Friday, August 2

Dr. Orlando F. McMeans Named Chancellor- Dean of the SU Ag Center


Dr. Orlando F. McMeans, the Vice President for Research and Public Service at West Virginia State University has been named the Chancellor of the SU Ag Center and Dean of the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences.

Baton Rouge, La. – The Southern University Board of Supervisor named Dr. Orlando F. McMeans as the Chancellor of the Southern University Ag Center and the Dean of the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences during its monthly board meeting on July 19.

“I am extremely honored and beyond humbled to have an opportunity to serve as an integral part of the Southern University System, the world’s only HBCU system, as both Chancellor of the Agricultural Research and Extension Center and Dean of the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences,” said McMeans.

He went on to express his appreciation and gratitude to Southern University System President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton, the Southern University Board of Supervisors and the SU  Ag Center Chancellor-Dean Search Committee for their belief and confidence in his ability to lead and inspire future generations of students in the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences.

“I look forward with great enthusiasm to meeting those who work diligently to advance the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, as well as the talented students, outstanding faculty, dedicated staff, proud alumni, loyal friends and generous supporters of the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences,” he added.

McMeans currently services as Vice President for Research and Public Service at West Virginia State University (WVSU), the Executive Director of the WVSU Research and Development Corporation and Dean and Director of the WVSU Gus R. Douglass Land-Grant Institute. He is also a full tenured Research Professor of Biology. He has been employed with WVSU, which was then called West Virginia State College, since November 1998.

He currently serves in leadership roles within the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities (APLU) and other national associations. He serves as a member of the board of directors for the APLU; chair of the Board on Agriculture, Research, Extension and Teaching; and Steering Committee Co-Chair of the Association of 1890 Research Directors 2019 Biennial Research Symposium. McMeans has served on the West Virginia Science and Research Council since 2011 and has held leadership positions or a membership in the following organizations: Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (past national president);  USDA/1890 Executive Team (past chair); Association of 1890 Extension Administrators (member), 1890 Deans Council (member), and the American Society for Horticultural Sciences (member).

 McMeans earned a Bachelor of Science in horticulture from Alabama A&M University, a Master of Science in horticulture, and a Ph.D. in horticulture both from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, McMeans went on to do postdoctoral studies in the area of genetic engineering at Virginia Tech.

His start date is currently pending.

The Southern University System established the Agricultural Research and Extension Center as its fifth campus in 2001. The Southern University Board of Supervisors voted to merge the Southern University College of Agriculture with the Ag Center on July 1, 2016.


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