Moser Named New Dean of Southern Miss College of Arts & Letters

Longtime faculty member and senior associate dean Dr. Steven Moser has been named the new dean of the College of Arts & Letters at The University of Southern Mississippi. Moser has been serving as interim dean since May of last year.

Following a national search, Moser emerged as the top choice to replace Dr. Denise von Herrmann, who left Southern Miss last spring to take the provost position at Oglethorpe University. Pending approval by the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, Moser's elevation to dean will be effective July 1.

“I am gratified and humbled that the faculty and staff in the college have shown confidence in me,” said Moser. “Arts & Letters is a remarkable college. It is an honor to serve our faculty, staff and students.”

Moser has spent the past year highlighting the standard of excellence demonstrated by the faculty and exemplary accomplishments of students within the College of Arts & Letters.

“Leveraging the successes of our faculty and students for greater college visibility will benefit us all,” he said. “Sharing our good work, engaging our region in our work and serving our constituents well not only encourages growth but will also allow us to grow well, attracting the best and the brightest students.”

Before joining the faculty in the School of Music in 1990, Moser was the marching band director and music education instructor in the School of Music at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Moser is a specialist in instrumental conducting and a former conductor of the Symphonic Winds and director of the Pride of Mississippi Marching Band.

“Dr. Moser is an accomplished academic administrator. He embraces our vision of shared governance and distributed decision making, works well with his faculty colleagues, and strives to facilitate the realization of their shared goals,” said Southern Miss Interim Provost Dr. Denis Wiesenburg. “I know Dr. Moser will lead our programs to the next level.”

Previously serving as Senior Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Letters, Moser is a 2007 fellow of Harvard's Graduate School of Education, Management Development Program and has served in various leadership roles at Southern Miss since 2002. 

“I am excited to learn that Dr. Moser has been named our dean,” said Dr. Andrew Wiest, professor history at Southern Miss. “The College of Arts and Letters is a disparate group and is fundamental to the success of our students and to the university as a whole. Dr. Moser has a true sense of what this college is, of our strengths and weaknesses, and has a real vision of how best to move us forward as a collective unit.”

A native of Minnesota, Moser attended high school in Calhoun City, Miss. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership and research from Southern Miss and a master's degree from Texas Christian and undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi, both in music education.