About the Morrison-Novakovic Center

David Morrison and his wife Phebe Novakovic, wanted to give back. Both Morrison, who worked for decades in federal government and the corporate sector, and Novakovic, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the General Dynamics corporation, treasure their own liberal arts educations. So they settled on David’s alma mater, Davis & Elkins College. A 1979 graduate, Morrison credits the time he spent at the college and with its “sharp” and “committed” faculty as fueling his lifelong passions for politics, religion, history and public service. The couple wanted to share this fuel with others. “There is nothing better,” Morrison says, “than a liberal arts education to prepare you for whatever vocation/field you choose.”

And so Morrison and Novakovic chose to establish two things at Davis and Elkins: scholarships for students (Novakovic’s interest) and a special program “that offered students the opportunity to engage social and political issues from a faith-based perspective” (Morrison’s interest).

The result of their generosity, vision, and dedication is the Morrison-Novakovic Center for Faith and Public Policy. Established in 2017, the Center is a living-learning community for high-achieving students where they work, study, and talk together about tough issues while building bridges within the college community and beyond. Students not only interact with each other, but with faculty, staff, heads of local agencies and businesses, and invited guests from the academic, business, and political spheres.

Morrison, who spent years moving between the corridors of power on Capitol Hill and the executive boardrooms of major corporations, learned to value the power of clear thinking and persuasive argument. He hopes that the students of the Center, in their work as a community, learn and practice “the arts of public discourse, ethics, and neighborliness.” These skills, along with an ability to think cogently about varied viewpoints, are things both Morrison and Novakovic say they look for in potential collaborators and employees – as well as things that create compassionate and engaged citizens.

As it continues to evolve and grow, the Center seeks to stay true to its founders’ vision, while also fostering the values inherent in liberal arts education – values essential to Davis & Elkins College itself. Gathering these students at this college to this Center community is meant to, as Morrison says, “give students a clear view of a set of values, of what it means to work hard and live decently, of what the melding of accomplishment and service looks like.” It is a place to fuel students’ own passions to learn, to grow, and, in their own ways, give back.

Looking ahead, the MNC aims to expand its programs and increase its impact on campus and beyond. Our alumni continue to make strides in their fields, carrying forward the lessons learned here.