The Foundation’s Purpose

A major challenge for cooperatives serving any sector of rural America is the perpetuation of formidable leadership, both governance and managerial. The viability of cooperatives is a mirror image of those they are designed to serve and are deeply affected by the fundamentals of changing demographics, low economic return on investment, changing business structures, and lifestyle desires. To sustain this economic and social environment, cooperatives must apply resources toward maintaining a leadership development system that stimulates ongoing participation and hones the intellectual capacity of the willing.

The life and work of Ralph K. Morris exemplified the visionary, dedicated, practical leadership needed by cooperative enterprise in the future. The Ralph K. Morris Cooperative Leadership Fund has been established by the Ralph K. Morris Foundation to support the development of future cooperative leaders. See The Foundation’s Mission.

Foundation News

Elroy Webster Cooperative Studies Fund

The Ralph K. Morris Foundation is now accepting applications for a scholarship from the recently established Elroy Webster Cooperative Studies Fund.  This Fund provides a scholarship and honorary award to graduate students or law students interested in agriculture and cooperatives. The award will encourage and support the development of innovation and acumen in future cooperative business, law and economics leaders, thus ensuring that cooperatives continue to meet the needs of agricultural producers and rural communities in the future. 

The Foundation formed this fund in honor of Elroy Webster, a Minnesota farmer, who was a nationally recognized cooperative and agricultural leader and used his leadership position at CHS Inc. and predecessor companies to promote research and a greater understanding of cooperative business. He was instrumental in the formation of the Ralph K. Morris Foundation, serving as its first board chair and an early promoter of the CHS Foundation, one of the foremost supporters of cooperative education in the United States.

The Fund provides financial support to graduate students or law school students who exhibit a high level of interest in agriculture and cooperatives. The scholarship will help cover costs associated with tuition, fees, books, supplies and equipment for graduate students or law school students while attending qualifying graduate degree class or program or law school class program.  For more information on the guidelines of the scholarship fund and application forms, please click here.  Applications are due September 15, 2008, with the winner announced by October 15.

The Fourth Annual Cooperative Leadership Symposium was held on Monday, November 12, 2007 at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  The keynote speaker for the event was former Iowa governor Thomas Vilsack.  The symposium was held in conjunction, with the MAC and WFC annual meetings.  Reception and dinner followed the symposium. 

Cornelius Blanding, a Morris Foundation scholarship recipient and marketing director at the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, was recently selected as a Fellow of the Emerging Leaders Program (2007/08 Class) of the Centers for Leadership and Public Values at Duke University and the University of Cape Town (South Africa).  Congratulations Cornelius!

The Third Annual Cooperative Leadership Symposium was held on November 13, 2006 in conjunction with the MAC and WFC annual meetings.  The keynote speaker for the event was Tom Lyon, recent inductee into the Cooperative Hall of Fame.  For more information, please contact Jayne Kincade at (888) 246-5601.

Curt Eischens, CHS Board of Directors and Minnesota Association of Cooperatives President, was appointed to the Ralph K. Morris Foundation Board at its August 29 Board of Directors meeting. 

The Foundation recently held election of officers and Chris Morris, son of Ralph Morris, was elected as Chair, William Nelson was elected as Vice Chair, Dave Swanson, Treasurer and Jayne Kincade was elected as Secretary.

Foundation Chair Elroy Webster, a nationally recognized cooperative and agricultural leader, died July 18 in Mankato, Minnesota, at the age of 72 following a lengthy illness.  Elroy was a founding Board member and Chair of the Ralph K. Morris Foundation and a passionate advocate of rural and cooperative leadership development.  Elroy retired as a director and former chairman of CHS Inc. in 2003, after five decades of involvement in cooperatives on the local, regional, national and global levels.  "Agriculture, cooperatives and rural America have lost a visionary, an unparalleled leader and a tireless advocate," said CHS Chairman Michael Toelle.  "Elroy Webster clearly stands out as one of the most influential figures in these sectors over the last half century."  Above all this, Elroy was a man of integrity and character, with a good heart and a sense of humor.  We are grateful for our time with him and feel enriched for having known him.

One of the main objectives of the Foundation is to provide scholarships to individuals seeking cooperative leadership educational training and who wish to contribute to the future of agriculture, rural America and the cooperative way of doing business. From March 7, 2002 through July 15, 2006, the Foundation has awarded 90 scholarships to men and women across the country.

Founding Board member Tom Lyon will be inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame in Washington, DC on May 3, 2006.  The Foundation Board members wish to congratulate Tom on this very prestigious honor and thank him for his many significant contributions to the cooperative enterprise and to the Ralph K. Morris Foundation.

On August 4, 2005, the Ralph K. Morris Foundation received an award for "Outstanding Contribution by an Organization to Cooperative Education" from the Association of Cooperative Educators, in Washington, D.C. 

The Ralph K. Morris Foundation recently granted scholarships to several graduate students from the University of Kansas  to attend the Michael Porter and the Economics of Industry Clusters.  This was a program that evaluated how co-ops have contributed to clusters in the United States.

Brent Bostrom, Corporate Counsel at GROWMARK, Inc., was recently appointed to the Ralph K. Morris Foundation Board of Directors. 

The Foundation held its second annual Cooperative Leadership Symposium on 
November 15, 2005.  The Symposium was held in connection with the Wisconsin 
Federation of Cooperatives and Minnesota Association of Cooperatives annual 
meetings.  Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale was the keynote speaker and 
presented to over 350 people on the topic “The Coop Ideal.”  The symposium is 
open to all people interested in cooperative leadership.

Foundation Chair Elroy Webster was recently honored at the 2005 Agriculture Future of America (AFA) Leaders Conference.  Mr. Webster received the Leader in Agriculture Award for his passion for agriculture and his long line of accomplishments throughout his 40-year career in cooperatives.  He provided leadership for development of CHS, Inc. and was the founder of the CHS Foundation, an organization that contributes more than $1.4 million annually in cooperative education, rural youth and adult leadership initiatives and farm-safety programs.