Senate Resolution 48

(As Adopted by Senate)

A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING DR. FELECIA M. NAVE AS THE FIRST FEMALE AND 20TH PRESIDENT OF ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY AND CONGRATULATING HER ON THE OCCASION OF HER INAUGURATION ON APRIL 16, 2021.

WHEREAS, we join the students, faculty, administration and alumni of Alcorn State University in welcoming Dr. Felecia M. Nave as the first female and 20th President of her alma mater Alcorn State University on April 16, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Nave is a second-generation Alcornite and has spent 18-plus years in higher education. She hopes to use her ties to the school and her experience to strengthen programs and establish new initiatives to drive the university forward; and

WHEREAS, the theme of Nave's commencement will be "Dare to Lead," and focuses on the fulfillment of ambitious dreams. The inauguration will also highlight pioneers in the community; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Nave will serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the nation's oldest public land-grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in Lorman, Mississippi. Dr. Nave will have administrative oversight for Alcorn's 1,700-acre Lorman campus and branch locations in Natchez and Vicksburg, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, prior to her appointment as Alcorn's President, she served as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at North Carolina Central University, where she served as the university's Chief Academic Officer. Prior to joining North Carolina Central University, Dr. Nave served in various academic and administrative roles at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, from 2003 until 2018; and

WHEREAS, some of Dr. Nave's awards include: University of Toledo Department of Chemical Engineering Outstanding Alumna Award, 2019; American Institute of Chemical Engineers Minority Affairs Committee Eminent Scholars Award, 2017; Top 30 Influential Women of Houston Award, 2015; Who's Who in Black Houston, 2015; and Diverse Issues Emerging Scholars Under 40, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Nave graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry from Alcorn State University in 1996. She holds a Master's Degree in Chemical and Environmental Engineering and a Doctorate in Engineering, both from the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio; and

WHEREAS, she is married to Tracie Nave and they have four children: Jaylon, Justin, Kennedy and Jonathan; and

WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we welcome Dr. Nave back to her alma mater and commend her as a daily reminder of what an Alcorn education can do:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby recognize Dr. Felecia M. Nave as the first female and 20th President of Alcorn State University and congratulate her on the occasion of her inauguration on April 16, 2021, and welcome Dr. Nave and her family back to Mississippi and her alma mater.

be it further resolved, that this resolution be presented to Dr. Felicia Nave, forwarded to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.