K.C. Morrison began his studies at Tougaloo College at the height of the civil rights movement, when confrontations and clashes were hitting their peak. A political science major, he became involved in a wide range of activist movements, including voter registration and voting rights, seeking to draw attention to the social injustices around him.
It was while in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, however, that the future head of MSU's political science department decided his career lay not in a courtroom or government service, but in academics, helping students gain a firm understanding of political power and public administration.
"The most important thing is to prepare students to think critically and bring their best analytical abilities to any problem they encounter as professionals and as citizens," Morrison said. "The range of knowledge is topical, but critical thinking is important. Political science is a good major for that."
Morrison currently is working on a biography of Aaron Henry, who for many years headed the Mississippi Democratic Party and was president of the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP.