Contact: Ellery Chancellor
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Longtime Hinds Community College President and Mississippi State University alumnus V. Clyde Muse of Raymond has established an endowed scholarship in MSU’s College of Education for students aspiring to pursue careers in teaching.
The scholarship bears the name of Muse and his late wife and fellow MSU graduate Vashti U. Muse. The couple dedicated their lives to serving others through education. Muse has been president at Hinds since 1978.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in 1952 from Delta State University, he began teaching and coaching at Canton High School. In 1957, Muse moved to Starkville to attend MSU, where he completed his master’s degree in 1959 and doctoral degree in 1968, both in education.
Before leading HCC, Muse served as a teacher, coach, principal and assistant superintendent for the Starkville School District and as superintendent in both Hinds County and Meridian public schools.
For his accomplishments, Muse has been saluted by both his college alma maters. In 1992, he was named Alumnus of the Year for the MSU College of Education and was recognized as the college’s Alumni Fellow in 2011. He also was the recipient of an honorary DSU doctoral degree in 2012.
Vashti U. Muse graduated with an MSU bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1961, before also earning her master’s in education from the university in 1976. She taught elementary school in Starkville and later in Hinds and Lauderdale counties. She joined her husband at HCC before retiring from teaching. Prior to her death in 2010, she served as president of the National Association of Developmental Educators and the Mississippi Association of Developmental Educators.
At MSU, the Dr. V. Clyde and Vashti U. Muse Endowed Scholarship will be awarded to full-time students in the College of Education who maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Recipients also must have demonstrated financial need and may be considered to receive the award for multiple academic years, given their maintained eligibility.
The Muses also shared a love of MSU with their children; all three attended the institution. Along with MSU scholarships, the Muses’ generosity further supports the College of Education and the John C. Stennis Endowment in Political Science.
For more information on establishing scholarships within the College of Education, contact Trish Cunetto, the college’s development director, at 662-325-6762 or tcunetto@foundation.msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.