Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Mississippi State's 10th Poetry and Song Collaboration Program sponsored by the Department of Music last week featured clarinetist Sheri Falcone, pianist Karen Murphy and vocalist Corinne Reece, along with many other faculty and student vocalists. Murphy, instructor and coordinator of collaborative piano, and Nancy D. Hargrove, William L. Giles Distinguished Professor Emerita of English, co-founded the interdisciplinary program of poetry and song in 2008. This year’s program was a memorial to tenor Guy A. Hargrove, a 25-year member of the MSU music department, who served for 16 years as conductor and music director of the Starkville-MSU Symphony Orchestra. PHOTO: Russ Houston | Public Affairs

MSU Foundation appoints 2017 officers, members
The Mississippi State University Foundation is announcing its officers, as well as new members for the 47-seat board of directors. In its 55th year, the MSU Foundation is being led by Earnest W. “Earnie” Deavenport Jr. of Kiawah Island, South Carolina, who is entering his second term as board chair. Deavenport is joined by returning 2016 officers D. Hines Brannan Jr. of Atlanta, Georgia, vice chair, and William A. “Lex” Taylor III of Louisville, treasurer. The three alumni began new one-year terms January 1.

‘TypeHike’ exhibit opens at McComas Hall art gallery
A traveling exhibition of posters commemorating the National Park Service’s centennial are on display through March 3 at Mississippi State’s Department of Art Gallery in McComas Hall. A 5 p.m. reception for the MSU exhibit will take place Thursday [Feb. 16] in the ground-floor gallery, whose main entrance is located off the parking lot on McComas’ east side. The reception also is free to all, and refreshments will be served. MSU Professor of Graphic Design Cassie Hester’s poster for North Cascades National Park is among works that will be available for viewing and purchase during the reception.

Nominations sought for 2017 MSU Diversity Awards
The President's Commission on the Status of Minorities at Mississippi State is accepting nominations for the 2017 MSU Diversity Awards. The annual awards program is designed to recognize individuals and teams of individuals who have demonstrated a significant commitment to enhancing diversity at the university. Nomination packets are due no later than 5 p.m. on Friday.

Darwin Week offers science-based activities for all
National Darwin Week is underway at Mississippi State with a series of daily events celebrating scientific diversity. The university’s fifth-annual recognition of 19th century English naturalist and geologist Charles Darwin (1809-82) is designed to provide “a great time for everyone to get excited about biology,” said geology instructor Amy Moe-Hoffman. A coordinator of the events who also is collections manager for the geosciences department’s Dunn-Seiler Museum, Moe-Hoffman said all campus activities are free and open to all.

Register now for ‘The Future of Water’ SEC Academic Conference at The Mill at MSU
Early-bird registration ends soon for the 2017 SEC Academic Conference examining “The Future of Water” March 27-28 at Mississippi State. Headlined by three renowned keynote speakers, the event also will feature more than 60 speakers and panelists representing all 14 SEC institutions. Organizers are encouraging participants to register by Wednesday to receive the early-bird discount. Regular online registration continues through March 26.

PCSW now accepting nominations for annual awards
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2017 PCSW Awards Program, sponsored by the President's Commission on the Status of Women at Mississippi State. These awards recognize individuals both on and off campus with notable achievements in promoting the status of women, and who are advocates for the well-being, development and advancement of all women of MSU's campuses and surrounding communities. All nominations are due by Feb. 24 at noon.

New opportunities with 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 the West Point Animal Shelter, Project CLASS, Columbus Boys & Girls Club, Habitat ReSale Store, reading tutors, and more.

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.

This Week in Mississippi State Sports, 02/13/17
Men's Basketball visits Athens on Tuesday for a game against Georgia at 8 p.m. (ESPNU), and then hosts Florida at 1 p.m. on Saturday (ESPN) ... Women's Basketball hosts Georgia on Thursday at 7 p.m., and then travels to College Station for a 4 p.m. tipoff against Texas A&M on Sunday (SEC Network) ... Softball visits Mexico for the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge with games against Fresno State on Thursday, Cal State Fullerton and Texas Tech on Friday, and Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday ... Baseball opens the 2017 season at Dudy Noble Field on Friday at 4 p.m. against Texas Tech, and then hosts Western Illinois at 4 p.m. on Saturday and on Sunday at noon with a final opening weekend game on Sunday against Texas Tech at 3 p.m. ... Track & Field competes Friday and Saturday at the Meyo Invite in South Bend, Indiana ... Men's Tennis starts play Friday at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships ... Women's Tennis hosts Alcorn State at 3 p.m. on Sunday ... Women's Golf starts play Sunday in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate at English Turn Golf Club in New Orleans.

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.

Spring General Faculty meeting Tuesday afternoon
The spring meeting of the General Faculty at Mississippi State is coming up Tuesday at 2 p.m. in Foster Ballroom of Colvard Student Union. The program will include reports on topics of general interest to the university community from President Mark E. Keenum, Provost and Executive Vice President Judy Bonner, Vice President for Research and Economic Development David Shaw, and Vice President for Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine Greg Bohach. A time for questions and discussion will follow their presentations.

Fowler named fellow of international engineering organization IEEE
An international organization has selected a Bagley College of Engineering faculty member to receive its highest membership honor. James Fowler, the graduate program director of Bagley’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was elevated to the rank of fellow by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Recognized for his contributions to lossy source coding and dimensionality reduction of multidimensional data, Fowler was one of five fellows representing Southeastern Conference universities.

MSU researchers seek to empower black female faculty members
Four Mississippi State faculty members were organizers of an Atlanta conference last week designed to help enhance the higher education careers of fellow female African Americans. The Feb. 9-11 Georgia event was made possible by a nearly $57,000 National Science Foundation grant awarded last year to Linda T. Coats, Melody T. Fisher, Pamela K. Scott-Bracey and LaShan Simpson. Their specific goal: to help current -- and future -- minority females better navigate the tenure and promotion processes at predominately white institutions.

SMART system continues to impact community
In 2012, city of Starkville and MSU leaders announced plans for the university’s shuttle system to expand into the community, creating SMART. Since January 2014, 2.16 million riders have used the free service on campus and in the community. Last year, approximately 750,000 riders used the system, according to MSU Director of Parking, Transit and Sustainability Jeremiah Dumas. Dumas said he is proud of SMART’s impact on the community and the way it has improved the quality of life for Starkville residents.