3/27/2007 - Jackson, Miss.

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) announced in a press conference today that Dr. George Ross, vice president for finance and administrative services at Central Michigan University (CMU), is the preferred candidate for the position of President at Alcorn State University. The announcement was made following a meeting of the Board of Trustees, Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Thomas C. Meredith, representatives of the Alcorn State Search Advisory Committee, and search consultant, Dr. Jan Greenwood.

“The Board and the Search Advisory Committee have worked diligently to identify the best person to take Alcorn State University to the next level of excellence,” said Board President Dr. D.E. Magee, Jr., chair of the Alcorn State Board Search Committee. “We are confident that Dr. Ross’ experience, character, and leadership abilities make him the person for the job.”

As CMU’s chief financial officer, Dr. Ross is responsible for the day-to-day management of the University’s fiscal and physical resources. He also oversees financial services and reporting, budget and planning, human resources, facilities management, residences and auxiliary services, campus police, the general counsel’s office, health services, and university recreation. Dr. Ross has more than 30 years of finance and management experience in the corporate and non-profit sectors, as well as in higher education. His higher education experience includes positions at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia; the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; and Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama. A certified public accountant, Dr. Ross earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration at Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Alabama. He completed post doctoral studies at Harvard University. A full biography and photo of Dr. Ross are available on the Mississippi.edu website.

On Tuesday, April 3, Dr. Ross will participate in open, day-long interviews at Alcorn State University’s Lorman Campus with various university and community constituency groups (schedule forthcoming). Individuals attending the open interviews will be given the opportunity to provide feedback to the Board of Trustees regarding their impressions of Dr. Ross. At the end of the day, the Board will announce either that Dr. Ross will be the seventeenth president of Alcorn State University or that the search will continue.

Under the leadership of the Board of Trustees, IHL 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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