Brenner named director of MSU Social Science Research Center

Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss out on.—A extended-serving Mississippi Point out college member and administrator is now the director of the university’s Social Science Research Middle.

Devon Brenner, assistant vice president for outreach and initiatives in the MSU Business office of Research and Financial Advancement, has been named SSRC director. She has led the study center on an interim basis due to the fact past 12 months. As director, Brenner is billed with major the above 70-year-outdated heart with a custom of impactful social science investigate. The middle experiences jointly to the Office of Investigation and Financial Advancement and the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Drugs.

“Throughout its background, the SSRC has been residence to impressive interdisciplinary research on the social concerns that impression our condition, nation and environment and has served as a big catalyst for expanding the social sciences at MSU,” explained MSU Vice President for Study and Economic Progress Julie Jordan. “Dr. Brenner’s breadth of encounter has her well positioned to go the center ahead and assist its mission. I seem forward to looking at SSRC proceed to grow less than her management.”

Brenner has been a portion of the MSU faculty due to the fact 1999, instructing reading through and language arts in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Instruction. She was head of the department from 2011-2015 ahead of serving just one calendar year as an education fellow in the office environment of previous U.S. Senator Thad Cochran. From 2016-2021, she was distinctive assistant to the vice president for instruction initiatives in the Business office of Research and Economic Growth, helping with the scheduling and start of Partnership Middle College on the MSU campus.

As a researcher, Brenner has focused on rural instructor recruitment and retention and rural schooling coverage. She is at present the principal investigator on a Nationwide Science Basis-funded collaboration between 14 universities to examine rural teacher instruction and retention, and she a short while ago co-authored a textbook on rural trainer education and learning. She is a two-time graduate of Michigan Condition University, earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary training in 1991 and a doctorate in curriculum, educating and educational policy in 2000.

“I’m fired up to have this opportunity to collaborate with remarkable students who are carrying out important operate to ensure that details informs coverage and exercise in our condition and close to the environment,” Brenner reported. “Many many thanks to outgoing director, Dr. Art Cosby, who led an awesome staff of scholars for extra than half of the SSRC’s 72 yrs and who built the infrastructure for rigorous, data-pushed interdisciplinary study. 

“As I start my 23rd 12 months at Mississippi Point out University, I’m seeking ahead to supporting our current partnerships and jobs and pinpointing new areas for MSU scholars to perform investigation to fully grasp and deal with social, economic, political, training, and relevant exploration issues and to provide a house for exceptional community services systems serving our condition and local community.”

Headquartered in the Thad Cochran Research, Know-how and Financial Advancement Park at MSU, the SSRC is at the moment residence to 12 investigate laboratories and applications with a broad selection of focuses, such as knowledge science, gender impacts, messaging, tobacco control, social relations, crime and justice, social robotics and much more. Portion of the SSRC mission is to hook up university social science abilities with funding resources and to present exceptional exploration possibilities for graduate and undergraduate pupils. MSU has led all Southeastern Meeting universities in social sciences analysis funding for eight consecutive yrs and ranks No. 15 nationally in the newest report from the Countrywide Science Basis.

For more on the SSRC, visit www.ssrc.msstate.edu.

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