Glenn Boyce will be replaced by Al Rankins, President of Alcorn State University. This is the first time that an African American has been appointed to Mississippi’s college board. It is a group consisting of trustees who govern the public universities in Mississippi. Rankins was elected president of Alcorn University in March 2014. Rankins has served as the Institutions of Higher Learning deputy commissary and as a faculty member at Mississippi State University. “It was a privilege to be president of Alcorn State University over the past four years, and it is an honor to assume this new role within our university system. Rankins spoke at Friday’s meeting to announce his appointment. Rankins stated that both my experiences as a campus leader and in the system office have helped him see the university system through different eyes. Rankins wrote to the Alcorn Family, stating that the university had the largest freshman class ever in ASU history, increased its facilities and risen in national rankings under his leadership. Rankins said that he believes [Rankins’] appointment is fantastic and that he has a lot of work ahead of him. It won’t be easy, because IHL commissioner isn’t an easy job…especially with the current funding. Based on the amount of funds we have, it’s going be a huge challenge. He will manage it because we learned at Alcorn how to do lots with very little. I’m hoping he’ll find some innovative ways of getting some funds for IHL,” stated Rep. Alyce, the first black female legislator and Alcorn alum. Boyce, who was appointed commissioner on April 17, 2015 will be retiring June 30. C.D. said that Boyce “has] been an outstanding Commissioner.” Smith, president of IHL. “He is a person who understands the needs and wants of students and the state. He has worked tirelessly for the advancement of the university system.” Rankins was selected by the board through an “expedited process,” rather than using a search committee. According to the board’s policy it is allowed to interview candidates who are known to the Board, and then consider their selection according to the expedited process. This replaces involving a search team and an extended process. Smith stated that the policy allows them to either use a 20-step process that can take several months or, at their discretion, interview candidates that have been identified to the board and make their selections in accordance to our expedited process. Smith explained that this was done for stability and economic efficiency. The system benefits from having a permanent commissioner rather than an interim one during a lengthy search. Smith stated that the expedited process saves time and allows us to use resources that could have been used to hire a search firm. According to the current board policy, it is not mandatory for a search firm to be hired. According to the board’s current policy, the board may interview and select the search firm. This appointment comes as the university system is going through significant transitions. Nora Miller was named interim president of Mississippi University for Women, and Jackson State University and Mississippi Valley State University were appointed new presidents. The current IHL bylaws outline that the commissioner has the following responsibilities: * Conduct an ongoing inquiry into higher education problems * Survey and examine carefully the organization, management and other affairs of every institution under the supervision of the trustees * Report all findings and recommend any changes to improve efficiency and economy in each institution’s operation * Any other duties as the Board may require Kayleigh Skinner contributed to this article.