Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Construction has begun on the new classroom building at the corner of George Perry St. and Barr Ave. The facility will contain 90,000 square feet of classroom space - or 22 rooms on three floors - and 60,000 square feet of parking in a two-level garage. Designed after Old Main dorm, the structure is expected to open for the spring semester of 2016. PHOTO: Russ Houston | Public Affairs

Speaker series presents Barefoot Wine founders
The founders of Barefoot Wine and authors of "The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America's No. 1 Wine Brand" will speak Thursday [March 27] at Mississippi State. Bonnie Harvey and Michael Houlihan of Sonoma County, Calif., will be featured guests of the university's College of Business and its ongoing Leo W. Seal Jr. Distinguished Speaker Series.

Great ways to serve better together
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, Bulldogs On the Move, Oxfam Hunger Banquet, and much, much more.

Community invited to CVM open house
The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine is inviting visitors of all ages to attend its 29th annual Open House April 4 and 5. This year’s theme is “Animal Crossing.” One of the primary goals of the event is to open the world of veterinary medicine to visitors through fun activities and educational sessions on animal health and behavior.

Registration open for Dawg Daze summer camps
Registration is now open for three summer camps where kids can participate in arts and crafts, cake decorating and academics. Dawg Daze of Summer offers two weeklong camps with emphases on creative and academic experiences for children ages 5-7 and 8-10. Ashley Fremin, Extension associate with the Center for Continuing Education at MSU, said the camps strive to encourage learning in a fun environment.

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.

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.

Super Bulldog Weekend coming up in April
The 29th annual Super Bulldog Weekend, a Mississippi State spring homecoming tradition featuring four days of athletic events and a pig cooking contest, will take place April 10-13 on the Starkville campus. The event is once again being presented by Regions Bank.

This Week in Mississippi State Sports, 03/24/14
Women's Basketball hosts Southern Miss in a second-round WNIT game at Humphrey Coliseum on Monday at 7 p.m.... Softball hosts Southeastern Louisiana at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Samford at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, and Marshall on Saturday at noon and 2 p.m. and on Sunday at noon.... Baseball hosts Southeast Missouri on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., and Arkansas on Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.... Track & Field competes at the Texas Relays in Austin beginning Wednesday... Men's Golf plays Delta State at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point on Thursday... Men's Tennis visits Oxford on Sunday to play Ole Miss at 1 p.m.... Women's Tennis hosts Ole Miss at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

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.

The Mill at MSU sees official groundbreaking
Campus and community came together last Thursday to celebrate the official groundbreaking of a $40-million economic development project in "Mississippi's College Town." MSU President Mark E. Keenum noted that "what's good for Starkville and Oktibbeha County is good for Mississippi State University. And vice versa." "This is a win-win-win for all of us," he said.

Ragtime Jazz Festival on campus this week
The Gatsby Gala, a 1920s-inspired fashion show, kicks off the 2014 Charles Templeton Ragtime Jazz Festival at Mississippi State this week. 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.

National org names MSU a Tree Campus USA
Mississippi State University and its leaders earned national recognition recently for promoting and maintaining healthy trees and inspiring faculty, staff, students and community members to conserve. "We are a land-grant university, and this honor is really representative of our purpose to educate the people of our state about good stewardship of our natural resources," said Jason Gordon, assistant Extension professor and chair of the Campus Tree Advisory Committee.