The late Melody Bruce Musgrove worked tirelessly to create an education system to provide opportunity and equality for every child in Mississippi and the United States. That legacy is being expanded through the first endowed faculty chair in the University of Mississippi School of Education.
The Dr. Melody and Gov. Ronnie Musgrove Chair for Special Education has been established by her husband, former governor Ronnie Musgrove, with a gift of more than $1.5 million.
Musgrove of Oxford, Mississippi, said he hopes the endowed, named chair will attract one of the “greatest minds in special education from around the country and the world,” offering students an exceptional opportunity to expand their vision, awareness and perspective and laying the groundwork for their own future achievements and contributions to the field.
“My hope is that children living with disabilities in this decade, the next and the next, will benefit from the research and the learning that occurs at Ole Miss — that Melody’s lifetime of passion for and contributions to special education will serve as a model for what is possible when we dare to dream and do the work to make those dreams reality,” Musgrove said.
Melody Musgrove left a huge footprint of accomplishments, including leading the transformation of the direction of special education in the U.S., as director of the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. She was first a finalist for the position under the George W. Bush presidency but withdrew because of her parents’ failing health.
The offer to serve came again under Barack Obama’s presidency, and she provided leadership for six and a half years — the second longest tenure of a director of the Office of Special Education.
“Melody relished the experience to collaborate with some of the most intellectually gifted, well-educated and committed individuals from around the globe,” said Musgrove. “In fact, of the 140 or so who reported to her, over 90 of them held Ph.Ds. from universities around the world. They were all committed to one thing: ensuring that all children, regardless of their differences, could and would receive the best possible opportunity to learn in an integrated, inclusive environment.”
After this service, Melody Musgrove joined the UM School of Education faculty, where she taught special education and co-directed the Graduate Center for the Study of Early Learning with Professor Cathy Grace.
“This is truly a monumental and inspirational gift,” said David Rock, dean of the School of Education. “We are thrilled to honor the rich legacy of Melody Musgrove in special education as well as Gov. Musgrove’s enduring deep commitment to education in our state and nation.
“We are now conducting a search for the professor who will fill this chair and are committed to honoring the vision Gov. Musgrove has for this faculty position. Our gratitude is immense — we will be good stewards of these transformational resources.”
Melody Musgrove died in September 2021, following a valiant fight against leukemia. She grew up in Mendenhall, Mississippi, and followed her educator parents into a career in education.
“While her fingerprints are still quite visible, Melody would remind us all that there must be new leadership constantly emerging, new voices added and new perspectives heard. This gift allows me to honor and encourage others to remember her influence and impact,” Ronnie Musgrove said.
“Special education was more than a career for Melody; it was a calling. So much so that after her death, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education renamed their most prestigious award based on prolonged service and substantive contributions to the field, ‘The Dr. Melody Musgrove Heritage Award.’”
Her professional career began as a classroom special education teacher, and she furthered her own education receiving master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi. She then rose to the position of assistant principal of Mullens Elementary School in Brookhaven, Mississippi, and assistant superintendent of Lawrence County Schools.
Melody Musgrove was then named director of special education for the state of Mississippi. After six years in this role, she became an adviser and policy consultant to LRP Publications, one of the foremost special education publishers in the country.
Ronnie Musgrove said that Melody Musgrove recognized early the disservice of segregating children because of their disabilities or learning differences.
“Children learn from one another and with one another. They grow into adults who move about in one community and who will build and sustain that community together,” he said.
“Based on the research available, Melody always said that only a small percentage of students face challenges that might keep them from being able to participate in a regular classroom setting. Having a disability does not make a child less intelligent or less capable of being able to learn.
“She fought for the full inclusion of all children and was a primary leader in changing requirements for schools to offer Individual Educational Plans to create more equitable educational opportunities for students with disabilities, an approach which ultimately benefits all students, their families and communities,” the governor said.
In August 2007, Melody Musgrove married Ronnie Musgrove, the 62nd governor of Mississippi — known as a champion of education.
“It would almost go without saying that our shared value for education was one of the cornerstones of our relationship,” said Ronnie Musgrove. “We shared a common vision for public education in our country, and our experiences, though different, validated for each of us the undeniable value of equitable, accessible quality public schools.
“I’m quite sure we challenged and dared each other to do more as well because we both knew there was much to do and too many children who could not wait. Every day opportunities may have been passing them by, and we all pay the price for those opportunities missed,” he said.
While in office, Gov. Musgrove strived to provide quality public education and create economic opportunity for all Mississippians. He successfully pushed for adequate, equitable funding for every public school in Mississippi and secured improvements including increased teacher salaries, internet-equipped classrooms and a 2003 agreement from the Mississippi Legislature to fund education before any other budget matter.
Musgrove, a first-generation college student who earned undergraduate and law degrees from Ole Miss, served as chair of the Southern Regional Education Board and as a member of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
“Where would I have ended up but for the schools and teachers I had access to?” he asked. “Access to a good education should not be an accident of birth — every child deserves the highest caliber education we can offer from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade at a minimum, regardless of where they happen to live.”
Following a 16-year career in public service as state senator, lieutenant governor and then governor of Mississippi, Musgrove now offers strategic guidance to clients through the law firm Musgrove Whitwell.
Melody Musgrove was mom to the late Amanda Erin Smith, as well as Grayson Smith Musgrove and Michael Smith (Maggie), and stepmother to Jordan David Musgrove (Joely) and Carmen Rae Musgrove Huang (Ian). She also was the grandmother to five.
To make a gift to the Dr. Melody and Gov. Ronnie Musgrove Chair for Special Education Endowment, send a check, with the fund’s name noted in the memo line, to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655, or online here.
To learn more about supporting faculty in the School of Education, contact Kelly Smith Marion, director of development, at ksmith13@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2007.
By Tina H. Hahn/UM Development