Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Bradford pear trees in bloom on the Drill Field are another sign of spring at Mississippi State. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs

McRae named to national board
A Mississippi State University staff member has been named to a national board that focuses on providing higher education opportunities for the military community. Ken McRae, director for the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans at MSU, is now a member of the Council of College and Military Educators executive board. He will serve one year as the board’s secretary-elect followed by a year as secretary.

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Jamie Bates
Watching her furry friends run out of the hospital doors after a long road to recovery leaves a lasting impact on Jamie Bates’ heart. Bates is a certified veterinary technician in the rehabilitation service at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine clinical sciences department. She works with dogs that have diseases or injuries that affect their mobility.

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Shirley Guy
A clean lab is the foundation of good science, and the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine depends on Shirley Guy to keep its sterilizing process running. Guy is the central sterile aide for the CVM Department of Clinical Sciences. She is responsible for making sure the daily operation of the central sterile supply runs as smoothly as possible. She handles the hazardous waste, needles and pins for the department. She also operates the gas sterilizer, steam sterilizer, autoclave sterilizer, ultrasonic instrument cleaning machine, and washing machine and dryer.

LEAP program now accepting applications
The 2016 Leadership Excellence for Accomplished Professionals (LEAP) program at Mississippi State is now accepting applications. The goal and purpose of LEAP is to empower new supervisors and extremely high performing professional staff with a heightened self-awareness, advanced knowledge, and value-added leadership in a secure, but challenging environment.

Federal program officers visiting campus
As the research funding environment becomes more competitive, relationships with federal agency program officers are essential. Mississippi State faculty will have the opportunity to meet with two officers from the National Science Foundation with the first session taking place Monday. In addition to a presentation, each official will be available for one-on-one sessions for researchers who would like to pitch a proposal.

Friday deadline for staff award nominations
MSU Staff Council needs your help in nominating outstanding Mississippi State University employees for the 2016 Zacharias Distinguished Staff Awards. Twelve winners will be presented with a plaque of recognition and a check for $1,000. Awards will be announced at the annual Luncheon in the Junction/Staff Appreciation Day. The deadline to submit a nomination(s) is Friday.

Take advantage of MVC's volunteer opportunities
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 information about Autism Awareness Month, volunteer awards information, and how to volunteer for the Cotton District Arts Festival and Volunteer Starkville's Touch A Truck event.

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, privacy and more.

Hail State Hoops awards banquet next week
Fans can join the Mississippi State women’s basketball team in celebrating a Sweet 16 season at the team’s annual Hail State Hoops awards banquet on April 11. This year’s event will be held at The Mill Conference Center at Mississippi State beginning at 6 p.m. The deadline to RSVP is Friday.

This Week in Mississippi State Sports, 04/04/16
Men's Golf hosts the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship in West Point on Monday and Tuesday... Softball hosts Ole Miss on Monday at 6 p.m. and South Alabama at 6 p.m. on Wednesday before visiting Tuscaloosa for a weekend series against Alabama with games on Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ... Baseball hosts UT-Martin for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, and then travels to Gainesville for an SEC series with Florida with games on Friday at 4:30 p.m., on Saturday at 6 p.m. and on Sunday at 3 p.m. ... Women's Tennis hosts Ole Miss on Friday at 3 p.m. ... Track & Field competes Saturday at the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge... Volleyball visits Houston, Texas on Saturday for the F.A.S.T. Tournament... Soccer plays TCU in an exhibition match at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Frisco, Texas... Men's Tennis hosts Alabama 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.

MSU Diversity Award winners announced
Nearly a dozen Mississippi State students, faculty and staff members are being recognized for individual and group actions during the school year that served to enhance university diversity. The 2016 group formally was recognized at a recent MSU President’s Commission on the Status of Minorities ceremony. In announcing the winners, commission chair Lakiesha Williams praised all for “stepping outside of their norm and exhibiting a great passion for exploring and promoting diversity.

Funderburk wins SEC Faculty Achievement Award
Recipients of the 2016 SEC Faculty Achievement Awards were announced by the Southeastern Conference office last week. These annual awards recognize faculty members from every SEC university who have outstanding records in teaching, research and scholarship. Brent Funderburk, a William L. Giles Distinguished Professor of Art, has been named the 2016 SEC Faculty Achievement Award recipient for Mississippi State.

Outlaw receives major congressional grant
A grant from the world’s foremost medical research organization is assisting a Mississippi State faculty member with her innovative work on the specific properties of malaria parasites. Diana C. Outlaw, who has served as an assistant professor of biology since 2009, is using the $81,712 congressional award from the National Institutes of Health’s Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to gain a deeper understanding of malaria parasite emergence in new host species, such as humans and wildlife.

Brenner to lead education initiatives for ORED
Devon Brenner will be joining the Office of Research and Economic Development at Mississippi State as assistant to the vice president for education initiatives in mid-May. For the past year, the head of the curriculum, instruction and special education department in the university's College of Education has been an Education Policy Fellow in the office of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., in Washington, D.C.