Delta State University has named veteran education administrator Robin Douglas as its first COVID-19 coordinator. She has more than 25 years of experience in executive and teaching positions in collegiate and secondary school settings and was a campus leader in the response to COVID-19 at Northwest Mississippi Community College (NWCC). Douglas will report directly to Delta State President William N. LaForge.
“Delta State University has done a thorough and mindful job in protecting and informing students, faculty, staff, and the community about the coronavirus pandemic since it erupted worldwide,” said Douglas, who spent seven years at NWCC, most recently as district dean of career, technical, and workforce education. Her responsibilities also included directing the COVID-19 response team for her unit, from switching to virtual/hybrid learning to designing safety protocols to securing grant funding.
“I look forward to working with President LaForge, his cabinet, the DSU COVID-19 task force, the Student Health Center, the entire DSU family, and our neighbors to keep everyone safe and up-to-date during these unprecedented times,” she said.
Douglas, of Enid, Miss., began her position on Monday, Aug. 10. Delta State opens its fall semester on Monday, Aug. 17. Classes will be taught in a hybrid mode of instruction: primarily online, with regular face-to-face sessions.
“Delta State is very pleased to welcome Robin Douglas to our team as we continue to make and execute plans to ensure that our campus is as safe and protected as possible in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Delta State President LaForge. “Robin brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this vital coordinator role, and she will provide the oversight, management, and resource capabilities that are critical to our COVID-19 response efforts. She has ‘hit the ground running,’ and is already making a huge impact on the campus community.”
Douglas earned a B.S. in technology teacher education and an M.S. in technology from Mississippi State University. She also attended the Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy. Earlier in her career, Douglas spent seven years as a business office technology instructor at Holmes Community College in Grenada, nine years as a business and computer technology teacher at Charleston (Miss.) High School, and two years as a math and computer teacher at Lafayette High School in Oxford, Miss.
“Delta State’s comprehensive and fluid response to the coronavirus pandemic stems in precautions,” said Douglas. “As our fall 2020 COVID-19 action plan puts it, our policies, procedures, and protocols are rooted in the safety of our students, staff, and faculty, and of the public with whom we interact. The primary goals for DSU’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic are to keep our Delta State family and our campus safe, protect public health, and maintain the academic mission of Delta State. And our plans are aligned and consistent with local orders and ordinances of the City of Cleveland and Bolivar County, policies and guidelines of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, as well as the State of Mississippi’s Reopening Model and the Mississippi Department of Public Health, plus recommendations from the federal government (Opening Guidelines) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
