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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — University of Southern Mississippi Provost Denis Wiesenburg has resigned from his position as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
The Hattiesburg American reports (http://hatne.ws/1ABAXn8) he will return to the faculty in the Department of Marine Science, effective July 1.
Southern Miss President Rodney Bennett said he had accepted Wiesenburg's resignation.
"(I) thank him for his service not only to academic affairs but also to the University as a whole," Bennett said, in a press release. "I wish him well as he continues to contribute to our university community."
In November 2011, then-university President Martha Saunders asked Wiesenburg to step in as interim provost. He took on the position permanently in July 2012.
Bennett said the university will hire an executive search firm to initiate a national search. He will assemble a screening committee to review candidates for the job with the goal of having the position filled by early January.
Taking over as interim provost in the meantime is Steven Moser, professor of music and dean of the College of Arts and Letters. He has nearly 30 years' experience in teaching and administrative positions at the university and at Texas Christian University.
Moser said his role as interim provost will be to keep things moving along.
Wiesenburg said he looks forward to returning to the Department of Marine Science — this time in Hattiesburg.
"We did a lot of good things when I was the department chair," he said. "It's a group I know well.
"Most of marine science is connected to research and I'm pretty used to running research groups and that's something I look forward to doing again."
Wiesenburg said having more contact with students will also be nice.
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Information from: The Hattiesburg American, http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com
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