Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Mississippi State will host the Southeastern Conference's first-ever on-campus academic conference next week. Additional information and online registration for "The Future of Water: Regional Collaboration on Shared Climate, Coastlines and Watersheds" at The Mill at MSU is available at http://www.secconference.msstate.edu.

Former Truman Presidential Library director headlines 2017 Marszalek lecture series
A former director of the Harry S Truman Presidential Library will be the keynote speaker at the 15th annual John F. and Jeanne A. Marszalek Speaker Series, which will take place Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Mitchell Memorial Library’s Grisham Room. Michael J. Devine, a longtime member of the Ulysses S. Grant Association Board of Directors, will deliver the featured lecture. His presentation is titled “Presidential Libraries: An Inside Look.” The lecture series is sponsored by Mississippi State University Libraries in honor of the Marszaleks.

Global food security expert visits Friday
An international advocate for food security will be featured at Mississippi State Friday for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Charles E. Lindley Lecture. Keegan Kautzky, director of national education programs for the World Food Prize, will present on global food security. His hour-long presentation, “Ending Hunger in Our Lifetime: Real Heroes and Reasons for Hope” begins at 11 a.m. in the Bost Extension Auditorium.

Starkville-MSU Symphony Orchestra presents ‘Spring is in the Air’
Under the direction of Mississippi State University Department of Music Head Barry E. Kopetz, the Starkville-MSU Symphony Orchestra is concluding its 2016-17 season with a “Spring is in the Air” concert Saturday [March 25] on the Starkville campus. Free to all, the 7:30 p.m. program at historic Lee Hall’s Bettersworth Auditorium is made possible by the Starkville-MSU Symphony Association.

Industry enables opportunity through university's autism clinic
Steel Dynamics Foundation, headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has committed $50,000 to support Mississippi State’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic in the College of Education. Located in MSU’s Barry F. Box Building on Morrill Road, the university’s ADDC primarily assists clients with autism spectrum disorders. Services also are available to those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, various genetic and chromosomal disorders, including Down Syndrome, as well as speech and language delays and disruptive behavior disorder.

Extension Service supports backyard chicken decisions with new resource
Families willing to host a flock of feathered friends reap the benefits of fresh eggs delivered daily just outside the door. What started several years ago as an underground "urban chicken" movement has become much more common and widely accepted. Today, raising backyard chickens has gained popularity nationwide, boosted by interest in locally grown foods that avoid the energy use and carbon emissions typically associated with transporting food. A new MSU Extension Service publication walks homeowners through the decision-making and preparation steps of establishing backyard chickens.

African American Studies hosts Rhonda Williams for Women’s History Month presentation
In celebration of Women’s History Month, Mississippi State’s African American Studies program continues its 10th anniversary event series with a March 28 presentation. Taking place at 4 p.m. in the university’s Simrall Electrical Engineering Building auditorium, “Your Silence Will Not Protect You: Black Women, History and Social Justice” will feature Professor Rhonda Y. Williams, the first African American to earn tenure and achieve full professor status in the history department at Case Western Reserve University.

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 MSU Big Event on April 1, MSU Collegiate Leadership Conference, Exchange Club Uncle Bunky's 10K race and fun run, Feeding Starkville Food Drive, Get Ready to Run Kids Race, Bulldogs on the Move, tutoring, 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, 03/20/17
Men's Golf starts play in the Lone Star Invitational on Monday ... Baseball plays Southern Miss at Trustmark Park in Pearl on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., and then hosts Tennessee at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, at 2 p.m. on Saturday and at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday ... Softball visits Oxford for a 6 p.m. game against Ole Miss on Wednesday, and then heads west for the College Preview Tournament with games Friday against Louisiana Tech, 3:30 p.m., and Oklahoma, 6 p.m., and then against UAB on Saturday at noon ... Men's Tennis is on the road to Fayetteville on Thursday for a 6 p.m. match against Arkansas, and then plays Ole Miss on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Oxford ... Women's Tennis plays Tennessee in Knoxville on Friday at 5 p.m. and Georgia in Athens at noon on Sunday ... Women's Basketball plays Washington or Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 on Friday at either 6 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City.

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Linhoss studies hydrology, ecology with practical applications for conservation
Water. How can something so simple be so complex? Researchers with expertise in a wide range of water-related issues will converge next week for the SEC Academic Conference to discuss the often complex issues related to the earth’s most life-giving resource. Anna Linhoss, a Mississippi State assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering and chair of the conference organizing committee, said she looks forward to meeting the best scientists in the Southeast and anticipates learning more about cutting-edge research from colleagues at other SEC universities.

Looney joins Longest Student Health Center staff
Mississippi State University alumnus Dr. Robert “Ryan” Looney has returned to his alma mater as the newest staff physician at the John C. Longest Student Health Center. Looney recently began working at the Student Health Center after completing a residency in internal medicine at Brookwood Baptist Health in Birmingham, Alabama. He graduated from the University of Pikeville’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2013.

International Institute designated as passport acceptance facility
The U.S. Department of State has designated the Mississippi State University International Institute’s Allen Hall office as a passport acceptance facility. The International Institute, located at 116 Allen Hall, officially began accepting passport applications March 15. This location is ideal for faculty, staff and students planning international travel who would like to complete their passport applications conveniently between class or while on their lunch break, according to Rick Nader, executive director of MSU’s International Institute.

New RCU study: Career and technical education perceptions examined
Despite the proven benefits of career and technical education, many Mississippians — even some public-school educators — seem to have misconceptions about its worth in preparing the state’s future workforce. “Confronting the CTE Stigma” is a new report developed from statewide surveys conducted by the Research and Curriculum Unit at Mississippi State. Julie Jordan, director of the RCU, said studies indicate that Mississippi students in CTE programs graduate from high school at higher rates than their non-CTE peers.