Mississippi State University President J. Charles Lee did not always dream of being the head of a major university. In fact, he said he was not even sure he even wanted a college degree.
He stayed nine years at North Carolina State University before receiving his bachelor’s degree.
While attending college, Lee said he was not sure what he wanted to do. He studied forestry and agriculture, in hopes of working in that field.
“I’ve never had any game plan for my career,” Lee said. “I’ve just always tried to do the best I could with whatever opportunity came my way, so nobody is more surprised than I am about my being here today.”
This philosophy has gotten him far. After receiving his bachelor’s degree and his doctorate from NCSU, Lee became head of the Forestry Department at the University of Arkansas at Monticello from 1972 until 1978. He then came to MSU as the dean of the School of Forest Resources and associate director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.
He held those positions until 1983, when he moved on to Texas A&M University, where he held several administrative positions. They ranged from head of the Department of Forest Science to an 18-month term as interim executive vice president and provost of Texas A&M.
Karen Vance, assistant to the vice chancellor at Texas A&M, worked with Lee for 11 years. She said she regards him as an exceptional leader and feels that he will make an excellent university president for many reasons.
“He is very intelligent and very thorough in his decisions, but he’s also very caring,” Vance said. “He truly cares about the staff and the students and is a wonderful person. He is very dedicated to his job and family.”
In 1999 Lee returned to MSU to serve as vice president for agriculture, forestry, and veterinary medicine. The following year, he was named dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. In 2002, Lee was promoted once again when he was given the opportunity to serve the university as interim president until a new president was chosen.
His initial plan was to retire after the committee had made their decision for the next MSU president, but Lee said his unexpected decision to permanently accept the role depended heavily on the confidence that so many people have in his ability to make a difference.
While his current presidential contract is set for four years, Lee says the decision of how long he will hold the job will ultimately depend on the opinions of several people, including his wife, the College Board and MSU faculty and staff..
“Obviously the decision is not just mine; there are many other people who have a say in how long I stay here,” Lee said.
The president said he sees his role as a challenging one with many obstacles. He feels his biggest responsibility will be to provide the adequate resources to give students “the very best preparation for dealing with life and for dealing with the workplace of the 21st century.”
Some of the goals that Lee has for the university include improvements in student success rates, research programs and university-community relations. However, at the same time he would like to build on the overall prominence of the university.
“I would like to see us continue to provide more opportunities for people to get their degrees, to see not only the brightest and most exceptional students succeed, but anyone who has the drive and determination,” Lee said. “I would like to see our research program continue to grow – at least at its present growth rate, and see more research results be converted into new products for services that lead to jobs in our state.”
“I would like to see us increase our efforts to extend the university out to help the families and communities, and particularly business and industry, to provide technical assistance and other services as they respond to this very challenging global economy. And finally, I would like to see us do these things in a way that helps enhance the stature of our university and the value of a diploma from here,” he added.
Other concerns for Lee include funding these projects and raising faculty salaries to a more competitive level, without burdening students with high tuition costs.
“Given the educational status of the population of our state, and the number of first generation college students, I would hope that our state would see value in continuing to contribute a strong level of support. That’s definitely a good investment for the state. I hope the state will do its part so that students don’t have to bare so much of the costs that it restricts their access to a degree,” Lee said.
Through his term as interim president, Lee has gained the support of many of his colleagues. Dr. Nick Nichols, dean of the MSU-Meridian campus, said he agrees with many of Lee’s goals and ideas.
“I think he’s done an outstanding job so far. He is working hard toward his policies and is remaining visible throughout the state,” Nichols said.
Lee attributes much of his success to his friends and family.
“Clearly I stand on the shoulders of a lot of people, none more important than my wife or my parents, but there are a lot of other people who have influenced me as well, my colleagues. I’ve been blessed in that sense,” Lee said.
Although he and his wife both hold a strong commitment to the future of the university, there are many sacrifices that they have made for him to be the president of MSU. Their children and grandchildren still live in the Chesapeake Bay area of North Carolina.
Lee says that if he had chosen to retire instead of accepting the position, he would probably spend a lot of his time fishing on Chesapeake Bay with his grandson. Lee also enjoys gardening boating, a nd traveling, for which it can be hard to find time with the busy schedule that his job entails, he said.
Lee said he feels that his job at MSU is important because while people come to MSU for an education, there are many other benefits that students gain from the college experience. He urges students not only to do well in their classes and obtain degrees, but also to enjoy their time at MSU.
“Enjoy this very special time of your life. It may not seem so, but it truly is a special time. You are learning how to be independent of your family, you are learning how to relate to different people of different backgrounds, you are gaining a tremendous amount of knowledge; enjoy this special time of your life,” Lee said. “You’ll forever treasure it. That’s why we see so many alumni come back to the campus whenever they can; they are reliving their college days.” Lee said.