Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Miss MSU Stephanie Stanford enjoys a look around the newly expanded Spirit Shop at Barnes & Noble at Mississippi State last Friday morning. Festivities celebrating the expansion included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, entertainment, refreshments, samples, give-aways and a local author symposium. MSU faculty and staff receive a 10 percent discount on most items at the bookstore. PHOTO: Megan Bean | University Relations

International food summit on campus Monday
Global food safety and security issues will be in focus this Monday at Mississippi State when leading international authorities on the subjects join researchers and government policymakers for a daylong conference. Participants include Raj Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development; Daniel Gustafson of the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations; and Millennium Challenge Corporation CEO Daniel Yohannes. The luncheon keynote speaker is Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

Maroon Volunteer Center co-sponsoring 9/11 tribute
Mississippi State's Maroon Volunteer Center and Volunteer Starkville are co-sponsoring a 9/11 tribute at the Starkville Fire Station One on University Drive. To begin at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Sept. 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance Ceremony will honor local first responders and military servicepersons, as well as heroes and victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.

Be a part of this year's National Day of Service
The Maroon Volunteer Center at Mississippi State details a number of volunteer opportunities for the campus community in its current newsletter, including the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, Starkville Recovery Day, the Clothesline Project, Maroon Edition Habitat for Humanity, and much more.

Policy addresses employee political activity
With political campaigns for the White House and other federal offices well underway for the Nov. 6 general election, Mississippi State's Office of General Counsel reminds employees to be aware of the university's policy on political activities. There are several basic guidelines that university employees should keep in mind when engaging in any form of political activity.

Graduate School, International Institute hosting Fulbright workshop on Sept. 13
On Sept. 13, the Office of the Graduate School at Mississippi State, along with the MSU International Institute, will host a representative from the Institute of International Education for a Fulbright information workshop with a particular emphasis on the U.S. Student Program for graduate students.

Funding facilitates Fulbright Visiting Scholar travel
The Council for International Exchange of Scholars provides travel awards through the Occasional Lecturer Fund to enable Fulbright Visiting Scholars who are currently in the country to accept guest lecturing invitations at U.S. colleges and universities. Academic departments interested in learning more about this funding opportunity should contact Stephen Cottrell, a Fulbright Ambassador with the MSU International Institute, or School of Architecture Associate Professor Jane Britt Greenwood, AIA, Fulbright Representative.

Williams delivering Evers lecture Sept. 20
The African American Studies program at Mississippi State will host MSU assistant professor Michael V. Williams for a Sept. 20 lecture titled "Sit Me Up and Turn Me Loose: Medgar Wiley Evers as Civil Rights Activist, Leader and Martyr in the Fight for Justice." The lecture will be held in McCool Hall's Taylor Auditorium (Room 124) at 4:30 p.m. A book signing will immediately follow.

University hosting October PERS seminar
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.

This Week in Mississippi State Sports, 09/10/12
Women's Golf hosts the Old Waverly Bulldog Invitational in West Point Monday through Wednesday... Men's Golf travels to Hattiesburg Country Club for the Sam Hall Intercollegiate Monday and Tuesday... Soccer is on the road to Columbia for a game at South Carolina on Friday at 6 p.m., and then plays Kentucky in Lexington at noon on Sunday... Volleyball hosts Auburn on Friday at 7 p.m. and Georgia at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday... Cross Country competes at the Commodore Classic in Nashville on Saturday... Football plays Troy on the road at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

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.

General Faculty meeting Wednesday
The fall meeting of the General Faculty of Mississippi State University is scheduled for this Wednesday in McComas Hall Theatre at 3 p.m. The program will include a report from President Mark E. Keenum on topics of general interest to the university community, followed by a time for questions and discussion.

Lee named to international STEM advisory board
Technology is changing classrooms every day, from how teachers teach to how students learn. Professor Deborah Lee, a Mississippi State University librarian who has promoted classroom technology since she came to the university in the early 1990s, is now offering her expertise on a global scale: Lee has joined an international science, technology, engineering and mathematics advisory board along with almost 50 other members representing six continents.

New poultry specialist joins MSU Extension
A poultry specialist with industry and Extension Service experience recently joined the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Thomas Tabler began work as an Extension professor Aug. 1 in MSU’s Department of Poultry Science after teaching a year in Shungnak, Alaska, 20 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

MSU names Delta building for former administrator
Mississippi State University recently named a building in honor of a retired agricultural researcher and administrator. More than 200 attended the Aug. 30 dedication of the new Verner G. Hurt Research and Extension Building at MSU’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, despite Hurricane Isaac’s inclement weather. Hurt’s career epitomized the land-grant ideals of teaching, research and service.