Contact: Jim Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Fifteen Mississippi State faculty members have been chosen for the competitive 2010-11 William Hall Smith Faculty Leadership Program, which is sponsored by the Office of Research and Economic Development. Smith served the land-grant institution as president 1916-20.
During the 10-month program, participants meet for presentations and roundtable discussions with top administrators. The program's primary goal is to develop the next generation of academic leaders at Mississippi State. Session topics include leadership styles, organizational change, diversity, building winning research teams, and organizational evaluation and assessment.
"Mississippi State has a tradition of strong and effective leadership on our campus and in the communities we serve," said David Shaw, the university's vice president for research and economic development. "The Faculty Leadership Program builds on that foundation and helps outstanding faculty members further develop the skill sets needed to lead the university forward in its mission of teaching, research and service in the years to come."
This year's participants are:
-Gary R. Bachman, assistant Extension professor of horticulture, Coastal Research and Extension Center, Biloxi;
-Barry Barnett, professor, agricultural economics;
-Devon Brenner, associate professor, curriculum, instruction, and special education;
-Anastasia Elder, associate professor, counseling and educational psychology;
-Gary Ervin, associate professor, biological sciences;
-Randy Little, professor, agricultural economics;
-Kelly Marsh, associate professor, English;
-Fred Musser, assistant professor, Entomology and Plant Pathology;
-Daniel Petrolia, assistant professor, agricultural economics;
-Julia Porter, associate professor, counselor education and program coordinator, MSU-Meridian;
-John Poros, associate professor and director, Carl Small Town Center, College of Architecture, Art, and Design;
-Bethany Stich, assistant professor, political science and public administration;
-J. Edward Swan, associate professor, computer science and engineering;
-James Warnock, associate professor, agricultural and biological engineering;
-Joshua Watson, associate professor, counselor education, MSU-Meridian.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.