As an arts administrator, Morrison served as Chair of the Art Department, DePaul University, Chicago, from 1969 to 1971. He successfully proposed and wrote undergraduate degree programs in Art and Art Education. He was appointed Associate Dean of the College of Architecture and Art at the University of Illinois, Chicago (1972–76). From 1987 to 1992, he was Chair of the Art Department, University of Maryland, College Park. At the University of Maryland, he created a lecture series for women and minorities, which brought lecturers from across the country. From January 1993 to June 1994, he was Dean for Academic Affairs at the San Francisco Art Institute. From May 1994 to July 1996, he was Dean of the College of Creative Arts at San Francisco State University. From August 1996 to January 1997, he was Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Maryland, College Park. In February 1997, he returned to his former position of Dean of the College of Creative Arts at San Francisco State University, a position he held until 2005. At San Francisco State, he raised funds, created festivals and exhibitions in Art, Film, Music, and Theatre, and led the departments of Cinema and Music to elite national and international ranking. He was also the founder and director of the annual international John Handy Jazz Festival, held at San Francisco State University, 2000–01. Morrison was appointed Dean for the Tyler School of Arts at Temple University from 2005 to 2008. At Tyler, he restructured the budget, expanded the programs internationally to include Africa, Asia, Central, and South America, and added many faculty and lab technicians.
