Rita Burrell

Rita is Manager for Graduate and Distance Education in the Bagley College of Engineering at Mississippi State University (MSU).  In this capacity, she serves as GEM Representative for MSU.  With more than 25 years experience in an academic setting, Rita has served MSU as Associate Director of Graduate Studies and Site Coordinator for the Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi (AGEM).  As Site Coordinator for AGEM, she designed programs and activities to enhance and facilitate entry of underrepresented students into doctoral programs in the STEM areas (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), as well as retention of these students to ensure degree completion.  Rita has worked with faculty in the Colleges of Education, Engineering, and Agriculture in support of recruiting and quality graduate education.

A graduate of Mississippi State University, Rita holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Science in Information Technology.  She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta (English Honorary Society) and the Zeta Psi Chapter of Phi Beta Delta (International Honorary Society), in which she currently serves as coordinator for MSU.  A native Mississippian, she is particularly interested in environmental issues, such as water quality and quantity, protection of wetlands, and protection of critical wildlife habitat.