Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Riley Foundation board members, from left, Vice President Malcolm Portera, Executive Director Becky Farley, President Marty Davidson and Treasurer Tommy Dulaney visited with MSU President Mark E. Keenum last week to discuss their successful projects involving The Riley Foundation at MSU-Meridian and future goals and initiatives to further serve east central Mississippi and the Magnolia State. PHOTO: Grace Cockrell | Public Affairs

Local doctor, alumnus honored by MSU student resource center as inaugural ‘Clinician of the Year’
A local physician is the recipient of an inaugural award presented by Mississippi State’s Healthcare Pathways Resource Center, a support service for university students and alumni pursuing entrance to health professional schools. Dr. Lance Atchley, a Starkville anesthesiologist and native of Indianola, is the first to be honored by the HPRC as its “Clinician of the Year,” awarded during the center’s Pre-to-Professional Celebration last month. The event also emphasizes the successful MSU academic journeys of students graduating this spring from one of the university’s pre-health concentrations and moving to professional training schools in medicine, dentistry, physician assistant and optometry. “Dr. Atchley actively advocates for and assists students as they work toward acceptance to healthcare professional schools and careers in the field," said David Buys, MSU associate vice president for health sciences, who presented the award alongside HPRC Founders Dr. Randy and Marilyn White.

Mississippi Theatre Association honors MSU legacies with named awards
The Mississippi Theatre Association renamed two of its annual DramaFest awards in honor of longtime Mississippi State faculty members Wayne “Dur” Durst and Betty “Jo” Durst, recognizing their decades of service and lasting impact on theater education in Mississippi. Announced during January’s Mississippi Theatre Association Conference, the organization’s executive board approved the Betty “Jo” Durst Directing Award and Wayne “Dur” Durst Award for Technical Achievement. For more than three decades, the Dursts were central figures in Theatre MSU, the production arm of MSU’s Department of Communication, Media and Theatre.

MSU faculty model the art of civil debate Thursday
On Thursday [March 5] at 5:30 p.m., Mississippi State University faculty members -- John Bickle, Giorgi Lebanidze, Manuel Rodeiro and Brian Shoup -- will gather in McCool Hall’s Taylor Auditorium to model respectful, civil discussion through a structured debate on contemporary political issues. The “Political Ideology Debate” aims to demonstrate for attendees how to engage in constructive discourse and will highlight a range of political perspectives. “This event is designed to highlight four major political ideologies and demonstrate that constructive political discussion is possible even in the face of disagreement,” said Manuel Rodeiro, an assistant professor of philosophy who is organizing the event. The discussion will be moderated by Susan Erck, an assistant professor of philosophy.

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 SharePoint Site is your one-stop hub for AI-related learning opportunities, workshops, user guidance, industry news, tips, and updates. It's available at https://mstate.sharepoint.com/sites/AIInnovationHub. 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.

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.

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Survey: MSU degree propels Bulldog graduates to career success
Mississippi State graduates continue to find career success thanks to their Bulldog education, a recent survey shows. MSU’s annual First Destination Survey shows 95% of responding 2024-25 graduates reported being employed full or part time, continuing their education, participating in service-oriented programs or serving in the U.S. armed forces. This figure holds level with the successful outcome rate reported by 2023-2024 graduates responding to last year’s survey. “Students at Mississippi State University continue to find successful career opportunities upon graduation,” said MSU Career Center Executive Director Bethany Mills. “While students at MSU are incredibly talented, their success is also a testament to the preparation provided by faculty and staff to ensure our students have the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in the workplace.”

Community engagement projects recognized with annual awards
Mississippi State is honoring four community engagement projects with the university’s annual Excellence in Community Engagement Awards. Winners and honorable mention recipients were selected for projects that demonstrate best practices in community-engaged service, as well as community-engaged teaching and learning, for work conducted throughout 2025. “Community engagement is at the heart of MSU’s land-grant mission. We were founded on the belief that knowledge is not meant to be contained to the classroom and on campus, but co-created with our community partners and extended into neighborhoods, farms, schools and businesses,” said Joe Fratesi, MSU interim executive director for outreach and engagement and assistant director of the university’s Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development.

MSU Foundation complemented with addition of new development officer
Noah Berry is the newest addition to the Mississippi State University Foundation team, bringing experience and enthusiasm to work in an economic sector he knows well. He is assistant director of development for MSU Extension, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Berry comes to the MSU Foundation from an agricultural lending company. In his new role, he will work with present and potential donors to help shape their ideas and interests into tangible results to better the university and state. “Noah understands the language of agriculture and the people who make it possible,” said Jimmy Kight, MSU Foundation senior director of development for the College of Veterinary Medicine and division team lead.

Creative writing faculty member earns national recognition from PEN America
Samyak Shertok, a Mississippi State assistant professor of English, is a finalist for the 2026 PEN Open Book Award for his debut poetry collection “No Rhododendron,” published in 2025 by the University of Pittsburgh Press. The award from PEN America honors an exceptional book-length work by an author of color. It includes a $10,000 prize and an artist residency. The winner will be announced later this month. “For a boy who was born in a Himalayan village and did not start learning English properly until grade four, this recognition feels like a dream,” Shertok said. Lara Dodds, professor and head of MSU’s Department of English, said she and her colleagues are fortunate to have welcomed Shertok to the university last year. “He is a dynamic and engaging teacher because he is such a committed poet, which is evident in the nomination of ‘No Rhododendron’ for this prestigious prize."