Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Mississippi State and Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity officials broke ground Aug. 5 on the eighth annual Maroon Edition Habitat for Humanity home, which is being built for Lena and Lashay Evans. Pictured, from left to right: Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity Board Vice President Barbara Coats, MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt, MSU President Mark E. Keenum, Lashay Evans and Lena Evans. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs

Fall Convocation coming up Tuesday
Fall Convocation will be held Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum to welcome new students to Mississippi State. The keynote speaker will be Ashley Rhodes-Courter, author of “Three Little Words: A Memoir,” the university’s 2016 Maroon Edition book selection. Students also will hear from MSU President Mark E. Keenum; Provost and Executive Vice President Judy Bonner; and Student Association President Roxanne Raven.

Art department hosting second ‘Great Chalk Walk’
For the second year, Mississippi State’s art department is hosting a Great Chalk Walk event. Taking place Thursday in front of the department’s Visual Arts Center Gallery at 808 University Drive, the free 4-6 p.m. event is open to all interested members of campus and surrounding communities. Art department students, faculty and staff will be on hand to assist participants, and share information.

International attention for archaeological researchers
The account of a Mississippi State team’s discovery of a very-out-of-place freshwater mussel shell currently is being featured in a specialized scientific journal. The university team members include Evan Peacock, a veteran anthropology professor, and Joseph A. Mitchell of Gautier, who soon graduates with a doctorate in earth and atmospheric sciences.

European military conflict research beckons Osman
Ask her how she spent her summer, and Mississippi State faculty member Julia A. Osman offers an interesting reply. After spring classes ended at the university, the associate professor began exploring how the proximity to military personnel and conflict in the 17th and 18th centuries affected the European public’s conception of war.

Extension Service assumes role in Zika response
Mississippi State University Extension Service entomologists and others are scouring the state for the mosquito species that carry the Zika virus. Jerome Goddard, Extension entomology professor, said only two mosquito species are considered vectors of the Zika virus. The main carrier is Aedes aegypi. This species and its close cousin, Aedes albopictus, primarily bite during the daytime.

University top in state for grads' starting salaries
Mississippi State University graduates earn higher starting salaries than their peers from other state colleges and universities, according to a recent analysis from SmartAsset, a financial technology company. According to SmartAsset, MSU graduates receive an average starting salary of $46,400, which is more than $3,000 higher than the next highest university in the rankings, Mississippi University for Women. The average starting salary for all Mississippi higher education graduates is $40,486.

Start your semester with the Maroon Volunteer Center
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 MSU on the Move kick-off, Maroon Edition Habitat for Humanity, Food Recovery Network, Boys & Girls Club community garden, Starkville Community Market, Montgomery Leadership Program, mentoring class, and more.

Fan Day celebration coming up Saturday
Mississippi State supporters can meet the 2016 Bulldog football and volleyball teams at the annual Fan Day celebration on Saturday inside the Palmeiro Center. Doors open at 3 p.m. with autograph availability running from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Fans are asked to enter through the southeast entrance of the Palmeiro Center. The football and volleyball teams will arrive at 3:30 p.m.

Clear bag policy in place for Davis Wade Stadium
In an effort to enhance fan safety, Mississippi State will implement a new clear bag policy for the 2016 football season at Davis Wade Stadium. The policy, which takes effect for the Sept. 3 season-opener against South Alabama, is consistent with the NFL's current model and being adopted by most Southeastern Conference schools this season, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Texas A&M, Tennessee and South Carolina.

This Week in Mississippi State Sports, 08/15/16
Soccer visits Charleston, S.C., for a game against College of Charleston at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and then plays Virginia Tech on Sunday at 10 a.m.

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.

Mississippi Book Festival features faculty, staff, alumni
Mississippi State employees and alumni will have key roles at the 2016 Mississippi Book Festival being held Saturday in Jackson. Dubbed a “literary lawn party,” the free annual event takes place 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. More than 30 panel discussions and individual interviews -- some carried live on the C-SPAN Network -- will be held in rooms of the historic downtown state capitol and nearby Galloway United Methodist Church.

Templeton now leading Small Business Development Center
Charles H. “Chip” Templeton Jr. is the new director of the Small Business Development Center at Mississippi State. “Chip brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in small business to this position, and we are proud to have him join us in the College of Business,” MSU College of Business Dean Sharon Oswald said. A Starkville native and 1977 MSU marketing graduate, he is former co-owner of his family’s longtime automobile dealership and other Oktibbeha County businesses.

Society honors Parisi with research award
The Rural Sociological Society honored the executive director of Mississippi State’s National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center (NSPARC) with its 2016 Excellence in Research Award during the organization’s annual meeting in Toronto last week. “At the end of the day, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the Rural Sociological Society,” Domenico “Mimmo” Parisi said.

Monday event celebrates health and wellness
An MSU on the Move Celebration Ceremony on the Drill Field Monday afternoon will help students, faculty, staff and community members kick off the semester with a healthy focus. MSU on the Move, a university initiative funded through a grant from the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, is expanding and creating more opportunities for the campus to engage in healthy activities related to physical fitness, nutrition and overall wellness.