Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

MSU art alumna Candace Hitts, right, and University of Memphis adjunct professor Chere Doiron help put together artist Richard A. Lou's exhibit, "Stories on My Back." On exhibit Jan. 15-March 23 at the Visual Arts Center Gallery on University Drive, the three-dimensional multi-media installation combines photography, found objects and sound. A photography professor and art department chair at Memphis, Lou questions and initiates discussions about race and celebrates the multicultural background that the world shares through his works. PHOTO: Megan Bean | University Relations

Collins promoted to defensive coordinator
Geoff Collins has been promoted to defensive coordinator, Mississippi State head football coach Dan Mullen announced Jan. 4. Collins has served the past two seasons as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach on the Bulldog staff. Collins joined the university in 2011. "Geoff is an exceptional defensive mind and his energy and passion are remarkable," Mullen said.

Turner returns as defensive line coach
Head football coach Dan Mullen announced Jan. 11 the hiring of David Turner as the new defensive line coach at Mississippi State. Turner served as defensive line coach at Mississippi State from 2007 through 2009, and returns after a three-year stint at Kentucky where he was assistant head coach and defensive line coach.

Townsend joins football coaching staff
Mississippi State head football coach Dan Mullen announced last Friday the hiring of Deshea Townsend to coach cornerbacks. Townsend has served on the staff of the Arizona Cardinals for the past two seasons. Townsend, a native of Batesville, is a 13-year NFL veteran who played with the Indianapolis Colts (2010) and Pittsburgh Steelers (1998-2009) during his playing career.

Events showcase talent of new art faculty
New faculty in Mississippi State's Department of Art will showcase their artwork during an exhibition running through Feb. 23. Titled "New Associations: Works by New Faculty in the Department of Art," the show in the gallery in McComas Hall will feature works by Adrienne Callander, Neil Callander, Gregory Martin and Suzanne Powney. A Jan. 16 New Faculty Panel at 6 p.m. in the Giles Hall Harrison Auditorium will accompany the exhibit.

Thursday concert to celebrate MLK Jr.
Faculty and students in Mississippi State's music department will perform "The Poetry of Langston Hughes in Song" this Thursday in the Harrison Auditorium of Giles Hall. Free to all, the 7:30 p.m. concert featuring musical settings for a number of Hughes' poems will be followed immediately by a reception in the lobby sponsored by the university chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity. The event is among several organized campus programs celebrating the annual national Martin Luther King Jr. memorial observance.

Diversity trailblazer to speak at MLK Unity Breakfast
Each year, the nation celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy on the third Monday in January, which this year is on the 21st. That day, Mississippi State will hold the Community MLK Unity Breakfast, a free celebration that this year features a keynote address by Maj. Gen. Augustus L. Collins, adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard.

Community band begins 2013 spring semester
The Mississippi State band staff again is inviting university employees and area residents with previous band experience to play in the 2013 Starkville/MSU Community Band. Practice sessions will take place 6:30-8:30 p.m. each Monday during the spring semester at the Band and Choral Rehearsal Hall, located off Blackjack Road near the southern edge of campus. A $20 registration fee will be accepted at the first rehearsal this Monday.

Volunteer this weekend for MLK Jr. 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 information about MLK Jr. Day of Service projects and events, YMCA Camp Pratt cleanup, Semester of Service challenge, HCDC "Jeans for Teens" drive, and more.

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, 01/14/13
Men's Basketball hosts Alabama on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (CSS-TV), and travels to Knoxville for a game against Tennessee at 3 p.m. on Saturday (SEC Network)... Women's Basketball is on the road to Lexington for a game Thursday against Kentucky at 6 p.m.... Track and Field competes in the Auburn Invitational at Birmingham on Saturday... Men's Tennis plays Texas Tech in Houston, Texas, on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Office of Public Affairs provides Maroon MEMO as a general information
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Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.

Story named new MSU health services director
Dr. Clifton W. Story, a staff physician at Mississippi State's Longest Student Health Center, is being promoted to executive director of University Health Services. He will assume his new duties in May, succeeding Dr. Bob Collins upon his retirement. Story, who holds American Board of Family Physicians certification, returned to campus as a physician in 2008. An MSU alumnus, he is a 1991 general science graduate who went on to earn a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1995.

Peterson member of team published in Nature
A Mississippi State University researcher is part of an international team that has described the first "gold-standard" genome sequence for cotton. Published in the Dec. 20 issue of Nature -- one of the world's most prestigious scientific journals -- the research is the culmination of a 20-plus year effort in the analysis of cotton genes, chromosomes and their evolution, according to Daniel G. Peterson, director of Mississippi State's Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology.

Wood named to national library task force
A Mississippi State faculty member is among a team of professional librarians named recently to the 75th Anniversary Task Force for the Association of College and Research Libraries. Greta Wood will be one of a dozen members of the major committee responsible for planning activities as the 12,000 ACRL members, in particular, and national higher education community, in general, prepare to recognize the organization's past achievements and future goals.

EASE graduates gain knowledge, new skills
Participants in the 2012 Education for Administrative Support Employees (EASE) sessions took advantage of the opportunity to boost their knowledge during the 12-week training program, which is designed to provide new administrative support staff with the tools to perform their jobs effectively.