Mark E. Keenum

Mark E. Keenum
President of
Mississippi State University
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 5, 2009
Preceded by Roy Ruby
Personal details
Born Starkville, Mississippi
Spouse(s) Rhonda Keenum
Children Rett Keenum, Mary Phillips Keenum, Katie Keenum, Torie Keenum
Alma mater Mississippi State University
Profession University President
Website http://www.msstate.edu/president

Dr. Mark Everett Keenum is the 19th and current president of Mississippi State University.

Education

Born in Starkville, Mississippi, Keenum graduated from Corinth High School in Corinth, Ms. Keenum earned an Associate of Arts degree from Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville and was a member of the Northeast Tigers football team. Keenum holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics (1983), a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics (1984), and a Ph.D in Agricultural Economics from Mississippi State University (1988)[1]

Career

After completing his bachelor's and master's degrees, Keenum joined the MSU faculty as a marketing specialist with the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service at MSU in 1984. Two years later, he accepted a position as a Research Associate with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station at MSU. In 1988 after receiving his Ph.D Keenum joined the faculty as an assistant professor/economist in Mississippi State's Department of Agricultural Economics[2] Keenum served on the staff of U.S. Senator Thad Cochran in Washington, DC from 1989-2006, first as a legislative assistant for agriculture and natural resources and then as chief of staff.

From 1997-2006 Keenum served Mississippi State as an adjunct professor in agricultural economics.

In 2006 Keenum was named the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services for the United States Department of Agriculture.[3] In this role Keenum provided leadership and oversight for the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, and the Foreign Agricultural Service.

Keenum was named as the 19th president of Mississippi State University in November 2008 and began his term in January 2009.[4]

During Keenum's tenure the university has experienced record enrollment growth to more than 20,000 students, with the freshman class of fall 2013 was not only the largest in university history, but also reported the highest average ACT scores in university history.[5] Keenum has also overseen the addition of three new residence halls, the Mize Pavilion, a state-of-the-art basketball practice facility, the Leo W. Seal Jr. Football Complex, a major renovation of historic Lee Hall, construction of a new classroom building with built-in parking, and a major expansion of Davis Wade Stadium.

Under Keenum's leadership fundraising has reached all-time record levels, with private giving exceeding $80 million a year in fiscal years 2011, 2012, and 2013.[6][7] In fall 2013, the university formally announced Infinite Impact: the Campaign for Mississippi State, which had been in its quiet phase for three years, with a goal of $600 million by 2018.[8] Keenum has also been instrumental in expanding the MSU Promise Program, which provides need-based scholarship assistance to Mississippi students whose families have limited financial means. Through the Sonny Montgomery Center for America's Veterans, he has also led initiatives to make Mississippi State one of the most veteran-friendly universities in the nation.[9]

Keenum has also worked to raise Mississippi State's role internationally, creating partnerships with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to tackle the issues of world hunger and food security.[10]

Keenum serves as vice chairman of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges' Executive Council. SACS-COC is the recognized regional accrediting body in the 11 U.S. Southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) and in Latin America for those institutions of higher education that award associate, baccalaureate, master's or doctoral degrees.

He also is a member of the American Public Land-Grant Universities Board of Directors. Based in Washington, D.C., the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) is a research and advocacy organization of public research universities, land-grant institutions, and state university systems with member campuses in all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

Personal life

Keenum was born in Starkville, Mississippi and grew up in Corinth, Mississippi. Keenum is married to the former Rhonda Newman of Booneville, Mississippi, also an MSU graduate. They have four children: Rett, Mary Phillips, Katie and Torie.

Honors

References

  1. ↑ Mississippi State university Alumnus Fall 2008.
  2. ↑ Mark Keenum bio from Mississippi.edu
  3. ↑ President nominates Mark Keenum to be undersecretary of agriculture
  4. ↑ Board Names Dr. Mark Keenum 19th President of Mississippi State University
  5. ↑ Fall semester sees record freshman class, highest ACT average in MSU history
  6. ↑ Mississippi State University Announces $80 Million in Gifts, Pledges
  7. ↑ MSU Foundation’s fund-raising tops $80 million for 3rd year
  8. ↑ MSU sets $600M campaign goal with Infinite Impact
  9. ↑ MSU ranked among top military-friendly colleges
  10. ↑ MSU signs agreement with UN organization while in Rome
  11. ↑ Bruce Knight, Mark Keenum and Nancy Montanez Johner Receive National Recognition With Distinguished Public Service Award
  12. ↑ Keenum wins Congressional award
  13. ↑ MPA Education Foundation Benefit Roast

External links

Academic offices
Preceded by
Roy H. Ruby		 President of Mississippi State University
2009– 		Succeeded by
Incumbent