Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

The summer sun shines over the MSU Golf Course. The public course is the host facility for the university's PGA Golf Management Program, which boasts a 100 percent job placement rate among graduates. The MSU Golf Course is currently offering a membership special for university faculty and staff for the fall semester. For more, please see www.golf.msstate.edu. PHOTO: Logan Kirkland | Public Affairs

Truax earns certification from national organization
Dennis Truax, the head of the civil and environmental engineering department in Mississippi State’s Bagley College of Engineering, was recently named a Board Certified Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers. The AAWRE is a subsidiary of the American Society of Civil Engineers. AAWRE’s Board Certification program was developed to improve the practice, elevate the standards and advance the profession of water resources engineering. The D.WRE board certification represents strong professional ethics and a commitment to life-long learning and professional development.

USDA Rural Development announces entrepreneurship grant for MSU makerspace
Mississippi’s Senate delegation and top officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture were at Mississippi State last week to announce a $100,000 grant for the university’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach to create a makerspace in Downtown Starkville. USDA Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett, as well as Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Sen. Roger Wicker, were on hand for the USDA Rural Business Development Grant announcement. They spent the morning learning more about MSU’s efforts to bolster an entrepreneurial culture on campus and throughout Mississippi.

Applications sought for MSU Excellence in Community Engagement Awards
Mississippi State University’s Excellence in Community Engagement (CE) Awards recognize outstanding examples of community engagement by faculty, staff, and students. The awards will be granted in four areas: Community-Engaged Service, Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning, Community-Engaged Research, and Scholarship of Engagement. Each award recipient will receive $5,000 to further community engagement within MSU’s trifold mission of learning, research and service. The application portal will be open from Aug. 22 to Oct. 5.

Davis Wade Stadium safety enhancements to include metal detectors
In an effort to continue Mississippi State University's long-standing commitment to provide a safe and secure environment for all fans, coaches and student-athletes, walk-through metal detectors will be implemented at all gates of Davis Wade Stadium on football gamedays beginning Sept. 1. "The safety and well-being of our fans and student-athletes has and will always be of the utmost importance to us," said MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen. "With walk-through metal detectors becoming a conference-wide initiative in football by 2020, we want to ensure a smooth transition for all fans who visit Davis Wade Stadium."

Chicks with Hits kick off MSU Riley Center Fall/Winter Series in September
Chicks with Hits, an intimate concert featuring three guitars and three stars making gorgeous music together, kicks off the MSU Riley Center’s 2018-2019 Fall/Winter Performing Arts Series on Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the landmark venue in downtown Meridian. Terri Clark, Pam Tillis and Suzy Bogguss have charted 36 top 10 country singles among them. Those hits include “If I Were You” and “You’re Easy on the Eyes” by Clark, “When You Walk in the Room” and “Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)” by Tillis, “Drive South” and “Hey Cinderella” by Bogguss, and more.

‘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.

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Keenum named chair of College Football Playoff Board of Managers
Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum has been selected as chair of the College Football Playoff Board of Managers. Keenum has served as the Southeastern Conference representative on the board since 2015. He served a term as president of the Southeastern Conference from 2016-2018. “The College Football Playoff has made a name for itself over the past four years as a great way to decide the national champion in college football. That’s an important task, and I plan to lead this board in maintaining the integrity of the event,” Keenum said. “Working with the representatives of the nation's major athletic conferences, we will work to ensure the continued growth and success of the CFP.”

MSU, Habitat for Humanity break ground on 10th Maroon Edition home
A decade-long tradition continued last week as Mississippi State University and Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity broke ground on the 10th Maroon Edition home. MSU President Mark E. Keenum drove the ceremonial first nail and presented Habitat for Humanity with a $5,000 check from the university. “I’ve now been a part of 10 homes and it’s something that I’m very proud of,” Keenum said. “We’re about helping other people. A lot of the people working to build this home will be employees, retirees, and more importantly, students of Mississippi State. What better experience for students to share than to help someone have a new home?”

Hopper to serve as Phi Kappa Phi president
Missy Hopper, a professor of instruction and special education at Mississippi State University, has been named president of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. During her 2018-2020 term as president, Hopper will lead the Society’s 12-person board of directors. Since 2006, Hopper has been active in Phi Kappa Phi at the local, regional and national levels. Hopper has also served on the Society’s Convention Planning Committee and chaired both the Chapter Development Committee and Dissertation Fellowship Criteria ad hoc Committee.

Chrisman among most cited in the world
A professor and department head in Mississippi State University’s College of Business is being recognized as one of the most-cited researchers in business and economics in the world. James J. Chrisman, head of MSU’s Department of Management and Information Systems, is ranked No. 10 in a recent analysis published in the journal Scientometrics. The study analyzed 2,140 highly cited papers from 2005 through 2014 to determine the top authors. “This study further shows that Dr. Chrisman is one of the preeminent business researchers in the world,” College of Business Dean Sharon Oswald said.