Meet the longtime professor who now leads the Darr College of Agriculture

Our weekly program, Missouri State Journal, is a collaboration between KSMU Radio and Missouri State University. It is hosted and produced by the MSU Office of Strategic Communications and airs every Tuesday morning at 9:45 a.m. on KSMU.

This spring, Missouri State University named Dr. Melissa Bledsoe dean of the William H. Darr College of Agriculture. The university’s first named college, Darr has a rich history at Missouri State. The role is not unfamiliar to the professor, who has served in the interim position since June 2023.

Last summer, the college became part of a larger academic reorganization at the university. The most significant change was bringing the hospitality leadership program under the college umbrella and combining all departments into two schools.

Listen to Bledsoe talk about his vision for the college and his history with the program by clicking the “listen” button above.

Read the full transcript.