ahern and Chuck Brunette, July 27, 1976, transcript, University Stories, West Central Minnesota Historical Research Center, Morris, MN.
[14] “Academic claptrap,” Vanguard (Morris, MN), Apr. 16, 1969.
[15] “U of M Policy on Title IX,” Morris Weekly (Morris, MN), Nov. 23, 1976.
[16] Stephen Granger, interview by Bruce Boock, May 23, 1978, transcript, University Stories, West Central Minnesota Historical Research Center, Morris, MN.
[17] “In Memoriam,” UMMRA (Morris, MN), Jan. 2014.
[18] “Elementary Education Program Announced,” Vanguard (Morris, MN), Feb. 4, 1963.
[19] “Obituary of Stephen Graves Granger,” Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN), Oct. 9, 2013.
[20] Jenna Ray, “Ahern and Granger receive University of Minnesota Outstanding Service Awards,” University Relations (Morris, MN), May 25, 2010.
[21] “In Memoriam,” UMMRA (Morris, MN), Jan. 2014.