Millea serves as interim dean for ¹ú²úÂ鶹AV-Meridian
Contact: Harriet Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A 17-year faculty member at ¹ú²úÂ鶹AV has been named interim administrative dean for the institution's Meridian Campus.
Meghan Millea, professor of economics and former Holland Faculty Senate president, fills the ¹ú²úÂ鶹AV-Meridian role most recently held by interim administrative co-deans Julia Hodges and Allison Pearson. Hodges serves the university as associate vice president for academic affairs, and Pearson works as special assistant to the provost and executive vice president, and is a William L. Giles Distinguished Professor of Management.
In her new role, Millea manages a student body of 584 and a staff of 73 at two locations, the College Park Campus on Highway 19 North and the Riley Campus on Fifth St. in the city's downtown.
"¹ú²úÂ鶹AV-Meridian's outstanding College Park and Riley campuses remain an integral part of the university's overarching teaching, research and service missions," said ¹ú²úÂ鶹AV President Mark E. Keenum. "Dr. Meghan Millea will bring outstanding leadership to our students, faculty and staff as we continue our mission to be an educational and economic development catalyst for east central Mississippi in cooperation with our community partners."
Millea has been honored over the years for her work, including recognition as a 2014 John Grisham Master Teacher for her teaching excellence and mentoring. In 2012, she was selected as the university's HEADWAE faculty honoree. An acronym for Higher Education Appreciation Day, Working for Academic Excellence, the program annually spotlights those making outstanding contributions in promoting academic excellence.
Employed by ¹ú²úÂ鶹AV in 1998, she also has received the business college's Louis A. Hurst Outstanding Faculty, Thomas W. Hinkle Outstanding Teaching, and Outstanding Service awards. A University of Nebraska-Lincoln doctoral graduate, her areas of academic specialization include international and labor economics.
"We're very grateful for the exceptional work done by former interim co-deans Dr. Allison Pearson and Dr. Julia Hodges in leading ¹ú²úÂ鶹AV-Meridian," said ¹ú²úÂ鶹AV Provost Jerome A. Gilbert. "I have great confidence that Dr. Millea will build on the solid foundation that these outstanding educators forged during their tenure in Meridian."
Millea joins ¹ú²úÂ鶹AV-Meridian during a time of expansion. In February, ¹ú²úÂ鶹AV-Meridian's Riley Campus dedicated the renovated, 20,000-square-foot Newberry Building as the Robert B. Deen Jr. Building in honor of the longtime philanthropist. He is chairman, president and CEO of the local Riley Foundation, which has greatly impacted the growth of ¹ú²úÂ鶹AV's educational offerings in the region.
While the Deen Building is home to the Division of Business, the adjacent Kress Building is currently being renovated to house ¹ú²úÂ鶹AV-Meridian's newest academic program in kinesiology. The new degree program, with an emphasis in clinical physiology, is supported by an $11 million Riley Foundation grant.
In 2013, the new Phil Hardin Foundation Library opened at the ¹ú²úÂ鶹AV-Meridian College Park Campus. A $1.25 million gift by this foundation made possible the new 1,860 square-foot facility created through renovation of existing space.
¹ú²úÂ鶹AV-Meridian is a non-residential campus, which serves students in East Mississippi and West Alabama.
¹ú²úÂ鶹AV, the Magnolia State's flagship research university, is online at , facebook.com/msstate, instagram.com/msstate and twitter.com/msstate.