Contact: Harriet Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A search committee for the new position of dean and executive director of Mississippi State University-Meridian is announcing the names of three finalists.
Scheduled for interviews in Meridian and Starkville July 27-29, the candidates include:
--Michael Brown, professor and head of the music department on the Starkville campus;
--Kenneth Shaw, associate professor of mathematics education and associate dean at Florida State University's Panama City campus; and
--Jack Tucci, professor of management and chair of the business division at MSU-Meridian.
"The committee was overwhelmed with the quality of the 80 applicants," said search committee chair Lynne Richardson.
"The three finalists have varied backgrounds and credentials, and each shows promise of being successful on the MSU-Meridian campus, and in relationships, both with community colleges and the Meridian business community," the dean of MSU's College of Business added.
She said the committee hopes to have the preferred candidate named by early August.
Regarding the finalists, Richardson said:
--Brown previously chaired the division of fine arts at Indiana Wesleyan University and, before that, was director of bands at Augusta State University and Truett-McConnell College, both in Georgia.
Brown has many years of professional orchestra and ensemble experience. In addition to MSU administrative duties, he currently serves as music director for the Starkville Symphony.
In addition to bachelor's degrees from Georgia's Emmanuel and Berry colleges, he completed master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Georgia.
--Shaw has served either as FSU-PC's associate dean or interim dean for 11 years. In those capacities, he was a member of numerous community boards. Last year, he also was president of the National Association of Branch Campus Administrators.
In addition to being involved with campus development, he has worked closely with the Florida community college system and its relationship with FSU, one of the state's primary graduate research universities.
Shaw holds a master's degree in mathematics from Middle Tennessee State University and a doctorate in mathematics education from the University of Georgia.
--Tucci, in addition to duties as business division chair, serves as regional director for the Technology Resource Institute and the Meridian campus' State of Mississippi technology initiatives.
Before coming to Lauderdale County, he was an associate professor at Marshall University in West Virginia, Abilene Christian University in Texas and Southeastern Louisiana University.
Tucci completed his master's and bachelor's degrees at the University of Texas, Permian Basin, and a doctorate at the University of North Texas.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information, contact Dean Richardson at 662-325-2580 or lrichardson@cobilan.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.