Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman of Charleston, left, visited Mississippi State last week to tour the renowned Kinsey Collection exhibit in MSU’s Mitchell Memorial Library. While on campus for a private tour of the collection with the Kinsey family, Freeman and the Kinseys also enjoyed a round of golf on the MSU Golf Course. Shown with Freeman were, left-to-right: Linda Keena of Oxford; Bernard Kinsey; Khalil Kinsey, and Greg Dunaway, dean of the MSU College of Arts and Sciences. PHOTO: Russ Houston | Public Affairs

Wear maroon and Run with Your Colors 5K
Mississippi State faculty and staff, along with students, alumni, family and friends, are encouraged to wear maroon and run or walk in the Run with Your Colors 5K this month. The race takes place Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with a start on the south steps of the New Capitol in downtown Jackson. Proceeds from the race will benefit Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital.

2015-16 Lyceum Series lineup set
A Sept. 3 concert by American musician and singer-songwriter ZZ Ward will kick off Mississippi State's 2015-16 Lyceum Series season. Season ticket renewals for those wishing to retain the same seats as last year will take place through June 19, while new season tickets will go on sale June 29-July 17. Season tickets for the general public are $125; for MSU employees and senior citizens, $105.

'Healthier You' summer program in full swing
The Maroon Volunteer Center at Mississippi State details a number of volunteer opportunities for the campus community on its website and in its newsletter this week, including "Healthier You" summer camp, summer reading program, food pantries, Canoe Day at the Refuge, BB4K mentoring, summer sports referees, Service Dawgs Day, and more. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to make a difference by volunteering this summer.

Policy addresses employee political activity
With local and statewide political campaigning underway this year, 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.

Holmes Cultural Diversity Center seeks volunteers
The Richard Holmes Cultural Diversity Center at Mississippi State again is seeking host families and individual mentors for its Linking Internationals in the Community program. "The LINC program is an opportunity for families and mentors to share their favorite traditions and customs of American culture, while also learning about the international student's culture," said HCDC program coordinator Rachel Ross.

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.

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Millea serving as interim dean for MSU-Meridian
A 17-year faculty member at Mississippi State University has been named interim administrative dean for the institution's Meridian Campus. Meghan Millea, finance and economics professor and former Holland Faculty Senate president, fills the MSU-Meridian role most recently held by interim administrative co-deans Julia Hodges and Allison Pearson.

McLendon to lead SEC Sports Med Committee
Mississippi State director of sports medicine Mary McLendon, MESS, ATC/L was elected president of the Southeastern Conference Sports Medicine Committee during the 2015 SEC Sports Medicine Conference in Opelika, Alabama. McLendon, who has been overseeing the department since 2010, became the first female to be elected president of the committee.

Grant Library joins national online program
The Ulysses S. Grant Library at Mississippi State University's Mitchell Memorial Library now is part of the Connecting Presidential Collections project. A free online site for centralized document searching across presidential collections, CPC is housed at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. It works to enhance presidential sites and library materials by providing a consolidated source of information for researchers and learners.

University signs MOU with Alaska Fairbanks
Mississippi's flagship research university and the nation's northernmost land-, sea- and space-grant institution are now working together to advance development of unmanned aircraft solutions for the oil and gas industry. On June 8, Mississippi State's David Shaw signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Alaska Fairbanks creating a new long-term partnership to advance unmanned aerial systems R&D.