Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A higher education professional at Mississippi State is the Black History Month Educator of the Year for the state of Mississippi.
Mary Alexander, assistant to the president, received the honor last week during a monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning. She is also an instructor in the department of instructional systems, leadership and workforce development.
Walter N. Taylor, assistant dean for MSU's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a professor of agricultural information science and education in the School of Human Sciences, also was recognized as one of eight IHL honorees.
"We are very proud of the accomplishments of both of these talented members of the MSU family," said President Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong.
"I have known Dr. Alexander for a number of years as both an Air Force officer and as a university faculty member and can attest to her character, competence and commitment to diversity," said Foglesong, who first worked with Alexander during his tenure at Columbus Air Force Base. She retired from the service in 1994 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Alexander since has earned a doctorate in school administration from Mississippi State and has held positions at Columbus High School, Mid-South Partnership for Rural Community Colleges, Alcorn State University, and Mississippi University for Women.
Alexander also serves as interim director of the land-grant institution's diversity and equity programs, providing counsel and training to ensure a working and learning environment free of discrimination.
"She has an outstanding commitment to inclusiveness and has had a career in which she has repeatedly demonstrated her leadership abilities," Foglesong said. "This is a most fitting recognition."
An Alabama native, Alexander holds an undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry from Alabama State University and a master's in management from Webster University in St. Louis, Mo. In addition to her MSU doctoral degree, she has received additional graduate-level management training at the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.
Alexander said she considers the honor one she shares with her colleagues at MSU.
"I must thank Dr. Foglesong for his vision for the university, his embracing diversity and his efforts to make the campus a friendlier and more pleasant work place for all people," she said. "I work with a great group of people, and it's a pleasure to come to work each day."
Taylor, a member of the MSU faculty since 1986, holds a doctorate from Virginia Institute of Technology and State University. He is a former head of the agricultural information science and education department.