Brown named new MSU-Meridian dean, associate VP
A Kansas university administrator with an extensive background in arts and music education is the new dean and associate vice president of Mississippi State University's Meridian campus.
Since 2007, Steven F. Brown has been dean of liberal arts and sciences at Emporia State University, which was established in 1863 as that state's first public higher learning institution and currently enrolls 6,500.
His MSU appointment is pending formal approval of the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning.
Prior to ESU, Brown served for eight years as professor and chair of the music department, as well as associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, at the University of Mississippi. He earlier held teaching and administrative positions at Northwest Missouri State and East Central (Okla.) universities, and at the University of Northern Iowa.
"Dr. Brown brings a wealth of professional experience and knowledge to MSU-Meridian," said Jerome A. Gilbert, MSU provost and executive vice president. "We felt his many accomplishments, along with his previous service in Mississippi higher education, made him the best candidate for this very important position."
Brown is a 1986 doctoral graduate of North Texas State University. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from Arkansas State University in 1974 and 1977, respectively.
As an ESU dean, Brown helped lead in implementing a number of interdisciplinary degrees, as well as a dual-admission program with Kansas community colleges. At Ole Miss, he was involved directly in developing and opening the Gertrude Ford Center, a major performing arts venue similar to the MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian.
Brown officially begins his new duties Oct. 1. He succeeds Jack E. Tucci, who left earlier this year for a college administration position in Alabama.
Since being created in 1972, MSU-Meridian has grown to an enrollment of more than 700 undergraduate and graduate students. In addition to Lauderdale, the majority of its students come from Clarke, Jasper, Jones, Kemper, Leake, Neshoba, Newton, and Scott counties, as well as the adjacent West Alabama region. (For more, visit http://meridian.msstate.edu/.)
Located on 26 acres at the intersection of Highway 19 North and College Drive, MSU-Meridian is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and Council of Social Work Education.
Sammy McDavid | University Relations
