Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

An oak tree's silhouette reflects on the northeast side of Mississippi State's Lee Hall. The building, currently undergoing renovations, was built using the neoclassical Beaux Arts design. Completed in 1909, Lee Hall was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1984. Restoration of the structure is expected to be complete in May, and it will house the Office of the President, among others. PHOTO: Beth Wynn | Public Affairs

Thursday groundbreaking for The Mill at MSU
The Mill at Mississippi State University will break ground at 600 Russell Street in Starkville on Thursday. Open to all, the public ceremony begins at 3:30 p.m. at the E.E. Cooley Building, the former home to MSU’s Facilities Management operations.

Funderburk's work on display in Ocean Springs
Works of a veteran Mississippi State University art professor are on display through April 30 at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs. Titled "New Solar Myths: Paintings and Drawings by Brent Funderburk," the collection includes large pieces, as well as some watercolor and mixed media and several small charcoal sketches. "New Solar Myths" is his 31st one-person show.

Researchers hit the links for science
From identifying the best golf clubs to improving individual swings, Mississippi State researchers are using science to make golfers' games better. For the fourth consecutive year, university professor Tom Lacy was selected by Golf Digest to review more than 250 clubs for the magazine's "2014 Hot List" edition. As part of his on-campus golf research, Lacy works closely with Tony Luczak, who directs MSU's Institute of Golf.

Civil War documentary preview on Monday
Mississippi State University Libraries and the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library will offer a special preview of the new PBS documentary series "Civil War: The Untold Story." For the Monday screenings, director and producer Chris Wheeler will be in attendance. Episode 1, "Bloody Shiloh," will show at 1 p.m. in the Charles H. Templeton, Sr. Music Museum at Mitchell Memorial Library, and Episode 2, "A Beacon of Hope," will show at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Simrall Hall.

University celebrating 100 years of ag economics
A leading environmental economist will be the featured speaker Thursday [March 20] as Mississippi State commemorates the centennial birthday of the agricultural economics department. University alumnus Richard T. Carson, now an economics professor at the University of California, San Diego, will speak at 1:30 p.m. in McCool Hall's Taylor Auditorium. The event is free and open to all. Originally scheduled in February, Carson's visit was postponed due to inclement weather.

Ragtime Jazz Festival coming up March 27-29
The Gatsby Gala, a 1920s-inspired fashion show, kicks off the 2014 Charles Templeton Ragtime Jazz Festival at Mississippi State. The annual event is sponsored by MSU, University Libraries and Mitchell Memorial Library's Charles Templeton Sr. Music Museum. Frances N. Coleman, dean of MSU Libraries, noted that the festival now is in its eighth year of bringing renowned ragtime and jazz pianists to campus.

Maroon Alert: Sharing emergency updates with MSU
Every spring, weather becomes more of a factor in our day-to-day lives at Mississippi State. The Maroon Alert system is how we communicate with the campus community about emergency situations. Maroon Alert is a family of communication outlets to communicate about emergency situations. In most situations the primary means of communication are web, e-mail, Twitter via @maroonalert and sometimes instant messaging.

Spring into service this semester
The Maroon Volunteer Center at Mississippi State details a number of volunteer opportunities for the campus community in its current newsletter, including Interfaith Coffee Hour sessions, cemetery cleanup on Saturday, child abuse prevention campaign, and much, much 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, 03/17/14
Softball is on the road to Memphis on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. game, and then visits Auburn for an SEC weekend series beginning Friday... Men's Tennis hosts LSU on Friday at 2 p.m. and Arkansas at 1 p.m. on Sunday... Women's Tennis travels to Baton Rouge on Friday for a 4 p.m. match with LSU, and then plays Arkansas in Fayetteville at noon on Sunday... Baseball hosts Vanderbilt for an SEC weekend series with games on Friday, 6:30 p.m. (CSS-TV), on Saturday, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU), and on Sunday, 1:30 p.m.... Track & Field competes Saturday at the Alabama Relays in Tuscaloosa.

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.

Gilbert elected to ACAO board of directors
Mississippi State University Provost and Executive Vice President Jerome A. "Jerry" Gilbert has been elected to the inaugural board of directors of the Association of Chief Academic Officers. The ACAO is the first national organization representing chief academic officers, such as provosts and vice presidents for academic affairs, from all accredited higher education institutions. The organization provides a forum for discussing important academic affairs issues, as well as an environment where CAOs can communicate with, inform and educate one another.

Emison elected to College of Fellows for AICP
Gerald A. "Jerry" Emison, a professor in Mississippi State's Department of Political Science and Public Administration, has been elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners. The distinction is among the highest for the nation's professional planners with about one percent achieving this status. Emison said his career was sparked by a correspondence course in city planning from the University of California-Berkeley, which he took while serving in Vietnam.

Peterman joins Extension as aquaculture associate
Mark Peterman joined the Mississippi State University Extension Service as the new aquaculture associate March 1. Peterman returned to MSU after nine years at Auburn University’s School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, where he was a member of the farm management team. “Mark brings a vast amount of experience to this position, and we are very proud to have him join us,” said Steve Martin, head of the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center.

Franklin honored as an SEC Legend
Mississippi State assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Aqua Franklin stood among some of the top names in the SEC in early March as part of the league’s 2014 legends class that was honored during the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Duluth, Ga. “Aqua is a legend to me and I am very proud of her,” MSU head coach Vic Schaefer said. “She was a tremendous player for us at Texas A&M and is very deserving to receive this honor.”