Contact: Sammy McDavid
A retiring Mississippi school administrator soon will have a leadership role in a new education service division at Mississippi State University.
Columbus school superintendent Reuben E. Dilworth Sr. will be the field project director in the College of Education's Center for Educational Partnerships. He begins work July 1.
An Alcorn County native and longtime assistant school superintendent in Jackson, Dilworth will be responsible for implementing and managing programs and services for state school districts and other entities served by the center.
The center provides a range of extension services, including curriculum and professional development programs, technical consultation and educational research, among others. It also serves as the college's liaison to the state Department of Education, regional consortia, foundations and other agencies and institutions supporting public school education.
Among Dilworth's major duties will be recruitment of new members for the center's Program for Research and Evaluation of Public Schools (PREPS). More than 50 school districts currently are members, with another 25 anticipated by August.
"Dr. Dilworth is one of the most successful and highly regarded school leaders in our state," said center director Mike Walters. "He has served several districts with vision, courage and integrity, and we are very pleased to have him associated with the center and with PREPS."
A 1961 graduate of Eason High School in Corinth, Dilworth has led the Columbus system since July of 1993. Prior to that, he was an assistant superintendent for almost a decade in Jackson. He joined the capital city school district in 1969 as a junior high school mathematics teacher after holding a similar position for four years in McComb.
He holds a bachelor's degree from Jackson State University, a master's from Mississippi State and a doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Dilworth's appointment is expected to be formally approved at a future meeting of the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.