MSU, Choctaws enter new agreement

STARKVILLE and CHOCTAW — Mississippi State University (MSU) and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) are strengthening ties between the university and tribal government to promote leadership development, academic excellence and civic engagement.

University president Mark Keenum recently joined Miko Beasley Denson for a ceremony at Choctaw Central High School to sign a memorandum of understanding establishing a mutually beneficial relationship between the two entities.

Denson, the band’s elected leader, is a 1974 MSU graduate in horticulture.

The memorandum calls for the establishment of procedures and protocols through MSU’s Global Leadership Continuum, specifically the areas of leadership development and civic engagement. Activities will be undertaken in consultation with MBCI’s Division of Schools.

In general, the agreement commits both parties to programs involving the development of professional management concepts and experiences involving tribal leaders, as well as educational and clinical administrators, teachers and students.