Celebrating 75 Years

What started as roundtable discussions 75 years ago now stands as a research operation with millions of dollars in funding and a network of scientists with connections around the globe. 

Social Science Research Center Director Emeritus Arthur Cosby calls the foresight of those early leaders “visionary.”

“There was a surge of research happening after World War II with universities helping with everything from aeronautics to medical advances. There were problems that individual disciplines could answer well. There were problems that needed collaboration, and I think they saw that need,” Cosby said.

Early leaders like Harold Kauffman studied how to build more capable communities and analyzed the resources available in Mississippi cities. He also began the SSRC’s first international efforts by studying communities in India. 

Through postdoctoral connections and visiting scholars, the SSRC has sustained international relations and collaborations.

“What Kauffman began in the ‘50s, I tried to continue. We invited scientists from many countries to spend the summer with us, or, while they were working on a degree at MSU, to connect with us. It added collaborations and helped extend our name and our work,” Cosby explained.

Gina Rico Mendez, an assistant research professor, is one of those visiting scholars who now calls the SSRC her home base. The Colombia native and Fulbright scholar was introduced to the SSRC while working on her doctoral studies. She was invited to participate in various research efforts as a student, and, now, as a faculty member, she focuses on applied social science research and evaluation initiatives.

“I was first connected to the SSRC as a graduate student through my dear friend, Dr. Heather Hanna, who now directs the Systems Change Lab,” Rico Mendez said. “From day one, you could feel the vibe—this was a place for creativity and innovation. The SSRC opened horizons I could have never imagined, connecting me with incredible colleagues and engaging me in meaningful applied research.”

Another former student who established a presence at the center is Robert McMillen, associate director of the tobacco control unit. For over 25 years, McMillen and his team have surveyed and evaluated tobacco use across the state, and their reports have helped expand tobacco-free zones and reduce youth smoking statewide.

Other Mississippi impacts include decades of effort in early childhood studies begun by Linda Southward and carried forward by Heather Hanna. The Systems Change Lab team is collaborates with state agencies and nonprofit partners to convene stakeholders, gather and analyze data, and produce reports that inform policymakers and the public about the well-being of Mississippi’s youngest residents and their families.

Connie Baird-Thomas came to the center shortly after earning her doctorate and now serves as associate director for policy research. She primarily works in program evaluation for juvenile justice, early childhood, and public health initiatives.

“Working with the juvenile justice system, particularly with girls in the system, in Mississippi, has been one of my most rewarding experiences. Our research resulted in meaningful changes in some of the policies and procedures that relate to adolescent offenders. Hopefully, making their lives better,” said Baird-Thomas.

The center has had no shortage of “meaningful changes” over the years, including launching the Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program. MASEP has been educating and analyzing substance abuse diversion curriculum for over 50 years, and as the state-mandated educational program in response to DUIs, it has measurably reduced offenders on Mississippi highways.

Organizers said creative approaches and the program's cross-disciplinary nature added to its impact. Megan Stubbs-Richardson directs the Data Science for the Social Sciences laboratory and said she sees the benefits of the center’s interdisciplinary and PI-driven focus in her own work.

“We have a strong collaborative environment and are committed to supporting our colleagues, leading to innovation and strong team development across fields of study,” Stubbs-Richardson said. “The reward of working at the SSRC has always been the innovation that comes from combining scientific knowledge across disciplines with the positive social interactions with colleagues.”

As John Bettersworth, the center’s first director, wrote when organizing the SSRC, our mission began “to assist the people of Mississippi in the task of raising the level of local and community life.”

Now led by Director Devon Brenner, the commitment to that same mission is evident in collaborations across rural education, systems change, early childhood, criminal justice, public safety, and public health.

“Our commitment is to unbiased, evidence-based research,” Brenner said, “and our supportive environment brings world-class resources to support SSRC faculty and collaborators in their drive to address the issues and challenges of our state, nation, and world.”