Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Crepe myrtles bloom on campus on a recent sunny day. Second-term summer classes begin this week on Monday [July 9]. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs

Marszalek, Nolen and Gallo receive Army Historical Foundation award for annotated Grant memoirs
The Army Historical Foundation is recognizing Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library scholars at Mississippi State University for their annotated version of the former president’s classic memoirs. “The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant: The Complete Annotated Edition” by MSU’s John F. Marszalek, David Nolen and Louis Gallo was one of six books to receive a 2017 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award in June.

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Jason Sanders
Most jobs do not involve seeing one’s boss dressed up in a cockroach costume, but Jason Sanders loves his job working at the Mississippi Entomological Museum. His primary responsibility is coordinating the Mississippi Bug Blues outreach program, which Jennifer Seltzer and JoVonn Hill launched in 2012. The program has undergone a metamorphosis since it began, expanding beyond education about invasive insect species to including conservation and biodiversity.

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Steven Felston
Steven Felston loves interacting with people and helping them solve problems on a daily basis. So his work in the Delta Research and Extension Center’s Communications Department fits him well. He helps with logistics and set-up for the many meetings hosted at the center, including distance education video conferences. He also assists with building and grounds support and maintenance. He has enjoyed accepting the new challenges that have come about during his 16-year employment in Stoneville.

Sociology faculty’s new books set for fall publication
Gender inequality in professional sport and children’s racial perception in America are the respective focus areas of two highly anticipated works by faculty members in Mississippi State’s College of Arts and Sciences. Due for September publication is MSU Assistant Professor of Sociology Rachel Allison’s book, “Kicking Center: Gender and The Selling of Women’s Professional Soccer.” MSU Assistant Professor of Sociology Margaret A. Hagerman’s “White Kids: Growing Up With Privilege in a Racially Divided America,” is a 280-page, research-based book that will be published by New York University Press.

Extension launches Local Flavor microsite
The Mississippi State University Extension Service has launched an Internet microsite that delivers information on each facet of the state’s local foods industry. Local Flavor is a new Extension initiative that brings together a team of Extension and research experts to support the development of Mississippi’s local foods industry. “Extension’s role is to provide research-based information to help improve lives in Mississippi,” said Rachael Carter, instructor with the MSU Extension Center for Government and Community Development.

Northern Gulf Institute supports NOAA Okeanos Explorer, ‘America’s Ship for Exploration’
A team of Mississippi State researchers is exploring the world’s least known frontier aboard a vessel that’s aiding in their quest for discovery and could help to find new marine species or geologic features. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists report that oceans remain 95 percent “unexplored, unknown and unseen by human eyes,” and NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research has operated the ship Okeanos Explorer over the last decade to study the ocean depths with a mission of advancing scientific knowledge.

New faculty orientation, welcome reception, teaching academy, Canvas training set for August
Mississippi State University is announcing a variety of programs to officially welcome new faculty to the Bulldog family this fall. The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President is sponsoring an Aug. 14 orientation program at The Mill at MSU in Starkville. MSU President Mark E. Keenum and First Lady Rhonda Keenum also are hosting a welcome reception at The Mill for new faculty and their spouses or significant others. MSU's Center for Teaching and Learning also is offering a New Faculty Teaching Academy on Aug. 15 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. in the third-floor John Grisham Room at Mitchell Memorial Library. The program is intended for new faculty who will begin teaching in the fall or spring semesters.

‘Godmother of Soul’ Patti LaBelle headlines 2018-19 Lyceum Series
Musical treasure Patti LaBelle will fill Lee Hall’s Bettersworth Auditorium with her legendary rhythm and blues when she headlines the upcoming season of Mississippi State’s Lyceum Series. Known as the “Godmother of Soul” and ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the “Top 100 Singers of All Time,” the Grammy Award winner will perform Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. Doors open approximately 30 minutes before the curtain rises on all shows scheduled for the 2018-19 Lyceum Series, the university’s long-running performing arts program.

Reminder: University policy addresses employee political activity
With political campaigning for Congress and other races currently underway, Mississippi State's Office of General Counsel offers the following reminder of the university’s policy on political activities. There are several guidelines that employees of the university should keep in mind when engaging in any form of political activity. The Office of General Counsel encourages each employee to review this policy in its entirety to make certain you are fully aware of your rights and responsibilities.

Institute for the Humanities issues call for papers
Mississippi State’s Institute for the Humanities invites faculty members to submit individual paper proposals for the 2018-2019 Interdisciplinary Forum Workshop Series to be held in the upcoming academic year. The Interdisciplinary Forum Workshop Series will consist of six gatherings anchored around the theme of “Examining Governance from an Interdisciplinary Perspective.”

Faculty, staff volunteers needed for Heifer Ranch trip
Mississippi State faculty and staff volunteers/chaperones are needed for the annual trip to Heifer Ranch, Arkansas, for the Global Village educational experience Oct. 12-14, 2018. Heifer International is an Arkansas-based non-profit organization focused on community development to resolve poverty and hunger around the world. The Global Village is a hands-on educational experience where students are challenged to live in modeled developing world conditions.

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.

Inaugural cohort of Community-Engaged Learning Fellows implement new ideas for courses
Fifteen Mississippi State employees from across the university recently completed a new program designed to help them incorporate community-engaged learning into courses in their respective departments. The Community-Engaged Learning Fellows spent three weeks redesigning courses and preparing to integrate community-engaged learning into their teaching, research and service. “Engagement is a thread that runs through the fabric of Mississippi State University,” said Cade Smith, assistant dean and director for student leadership and community engagement.

Rodgers to lead geosciences department
A professor with more than 15 years of experience at Mississippi State is the new head of the university’s Department of Geosciences. John Rodgers, a professor with research interests in physical geography and geographic information systems, has spent the past year as interim department head and began his new role officially on July 1. With plans to support faculty and students through financial awards for research and travel, he also hopes to develop innovative strategies to enrich research productivity and enhance teaching and outreach.

Crudden named sociology's interim leader
A social work professor with more than 20 years of experience at MSU is now the interim head of MSU’s Department of Sociology. A faculty member since 1996 in the sociology department -- which encompasses social work and criminology in addition to sociology -- Adele Crudden’s new role began July 1. With more than a decade of experience serving as the program director for the social work program in the sociology department, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Rick Travis said Crudden has successfully managed the social work program’s accreditation and reaccreditation efforts.

Shaffer tapped as new interim leader of African American studies program
Under the guidance of a new leader, the African American Studies program at Mississippi State looks to capitalize on the program’s exponential growth throughout the past decade and deepen the university’s mission of diversity and inclusion. An associate professor of English and African American Studies and a mentor to Shackouls Honors College presidential scholars, Donald M. Shaffer, Jr., will now add interim director to his list of duties at the land-grant institution. His new role began July 1. Shaffer said he hopes to continue the growth of a program that “engages student interests on a wide variety of academic and social issues.”