Choctaw Chief Ben tours MSU-Meridian, meets with students
Contact: Carl Smith
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥幺力视频-Meridian celebrated its close-knit relationship with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Thursday [March 6] with a campus visit by Chief Cyrus Ben.
Ben, who is in his second term as tribal chief, met with MSU faculty, staff and students and toured the Rosenbaum Health Science Building and Riley Center. Initiated by faculty and students in the social work program, he spoke to students across multiple programs. Throughout his remarks, he commented on听the importance of community and policy from a tribal perspective and participated in a question-and-answer session with his audience.
鈥淐hief Ben is a strong, compassionate leader who cares deeply about the Choctaw people, and it鈥檚 extremely important to have our partners on campus to show our ongoing commitment to excellence in teaching, research and service,鈥 said David Buys, interim MSU-Meridian head of campus. 鈥淲e discussed the strengths of our relationship and the opportunities we have to work together now and in the future, including exposing tribal youth to what we offer in terms of career possibilities in the health sciences and social work domains.鈥
Ben is the fifth elected tribal chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, a federally recognized tribe of more than 11,100 members living on or near 35,000 acres of tribal lands in east central Mississippi. He has a 15-year record of public service to the Choctaw government and business leadership, including eight years as Pearl River community鈥檚 council representative, four years as the tribe鈥檚 secretary-treasurer and three years as president of Choctaw-Ikhana, a tribally chartered corporation.
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