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BOARD HONORS BLACK HISTORY MONTH; APPROVES NEW DEGREE PROGRAMS

2/15/2007 - Jackson, Miss.

During its regular monthly meeting, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) honored individuals at each of the state’s public universities who have significantly contributed to the positive advancement of diversity on campus. Honorees included Dr. Carolyn Dollar of Alcorn State University; Ms. Carla Johnson of Delta State University; Dr. Alferdteen Harrison of Jackson State University; Dr. Mary Alexander of Mississippi State University; Dr. Walter N. Taylor of the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine; Ms. Iika T. McCarter of the Mississippi University for Women; Representative Robert G. Clark of Mississippi Valley State University; Dr. Charlotte Fant of the University of Mississippi; Dr. Stanley V. Smith of the University of Mississippi Medical Center; and Dr. Curtis J. Austin of the University of Southern Mississippi. In addition, Trustee Bob Owens, Chair of the Board’s Black History Month Committee, named Dr. Mary Alexander, Mississippi State University’s interim director of the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, assistant to the President, and instructor of instructional systems, leadership and workforce development, the Board’s 2007 Black History Month Educator of the Year. Trustee Owens also named Mr. James W. Crudup of Forest, Mississippi, a former truck driver who taught medical students how to perform surgeries at the University of Michigan Medical School, the Board’s 2007 Community Honoree.

In other news, the Board approved the establishment of the Bachelor of Science in Building Construction Science degree program within the College of Architecture, Art, and Design at Mississippi State University; the Master of Criminal Justice degree program within the Department of Legal Studies in the School of Applied Sciences at the University of Mississippi; and the Master of Social Work degree program within the Department of Social Work in the School of Applied Sciences at the University of Mississippi.

Following a report by Broaddus & Associates, the consulting firm hired by the Board to review land options for the additional University of Southern Mississippi campus on the Gulf Coast, the Board announced that it has closed the solicitation of sites for the additional Southern Miss campus. Further detailed analysis was also ordered so a fully informed decision can be reached as soon as possible.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held Wednesday, March 14, 2007, in the IHL Board Room. For more information, visit http://www.mississippi.edu/.

Under the leadership of the Board of Trustees, IHL governs the public universities in Mississippi, including Alcorn State University; Delta State University; Jackson State University; Mississippi State University including the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine; Mississippi University for Women; Mississippi Valley State University; the University of Mississippi including the University of Mississippi Medical Center; and the University of Southern Mississippi.

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