Mississippi State has enjoyed a decade of progress and the future is bright

Anniversaries encourage reflection. Having completed my tenth year as president of Mississippi State on September 1, it seems natural that I should think back on what those years have brought.

Much has happened since 1985, of course--much more than can be touched on in this space. But I hope I can give you a sense of where we have been during this decade, and perhaps a glimpse of where we are headed.

We have nearly 2,000 more students than 10 years ago, and the number of African-Americans enrolled has grown by two-thirds. More students mean more graduates, and the university has produced more than 25,000 during the past ten years. That figure represents nearly one-third of all the university's living alumni.

Our students have continued to excel, recording the state's highest ACT scores for nine of the past 10 years. Eight students have been named Truman Scholars since 1985.

The faculty has been exceptionally productive in teaching and in research. The value of grants and contracts for research and service has more than doubled, to more than $75 million last year, and the benefits to Mississippi have been great, ranging from improved varieties of cotton to new techniques for building airplanes.

The campus has grown, also. Two top-priority building needs soon will be met. A major expansion and renovation of Mitchell Memorial Library is virtually complete, and construction on a new indoor student recreation facility, the Joe Frank Sanderson Center, will begin within a few months. New construction and major renovation completed or funded during the past 10 years have a value of about $160 million--less than half of which comes from state funds.

The university's athletic teams have grown more competitive, as evidenced by three bowl trips in four years for the football team and an appearance in the Sweet 16 of this year's NCAA Tournament by the basketball team. The academic performance of student-athletes has improved steadily, also. The football team was honored this year for its graduation rate, for the fourth year in a row. Women's sports quickly are gaining a new emphasis. The soccer team played its first match this fall and our new softball team will take the field next year. And Mississippi State students have won the Southeastern Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award for three years in a row.

Alumni and friends have set records for generosity during the past 10 years, making private support a significant factor in enabling the university to carry out its mission. Mississippi State's first comprehensive fund-raising campaign, begun in 1992, has succeeded far beyond any similar effort in the state's history, attracting more than $91 million in commitments by this summer. The endowment has more than tripled, reaching approximately $77 million.

The university has continued to serve Mississippi in ways both traditional and innovative, emerging as a leader in educational technology while maintaining its well-deserved reputation for friendliness and concern for students.

Difficulties have intruded on occasion during the past decade, particularly as we have struggled at times to secure the resources necessary to carry out our mission, but the period on the whole has been one of unparalleled progress. In my own view, the university is stronger than ever and poised for dramatic new successes, thanks to the contributions of thousands of alumni and friends, faculty and staff members, and students.

These ten years also have been the most productive and rewarding of my professional life, and I am proud to have played a part in this phase of Mississippi State's history. I look forward along with you to helping make the university's future even brighter than its past.