Contact: Joe Farris
Vance Watson
A longtime administrator and researcher at Mississippi State has been named head of the university's Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine.
Vance Watson, a 37-year MSU employee, has been named vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine as well as director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
He had served since January 2002 as interim vice president and interim dean. His appointment to the permanent posts was approved by the state College Board at its November meeting on the recommendation of MSU President Charles Lee.
As interim vice president during the past 23 months, Watson has reallocated resources to higher priorities within the Ag Division and led in implementing performance-based planning, budgeting and goal setting, Lee said.
Consolidating the related roles of vice president, director and dean contributes to more efficient operations, said Lee, who had been vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine and dean of agriculture and life sciences before becoming president.
"This position is of critical importance and interest to a wide range of constituencies across the state that have a tremendous impact on Mississippi's economy," Lee said. "Dr. Watson has earned the confidence and support of the state's agricultural, forestry and natural resources community, as well as the high regard of his university colleagues on and off campus. I am confident that he will provide outstanding leadership and that he is fully committed to our university and our state."
Watson was director of the experiment station from 1996 until becoming interim vice president. The Missouri native has spent his entire career serving the people of Mississippi. He graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1964 with a degree in general agriculture and earned a master of science degree in agronomy at the University of Missouri in 1966. He completed a doctorate in agronomy with a minor in botany at MSU in 1969.
Starting his career as an assistant agronomist with MAFES in 1966, Watson was appointed assistant professor of agronomy in 1969. He advanced to the rank of professor of agronomy and was appointed agronomist in 1977. He became assistant to the MAFES director in 1982 with responsibility for coordinating forage programs.
In 1987 he took on added duties as head of the MAFES auxiliary units responsible for foundation seed stocks and variety evaluations. In 1990 he was appointed head of the MAFES main station, and in 1992 he became head of MAFES research support units. In 1995 he was appointed MAFES assistant director for research support and became director in 1996.
He is the author of more than 300 publications, including six textbook chapters. He has traveled in more than 50 countries on a variety of agricultural missions. He served five years as executive vice president of the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies, an international organization for genetic standards and certification of 3,500 varieties of crops produced in nine countries.
He was a member of the United States delegation for setting world policy on seed certification and served as team leader for review of Peace Corps agricultural programs in Thailand for the U.S. State Department.
He is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America and received the First Mississippi Corporation Award for outstanding MAFES worker and the MSU Alumni Association Award for excellence in research. He has been named professor of the year by two different student organizations.
MSU's Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine comprises three colleges and three other units. They are the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Forest Resources and Veterinary Medicine; the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station; the MSU Extension Service; and the Forest and Wildlife Research Center.
Watson and his wife Jo Ann have three children and five grandchildren.