Dr. Daniel Ennis named new Delta State President

Approved by the Mississippi IHL Board of Trustees, Ennis will begin his new role at Delta State on June 1st.

On Tuesday, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) announced that Dr. Daniel Ennis has been named the ninth President of Delta State University following a nationwide search to fill the position. He will begin serving as President of Delta State on June 1, 2023.

Dr. Ennis is currently serving as Provost and Executive Vice President of Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina. He has served in several administrative roles at the university over the past 20 years, including Provost, Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts, Vice President for Academic Outreach, Chair of the Department of English, and Co-Director of the University Honors Program.

Dr. Ennis is a tenured professor of English, and has been an assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor at Coastal Carolina.

“I am honored to serve Delta State University. As I have learned more about the university, the Delta region, and the state of Mississippi, I have been inspired by the history, culture, and resilience of the people with whom I will soon work and live,” Dr. Ennis said in a release following his approval by IHL. “I am committed to helping Delta State University continue to thrive, and my wife and I look forward to becoming members of the community.”

IHL’s President of the Board of Trustees Tom Duff said Dr. Ennis brings a wealth of experience at a public university in the Southeast to Delta State.

“His experience will serve Delta State well as it seeks to navigate similar challenges and opportunities, particularly in the areas of recruitment, retention, and fundraising. I look forward to seeing the university flourish under his leadership,” Duff said.

Dr. Ennis holds a bachelor’s degree in English from The College of Charleston, a master’s degree in English from Appalachian State University, and a doctorate in English from Auburn University. As a scholar, he has received the Annibel Jenkins Prize in Performance and Theatre Studies from the South East American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, has published books and articles on British literature and culture, and was a Fulbright-Hayes awardee in 2011.