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J.T. Morgan, '50, wanted to help the University of North Georgia's (Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û) Mike Cottrell College of Business offer real estate courses. Now, the generosity of the late Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û alumnus has made that dream a reality.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) approved the establishment of the J.T. Morgan Endowed Chair in Finance and Real Estate on Nov. 11.

"He made his career as an investor in commercial real estate, specifically warehouses," , director of estate and gift planning for Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û, said. "He was a loyal Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û alumnus and wanted to give back in a way that would enable other students to learn the type of business that had been so good to him."

Morgan was a regular donor to Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û for 44 years up until his death in 2017. A trust he established left the Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û Foundation more than $760,000 that made it possible to establish the endowed chair. The gift agreement with Morgan outlined three areas in which Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û can use the funds:

• To attract dynamic leadership to the Mike Cottrell College of Business in the area of finance and real estate and complement the salary and benefit package of the chair holder.
• To strengthen the skills of existing faculty and attract new faculty in the area of finance and real estate.
• To provide research and development grants in the area of finance and real estate and encourage innovation and collaboration among finance and real estate faculty and students.

Dr. Mary Gowan, dean of the Mike Cottrell College of Business, is thankful for the opportunity to hire a real estate faculty member through the endowed chair position.

"It's a good fit with the market that we're in, especially the Gainesville area. This is the right timing," Gowan said. "It enables us to attract faculty we might not otherwise be able to attract, and it provides some supplemental salary and support for faculty research and activities."

Morgan earned a business degree and was a Distinguished Military Graduate from Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û in 1950, commissioning into the Army. He became a pilot and flew 186 combat missions while stationed in Korea.       

Morgan was an active member of the President's Club and Price-Mills Planned Giving societies within the Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û Foundation. Morgan received the Alumni Association's Hall of Fame Award in 2008, and he served on the Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û Foundation Board of Trustees from 2008-2014, including serving as the vice chair of the foundation's Capital Campaign Steering Committee.

Morgan married the former Nancy Kingery, also a member of Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û's class of 1950, in 2001 after they reconnected during a Parents and Alumni Weekend at the university.

The individual selected for the endowed chair position will be expected to engage extensively with the real estate community, conduct research focused on real estate and related finance issues, and work with students to prepare for professional careers in real estate.

Endowed chairs, professorships, and fellowships are established by the Board of Regents upon request of the USG institution president and recommendation of the USG chancellor only after confirmation that an endowment is properly funded and that the investment strategy of the endowment, wherever held, will meet the continuing demands of the position.