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Joe Paul to serve as Southern Miss interim president

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Longtime administrator Joe Paul to serve as Southern Miss interim president

Joe Paul will serve as interim president at University of Southern Mississippi.

Joe Paul, the former vice president for Student Affairs at the University of Southern Mississippi, will out of retirement to serve as interim president of the ‘s third-largest public university.

The Institutions of Higher Learning board of trustees announced Thursday that Paul, who served in student affairs for more than 40 years, would serve as interim president of the University of Southern Mississippi, replacing former President Rodney Bennett.

Bennett, who has served as USM president since 2013, announced in January he was stepping down before the termination of his current contract. Bennett will serve as president until July 15, according to the IHL press release, and Paul will begin as interim president on July 16.

Bennett, when he announced his resignation, initially said he would step down in June 2023.

โ€œDr. Paul’s vast experience through a lifetime of service to the institution makes him the perfect choice to lead the university during this transition period,โ€ said IHL Board Chair Tommy Duff. โ€œI appreciate him stepping up to the plate when asked and know that the university will be in steady hands with him at the helm. As decades of alumni can attest, he has great affection for the university and tremendous concern for its .โ€

The IHL board will soon begin the search for a full-time USM president, according to the IHL release sent out Thursday afternoon. Duff and Gee Ogletree will serve as co-chairs of an IHL board search subcommittee, and they’ll be joined by other IHL board members Jeanne Luckey, Alfred McNair Jr. and Steven Cunningham.

The search for a new USM chief administrator after the IHL board made its presidential search process more confidential through a of policy changes earlier this year. In April, the board voted to make it so search committee members are anonymous, even to each other, and to decrease the role that campus advisory groups play in selecting the president. 

Faculty are concerned these changes will make university presidents less accountable to students, faculty and staff.

Bennett, who became the 10th president of USM in 2013, was the first African American to lead a predominately white Mississippi university. Bennett earned his academic honors from the state of Tennessee university system and was serving as vice president of student affairs at the University of Georgia when tabbed to lead USM.

Duff praised Bennett for what he said was his many accomplishments, the school earning โ€œthe distinguished R1 designation as a top-tier research university.โ€

The news release announcing Paul as the interim president said the IHL board decided on the transition plan earlier this month.

โ€œI am honored to serve my alma mater as the IHL Board of Trustees completes its search for the University of Southern Mississippi’s next permanent leader,โ€ Paul said in a statement. โ€œI am eager to lead Southern Miss as we chase bold dreams, and I will be happy to return to chasing our grandsons once our next leader is on board. I am fully confident the IHL Board of Trustees will identify a dynamic leader as our 11th Southern Miss president.

โ€œOur role is to ready the ship so that the next president finds an institution in good order, energized, and poised for this pivotal transition. I will pursue those ends with full vigor.โ€

Paul retired from the university in 2015. During his retirement, he has held part-time or volunteer positions with the University Foundation as a fundraiser, as Citizen Service Coordinator for the city of Hattiesburg and in various other roles.

Paul earned a doctorate in administration of higher education from the University of Alabama and was named the university’s Most Outstanding Doctoral Student in the field in 1985. Paul, a Bay St. Louis native, earned his undergraduate degree in communication and political science from USM in 1975, graduating magna cum laude.

reporter Molly Minta contributed to this .

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

Mississippi sees 5th largest increase in fatal crashes: study

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www.wjtv.com – Garret Grove – 2024-11-02 12:25:00

SUMMARY: A recent study highlights a troubling rise in road fatalities in Mississippi, with a nearly 31% increase in fatal accidents from 2012 to 2021, ranking it fifth highest in the country. The reported a spike during the 2024 Labor Day , responding to seven fatal crashes resulting in 15 deaths, to only three crashes and six deaths in 2021. Additionally, a 2023 showed Mississippi had the highest per capita fatal crashes during the Christmas period. Young drivers are particularly affected, as Mississippi ranks fifth for teenage driving fatalities nationwide.

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Mississippi News

Vicksburg man charged with assaulting woman in domestic dispute

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www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2024-11-02 11:33:00

SUMMARY: In Vicksburg, Mississippi, a domestic assault led to the hospitalization of a man and woman on November 2. were alerted by Merit Region after a 28-year-old man, Daron Evans, arrived with a stab wound. Authorities dispatched to the scene found the woman, who had also been assaulted. After receiving treatment, Evans was and charged with aggravated assault domestic violence; he is held without bond until his court appearance. The woman is in stable at the of Mississippi Medical Center. An investigation is ongoing.

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Mississippi News

Cloudy and humid weekend – Home – WCBI TV

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www.wcbi.com – Sadie Morris – 2024-11-02 10:13:00

SUMMARY: In Columbus, Mississippi, humid and cloudy weather is expected, with temperatures remaining above average in the lower 80s for the upcoming . Rain is forecasted for Election Day on Tuesday, continuing into the week with isolated showers likely. This Saturday will see patchy fog in the morning, clearing by midday, with a high around 80 degrees. Sunday will bring similar humidity, with a high in the lower 80s and mild overnight lows in the mid-60s. Throughout the week, expect persistent clouds and humidity alongside mild temperatures.

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