Since May 2003, Dr. Peters has also served as Coordinator of the Educational Leadership and Research program at the Southern Miss Gulf Coast campus. This campus has experienced a 41% increase in enrollment due in large measure to the innovative “Flex-Doc” instructional delivery system introduced in fall of 2004. Peters and colleagues identified the need to provide innovative and flexible scheduling formats for non-traditional students on the fast growing Mississippi Gulf Coast.  “We view the implementation of best practices as a continuing, life-long professional challenge and therefore we are in a perpetual mode of finding ‘cutting edge’ strategies to advance our institution,” notes Peters.

     Prior to his appointment at the University of Southern Mississippi, he was Grant Coordinator for Project LEAD at the University of Alabama. This unique partnership between the Birmingham City Schools and the University of Alabama provided tuition and stipends for aspiring teachers to pursue graduate studies in educational administration. The opportunity to work with community leaders, university faculty and administrators, as well as various state and federal agencies, proved to be a challenging but rewarding experience. Before entering the professorate Dr. Peters was a teacher and administrator with over 20 years experience in both middle and high school settings. His administrative career include experiences in state government task force initiatives, strategic planning sessions with business and education communities, writing and research endeavors, and professional presentations.  His work in implementing clinical supervision models for teacher assessment, adaptation of decision making models for education, and the advancement of professional development programs, are still works in progress.

     Dr. Peters is a qualitative researcher who is frequently asked to assist students in designing qualitative studies for their doctoral dissertations. His cross-disciplinary collaborations seek to develop innovative approaches to data sharing.  Peters believes qualitative researchers attempt to understand meanings that people give to their deeds or to social phenomena. In other words, these researchers see people from the inside.

     The age at which some men go through mid-life crisis simply became a deeply reflective time for Peters. Introspectively, he determined that teaching, writing, and speaking had become his passion.  Intricately interwoven in his writing is a passion for excellence in person and profession. Peters states,

“The stagnancy of unstirred intellect, which time and again returns to the confines of familiarity and political expediency, was an enemy to which I had not yet surrendered.  The caustic disposition of embattled colleagues whose embers were long ago extinguished seemed to be the product of their own decision-making process.  As stakeholders became increasingly disenfranchised from their schools, I realized the change I sought was not an event but rather a process. I believe it is often not the methodical principal who toils diligently in the solitude of his office who is responsible for effective school administration. No amount of administrative paperwork, although essential and legally required, will ever balance the scales between policy and people. Rather, to me it is the time invested in people; knowing, understanding, appreciating, and building relationships that demonstrates our intent and purpose. Many, including myself, have come to recognize the process of decision-making to be just as important as the product of decision-making. The dichotomy of leadership and administration is changing as principals seek to understand the impact of culture upon schools today.  The uniqueness and individuality of each person is a gift, not a curse. In taking time to know the individual we learn not only about him but we learn about ourselves as well. An identification of the cognitive processes from which perceptions are developed and decisions made is essential. Gaining an understanding and appreciation for all stakeholders simply enriches the decision-making process.”

     Gary Peters is a member of Phi Delta Kappa, Mid-South Educational Research Association, Southern Regional Council on Education Administration, and the Mississippi Educational Involvement Initiative. He resides in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with his wife and three sons.