Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Students from Mississippi State's Engineering on the Coast program tour MSU's Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park during a visit to Starkville last week. The engineering students toured many university research facilities and participated in Spring Career Days. PHOTO: Robert Lewis | Public Affairs

Federal tax withholding reminder for MSU employees
Mississippi State's payroll office reminds employees that due to recently approved tax legislation, the Internal Revenue Service has issued updated federal withholding schedules. As a result, employees may notice a change in their federal withholding and an increase in their net pay amount, beginning with the Jan. 31, 2018, paycheck.

Faculty and staff asked to complete community engagement survey
Mississippi State University earned the Carnegie Foundation’s Community Engagement Classification in 2010, and this great accomplishment recognizes MSU’s longstanding commitment to and outstanding practice in community-engaged research, learning and service. Advancing community engagement continues to be an institutional priority at MSU. Please help by completing the MSU Community Engagement Survey.

Famous touring company brings 'Othello' to campus next week
One of William Shakespeare’s most highly regarded tragedies will be staged Feb. 12 at Mississippi State as part of the university’s 2017-18 Lyceum Series. Though composed in the early 17th century, “Othello” is a timeless examination of identity, institutional racism and deceit. To be performed in modern attire, the play is a production of the National Players, America’s longest-running tour company. The curtain will rise at 7 p.m. in the Bettersworth Auditorium of historic Lee Hall.

Upcoming Mississippi Philosophical Association conference at MSU focuses on well-being
Mississippi State’s Department of Philosophy and Religion is hosting the Mississippi Philosophical Association’s annual conference on the Starkville campus later this week. Valerie Tiberius, the Paul W. Frenzel Chair in Liberal Arts and philosophy department chair at the University of Minnesota, is keynote speaker for this year’s event. Taking place from 4:30-6 p.m. Friday, Tiberius’s “Fulfillment and Failure” talk is free to the public and will be held in Room 111, McCool Hall.

‘Living historian,’ Ulysses S. Grant impersonator to lead inaugural Dr. Michael B. Ballard Lecture
A “living historian,” Ulysses S. Grant impersonator and educational consultant will lead the inaugural Dr. Michael B. Ballard Lecture on Tuesday at Mississippi State University. During the 2:30 p.m. event in the Grant Presidential Library at MSU’s Mitchell Memorial Library, Curt Fields will don Civil War attire and present “Ulysses S. Grant: The Man Behind the Uniform.” The lecture is free and open to the public. Guests are welcome to tour the recently opened Grant Presidential Library and Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana before and after the event.

Maroon Goes Green: Recycling reminders
Mississippi State University currently recycles an average of 60,400 pounds per month. The campus-wide sustainability initiative "Maroon Goes Green" is continuing its efforts to increase recycling awareness and participation among the campus community. Custodial staff members continue to be an integral part of this process and are committed to helping us increase our recycling numbers. To reduce contamination of recyclables, the Office of Sustainability is working to ensure all offices have bins with blue bags for recyclables only and to have convenient trash containers placed in buildings throughout campus.

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, 02/05/18
Women's Basketball hosts South Carolina at 6 p.m. on Monday (ESPN2), and then is on the road to Gainesville on Thursday for a 6 p.m. tipoff against Florida and hosts Kentucky in Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday at 1 p.m. (ESPNU) ... Men's Basketball hosts Alabama at 6 p.m. on Tuesday (SEC Network) and visits Missouri for a 1 p.m. tipoff on Saturday (ESPN2) ... Beginning Friday, Track & Field competes at the Husky Classic in Seattle and the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson ... Women's Tennis visits Hammond for matches against Southeastern Louisiana on Friday at 1 p.m. and Southern University on Sunday at 11 a.m. ... Men's Tennis hosts San Diego at 1 p.m. on Friday and Pepperdine on Sunday at noon ... Softball hosts the Bulldog Kickoff Classic with games Friday, Saturday and 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.

Seale named James R. Moreton Fellow in Sustainable Bioproducts
Longtime faculty member Dan Seale is the inaugural James R. Moreton Endowed Fellow in the College of Forest Resources at Mississippi State University. The James R. Moreton Fellow in Sustainable Bioproducts was established through a gift from James Reginald Moreton, a 1956 mechanical engineering alumnus. Seale has spent his career committed to research and development of Mississippi’s timber and lumber industries.

Carl Small Town Center’s Gregory to lead statewide planning association
A Mississippi State alumnus and community planner for the university’s Carl Small Town Center is beginning a new leadership role with the state’s professional organization for city planners. Thomas R. Gregory III recently was elected to a one-year term as president-elect of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Planning Association. In January 2019, he will begin a two-year term as the organization’s president.

Siudzinski joins soccer staff as operations coordinator
In preparation for the 2018 season, second-year head coach Tom Anagnost has named Geri Siudzinski as coordinator of soccer operations for the Mississippi State soccer program. Siudzinski comes to Starkville after spending two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at NCAA Division II Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. At AU, she became well-versed in recruiting prospective student-athletes and selling the unique features and benefits of the school's program and institution.

Community-Engaged Learning Fellows program now taking applications
Mississippi State University's inaugural Community-Engaged Learning Fellows program is now taking applications. This three-week program has been created to support instructional faculty and staff in integrating community-engaged learning into their formal or non-formal teaching. Sponsored by the Center for Community-Engaged Learning and the Center for Teaching and Learning, CEL Fellows will learn community-engaged learning theory, course design and pedagogy.