Mississippi State U. starts search for dean to lead its Meridian campus
Mississippi State University
December 9, 2010
Mississippi State University will begin a national search for a new dean and executive director of its Meridian campus early next year, university officials announced today [Dec. 8].
Jack Tucci, who was named to the position in 2009, will become vice president of academic affairs at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala., said Jerry Gilbert, MSU provost and executive vice president. At Tucci's Jan. 15 departure, Dennis Mitchell, associate dean of arts and sciences at MSU Meridian, will assume the duties of dean and executive director while a search is under way.
"Our goal is to have the search committee in place by the end of January," Gilbert said, adding that the effort will be chaired by Don Zant, MSU's vice president for budget and planning. The committee will have 10 elected and nine appointed members, including representatives from MSU Meridian, the Starkville campus and the Meridian community.
"We will seek out the candidate with the best fit for the community, the academic programs of the Meridian campus and the Riley Center," Gilbert said. "We want the person who can bring it all together and create a vision for moving forward for the future."
The former head of business at MSU-Meridian, Tucci is the first to hold the position of dean and executive director, overseeing both the day-to-day activities of the nearly 800-student campus as well as those of the Riley Center, a major education and performing arts resource for the region.
