Ray named special assistant to president

Ray

Melvin C. Ray has been named special assistant to the president at Mississippi State.

With responsibilities including budget planning, economic development, and cooperative relationships with other universities, Ray will assume his new duties in mid-July. Until then, he will continue to serve as acting vice president for research, a role he has performed since late 1996.

“Mel Ray has been a key member of the team during my first four and a half months on board,” President Malcolm Portera said. “He has had a tough job to perform as acting vice president for research, but we’re headed in the right direction and ahead of schedule as a result of his efforts.”

Ray came to Mississippi State in 1987 as a faculty member in sociology, specializing in crime and justice research. He was named associate vice president for research in 1994.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and master’s and doctoral degrees from Iowa State University.

At MSU, he has served as co-director of the Mississippi/National Science Foundation Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and as director of university-level research centers and institutes.