Contact: Sarah Nicholas

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s College of Arts and Sciences is announcing a new leader for its academic affairs division.

Thomas P. “Tommy” Anderson began his new role as the associate dean for academic affairs July 1. Anderson has served since 2017 as the interim assistant dean of academic affairs and has been an English professor at the land-grant university since 2005.

“I am honored to continue the work of facilitating graduate and undergraduate student success and to support excellent faculty teaching and research,” Anderson said.

“My hope is to continue to develop meaningful programs in collaboration with department faculty and advisers that increase student success at the university, paying special attention to student recruitment and retention,” Anderson said. “And I look forward to supporting creative partnerships with other colleges and units as we look to expand interdisciplinary opportunities for faculty and students.”

Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Rick Travis said Anderson will be a strong advocate for faculty as well as an advocate for students as they “seek to become lifelong learners.”

“Considering the scope Arts and Sciences plays in teaching almost all MSU students at some point, the associate dean for academic affairs has a vital role in ensuring that a quality education is provided to all students,” Travis said.

He noted that Anderson brings academic and personal integrity to the position. “Those traits are invaluable. In this role, he will be tasked with leading the growth and protecting the integrity of our academic programs,” Travis added.

“He has proven to be an excellent representative of our college as we work with the offices of the Provost, Registrar and Admissions to plan new academic programs and identify new recruitment strategies. He also is a consistent voice for upholding the high standards we have for our students and faculty.”

Anderson received the 2015 Phil and Kari Oldham Outstanding Mentor Award in the College of Arts and Sciences, Mississippi Humanities Council Humanities Teacher Award in 2014, and was awarded a research fellowship in 2013 to the Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of Tennessee.

He received the 2012 Dean’s Eminent Scholar Award from the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named a Humanities Researcher of the Year and won an Outstanding Faculty Award from the Shackouls Honors College.

Anderson’s teaching interests include 16th- and 17th-century British literature, notably Shakespeare and his contemporaries. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on Shakespeare and the first half of the British literature survey. Anderson’s current book, “Shakespeare’s Fugitive Politics,” examines the relationship among friendship, politics and sovereignty in King John, Coriolanus, Henry V, Titus and Julius Caesar.

A native of Franklin, Tennessee, Anderson continues as director of the Office of Prestigious External Scholarships within the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, introducing MSU students to nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships. 

Connecting his leadership position in academic affairs with his experience involving scholarships, Anderson hopes to introduce more opportunities such as the Rhodes, Marshall and Fulbright scholarships to a larger selection of students.

MSU had a Truman Scholar, a Fulbright Finalist, a Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Fellow, a Critical Language Scholarship Fellow and a Boren Scholar this past year.

Anderson earned his Ph.D. in 2002 from Vanderbilt University, a master’s degree in 2000, also from Vanderbilt, a master’s degree in 1998 from Pennsylvania State University and a bachelor’s degree in 1990 from Vanderbilt. 

MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,300 students, 300 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs and 25 academic majors offered in 14 departments. Complete details about the College of Arts and Sciences may be found at www.cas.msstate.edu.

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