William Jasper Kerr

William Jasper Kerr (November 17, 1863 – April 15, 1947) was an American academic in the states of Oregon and Utah. A native of Utah, he served as president of Oregon State University, known then as Oregon Agricultural College, Brigham Young College (not to be confused with Brigham Young University), and Utah State University, known then as Utah State Agricultural College. He later served as the first chancellor of what became the Oregon State Board of Higher Education, known then as the Oregon State Board of Higher Curricula. The administration building at Oregon State University is named in his honor.

Early life and education Kerr was born on November 17, 1863, in Richmond in the then Utah Territory. He received a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of Utah in 1885. Kerr left Utah State in 1907 and became the eighth president at Oregon State University (OSU), in Corvallis, Oregon.

He served as the president of OSU for 25 years, 1907 until 1932. As president, he oversaw a large expansion of the school, adding 23 buildings and growing the campus from to .