MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2013 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Tollison, Watson, Hopson, Blount, Burton, Butler (38th), Carmichael, Fillingane, Frazier, Jackson (11th), Kirby, Lee, Parker, Simmons (13th), Stone, Jackson (32nd)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS EDUCATION REFORM TRAILBLAZER AND UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI CHIEF OF STAFF DR. ANDY MULLINS ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT.
WHEREAS, after nearly two decades at the University of Mississippi and a career dedicated to improving K-12 and higher education, Dr. Andrew Mullins, Jr., longtime counselor to many of Mississippi's education leaders, has announced his retirement as Chief of Staff to Chancellor Dan Jones. Dr. Mullins plans to teach graduate students in the university's School of Education and to lead the Mississippi Teacher Corps, which he cofounded with Harvard Journalism student Amy Gutman in 1989; and
WHEREAS, since joining the Ole Miss administration in 1994, Mullins has worked with three Chancellors during a period of significant enrollment growth, dramatic changes in the funding of higher education, and the university's biggest public event ever, the 2008 Presidential Debate. "Over my career, I've had the opportunity to work with some of Mississippi's greatest leaders — William Winter, (Chancellor Emeritus) Robert Khayat, (former State Superintendent of Education), Dick Boyd and Tom Burnham, (former Chancellor) Gerald Turner and Chancellor Dan Jones. These individuals were far more than great leaders in education; they are great examples of leadership for any organization. There are very few people who have been as fortunate as I have to work with such transformational people." Many of those leaders insist they never could have accomplished their signature works without Mullins' contributions, often behind the scenes; and
WHEREAS, "Andy Mullins is one of the most creative and visionary teachers and public servants I have ever known," said former Governor William Winter, who met his friend when Mullins was a teacher at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Jackson. Their relationship grew over the years that followed, and Mullins ultimately joined the Governor's staff. "I leaned on him heavily when we were developing the Education Reform Act of 1982 and getting it passed. He just had a special way of relating with members of the Legislature. Later, after I left office, Andy was on the staff at the State Department of Education, and he helped me make sure the different components of the act were implemented." Mullins also worked with Tom Burnham, who served two terms as State Superintendent of Education, with a stint as Dean of the University of Mississippi School of Education sandwiched in between. Burnham marvels at Mullins' relationship-building skills with the state's policymakers; and
WHEREAS, Andrew P. Mullins, Jr., was born on January 12, 1948, in the small east Mississippi Town of Macon. He attended the Public Attendance Center there and graduated from Noxubee County High School in 1966. In 1970 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Millsaps College in Jackson; and
WHEREAS, upon graduation, he enlisted for a six-year assignment with the Mississippi Air National Guard unit in Meridian. After completing basic training, he started his career in education as a history teacher at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Jackson. During his 8 years there, he taught several history courses and worked as an Assistant Headmaster. While teaching at St. Andrew's, Mullins also attended Mississippi College in Clinton, where he earned a master's degree in 1976; and
WHEREAS, while at St. Andrew's, he became acquainted with William Winter and worked as a volunteer in Winter's successful campaign for Governor in 1979. Mullins left teaching that year with a fellowship to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Mississippi. This pursuit was interrupted after one year when he returned to Jackson to join Governor Winter's staff. From 1980-1984, Andy served as a Special Assistant to the Governor. He was involved in every phase of the education reform effort that culminated in the passage of the Education Reform Act of 1982; and
WHEREAS, when Winter's term ended, Mullins joined the staff of Governor Bill Allain, where his primary responsibility was to work with the newly appointed State Board of Education, and in the fall of 1984, Andy joined the staff of Mississippi's first appointed State Superintendent of Education. His duties focused on education legislation, governmental relations, and public relations for the state's K—12 public school system; and
WHEREAS, Mullins received his Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Mississippi in May 1992. In 1992, Dr. Mullins released his book about the historic education movement reform, Building Consensus - A History of the Passage of the Mississippi Education Reform Act of 1982. In 2011, he was honored with the Winter-Reed Award by the Mississippi Association of Partners in Education for his role in passing the Education Reform Act of 1982; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Mul1ins' crowning work at Ole Miss came with the first Presidential Debate of 2008 between then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama and U.S. Senator John McCain. The debate was a resounding success for Ole Miss, drawing international media to the campus and helping spawn coverage of and praise for the university's academic rise and its efforts to promote access and diversity in higher education. Many people associate the debate with Khayat's leadership, but the former Chancellor is quick to point out that on a campus plaque commemorating the event, Mullins' name is the first listed; and
WHEREAS, Andy and his wife, Lisa, a former elementary schoolteacher in the Jackson Public Schools, have two children, Andrew and Katie; and
WHEREAS, Andy Mullins' enduring legacy will be his commitment and contributions to the advancement of public education in Mississippi, especially including his work in passing the Education Reform Act of 1982, creating and directing the Mississippi Teacher Corps and the Principal Corps, and his inspiration in leading Mississippians to value public education. There is no way to really capture the extent to which Andy has influenced policy in this state, based on the relationships he has built over the years. The critical issue when you work in the Capitol is your reputation, and Andy Mullins has one of the best:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize and pay tribute to the contributions to education reform and higher education of Dr. Andy Mullins, Jr., on the occasion of his retirement as University of Mississippi Chief of Staff to the Chancellor, and extend to Andy and his family our best wishes for his future successes.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Andy Mullins, forwarded to the Chancellor of the University of Mississippi and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.