As many members of the Mississippi State University community are aware, MSU President Malcolm Portera will soon leave Mississippi State for the University of Alabama System. Portera’s decision will have a profound impact on our university. Many people have already started talking about what this decision will mean for Mississippi State. As a result of the decision, there are a number of things we should try to keep in perspective. Instead of focusing on Portera’s decision to leave MSU, we should focus on all that Portera has done for MSU. Earlier this month, I wrote an editorial expressing that a number of students, faculty and staff would miss Portera. After the article ran, a number of individuals expressed discontent with my article. I realize that a number of faculty and staff members have not received pay raises in the last three years. I also realize that Portera has offended a number of members of our MSU family. But the emphasis should not be on the few toes he has stepped on but should instead be on all the good he has done for our university. Mississippi State is indeed a better place than it was when Portera took the helm in 1998. Student enrollment is at an all-time high, and we have reached our goal of being one of the top-50 research institutions in the nation. As stated by Portera, MSU does indeed have a wonderful momentum at this time in our university’s history. The question is whether we will be able to maintain that momentum after Portera’s exit.
Our state is in dire times economically, and there does not appear to be an upturn in the near future. Things will continue to get worse before they get any better. There is no money on the map for higher education, and this can be traced back to our state Legislature. In dire economic times such as these, it is important to have a leader who is able to stand up to our state leaders and demand money for our state’s top institution of higher education. Portera was more than able to demand the respect of our state’s leader. He was invaluable as president of MSU and as an economic leader for Mississippi. His absence will be felt throughout the state.
There a are many positives that can come out of Portera’s decision, which will be addressed in an upcoming article, but for the most part, this is indeed a time of doubt and worry for our institution. Strong leadership is an essential component for success. Portera was indeed a strong leader. While he may have lacked certain people skills and was subsequently deemed insensitive by some, he knew how to get things done. He had goals for this university, and he worked hard to make those goals a reality. He succeeded in securing our university’s position as the best university in the state and for that, as a student, I am grateful to him.
In light of Portera’s decision, a number of people are criticizing him and saying that he does not love MSU. How can you not love a place as endearing as MSU? How can you not love a job that pays $250,000 with benefits? Portera is doing what he feels is best for him and right for our state.
Perhaps Portera’s exit will send a message to the Institutions of Higher Learning board and force them to realize the key role they should be playing in getting more money for higher education in our state. Maybe Portera’s exit will cause them to re-evaluate not only pay for university presidents but also for faculty. One of Portera’s main reasons for leaving MSU is that the UAS has a larger budget. The state of Alabama supports higher education more than Mississippi. Maybe our state leaders will get the picture and before we lose another leader, they will do what it takes to improve Mississippi’s higher education system.
Portera did a number of outstanding things for our university, and he will be missed.