10/3/2013 - Jackson, Miss.

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning announced today the selection of Dr. William B. Bynum Jr. as the preferred candidate for the presidency of Mississippi Valley State University. With more than 25 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Bynum served most recently as Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Services at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

In this role, Dr. Bynum recruited students and implemented programs, initiatives and activities to support them and help them succeed in the classroom and beyond. In addition to serving as a faculty member in the Morehouse College Leadership Center, Dr. Bynum was responsible for 18 programmatic units, including Project Identity, a pre-college program, and the first Morehouse College Parents Council, which was formed under his leadership.

Throughout his career, Dr. Bynum has led special projects and initiatives related to enhancing retention and graduation rates and developed academic policies to help students achieve and shorten their path to completion. Prior to joining Morehouse College, Dr. Bynum served as Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Lincoln University in Chester County, Pennsylvania. During his tenure there, he implemented an Enrollment Management Model, recruited the four largest classes in the university's 150-year history, and increased the overall student enrollment.

Dr. Bynum was recommended by the Board Search Committee, chaired by Trustee Shane Hooper, with input from the Campus Search Advisory Committee and the Interview Search Advisory Committee following careful review of all applications and two rounds of interviews.

"As a longtime university administrator, Dr. William Bynum understands the challenges and opportunities before him," said Shane Hooper, chair of the Mississippi Valley State University Board Search Committee. "I am confident that he will be able to unite all segments of the MVSU family in support of the university as it continues to provide access and a quality education for all students."

In addition to Chair Shane Hooper, the members of the MVSU Board Search Committee include Trustees Dr. Ford Dye, Hal Parker, Robin Robinson and C.D. Smith.

"I would like to thank Trustee Shane Hooper for his service as chair and the other members of the Board Search Committee for giving generously of their time throughout the search process," said Bob Owens, president of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.

A native of North Carolina, Dr. Bynum holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from Davidson College and both a master's degree and a doctorate in sociology from Duke University, where he was a Duke Endowment Fellow. In addition, he was selected as one of the first 13 inaugural members of the National Association For Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO)-Kellogg Leadership Fellows Program in 2003. Funded through a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, the program is designed to train the next generation of college/university presidents for minority serving institutions.

Dr. Bynum has served as the Covington Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Davidson College, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Clark Atlanta University and Assistant Dean of Students at Davidson College. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Morehouse College in the Leadership Center. The Leadership Center trains students to be global, ethical leaders by teaching them leadership concepts and theories and then providing real life experiences where they can hone their leadership skills and abilities.

Campus listening sessions were held in August with constituency groups for the members of the Board Search Committee and the Campus Search Advisory Committee to hear what qualities and qualifications stakeholders believed the next institutional executive officer should possess. After careful review of all applicants, the Campus Search Advisory Committee submitted the names of several candidates unranked to the Board Search Committee. A representative subset of the Campus Search Advisory was selected to serve as the Interview Search Advisory Committee. The Board selected the candidates to be interviewed and two rounds of interviews were held.

"I would like to thank the members of the Campus Search Advisory Committee, under the leadership of Dr. Louis Hall, for serving as the voice of the university and campus community," said Trustee Hooper. "I appreciate the time, effort and expertise they have devoted to participating in the search process."

The members of the Mississippi Valley State University Campus Search Advisory Committee include: Dr. Louis Hall, Chair; Dr. John Jones, Dr. Jay Kim, Lee Smith, Mary Crump, John Johnson, Archie Tucker, Michael Joe Cannon, Rev. Calvin Collins, Mercidees McTeer, Kenneth Myricks, Katherine Barrett Riley, Joanne Baldwin, Dr. Constance Bland, Dr. Kathie Stromile Golden, Dr. Mary Alice Jennings, Dr. John Weiss, Clara Reed, Dr. Walter Roberts, Deborah Banks, LeChondia Nelson, Glenda Ransom and Derrick Jones.

"Dr. Bynum brings a wealth of experience to the table," said Dr. Louis Hall, chair of the Campus Search Advisory Committee. "Proven leadership was a quality mentioned frequently by the campus community during the listening sessions and we believe Dr. Bynum exemplifies this quality."

Dr. Bynum will meet with campus constituency groups on a visit to campus in Itta Bena on Tuesday, October 8 according to the following schedule. While all sessions are open to the public, each session focuses on the needs of a specific constituency group.

The Board of Trustees will meet to consider the selection of Dr. William B. Bynum, Jr. as President of Mississippi Valley State University on Tuesday, October 8, 2013 at 11:45 a.m. The Board meeting will be held in Room 113 in the Business Education Building on the Itta Bena campus of Mississippi Valley State University, located at 14000 Highway 82 West in Itta Bena, Miss. Members of the Board may participate in the meeting via teleconference. An executive session may be held in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.

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The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning governs the public universities in Mississippi, including Alcorn State University; Delta State University; Jackson State University; Mississippi State University including the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine; Mississippi University for Women; Mississippi Valley State University; the University of Mississippi including the University of Mississippi Medical Center; and the University of Southern Mississippi.

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