Donald W. Zacharias, Mississippi State University president who served from 1985-1997, died March 3 of complications from multiple sclerosis. He was 77.
Zacharias was considered to be a hallmark visionary for the university.
In his tenure, Zacharias saw the university grow in enrollment, research, contributions, service and athletics. MSU enrollment grew to nearly 16,000 under Zacharias, and private donations increased from four million dollars at the beginning of his presidency, to over 42 million dollars annually by 1996.
In a university press release, MSU president Mark Keenum remembered Zacharias as not only a friend, but a close mentor.
“Dr. Donald Zacharias was a transformative figure at Mississippi State University. He really helped bring MSU into the modern era, and he did so by developing a broad vision for the leadership that Mississippi needed from a land grant university,” Keenum said. “I counted him as a friend, a mentor, and an inspiration. Don Zacharias was a man of great courage and dignity, and he was one of the most influential leaders in the history of Mississippi higher education.”
No funeral arrangements have been finalized at this time. A public memorial service is tentatively planned for March 7 on MSU’s campus.