Three faculty members at Mississippi State University have advanced to new positions of leadership and responsibility within the university.
Faculty members David Breaux, Walter Diehl and Greg Dunaway have all moved into new positions under the direction of the College of Arts and Sciences dean Gary Myers.
Myers said these men are professors who have been at MSU for nearly 20 years.
“They are familiar with the university, the programs and the way the university operates,” he said. “They are all very qualified for their positions.”
Walter Diehl, a faculty member for 23 years, said he was promoted to the position of associate dean for research and graduate studies after serving as interim for the position.
“Back in October of 2007, I was hired as the interim associate dean for research for the arts and sciences college, and I was promoted to the permanent position this fall,” Diehl said. “No one had been in that position for a long time, so one of the things I did was set the boundaries and create responsibilities for the job.”
He said the biggest difference between being interim associate dean and associate dean is picking up responsibilities with the graduate program.
“Last year, I was figuring out what I’m doing, and now I’m doing it,” he said.
Diehl also said his new position is a great opportunity.
After serving as head of the department of political science and public administration for six years, David Breaux was promoted to CAS associate dean alongside Diehl.
Breaux said in addition to focusing on the academic affairs of the college, he is working to make sure CAS students get the education they deserve.
“We’re working with departments to figure out if there are ways to do things more efficiently,” Breaux said.
“It’s a chance to do something I haven’t done before,” he said. “Working with the faculty and students is extremely rewarding and working with the dean is exceptionally rewarding. [Myers] has a great vision for the College of Arts and Sciences.”
Sociology professor Greg Dunaway said he became the sociology department head after serving on the MSU faculty for 18 years as both a professor and interim associate dean for academic and student affairs.
He said he believes his position in student affairs prepared him for the job of department head.
“Working in the dean’s office, I was dealing … mostly with the College of Arts and Sciences’ 4,000 undergraduate students,” Dunaway said. “I was primarily there to help students with various problems, scheduling classes and so forth.”
He said now he is focused on one academic unit, though the responsibilities are much broader.
“[As sociology department head] now I deal with academic programs and faculty more,” he said.
Dunaway said he accepted the new position because of his love for the department and his work.
“I love working with my colleagues in sociology and social work and with the students who major in our programs,” he said. “It’s an excellent position for me.”
Myers said MSU does not select deans from outside of the MSU family, and candidates are interviewed by department heads and existing staff, which is how Diehl and Breaux were selected. Additionally, he said Dunaway was the natural choice to head the sociology department
“Department head positions can be filled externally, but Dunaway was the interim head and so was more highly qualified,” Myers said.