A group of concerned citizens of Mississippi Valley State University will hold a meeting on Saturday at the Valley Alumni House on campus to talk about the future direction of the school in the wake of recent changes there.
Former Student Government Association President Kortney Haymore and alumnus Dr. Emmitt Riley III called the meeting to address the current and future status of MVSU.
This week, Valley’s president, Dr. William Bynum Jr., was appointed by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning to be the next President of financially troubled Jackson State University. Bynum’s new position begins on July 1.
Bynum has recommended that Executive Vice President Jerryl Briggs serve as interim president while the state conducts a search for the next campus leader.
Meeting organizer Estelle Simms, a Valley alum who teaches in the Department of Business Administration, said the meeting is open to all concerned citizens and Valley stakeholders, including faculty, administrators, staff, students, alumni, public officials and community members.
“Our goal is not to focus on what has happened with the exit of our president and what he’s doing at Jackson State,” Simms said. “That’s not our fight.
“We’re just trying to develop input into how we will plan our approach to the next president and the direction that we see Valley going.”
Simms expressed concern over the shake-up at Valley and the uncertainty it raises about the future of the institution.
“We knew that Dr. Bynum had applied for the job at Jackson State, and we knew that IHL had urged him to apply,” Simms said. “But at this point we’re not being communicated to, and it has left this institution in a state of confusion. We don’t know where we’re going or what’s happening.”
To remedy that, Simms and her cohorts hope to make a show of unity and to present a cohesive front that remains informed and involved in decisions about the university’s direction.
“We’re just trying to develop an understanding of all stakeholders of where we see the Valley going,” Simms said. “I don’t think that any of us who plan to come together and meet, including our national alumni association and our faculty and staff in general, can say they know at this point what direction Valley is taking.”
Haymore, who graduated in May and plans to pursue a master’s degree in higher education, said Valley is being depicted in a number of ways by media as the Bynum saga unfolds, and he hopes a united front of stakeholders can help control the image of the university beyond its borders.
“My time at Valley really ignited a passion in me about higher education and historically black colleges and universities,” Haymore said.
“We need to have a conversation and have a clear understanding about what’s next for Valley.”
• Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
