Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Celebrating a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 15 at the MSU Community Garden are (l-r) Dean Angi Elsea Bourgeois of MSU’s College of Architecture, Art and Design; Dean George Hopper of MSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Student Association President Mayah Emerson; MSU President Mark E. Keenum; Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture Cory Gallo; and Vice President for Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine Gregory Bohach. Learn more about the MSU Community Garden at http://communitygarden.msstate.edu. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs

#StateProud Week celebrating accomplishments, people of MSU
Mississippi State continues the #StateProud Week tradition this week to celebrate the university’s many accomplishments and the extraordinary people behind them. A highlight will be a live remote with SuperTalk Mississippi on Thursday featuring interviews with MSU President Mark E. Keenum and other campus leaders discussing a broad range of #StateProud achievements in research, academics, student life, athletics and more. The #StateProud live remote will be broadcast from the steps of MSU’s historic YMCA Building from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. T-shirts and prizes will be offered to fans who drop by during the program.

New cyber ed center kicks off with CSpire partnership, advisory board meeting
Mississippi State’s newest university-level center has launched its first official project to further enhance cyber education for the state’s K-12 schools. The Center for Cyber Education’s advisory board held its first meeting on last week a few hours after C Spire announced a $550,000 gift to MSU to support the center’s first official project. Under the three-year pilot program, C Spire and state education officials are estimating the new program can deliver 93 percent more Mississippi graduates qualified for entry-level software development jobs than existing programs, which should help close the skills gap for this profession in Mississippi.

NSPARC awarded grant to aid state in opioid crisis
Data will play an integral part in the fight against the opioid crisis in Mississippi thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. MSU’s National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center is receiving $200,000 from HRSA, to be used to leverage data in efforts to prevent opioid abuse, treat addiction, and help law enforcement combat this crisis across the state.

Department of Communication to host 12th annual golf tournament
The Department of Communication at Mississippi State University is preparing for its annual golf tournament benefiting student scholarships on Friday at the MSU Golf Course. Registration is $125 and covers all cart and greens fees, driving range balls, one free entry in the putting contest and an MSU Adidas golf shirt. Proceeds are directed to the Lora J. DeFore Memorial Endowed Scholarships to support summer internship positions.

New federal sponsor reporting requirements for harassment and sexual misconduct
Some of you may have seen news articles from various federal sponsors such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concerning new or pending policies on university notification requirements regarding sexual harassment, other forms of harassment or sexual assault. These federal policies are specific to individuals involved in projects sponsored by those federal sponsors.

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.

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.

Planned parking garage to add 500 spaces
A planned $12 million parking garage will add 500 parking spaces to the north side of the Mississippi State University campus. The new garage will help the university provide parking for students, faculty, staff, and visitors and support event parking, according to MSU Parking and Transit Services Director Jeremiah Dumas. With MSU’s total enrollment now topping 22,000 students, and hundreds of thousands of visitors coming to campus for various events every year, MSU President Mark E. Keenum said the new garage will help meet the growing demand for parking.

Giesen ‘defends the lecture’ during his first as an Grisham Master Teacher
During his first formal lecture as a John Grisham Master Teacher last week, Mississippi State Associate Professor of History Jim Giesen said an active learning environment depends on well-trained lecturers who engage students through their senses. Giesen said lecturers can make the higher education learning experience meaningful for students by embracing the social atmosphere that permeates a classroom, especially one large in size. At the end of his presentation, he noted that lecturing effectively is no easy task, but one that can be accomplished with proper training.

Leap investigates community impacts of reduction of goose population
A Mississippi State sociologist’s upcoming book explores how one rural community is adapting as shifting climatological conditions have eliminated more than 100,000 geese from a traditional wintering ground. Braden Leap, assistant professor of sociology, examines in his book, “Gone Goose,” how Sumner, Missouri residents “adapted, reorganized and reinvented themselves in the wake of climate change, and how they continued to cultivate respect and belonging in their community.” Adele Crudden, interim head of the sociology department, said Leap’s work demonstrates how and why sociologists study relationships among people, systems and the environment.

Forde inducted into international society
The leader of Mississippi State University’s Department of Communication has been inducted into a prestigious New York-based international public relations society. John E. Forde, also a department professor, was inducted last month into the Arthur W. Page Society. Founded in 1983, the invitation-only organization includes approximately 800 members from more than 20 countries. Founder Arthur W. Page was vice president of public relations for AT&T from 1927 to 1946 and is credited with bringing an understanding and appreciation for public relations to the highest levels of corporations.