• Home
• Contact

Dr. Ray was named special assistant to the president of Mississippi State University in July 1998. A veteran administrator, Dr. Ray's primary focus in the Office of the President is on increasing the university's involvement and leadership in economic development activities. Before assuming the special assistant position, Dr. Ray served as the acting vice president for research between December 1996 and July 1998. Under his leadership, the University's national rankings for research expenditures and awards, as reported by the National Science Foundation, reached record heights. Recognized by his colleagues for his leadership abilities, Dr. Ray was elected chair of the Mississippi-National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Committee in 1996. He also served as the principal investigator of the multi-million dollar EPSCoR project established by the NSF to enhance Mississippi's Science and Technology infrastructure. In 1994, Dr. Ray was named executive officer for research of the National Black Graduate Student Association (NBGSA). He developed partnerships between the NBGSA, universities and business and industry. As a scholar, he is a recognized expert in the areas of program evaluation, sociology of science and crime and delinquency. Dr. Ray has published articles in national and international refereed journals, including The Journal of Social Psychology, The Journal of Research on Crime and Delinquency and The Western Journal of Black Studies. He has been a consultant to both state and federal agencies. In 1992, for his work in the area of program evaluation, the United States Department of Justice recognized Dr. Ray for his outstanding leadership contributions and dedicated service to the nation's criminal justice community.