STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum has received a raise and a four-year contract extension.
Minutes released by the College Board show members voted unanimously in closed session in October to raise Keenum’s salary from $429,000 to $454,700 a year, starting Nov. 1 when the contract extension took effect.
The state is paying half of the new salary, while the MSU Foundation is paying the other half.
It’s the first pay increase since Keenum became president of MSU in 2009, the third time he sought the job.
Keenum was U.S. undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services under President George W. Bush and a longtime chief of staff for Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran.
He holds a bachelor’s, a master’s and a doctoral degree in agricultural economics from MSU.
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