Mississippi State University is currently accepting applications and nominations for provost, one of its most important administrative positions. The new provost will follow in the footsteps of Peter Rabideau. The position will become open Jan. 1, 2010.
The provost and vice president for academic affairs serves as the chief academic officer for Mississippi State University and is responsible for all academic policies and operations of the university.
The provost is also responsible for the integrity of the academic mission of MSU and oversees all the colleges.
Gary Myers, College of Arts & Sciences dean, said he is appreciative of the time and effort Rabideau has given to the university.
“Dr. Rabideau has represented academic affairs very well while at MSU,” he said. “We all appreciate his significant contribution.”
Rabideau’s accomplishments while serving at the university include the implementation of a tuition incentive plan he proposed in 2004 whereby departments and colleges would receive funds based on a share of increased revenues to the university gained by enrollment increases.
“In the fall of 2007, $1.06 million was provided to the departments and colleges based on new majors and student credit hours taught,” Rabdieau said. “In the past year or so, the plan has morphed to a system of providing funds for new faculty hires based on enrollments and student credit hours. In 2008, 28 new faculty positions were funded.”
During the past five years, as a result of an external review which Rabideau conducted, the MSU Honors Program became an Honors College with a new director, Nancy McCarley.
“With generous support from Bobby and Judy Shackouls to endow the Honors College, it has risen to new heights,” he said.
Shortly after Rabideau arrived at MSU, he led an effort to develop a new College of Architecture, Art and Design. After a series of town hall meetings, the faculty agreed to the creation of the new college by combining the College of Architecture, the Department of Art (formerly in Arts & Sciences) and the Interior Design Program (formerly in Agriculture within the School of Human Sciences).
“It was also necessary to establish an independent bachelor’s degree in interior design since it was previously a degree in human sciences with an interior design option at the time of the merger,” he said. “More recently, we established the [bachelor’s degree] in construction management science, and this program is showing exceptional growth and will support the continued development of AA&D as a major college at MSU.”
More recently, Rabideau helped established the African American Studies Program. After charged with the responsibility for developing this program by then President Robert “Doc” Foglesong, Rabideau worked with the College of Arts & Sciences to establish the first such program at MSU and also led the development of a minor in African American Studies.
Rabideau said his time at MSU has afforded him many opportunities to learn and grow as a person and a scholar.
“When I moved from the position of dean of science at LSU to dean of liberal arts and sciences at Iowa State University, I learned a lot about the cultures within disciplines outside of the physical sciences,” he said. “My role at MSU has brought me together with an even broader assortment of disciplines, including engineering, architecture, vet med, etc., and I have enjoyed the diverse backgrounds and cultures across this community of teachers and scholars.”
Rabideau said it can sometimes be difficult to bring change to the university environment, though the hard work is well worth it.
“My advice is to always do the right thing, and be willing to accept the fact that a provost needs to make difficult decisions that will sometimes be unpopular,” he said. “I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to make contributions to Mississippi State University.”
Myers said it is unclear as to when the position will be filled, but a third party will help assist the university to find the right candidate.
“The search was expanded to attract a larger pool of candidates, but a search agency has not yet been identified,” he said.