Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Four Mississippi State administrators are among 55 named Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program Fellows.

Now in its 11th year, ALDP was created to help prepare and advance academic leaders for roles within the SEC’s 14 member universities and beyond. In addition to individual campus development programs, the initiative involves two conference-wide workshops and a competitive fellowship program.

“It is our strong belief that helping to prepare administrators for the next phase of their careers has the potential to impact all of higher education, both now and in the future,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “Our universities make a significant investment in these individuals, and we are proud to work with them through this program.”

MSU’s 2018-19 SEC ALDP Fellows include:

—Angus L. Dawe, head and Donald L. Hall Professor of Biology in MSU’s Department of Biological Sciences;

—Kimberly R. Hall, head of MSU-Meridian’s Division of Education;

—Nicole E. Rader, associate dean for academic affairs in MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences; and

—Jack Smith, associate dean for academic affairs in MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

The Fellows took part in an SEC ALDP workshop in October at the University of Kentucky. Program participants also will visit the University of Tennessee in the spring.

A native of Cornwall in southwest England, Dawe earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Sheffield. He later completed a master’s degree in biotechnology and doctorate in cellular, molecular and developmental biology at the University of Tennessee. Dawe joined the MSU faculty in 2016 after 12 years at New Mexico State, where he played a key role in attracting more than $5 million for curriculum development, undergraduate research training and outreach.

In her role at MSU-Meridian, Hall leads faculty and staff in elementary, secondary, special, and community college education; educational leadership; counseling; and kinesiology. She has been an active professional in the field of counseling and education for nearly 20 years, including working as a school and licensed counselor and counselor educator. Former president of the Mississippi Counseling Association, she has more than 20 publications including one book, has given more than 65 presentations and has received nearly $1 million in external funding.

Rader joined MSU’s Department of Sociology in 2005 and has served in numerous leadership positions, including internship, undergraduate and graduate coordinator. She helped develop a new criminology major in the department and has served on the graduate committees of more than 30 students. Her research has focused on gender issues in criminology, particular fear of crime, victimization and the media. Her co-authored, award-winning book, “Fear of Crime in the United States: Causes, Consequences and Contradictions,” examines how fear of crime has changed in the U.S. during the past 30 years. She became associate dean for MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences in 2017 after serving for more than a year as interim in the position.

As associate dean for academic affairs in MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Smith oversees and manages student matriculation through the DVM program. He is past director of clinical education for the college, where he has served on numerous committees and task forces. Smith began his career as a clinician in the Animal Health Center, working in the theriogenology service. Teaching in all four years of veterinary medicine curriculum, he recently participated in MSU’s Faculty Leadership Program through the Office of Research and Economic Development and was selected to represent the university in the Leadership Academy of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.

Since ALDP’s creation in 2008, nearly 400 SEC faculty and academic administrators have completed the program and gone on to become deans and provosts, among other senior-level positions.

For the complete list of new SEC ALDP Fellows, see https://www.thesecu.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SECALDPFellowsOnlineDirectory.pdf.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.