MSU president reaffirms commitment to MSU-Meridian

Glenda Sanders, The Meridian Star, Miss.
·4 min read

Mar. 30—Mississippi State University plans to continue investing in its Meridian campus to add and expand programs to better serve the community's needs, MSU President Mark E. Keenum said during a visit to the Queen City on Thursday.

"All of the exciting great things that you've got going on in this community is because of your leadership and your passion and your commitment to making your community a better place," Keenum told those in attendance at a morning gathering at the MSU Riley Center. "We are certainly proud to be part of the tradition of what's happening here in downtown Meridian, the coolest downtown in the state of Mississippi."

A crowd of supporters were on hand to greet Keenum, all of them decked out in white MSU T-shirts with the saying "Meridian Coolest Downtown in Mississippi" across the back. Maroon and white balloon displays filled the room.

Thursday's morning event was sponsored by the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation.

EMBDC board member Larkin Kennedy, who gave the opening comments, said the community looks forward to working in partnership with MSU-Meridian to continue to grow its campus.

"EMBDC is very proud to partner with MSU-Meridian, and we're excited about what the future has in store for our community going forward," he said.

Also making an appearance at the event was "Dak," an English bulldog owned by Julie and Bruce Martin of Meridian, who is set to assume his duties as the new official mascot of MSU, known as Bully XXII, later this month at Super Bulldog Weekend in Starkville.

Keenum told the audience he is excited about all of the new and expanding programs being added at MSU-Meridian's College Park and Riley campuses.

"I am excited about all that we have going on and the potential for further growth," he said. "It is not me, it is all of you, and it is a commitment of so many people who love this community and want to see this community to do well."

MSU-Meridian's downtown Riley Campus is home to a new Master of Physician Assistant Studies program, the state's only publicly funded master's degree program of its kind, and will soon add a Master of Science in Nursing degree program, approved earlier this year by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.

"Our first cohort of students will graduate in May," Keenum said of the PA program, which is drawing students from across the state and the nation. "We will have 19 newly minted physician assistants ready to go out and help meet critical healthcare needs."

The university is currently searching for a dean for the nursing program, which is the first graduate entry-level licensure program in the state. The first students are expected to begin classes in August 2024.

Keenum credited "Dak's" owner, Martin, a member of the IHL board, for helping to get the program approved.

"He fought hard for us to get the approval to bring a nursing program here," Keenum said. "We have been working to bring a nursing program to Meridian for years. February, we finally saw it happen."

The College Park Campus also is expanding its programs to meet the community's needs. Just last week, IHL granted approval for MSU-Meridian to begin offering a Doctor of Psychology degree, the first doctoral program offered by the campus, and a new Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration program.

"Healthcare is a business, it's a big business," he said. "It's an important business, and there is a huge need for healthcare administrators."

Keenum said the the psychology doctoral program, which will begin enrolling students in the fall, is designed to help increase the number of graduates eligible for licensure due to the shortage of psychologists statewide.

MSU-Meridian is also expanding its clinical and behavioral health programs in the areas of clinical mental health, school counseling, rehabilitation counseling, applied behavior analysis and school psychology to meet growing needs in the community.

Keenum credited the generous support and funding from The Riley Foundation, the Paul and Sherry Broadhead Foundation and the Phil Hardin Foundation for their continued support of the Meridian campus and its programs.

"To the Riley Foundation, to the Phil Hardin Foundation, to the Broadhead Foundation, thank you for your trust and your confidence in Mississippi State University and what we are working hard to do to meet so many critical needs and grow our campus and grow our presence here in Meridian."

With growth, however, often comes problems, Keenum said. MSU is in the early stages of researching options to create more student housing in downtown Meridian to meet the needs of its growing student population.

"We are working and thinking about ways we can create more student housing to grow opportunities for students to be able to live and study and work in proximity to downtown Meridian ... the coolest downtown in the state," he said.