Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

During a meeting last week, Domenico "Mimmo" Parisi, director of the National Strategic Planning and Research Center at Mississippi State, describes nSPARC's work with local officials to develop a new website for Oktibbeha County. PHOTO: Russ Houston | University Relations

Info fair for grad students returns to MSU Libraries
Mississippi State University's graduate students will start the semester off right at MSU Libraries on Aug. 17, and one lucky student will leave with a new iPad. Held on Mitchell Memorial Library’s second and third floors between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., the annual Graduate Student Information Fair will offer students opportunities to visit with various MSU Libraries departments and learn about the multitude of services offered specifically for graduate students.

MSU Riley Center Fall/Winter Series opens Aug. 24
Whether your taste runs to romantic French plays, raucous halftime shows, or somewhere in between, the MSU Riley Center's Fall/Winter Series promises to deliver fantastic entertainment in a beautiful setting. The series kicks off Aug. 24, when legendary singer/songwriter Art Garfunkel brings his trademark folk rock sound to the Riley Center stage in downtown Meridian.

Service Days and Habitat: 2 great ways to give back
The Maroon Volunteer Center at Mississippi State details a number of volunteer opportunities for the campus community in its current newsletter, including volunteering for Service Dawgs Day on Aug. 13, preregistration for Maroon Edition Habitat for Humanity, Clothesline Project preregistration, and much more.

Road closures for summer paving projects
The following areas on the Mississippi State University campus continue to be affected by summer paving project work: the parking lot on the northwest side of McArthur Hall will be closed to all traffic from July 9-31; from July 9-July 31, access to the Zacharias parking area will be maintained, but expect to encounter construction.

University hosting PERS seminar this fall
Human Resources Management at Mississippi State is hosting a PERS pre-retirement, full-day seminar on Oct. 3, 2012, at Bost Extension Center. The seminar offers general information on a range of topics, including estate planning, Mississippi Deferred Compensation Plan and Trust, Social Security benefits, and PERS benefits and options. The seminar is available to any covered PERS member at no cost, but pre-registration is required.

Policy reminders from University Health Services
University Health Services at Mississippi State reminds the campus community of several important policies for its patients to keep in mind when seeking treatment, parking, refilling a prescription online, and privacy.

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

Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.

CAVS Extension wins regional award
Mississippi State's Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems Extension is a major honoree of the Southern Growth Policies Board. The award "honors initiatives that are improving the economy and quality of life in the South," according to SGPB. Based in Canton, the university's CAVS Extension office recently accepted a 2012 Innovator Award for its work with Nissan at the nearby vehicle assembly plant. The recognition specifically cited the "Enhancing On-the-Job Problem Solving" training program.

MSU gives inaugural award for lab safety
A laboratory at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine recently became the first-ever recipient of an MSU award recognizing laboratories for outstanding attention to safety. MSU’s Office of Regulatory Compliance and Safety presented the inaugural Excellence in Laboratory Safety Award to the Center for Environmental Health Sciences.

MSU center leads county website development
A new Oktibbeha County website developed by a Mississippi State research center will better connect citizens with their county government, and also serve as a "business card" for local economic development efforts. The university center's director said the project "is the beginning of a new way for Oktibbeha County to work." "It connects citizens with their county government, and gives them easy access to important information," added Domenico "Mimmo" Parisi, director of the National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center.

Ticket sales underway for Lyceum Series season
With the 2012-13 season to begin mid-fall semester, the Mississippi State University Lyceum Series announces the opening of ticket sales for all five, or individually selected, performances. The Capitol Steps, a Washington, D.C.-based musical and political satire troupe of former congressional staffers, will inaugurate the season Oct. 11. The American Shakespeare Center's Feb. 22 presentation of "Twelfth Night" opens the spring events.