University of Plano
Encyclopedia
The University of Plano was a liberal arts college
that existed in Plano, Texas
from 1964 to 1977.
The school was founded in 1964 by Robert J. Morris
, an attorney and former judge known as an anti-Communist. Morris had served as chief counsel the United States Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security
. Morris had been the president of the University of Dallas
from 1960 to 1962. Building on the difficulties faced by one of his children, Morris founded the school in 1964 with a focus on the education of mildly disabled college-age students using techniques from the Doman-Delacato Method
, such as crawling and creeping, that were intended to stimulate brain development. He remained at the school until 1977 and it closed its doors shortly thereafter.
Dr. Morris was committed to building a high-caliber, world-class, liberal arts university with a politically conservative posture. His concept and vision attracted highly distinguished professors and staff from around the country. Dr. Morris was also personally committed to students that had suffered injuries that impaired their physical articulation. Incorporated into the foundation of the University was the School of Neurological Organization (NO) focusing on the exceptional Doman-Delacato methodology. While the programs Dr. Glen Doman and Dr. Carl Delacto developed were ostensibly for treatment of those suffering with an autistic diagnosis, they and Dr. Morris were confident that this program would be instrumental in helping and aiding the recovery of those with mild brain or nervous system damage that resulted from accidental occurrences. Dr. Morris' ultimate goal was to both found a world-class university AND provide a unique environment where injured youths could be rehabilitated from their physical injuries while concurrently being otherwise able to participate in a superior curriculum of collegiate learning. Dr. Morris' ingenuity pre-dated the now-popular concept of main-streaming those with brain injuries.
Using $250,000 borrowed from Republic National Life of Dallas, he put a down payment on 680 acres (2.8 km²) of land in northwest Plano. With $600,000 raised from a bond issue, he persuaded the government of Malaysia to donate to the school the nation's pavilion from the 1964 New York World's Fair
, with the pagoda becoming the main building of the university.
The University of Plano received its charter from the State of Texas on May 8, 1964 as a private, coeducational, nondenominational institution. The school was originally called the University of Lebanon, changing its name effective September 4, 1964 to reflect its location . The university's first classes were held in space leased in Dallas in the fall of 1965.
The school had no endowment to speak of, other than the land it had purchased. The school's finances depended on rising values for the land it had purchased, based on the assumption that the growth of the Dallas area would push residential development towards Plano and hopes that portions of the land could be rezoned for commercial use, both of which would drive up the value of the land. Property purchased by Morris for the University in 1964 for $1,800 an acre, sold in 1969 for $3,000 an acre, and could obtain as much as $6,300 an acre by 1971. 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) of the school's land was rezoned for a shopping center and an additional 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) was rezoned for small retail.
Despite warnings offered as far back as 1967, the school developed a heavy reliance on land speculation to meet its expenses. With the end of the land boom in 1975, the school was unable to use land sales to fund its activities. The school ran short of funds in 1976, and despite ownership of 698 acres (2.8 km²) and twenty buildings, was forced to close in July 1976.
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
that existed in Plano, Texas
Plano, Texas
Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
from 1964 to 1977.
The school was founded in 1964 by Robert J. Morris
Robert J. Morris
Robert John Morris was an American anti-Communist activist who served as chief counsel to the United States Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security from 1951 to 1953 and from 1956 to 1958, was President of the University of Dallas and founded the now-defunct University of Plano.-Biography:Morris...
, an attorney and former judge known as an anti-Communist. Morris had served as chief counsel the United States Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security
United States Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security
The Special Subcommittee to Investigate the Administration of the Internal Security Act and Other Internal Security Laws, 1951-77, more commonly known as the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee and sometimes the McCarran Committee, was authorized under S...
. Morris had been the president of the University of Dallas
University of Dallas
The University of Dallas is a private, independent Catholic regional university located in Irving, Texas, established in 1956, which is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. According to U.S...
from 1960 to 1962. Building on the difficulties faced by one of his children, Morris founded the school in 1964 with a focus on the education of mildly disabled college-age students using techniques from the Doman-Delacato Method
The Institutes for The Achievement of Human Potential
The Institutes for The Achievement of Human Potential is a non-profit organization providing teaching programs and literature which it promotes as improving the health and neurological development of normal children and of children who have sustained a brain injury.Although the institute's programs...
, such as crawling and creeping, that were intended to stimulate brain development. He remained at the school until 1977 and it closed its doors shortly thereafter.
Dr. Morris was committed to building a high-caliber, world-class, liberal arts university with a politically conservative posture. His concept and vision attracted highly distinguished professors and staff from around the country. Dr. Morris was also personally committed to students that had suffered injuries that impaired their physical articulation. Incorporated into the foundation of the University was the School of Neurological Organization (NO) focusing on the exceptional Doman-Delacato methodology. While the programs Dr. Glen Doman and Dr. Carl Delacto developed were ostensibly for treatment of those suffering with an autistic diagnosis, they and Dr. Morris were confident that this program would be instrumental in helping and aiding the recovery of those with mild brain or nervous system damage that resulted from accidental occurrences. Dr. Morris' ultimate goal was to both found a world-class university AND provide a unique environment where injured youths could be rehabilitated from their physical injuries while concurrently being otherwise able to participate in a superior curriculum of collegiate learning. Dr. Morris' ingenuity pre-dated the now-popular concept of main-streaming those with brain injuries.
Using $250,000 borrowed from Republic National Life of Dallas, he put a down payment on 680 acres (2.8 km²) of land in northwest Plano. With $600,000 raised from a bond issue, he persuaded the government of Malaysia to donate to the school the nation's pavilion from the 1964 New York World's Fair
1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was the third major world's fair to be held in New York City. Hailing itself as a "universal and international" exposition, the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding," dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe";...
, with the pagoda becoming the main building of the university.
The University of Plano received its charter from the State of Texas on May 8, 1964 as a private, coeducational, nondenominational institution. The school was originally called the University of Lebanon, changing its name effective September 4, 1964 to reflect its location . The university's first classes were held in space leased in Dallas in the fall of 1965.
The school had no endowment to speak of, other than the land it had purchased. The school's finances depended on rising values for the land it had purchased, based on the assumption that the growth of the Dallas area would push residential development towards Plano and hopes that portions of the land could be rezoned for commercial use, both of which would drive up the value of the land. Property purchased by Morris for the University in 1964 for $1,800 an acre, sold in 1969 for $3,000 an acre, and could obtain as much as $6,300 an acre by 1971. 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) of the school's land was rezoned for a shopping center and an additional 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) was rezoned for small retail.
Despite warnings offered as far back as 1967, the school developed a heavy reliance on land speculation to meet its expenses. With the end of the land boom in 1975, the school was unable to use land sales to fund its activities. The school ran short of funds in 1976, and despite ownership of 698 acres (2.8 km²) and twenty buildings, was forced to close in July 1976.