Dr. Alfred Rankins Jr. was appointed commissioner of higher education by the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) and began serving in this role in July 2018. As commissioner, Dr. Rankins advises the IHL Board on all matters pertaining to governing Mississippi's eight public universities and academic medical center. Dr. Rankins also supervises and evaluates the chancellor and presidents of the universities within the IHL system.