by Joe Farris

Mack Portera's first month as president of Mississippi State was a blur of activity-12-hour and longer days of non-stop meetings, speeches, travel around the state, and immersion in the details of the presidency.

It also was a fast-forward and revealing process of getting reacquainted with his alma mater. "Every day, I learn more about the strengths of this institution and I'm more and more impressed with what we can do here to advance the state of Mississippi and the region," Portera said.

"With the land-grant tradition of service at this university and our statewide presence, we can have a major, major impact on the quality of life in Mississippi. And we're not going to be outworked by anybody; I can guarantee that."

Top left, the Alumni Association's 1997 national president, Durr Boyles, congratulates Dr. Portera on being named the university's 16th president. Top Right, speaking to a packed house on Oct. 16, 1997, following the announcement of his appointment by the Board of Trustees, Dr. Portera outlined his vision for an even stronger university. Left, Roadrunners Sara Withers, left, and Del Weathersby welcome Dr. Portera to the campus bookstore.

Following his selection by the Board of Trustees in mid October, Dr. Portera spent most of the remaining days of 1997 getting a head start on his new job, talking with legislative and campus leaders and preparing the agenda for his first months in office.

He arrived in January with a plan in hand. The new president has outlined for several audiences the priorities for the first six months of his administration:

Fill key leadership positions.

Dr. Portera inherited current or approaching vacancies in top administrative posts including provost and vice president for academic affairs; vice president for research; dean of business and industry; dean of continuing education; and dean of the Meridian Campus. In late January, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Billy Ward announced plans to leave the university as well. (See related story.) Searches are now under way and operating on timetables that call for each of the positions to be filled by July 1.

"Not many things are more important to our success than the quality of leadership among our vice presidents, deans, and department heads," Portera said. "We're going to be aggressive about finding and hiring the best people available."

Build a solid team.

Dr. Portera has repeatedly stressed his penchant for candor and cooperation. "I want everyone who is part of the Mississippi State family-faculty, students, administrators, alumni, and friends-to work together to identify problems and opportunities and help each other. We're looking for ways to get feedback from many sources and create partnerships at all levels."

The diversity of the administration and faculty should increase and university resources will be devoted to accomplishing that, Portera said.

Generate the resources needed for first-quality teaching, research, and service.

The Legislative Budget Committee this year recommended a $2 million increase in base funding for Mississippi State for each of the next three years, for a total of $6 million in new funds at the end of that period.

Dr. Portera began working last fall to convince legislators to support the plan, which would recognize the university's role as a statewide, comprehensive research institution. The additional funding is needed to remedy faculty shortages in some areas and to help raise faculty salaries to the regional averages for comparable universities in the Southeast.

The president also has pushed a legislative agenda that would prevent budget cuts in the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine and allow maximum flexibility in applying proceeds from an anticipated legislative bond issue to campus repair and renovation needs.

Identify areas of greatest need for additional faculty.

Enrollment has risen rapidly in recent years, and some academic areas are hard-pressed by faculty shortages, requiring overload teaching assignments and use of part-time lecturers.

Dr. Portera has asked campus academic leaders to identify and prioritize faculty needs to ensure the most efficient use of new funds from the Legislature.

Enhance the university presence in Washington.

A strategic agenda of research initiatives that require the assistance of the congressional delegation, including topics such as Internet II and next-generation computing, was presented to congressional staff members in February.

Dr. Portera met during his first weeks in office with Rep. Chip Pickering, Sen. Thad Cochran, Sen. Trent Lott, and staff members of the state's entire congressional delegation. "We're going to speak with a single voice in Washington and we are looking for opportunities to leverage state and federal funds for greatest impact," Portera said.

Establish fund-raising priorities and attract private support for them.

A plan was adopted in January to identify top fund-raising needs and link university programs with donor interests. Each college and school is participating in the effort to set strategic fund-raising goals.

"We're going to ask people in the private sector to step up and be partners with us in a wide variety of endeavors," Portera said. "The Campaign for Mississippi State was a great success, but we're going to view the end of the campaign as the beginning of a new era in private partnerships."

Enhance the quality of campus life for students.

Plans were approved in January to issue $16.5 million in university-backed bonds to finance new construction and renovation of apartment-style student housing on campus.

"We also are working in the areas of student placement and counseling, and we want to expand opportunities for our students to have international experiences," Portera said. "We're also reviewing our recruiting efforts to focus on attracting the best students possible. Our students typically report the highest ACT scores among any of the universities in Mississippi, but I'd like to see us set goals to significantly increase that average."

This spring's opening of the Joe Frank Sanderson indoor recreation center and renovations beginning at Colvard Union also will enhance campus living.

Help improve public elementary and secondary education.

Dr. Portera joined a local Chamber of Commerce task force to evaluate community education needs during his first week in office and convened a group of Mississippi State faculty and administrators to discuss how the university can build strong relationships with schools in the immediate area and throughout the state.

He also organized a meeting with area community college representatives. "We're exploring ways the university can help provide advanced technical education and introduce new instructional technology in the public schools," Portera said.

Adopt a strategic plan to promote the university.

"We are working on a plan to position the university to attract the best and brightest students, faculty, and administrators and to communicate the extent and benefits of university research," Portera said.

Improve the academic infrastructure of the university.

Classroom quality, computing resources, and instructional technology will be upgraded, Portera said.

"We are exploring the feasibility of membership in the Association of Research Libraries, made up of the nation's top academic and research libraries," Portera said. "ARL representatives met with us on campus in December to discuss the criteria for library holdings and staffing and we will have further conversations in the very near future to assess our position."

No library in the state currently qualifies for ARL membership.

	The president is a sports fan. He was on hand in Tuscaloosa in November when Mississippi State defeated Alabama in football for the second year in a row, and returned on Jan. 3 to lead the cheers as the Bulldogs downed the Tide in basketball. Later, Portera served as guest coach of the Lady Bulldogs as the women's basketball team battled Vanderbilt.

Increase competitiveness and opportunity in athletics.

Mississippi State will compete for titles in all sports and will continue to emphasize the development of women's athletics, Portera said.

"A high quality intercollegiate athletics program is important for several reasons," he said. "Athletics contributes substantially to the quality of student life. Participating as a fan in athletic events and related activities is an important part of social and extracurricular life on campus.

"Athletics also opens a window to the university for thousands of people, and provides a rallying point for alumni and others. Success builds excitement that carries over into support for other programs and brings potential donors to campus. "I'm proud that our athletic department is one of a handful among major universities whose sports programs have consistently operated in the black for several years, and without using state-appropriated dollars. We want that to continue.

"At the same time, we're working to improve facilities, increase opportunities for women, and raise our level of competitiveness. And of course we're going to follow the rules and ensure the academic success of our student-athletes."