Jan. 1, 2002 brought many changes to Mississippi State University. Vance H. Watson, the director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station became the interim vice president of the division of agriculture, forestry, and veterinary medicine as well as interim dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at MSU.
“I think that Dr. Watson is an ideal candidate for this appointment. He has served Mississippi State diligently throughout the years that he has been here and has proven himself to be a capable, intelligent, and proficient administrator,” Drew Maxwell, junior, said
Watson’s appointment will last throughout the time that J. Charles Lee, the current DAFVM vice president and dean of CALS acts as the university’s interim president. During this period, Watson will undertake both the responsibilities of the vice president of the DAFVM and dean of CALS while maintaining his full responsibilities as the MAFES director, which include decision making resource allocation, and general management authority.
“I am honored and humbled that interim President Lee selected me for this appointment-definitely my responsibilities have changed,” Watson said.
“Now I have to provide leadership not only for research centers, but for all the deans, professors, and scientists that are now under my supervision as well.”
Watson said he has committed himself to the accomplishment of several goals during his interim administration. Some of his primary objectives are to provide flexibility for the deans and professors within the CALS and DAFVM as far as resource allocation and funding are concerned, to increase the amount of research funding by enlisting outside sources of monetary commitment rather than just state funding, and to sustain a well-trained and diverse faculty both in experience, gender and ethnicity.
“I don’t look at the position as being only in the interim or as lasting only for a certain amount of time-it’s important to me that the program keeps moving forward, so that there is no slippage during my time here,” Watson said.
Though Watson completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in his native state of Missouri, he has remained at Mississippi State University ever since earning his doctorate in agronomy at MSU in 1969. Beginning in 1966 as an assistant agronomist at the MAFES Center, Watson has participated in a variety of leadership roles that have prepared him for his current position.
“Since coming to the university 36 years ago, I have held a progression of roles that have helped prepare me for my current position,” Watson said. “I have come up through the system, beginning with my graduate work over 36 years ago.”
According to Watson, his first major authoritative role came in 1982 when he was selected to serve as the assistant to the MAFES director. In 1987, he was given the responsibility of coordinating and pulling together the MAFES auxiliary units responsible for foundation seed stocks and variety evaluations as part of the research center’s Focus on a Better Future program for all of the MAFES farms.
In 1991, his role as assistant director expanded yet again to include all the branch farms located throughout the state. The next year, he became the head of the MAFES research support units, and in 1995 he became the MAFES assistant director for research support. In 1996, he was appointed as the MAFES director, a position in which he has served MSU ever since.
“Watson sounds imminently qualified for this position,” senior David Arndt said. “I don’t foresee that there will be any problems as he takes over this particular administration during the interim.”
In addition to his duties on campus, Watson also has several other achievements under his belt. Watson has been published over 300 times, and has served on various agricultural missions throughout the world.