Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

A new seating area behind the Chapel of Memories offers the campus community a peaceful outdoor spot to study, meet or take a break between classes. Designed and installed by MSU Campus Landscape, the space provides a quiet retreat just steps from Colvard Student Union and the heart of campus. PHOTO: Grace Cockrell | Public Affairs

DAFVM Spotlight: Shane Knight
Successful agricultural research depends on more than the scientists conducting experiments. It also relies on people like Shane Knight, whose work helps create the conditions for discovery. Knight manages the Beaumont Horticultural Unit, a Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station research farm within Mississippi State University's Coastal Research and Extension Center. There, he maintains research fields, buildings and equipment while helping ensure scientists have the resources they need to conduct research that benefits Mississippi growers. In addition to caring for research fields, Knight maintains the station's buildings and grounds and keeps its fleet of tractors, trucks and other equipment operating smoothly. His work helps provide the foundation researchers need to conduct experiments throughout the year.

DAFVM Spotlight: Billy Stricklin
Behind many of the projects taking shape in Mississippi State University's Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering is Billy Stricklin. As engineering shop manager in the Charles W. Lee Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building, Stricklin oversees the department's engineering shop, maintains equipment and facilities, and helps students and faculty fabricate equipment and prototypes used in teaching, research and senior design projects. In addition to managing the shop, Stricklin trains student workers to safely operate equipment and helps engineering students understand how their designs translate into functional equipment.

Registration open for New Faculty Teaching Academy
If you are a new MSU faculty member with minimal background or training in teaching, we invite you to participate in the 2026 New Faculty Teaching Academy. The asynchronous portion of the program will be open in Canvas from July 20 to Aug. 7 Two, in-person sessions will be held on Aug. 11 and Oct. 13. The course is designed by the Center for Innovation in Teaching Excellence and will be taught this summer by Shannon Harmon, CITE instructional support specialist. The New Faculty Teaching Academy is a free and optional program designed for faculty within their first three years of teaching at MSU.

MSU AI Community: Join the conversation!
Mississippi State University is taking steps to advance artificial intelligence adoption across campus. Whether you’re a researcher, educator, or staff member, these resources are designed to help you learn, collaborate, and stay informed about AI initiatives at MSU. The AI Innovation Hub is now a website at aihub.msstate.edu. This site is a starting point for AI-related learning opportunities, workshops, user guidance, and updates. You can also connect through the MSU AI Community Teams Site. If you have any questions about AI at MSU, please contact Senior Advisor for AI and Data Governance Julie Jordan at julie.jordan@msstate.edu.

Free learning opportunities via LinkedIn Learning available to faculty, staff and students
Sharpen skills. Explore new interests. Increase professional value. These and other results are available via no-cost learning opportunities to Mississippi State faculty, staff and students through MSU’s agreement with LinkedIn Learning. A popular, online education platform, LinkedIn Learning’s 20,000-plus courses are available to campus via a quick login using their MSU NetID email addresses. With self-paced learning, courses are presented in various formats, including bite-sized video, audio only and in-depth content. The platform is directly integrated with Canvas, the university’s learning management system. MSU faculty can use it to supplement course material or even develop and load their own content onto the platform.

Standing committee and council chairs encouraged to review and update info
Mississippi State faculty, staff, and students bring a wealth of talent and expertise to the university in a broad range of subjects. Collectively, the people of our university offer a valuable knowledge resource the university can draw on in making decisions on a wide array of issues and in planning for an increasingly complex future. The structure that allows this reservoir of human potential to be applied to specific problems is the university's system of standing committees and councils. Information about MSU's standing committees and councils is available at https://www.msstate.edu/directory/standing-committees. Committee and council chairs are encouraged to review committee information to ensure accurate details and current membership are posted. Please send updates or corrections to Jim Laird at jim.laird@msstate.edu.

Smoke-free policy enhances healthy environment
Mississippi State University is a smoke-free campus. Official policy prohibits the use of any combustible or vapor products anywhere on campus property including university buildings, university grounds, university vehicles, parking areas and sidewalks. The smoke-free campus policy is part of the university's commitment to creating a healthy environment for all members of the campus community. Use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah or other similar devices are prohibited by this policy. The complete policy is available at www.policies.msstate.edu/policy/91301.

The Office of Public Affairs provides Maroon MEMO as a general information
resource for Mississippi State University employees.

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MSU graduates 25 staff members in latest DAWG cohort
Twenty-five Mississippi State staff members are the latest graduates of the Office of Research Development’s DAWG program, a professional development initiative for those working with research grants and contracts. DAWG -- short for Departmental Administrators Working Group -- classes are taught by high-level MSU staff members, with topics including proposal preparation, budgeting and regulations. The 2025-2026 DAWG cohort graduates are Maggie Ballard, Hannah Bell, Mia Bridges, Caitlin Burton, Tonya Calmes, Elizabeth Carrithers, Margaret-Mary Coker, Patricia Coley, Kim Collins, Stacy Davis, Lisa Dye, Janice Greenslade, Emily Jenkins, Abby Kendricks, Ryan McClung, Emlis Mickens, Bryce Mitchell, Brittney Mosley, Mari Quinn, Todd Rosenzweig, Elizabeth Standley, Carrie Grace Stroud, Kelsey Trainer, Brandon Vineyard and Michia Williams.

Jessop named director of Swalm School of Chemical Engineering
Mississippi State has named Professor Julie Jessop as director of the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering, effective July 1. In addition to serving as director, Jessop also assumes the Earnest W. and Mary Ann Deavenport, Jr. Chair. She succeeds Professor Bill Elmore, who is returning to full-time teaching after serving as director and endowed chair since 2016. “Dr. Jessop brings a strong record of leadership, innovation and commitment to student success,” said Dean Dave Ford of MSU’s James Worth Bagley College of Engineering. “Her vision of the future of chemical engineering education and research makes her exceptionally well-prepared to lead the school during this important time of growth and opportunity.”

Hoover recognized with resolution by Mississippi legislators
As Mississippi State prepares to seat its largest Master of Science in Nursing cohort yet with 52 incoming students, the Mississippi Legislature has recognized the university’s inaugural Senior Nurse Fellow Kim Welch Hoover for her more than 40 years of excellence in healthcare. Hoover “has made a lasting impact on her patients, students and colleagues during her decades-long career in the healthcare field,” states House Concurrent Resolution No. 46 1 A. MSU Dean of Nursing Mary Stewart said Hoover is a model of what the nursing profession can and should be. “Throughout her career, Kim has led with integrity, humility and an unwavering commitment to nurses and the people of Mississippi,” Stewart said.

Hanley celebrates debut poetry book with virtual launch
Mississippi State University English Instructor Brett Hanley will celebrate the publication of her debut poetry collection “I Was Your Bird” with a virtual book launch and reading on Wednesday [July 15] at 6 p.m. “I’m very grateful to share my debut book of poems through a virtual event that brings together readers across contexts and geographies,” Hanley said. “As someone who teaches writing, I think a lot about writing as a process of revision and endurance, and this book reflects that. Many of these poems were written and reworked over the course of seven years.” “I Was Your Bird” marks Hanley’s first full-length poetry collection. She has published more than two dozen poems in nationally recognized literary journals.