A veteran faculty member, academic administrator and financial manager is assuming the role of interim provost and vice president for academic affairs as a result of former Mississippi State University provost David Cole’s decision to call it quits. George L. Verrall began his temporary appointment Jan. 1 because interim MSU President Charles Lee asked him if he would do it.
“He (Verrall) is a quality person who has an exceptional understanding of the academic and financial circumstances of MSU,” Lee said. ” He has a superb understanding of the board of trustees and legislative processes. I considered a number of qualified people but Verrall has a unique understanding because he has served so many key roles.”
Verrall holds four degrees from MSU and has worked for the institution for 40 years. He has a degree in business administration and mechanical engineering.
He also earned his doctorate in business administration with an emphasis in economics.
He served as assistant dean and associate dean of the college of business and industry in the 1970s. He then served as assistant vice president for academic affairs and associate vice president for academic and business affairs for nearly a decade.
He was promoted to vice president for business affairs in 1979 at which he worked until 1994, when he returned to teach full-time in the business college.
From 1995 until 2000 he was head of the department of economics and finance.
“I am expected to perform all the duties and functions and assume all the responsibilities and obligations as if I was permanently filling the position, ” Verrall said. “In this office the duties involve managing academic affairs, which includes the colleges and those units that support the colleges and the students, such as the libraries, the registrars office and the computing center.”
Verrall isn’t exactly sure how long he will hold the interim position.
“The board of trustees will make the decision on how long I’ll stay,” Verrall said. “I think we’re talking about 18 to 24 months; they don’t want to fill this position without the concurrence of a new president.”
A provost’s duties are to ensure that processes are in place that guarantee to students that the faculty has examined the curriculum that students are studying and have held it up and compared it to curriculums across the country and make sure that it withstands the scrutiny of wherever a student goes to graduate school or tries to get a job.
Verrall said his service as assistant vice president of academic affairs from 1976-1985 gives him the experience he needs to run the show until the permanent placement arrives.
“A lot of the issues we’re dealing with now are some of the same issues we dealt with back then,” said Verrall. “We have not had to deal with any space issues so far.”
Verrall was a viable candidate for the position as interim provost because he has no desire to fill the position full time. An interim has to agree that they wont be a candidate for the position.
Budget cuts and accreditation are the hottest issues being dealt with currently in the department of academic affairs, according to Verrall.
The current budget situation at MSU is the worse its been in the entire 40 year span of Verrall’s career at the University.
“The state economist said the economy may pick up in the fall, but that doesn’t say a whole lot about between now and then,” Verrall said. “We are worried about next year’s budget.”
To compensate for shrunken budgets, subtle approaches are applied to stretch money. Verrall said hiring less part time help, curtailing the paving of streets, changing thermostats, deferring maintenance on buildings and cutting library hours are approaches used to save money.
If subtle approaches can’t extend budgets, tuition hikes, like the one that took place last year, are implemented.
Accreditation is also a top priority on Verrall’s agenda, because he said it increases the competency of the University.
“Accreditation processes are set up so the accrediting association can say, ‘study yourself, identify your most secret problems, and tell the world how you’re going to solve those problems,'” Verrall said. “It insures that your program is up to standards, not because we say they are, but because colleagues from other universities across the United States have come in and said they are.”
“The accrediting association is going to come and say faculty salaries are not as high as they should be, they’re not competitive, what are you guys going to do about it?”
Verrall started his second day in office Tuesday, meeting with the dean of continuing education and discussed distance learning.
“We discussed distance learning and issues pertaining to how continuing education can work with the on campus programs to ensure that students have the maximum flexibility to take advantage of all the programs we have,” Verrall said. “But predominantly continuing education worries about distance learning, delivering courses and services off campus.”
Dean council meets once a month to speak of issues that pertain to students. One of the issues discussed in Tuesday’s meeting was to ensure that the faculty understands their responsibilities to give the students an accurate and complete syllabus. They talked about reminding the faculty to be very careful about the way they handle tests and to not put temptations in the hands of students.
For this spring’s graduation class Verrall is pushing for former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani to give the commencement address.
“I’d like Giuliani to talk to graduates about what it means to be a citizen and what it means to volunteer and be a part of the city you live in.”
In terms of an overpopulated enrollment, Verrall thinks the situation is just fine.
“Our position is that we are the peoples’ college and we don’t deny students access to a future,” Verrall said.
Verrall doesn’t think much will change in the administration with Malcolm Portera gone as president and Cole gone as vice president of academic affairs.
“The administration has always been influenced by the chief executive officer and Doctor Portera had a different management style than Don Zacharias and has a different management style than Doctor Lee,” Verrall said. “There will be minor changes, but no significant changes. A University as big as Mississippi State University develops a momentum of its own. We’re always looking toward the future not the back.”
Verrall is happy to hold the post as interim provost, but said it is not a position he would like to hold permanently. He was planning on retiring after he gave up his position as department head of economics and finance to Paul Grimes, but Lee asked him to step up for the University just one more time.
“I have served this university in various capacities for 40 years,” Verrall said. “I said it’s time for me to go home and build a workshop and travel and do whatever I want to do, and I was in the midst of doing all that when Charles came in and knocked on the door and asked me to take the position.”
However, after this stint, Verrall said he is going to hit the road.
“I’m ready for it to be it; I’ve got years worth of stuff to do at home,” Verrall said.
The process of finding a new provost has not even begun.
Progress hasn’t begun on choosing a new university president either. The situation that is halting the discovery of a new president is the search for new presidents for the Mississippi University for Women and the University of Southern Mississippi which both lost presidents last year as well.
“The board is saying that two presidential searches will take up all of their time; if they start a third one now they’re not sure they could handle it,” Verrall said “What they want to do is wait until they are in the interviewing stages for the other two positions, then start the Mississippi State one.”
When it comes time to name a new president and vice president the College Board will set up an advisory committee of politicians, alumni and students to review the resumes of applicants, according to Lee. After they have selected whom they think the most qualified applicant is they will present their decision to the College Board. The Board then has the authority to accept or reject who has been chosen.
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