Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

President Mark Keenum, Athletics Director Emeritus Larry Templeton and Director of Athletics John Cohen recently toured Mississippi State's renovated Templeton Athletic Academic Center atrium. The atrium celebrates the historical athletic success of Mississippi State, including the remarkable 2017-18 year. The building's atrium is one of several ambitious MSU Athletic facility projects complete or nearing completion. Others include new Dudy Noble Field and the Left Field Lofts, the Davis Wade Stadium home gameday locker room and the renovation of the Floyd Wade, Jr. Club Level in Davis Wade Stadium. PHOTO: Kelly Donoho | Athletics

University earns ‘Excellence in Assessment’ designation
Mississippi State University is now one of just 20 institutions nationwide to hold the national Excellence in Assessment designation for its use of assessment results to guide institutional decision-making and improve student performance. MSU is the first Southeastern Conference university to be recognized as part of the Excellence in Assessment program. MSU’s Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness is responsible for facilitating the development and implementation of assessment programs and emphasizes continuous improvement in fulfilling the university’s overall teaching, research and service mission.

New public ADA parking, transit enhancements announced for football games
To enhance parking and accessibility for Mississippi State football fans and guests with disabilities, MSU has added two public ADA parking lots that will be serviced by MSU Parking and Transit Services shuttle buses. The two new public ADA lots, one next to the Rec Plex off of Hail State Boulevard and the other in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park, off of Highway 182, will nearly double the amount of ADA parking available to the general public on game days. The previous ADA lot next to McCarthy Gymnasium will be closed to the public due to ongoing campus capital improvement projects.

ITAR, export control briefing set for September
The Office of Research Security at Mississippi State will host an ITAR and export control briefing open to all faculty and staff on Sept. 5 at 1 p.m. in Conference Room 20 at the High Performance Computing Collaboratory. Jonathan Barnes, a special agent with the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement, will lead the one-hour session. He will provide an introduction and overview of U.S. export control laws regulating academic and private sector R&D projects. He also will discuss how academic research may be pursued within the context of this legal environment.

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.

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Renowned author, alumnus John Grisham returns to campus for Fall Convocation
A 1977 Mississippi State accounting graduate and one of the world’s best-selling authors is returning to campus Tuesday to deliver the keynote address at Fall Convocation. John Grisham will share words of wisdom with incoming freshmen and transfer students. “We’re deeply honored that John will be returning to campus to speak with our new freshmen and transfer students during this very special time in their lives, and we look forward to welcoming him back,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum.

Alda visits Monday for 'Communicating Science' public lecture
Award-winning actor, speaker and instructor Alan Alda evokes memories of the classic American comedy-drama television series M*A*S*H* in which he starred from 1972-1983. When he visits Mississippi State this week, Alda will be sharing skills he developed through his acting career while he teaches university research faculty how to communicate effectively about science. “MSU is conducting amazing research across the entire university,” said MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development David Shaw. “This workshop is designed to help us tell our story of the great work we are doing more effectively.”

Rahimi to lead computer science and engineering
A recognized leader in the field of computational intelligence with strong ties to the state of Mississippi is the new department head for computer science and engineering at Mississippi State. Shahram Rahimi joined the Bagley College of Engineering faculty as the new computer science and engineering department head on Aug. 1. He comes to MSU after 16 years at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, including the last four as that university’s chair of the department of computer science. “I am excited to join a group of brilliant faculty at Mississippi State and to be back in the state I call home,” Rahimi said.

Hui, Lavine named first co-editors of History of Science Society
Mississippi State’s Department of History is making history of its own as two faculty members recently have been named the first co-editors of their field’s flagship society. Founded in 1924, the History of Science Society is the oldest and most prominent organization dedicated to understanding science, technology and medicine and their interactions with society in a historical context. Alexandra “Alix” Hui and Matthew Lavine, both associate professors in MSU’s history department, will work with the two international journals HSS produces -- Isis and Osiris.