U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper
Mississippi State University announced on Monday that U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper will donate his congressional papers to the university during a formal ceremony on campus Friday, Oct. 5.
The university said in a media release that Harper and MSU President Mark E. Keenum plan to sign the donor agreement during at 2:30 p.m. ceremony at the Old Main Academic Center.
The collection will be housed in MSU Libraries’ Congressional and Political Research Center, which now includes 10 congressional collections and numerous other state and local officials’ collections.
Harper said in a statement through the university that his time in Congress would be an experience he and his family will never forget.
“I am grateful for the important role Mississippi State University, along with the Stennis Institute, continues to play in producing researchers and leaders in public service,” Harper said. “My hope is that my papers will add to Mississippi State’s impressive collection and foster leadership and research initiatives on campus for years to come.”
Friday’s ceremony is free and open to the public and will also include remarks from U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Harper, who resides in Pearl, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008 and has spent the last 10 years representing Mississippi’s third congressional district.
Harper announced in January that he would not seek reelection.
MSU says the decision was first mentioned during a 2017 ceremony to officially open a $10 million expansion to MSU’s Mitchell Memorial Library, when Harper told Dean of Libraries Frances Coleman that he would be donating his papers to MSU.
Keenum expressed his gratitude to Harper following the announcement.
“He was sworn into Congress the same week I became president at MSU, and it has been a great pleasure to work with Congressman Harper on several initiatives over the last decade,” Keenum said. “The results of his leadership will long remain evident in Mississippi, and I am proud that by maintaining his collection in our outstanding facilities at Mitchell Memorial Library, the next generation of leaders will be able to learn from his example.”
As a security precaution, MSU is asking those entering the Turner A. Wingo Auditorium at Old Main Academic Center to be mindful of metal detectors.
Anyone planning to attend the event is encouraged to arrive early and MSU says there will be limited parking available in the Old Main Academic Center parking garage and the surrounding area.
Two SMART routes, the Research Route and the Old Main Route, will provide direct shuttle service to the Old Main Academic Center.