The Vice President for Research and Economic Development promotes and monitors scholarship within the university community; signs off on all externally funded projects administered by Southern Miss; assists the members of the instructional staff in their scholarly endeavors; presides over all administrative proceedings relating to research, creative activities, and scholarship; coordinates institutional planning; and collaborates with the provost in advising the university president on personnel actions involving members of the academic staff. Advised by the University Research Council, the vice president has direct supervisory responsibility for the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. The Vice President serves as a liaison between the university and research institutes, foundations, government agencies, and industry, ensuring compliance with government regulations.

Dr. Cecil D. Burge presently serves as vice president for research and economic development at The University of Southern Mississippi. Since 1970 at Southern Miss, he has obtained experience in virtually every position and role associated with the research enterprise—from the novice faculty researcher to the functions of chief research officer. This includes serving in various administrative positions such as technology transfer officer, director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and as associate vice president for research.

As a faculty researcher, Burge has conducted numerous externally sponsored projects in the areas of rural health care delivery, applications of mobile communications technology, software engineering, and technology-based economic development. Projects in his portfolio have included organizationally challenging efforts crossing multiple agencies, states, disciplines, and universities. Many of these projects have involved university consortia and academic-industrial-government partnerships.

As a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science, Burge led the effort to obtain Southern Miss' first accreditation in computer science and later served on the national accrediting agency, the Computer Sciences Accreditation Board. In this capacity, he also served as director of the Software Engineering Laboratory, a technology transfer and product development group.

As an entrepreneur, Burge established and managed a program of research, development, and consulting for the 501 c(3) R&D corporation, SCRI, Inc. This position enabled him to focus on software development for vertical applications in local government and emergency service systems. His industrial employment includes experience in the aerospace and petroleum industries. Consulting assignments include professional engineering practice in regulated local/state legal environments dealing with public safety and property.

He holds a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in electrical engineering from Mississippi State and is a registered professional engineer.