Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Florencia Meyer, assistant professor in Mississippi State's biochemistry, molecular biology, entomology and plant pathology department, grades the semester's final projects for her general biochemistry class. Students created models of simple biomolecules and also turned in accompanying research papers. The university will be closed Dec. 23-Jan. 2 for winter break. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs

Architectural Digest features MSU Riley Center
Mississippi State's Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts is among "14 Historic American Theatres" featured this month in Architectural Digest magazine's online edition. "We're so honored to be included with the outstanding performance halls that are featured. For Architectural Digest and its editors to bring recognition to the Riley Center is awesome," Executive Director Dennis Sankovich said.

International working group grant program deadline
The International Institute is requesting proposals from faculty and research and Extension staff interested in creating interdisciplinary, cross-college international working groups at Mississippi State. The main goal of this competitive program is to encourage interdisciplinary international research. A secondary goal of the program is to expand and catalyze established international partnerships. Proposals are due Monday.

ITS: Be alert to holiday scams online
Information Technology Services at Mississippi State and the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, US-CERT, remind everyone to remain vigilant when browsing online this holiday season. E-cards from unknown senders may contain malicious links. Fake advertisements or shipping notifications may deliver infected attachments. Spoofed e-mail messages and fraudulent posts on social networking sites may request support for phony causes.

Holiday stress can raise chances of alcohol abuse
Holiday celebrations that include alcohol can put extra stress on those battling or recovering from alcohol addiction and their families. “Around the holidays, alcohol abounds at parties and family gatherings,” said David Buys, health specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Being around alcohol and others who might be ‘old drinking buddies’ could drive temptation higher.”

MSU Foundation's 2015 calendar sale underway
The 2015 Mississippi State hanging wall calendar is now available from the MSU Foundation. This window to MSU features a sleek, modern design, with 13 beautiful campus scenes. Featuring images by the university's own award-winning photographers, it's truly a one-of-a-kind treasure.

Volunteers needed for the holidays
The Maroon Volunteer Center at Mississippi State details a number of volunteer opportunities for the campus community in its newsletter this week. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to make a difference by volunteering during the holiday season.

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, 12/15/14
Women's Basketball hosts Mississippi Valley State on Monday at 7 p.m., and then is on the road Wednesday for an 11 a.m. tipoff against Louisiana-Lafayette. They play Illinois-Chicago at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and Miami (Ohio) on Sunday at 6 p.m. in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic... Men's Basketball hosts Arkansas State at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, and then travels to Jackson on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tipoff against South Carolina-Upstate in the Mississippi Coliseum.

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Keenum at UN as global initiative formalized
Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum and leaders from other universities around the nation signed the Presidents' Commitment to Food and Nutrition Security at the United Nations in New York City last week. "If food production does not increase significantly, the number of people living in poverty will increase greatly," Keenum said.

Mullen named AP SEC Coach of the Year
Mississippi State head football coach Dan Mullen was named 2014 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year, while five of his players earned All-SEC honors, the Associated Press announced last week. State’s head coach took home the award after leading his team from unranked to No. 1 quicker than any team in college football history, breaking 22 single-season statistical records and spending the last nine weeks ranked inside the top-10 of the national rankings.

Green recognized for consumer series
A Mississippi State University Extension Service specialist is taking her financial literacy message to television -- and winning awards for it. Rita Green, an assistant Extension professor and family financial management specialist, recently received the Outstanding Consumer Information award from the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education during its annual awards luncheon last month in Bellevue, Washington.

Blendinger, Farmer see SRCEA regional honors
The Southern Regional Council on Educational Administration is honoring two faculty members in Mississippi State's College of Education. Jack Blendinger received the SRCEA University Honors Award for distinguished service. Angela S. Farmer received the Outstanding Junior Faculty Scholarship Award for research on student discipline policies around the world.