(CBS-DETROIT) – Clifton R. Wharton Jr., former president and pioneer of Michigan State University, has died at the age of 98, the school said.
Wharton was elected president of Michigan State University in 1970, becoming the first African-American president of a major American public research university.
He served as president from 1970 to 1978 and then as chancellor of the State University of New York from 1978 to 1987.
In 1993, Wharton served as deputy secretary of state under former President Bill Clinton. Michigan State says he held appointments under six U.S. presidents.
The MSU Board of Trustees voted to name the school’s arts center, the Clifton and Dolores Wharton Center for Performing Arts, after him and his wife in 1982.
The school sent a statement about his death, which included the following:
“But, so fittingly for a leader in higher education, one could say that his focus on people development is his most notable legacy. He stated right at the beginning, “What is often needed is not a statement about leadership, but rather an encouragement of the individuals within the institution.” There are many who will testify to the impact of his focus on people, one of the many reasons why he will live long in the hearts of the Spartans.”
