A legislative bill to rename Oklahoma A&M College to Oklahoma State University of Agriculture and Applied Science was signed into law on May 15, 1957 by Governor Raymond Gary. The name change became official with the approval of the Board of Regents on July 1, 1957. The alumni association president at the time, Edwin Roberts, explained the motivation behind the move: "We have felt for many years that a new name, befitting the size and the scope of the institution, should be selected. Our institution is a true university offering training in many colleges and divisions, in addition to the agricultural and mechanical courses." While the shorter version of the name, Oklahoma State University, was generally used from that time on, it wasn't until 1980 that it became the official one.