A social scientist and university administrator has been named acting vice president for research at Mississippi State University.
Melvin C. Ray, associate vice president for research since 1994, will hold the position until a permanent vice president has been selected. He assumes the new duties following the Nov. 28 death of Ralph E. Powe, the university's vice president for research since 1986.
A nationwide search will be conducted next year to fill the position on a permanent basis, said university President Donald W. Zacharias.
"We are fortunate to be able to draw on the talents and experience of Melvin Ray in this leadership role," Zacharias said. "We have seen the university's stature as a research institution continue to grow, and as associate vice president, Dr. Ray has played a key role in helping build that success."
Ray becomes the first African-American to serve as a vice president at Mississippi State. A native of Dumas, Ark., he joined the university faculty in 1987. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and master's and doctoral degrees from Iowa State University.
"I look forward to the challenge and opportunity of serving the university in this capacity," Ray said.
As associate research vice president, Ray has helped develop Mississippi State's research policies, has managed research programs, and has developed new competitive research areas at the university. He serves as director of University-Level Research Centers and Institutes at Mississippi State.
In 1995, he was named a co-project director for the Mississippi/National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), a program established by NSF to enhance the state's research infrastructure.
Ray has published in leading national and international journals, including The Journal of Social Psychology, The Journal of Research on Crime and Delinquency, and The Western Journal of Black Studies.
In 1992, Ray received a U.S. Department of Justice Certificate of Appreciation for Contributions and Dedicated Service to the National Criminal Justice Community. He was named outstanding faculty adviser by the National Black Graduate Student Association in 1990, and Outstanding Young Man of America in 1984.
The National Science Foundation ranks Mississippi State among the top 100 universities nationwide in total research and development expenditures. Last year the university attracted more than $56 million in contracts and grants from government agencies and private corporations.