Robert H . Foglesong General Robert H . " Doc " Foglesong ( USAF , Ret . ) ( born July 13 , 1945 ) , formerly of Williamson , West Virginia , is a former President of Mississippi State University . He served in the United States Air Force from April 1972 until retirement as general in February 2006 . He currently sits on the board of directors of several corporations and is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations . Education . Foglesong earned the degrees BSc , MSc and PhD at West Virginia University in chemical engineering in 1968 , 1969 and 1971 respectively . He holds an honorary Doctorate in Strategic Intelligence , and is a Distinguished Alumnus of West Virginia University . He was selected by the West Virginia Education Alliance as a Graduate of Distinction , and was selected by the West Virginia Executive Magazine as the Patriot of the Year for 2005 . Air Force career . Foglesong attained the rank of four - star general in the United States Air Force 5 November 2001 , retiring 1 February 2006 from active duty after 33 years of service . His last post was as Commander of U . S . Air Forces in Europe and of Allied Air Component Command Ramstein where the service ' s enlisted corps honored him for his unwavering commitment to Airmen with the Order of the Sword . General Foglesong commanded six times during his Air Force service including flying and maintenance units , a Numbered Air Force , and a Major Command . During his final command , General Foglesong continued his established model of using multiple " Combat " programs throughout his command to focus on military discipline and service standards including facilities maintenance , physical readiness , and leadership and mentoring . Some Airmen chaffed under these " Combat " Programs as they struggled to meet the demands of being in the military while others saw merit and value in the renewed emphasis on pride , espirit , and mission . Shortly after his retirement , his successor led an effort to continue and reshape the focus begun under Foglesong delegating responsibility for 10 of the programs to base and wing commanders . After retirement . Foglesong was President of Mississippi State University from 2006 to 31 March 2008 . Foglesong was the second retired general to hold the office of president at the university ; Stephen D . Lee was the first . Foglesong tackled a number of competing internal and external agendas that he saw as undermining the school ' s purpose of delivering a quality education to its students . He resigned rather than acquiesce to the practices and requests of political interests and individuals that derailed his successor who departed under investigation . During his tenure , Foglesong reenergized the university , leading a 6 % rise in enrollment from 16 , 206 when he arrived in 2006 to a then all - time high of 17127 in 2008 . Foglesong launched successful initiatives including an innovative leadership development program . He also oversaw a significant improvement to the school ' s facilitites and grounds saving longstanding traditional landscaping during a severe drought including daffodil bulbs from donated plants which had been on the campus for decades . He heads a scholarship program in West Virginia called the Appalachian Leadership and Educational Foundation , which he founded in 2006 . He helped to establish the Appalachian Leadership Honors Program . in 2006 . He has also served as a director of Massey Energy , a major coal company .