Contact: Kay F. Jones
Later this year, the president emeritus of Mississippi State will assume overall leadership of the university's two premier scholarship programs.
Donald W. Zacharias will succeed veteran historian and author John F. Marszalek as the Ottilie Schillig Leadership Scholars Program Mentor. Marszalek, who has served as mentor since 1998, is retiring after nearly three decades of teaching and research at the Starkville school.
In addition to his Schillig responsibilities, Zacharias will coordinate the Presidential Endowed Scholarship Program that was introduced last year.
Interim Provost George Verrall said Zacharias is especially suited for the role of Schillig mentor since he was "instrumental in designing the Schillig Leadership Scholarship Program during the early years of his presidency.
"During the past four years, he has chaired the committee that selects the Schillig Scholars and is thoroughly familiar with the program and its goals," Verrall added.
Zacharias retired in 1997 after serving as MSU president for 12 years, the second longest leadership term in school history after the 19 years of founding president Stephen D. Lee. Since then, he has directed the John Grisham Library, a major component of the university's main Mitchell Memorial Library. He will continue with his Grisham Library duties, as well as serving as a professor of communication.
Announced each spring, the $34,000 Schillig scholarships cover the cost of tuition and fees, room and board, and books during four years of study. First offered in 1987, the awards were established through a major endowment by the private Schillig Trust of Port Gibson.
The new Presidential Endowed Scholarship Program seeks to attract the most academically talented students from Mississippi and the region. These awards cover the cost of tuition, fees, room, and board for up to eight undergraduate semesters.
Although each Presidential Scholar is assigned a faculty mentor, Zacharias will help maintain the program's overall operation while assisting mentors in providing opportunities for group interaction and special activities.