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BUD SOREY | THE REFLECTOR

Newly named Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum addresses The Reflector in his first comprehensive interview. He pledged to have an administration which would openly communicate with students, faculty and alumni.

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T H E S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F M I S S I S S I P P I S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y S I N C E 1884

COMING HOMEReflectorFRIDAY

NOVEMBER 14, 2008

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BY CARL SMITHNews Editor

In a unanimous vote, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees named USDA Undersecretary Mark Keenum the 19th Mississippi State University president.

IHL Board of Trustees President Amy Whitten said Keenum will assume the presidency in early January.

“There will be a transition period between now and then. We will involve him as quickly as we can,” Whitten said. “It’s a huge sacrifice on his and his family’s part to get here that soon. It will be a very wonderful homecoming for him.”

His salary will be comparable to former MSU President Robert “Doc” Foglesong’s $428,500 yearly earnings, she said.

Keenum said he and his family are very excited at the op-portunity to lead his alma mater into the future.

“The emotions came out toward the end when I saw the alumni, my friends and the people that have been encouraging me throughout this process,” he said. “[Other than the day I was married and the births of my children], this is the absolute biggest day of my life.”

IHL names Keenum as 19th MSU president

Campus groups interview Keenum

“TODAY HAS BEEN A VERY IMPORTANT DAY FOR MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY AND THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.”SCOTT ROSS, IHL BOARD OF TRUSTEES VICE PRESIDENT

BY ADAM KAZERY& COLIN CATCHINGS

Newly named Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum addressed various constituency groups Wednesday during a daylong series of interviews at the Hunter Henry Alumni Center. Institutions of Higher Learning board mem-bers and campus officials were also present for the various sessions, which were set up separately for faculty, students, the public and MSU Foundation members.

Keenum spent much of his time during the sessions out-lining his plans for the future, which include starting a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and increasing student enrollment.

“Yes, we’re 17,824 students, but we can be more than that,” Keenum said. “Growing our student enrollment ... generates revenue, [helping] us have more money for our salaries for our faculty and our staff.”

He said faculty and staff salaries would be among his top priorities.

“[When] we look at the salaries that our faculty make and look at their peer universities in the Southern university group, we’re woefully below the average,” he said. “We owe it to them to at least pay them at the average of their peers. I’d like to see us surpass that.”

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