 Shoshana Brackett/SDN A Mississippi State University ribbon cutting ceremony dedicating the Zacharias Village was held Friday. The ceremony was held inside due to rain earlier in the day. Pictured left to right are Student Association President Braxton Coombs; MSU Interim President Vance Watson; Dr. Donald Zacharias and wife, Tommie; Mississippi Higher Education Commissioner Tom Meredith; and Dr. Bill Kibler, MSU vice president for student affairs. By SHOSHANA BRACKETT
Starkville Daily News
A residence hall complex dedication ceremony Friday recognized the legacy of Mississippi State University’s 15th president.
Dr. Donald W. Zacharias served the university as president from 1985 to 1997, holding the second-longest tenure of the 18 MSU presidents.
Zacharias, who resides in Starkville, was honored by a lobby full of guests including 10 representatives of the Schillig Scholars program, a program he began while serving as president with funds left to the university by Ottilie Schillig.
Zacharias, with his wife, Tommie, by his side, was touted as a great communicator who led the university with integrity and courage during the dedication ceremony for the Zacharias Village.
The Zacharias Village includes four residence halls — Ruby, S. Bryce Griffis, Louis A. Hearst and Building III. The village contains 1,200 beds and is home to the Shackouls Honors College.
“On-campus housing is the heart and soul of what we do at Mississippi State University,” said Dr. Bill Kibler, vice president for student affairs.
“The facilities and outstanding staff that make up the Zacharias Village have set a new standard,” he said.
A variety of speakers spoke of Zacharias’ commitment to students and his leadership style, including open communication and a willingness to listen to everyone’s opinion.
Dr. John Marszalek, MSU professor emeritus, recalled the first day Zacharias came to campus as the new president in 1985.
“The Mississippi State family had gathered to size up the new president ... what we saw that day was a tall, thin, bespeckled man with a booming voice,” he said.
On that day, no one imagined Zacharias would hold the presidency for the next 12 years, Marszalek said, leading MSU out of a period of budget cuts and into a strong period of increased enrollment and sense of campus community.
During Zacharias’ presidency, enrollment increased from 12,000 to more than 15,600, and research and technology contracts more than doubled.
Other notable results of his presidency include creation of the state’s first World WideWeb site, a five-year campaign that raised $143 million in private gifts and commitments and many major capital improvements including expansion of Mitchell Memorial Library and construction of the Joe Frank Sanderson Center.
Interim President Vance H. Watson, recalled the faculty’s affectionate nickname for Zacharias — Dr. Z. “He was known among us as the great communicator,” Watson said.
“We thank you for your continued contributions and support,” Watson said to the Zachariases.
Zacharias also was and is well-regarded at Western Kentucky University where he served as president prior to his position at MSU. A residence hall at WKU is also named in his honor.
Dr. Tom Meredith, commissioner of higher education of the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, spoke about Zacharias’ honorable standing at WKU.
“People there just loved Don Zacharias,” said Meredith who assumed the WKU presidency three years after Zacharias left the position.
Meredith also focused on what students and visitors to campus should think of when they hear the name Zacharias.
“It’s critical not just to honor Don, but when you build something and put a name on it should send a message,” Meredith said. “...For me, when they see that name it should say, ‘here’s someone who inspired us.’”
Student Association President Braxton Coombs thanked Zacharias for his dedication to MSU.
“The Zacharias Village is so much more than just a group of buildings on our campus,” said Coombs, who was one of the first freshmen to enjoy living in Ruby Hall. “Dr. Zacharias, you have left an everlasting impact on this university,” he said.
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