Published on Show Me Mizzou Aug. 28, 2026
Story by Tony Rehagen, BJ, BA ’01
Photo by Abbie Lankitus
Morgan Corder vividly remembers visiting Mizzou as a high schooler obsessed with civics and government. He was sitting in the Honors College waiting room with his parents on the third floor of Lowry Hall when he spotted a brochure for the Civic Leaders Internship Program (CLIP). “Talk about divine intervention,” Corder says. “There were photos of students at the U.S. Capitol and the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. At that moment I was like, ‘I’m coming to Mizzou. I’m doing CLIP. Cancel all the other college visits.’”
Corder, BA ’18, never forgot that moment as he pursued a career in public service, including stints as policy director for the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and director of field operations for U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt. He has always been grateful for the alumni support that made CLIP and so many other memorable moments from his time at Mizzou possible, a gift he hopes to pay forward as incoming president of the Mizzou Alumni Association.
“Obviously my education at Mizzou was great, and I had a lot of opportunities,” Corder says, “but what I really remember is Homecoming, Tiger Walk, the things that made my Mizzou experience, and these things wouldn’t exist without the alumni association.”
Corder has been an MAA Young Alumni Ambassador since 2020 and was a council member of Mizzou’s Boone County Extension from 2021 to 2023. In 2022, he joined the MAA Board of Directors, so he’s been there since the start of Mizzou’s $2 billion Power the Roar fundraising effort. Part of the push is a 2-2-2 goal: $2 billion dollars in support; 200,000 Tiger alumni, donors and supporters engaged; and two million touchpoints of engagement. The latter is important because Corder understands that each alumni life cycle needs to be approached differently.
“Schools often ask alums for their time, talent and treasure,” he says. “I learned that there’s a fourth T: Testimony. Dollars matter, but it’s not just about money. People can give in other ways. Share your story. People listen. That diploma on your wall or that Tiger sticker on your bumper, that’s an opportunity to give your testimony. People respond to that passion. And it’s free.”
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