Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Mississippi State football players celebrate with the Egg Bowl trophy after defeating the University of Mississippi by a final score of 35-3 on Thanksgiving night in Oxford. With the rivalry win, the No. 18 Bulldogs will finish the 2018 regular season with an 8-4 record. Bowl eligible for the ninth consecutive season, MSU will now wait to hear its bowl game destination. PHOTO: Logan Kirkland | Public Affairs

Hamilton awarded 2018 SIGAda Distinguished Service Award
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has awarded Mississippi State's Drew Hamilton the prestigious 2018 SIGAda Distinguished Service Award. "It is very well deserved given your outstanding contributions to our SIGAda activities," ACM SIGAda Awards Committee Chair Rick Sward wrote in a notification message. The ACM SIGAda Award Committee (volunteers who have previously won an award) selects recipients from nominations submitted by SIGAda membership and other members of the Ada community.

Canvas Learning Management System to take teaching, learning experience to a new level
Mississippi State is moving to a new Learning Management System -- Canvas by Instructure -- to improve the teaching and learning experience for students and faculty. Sixty-nine faculty representing all eight academic colleges have been teaching courses this semester with Canvas as part of a pilot program, and the university’s chief information officer said feedback from those participants has been positive. “Our faculty were integral in the selection process for a new learning management system that would be intuitive and easy to use. We are pleased to provide faculty their choice of Canvas,” said Steve Parrott.

Alumni Association hosting Brew and Browse this week
Searching for that perfect holiday gift? The MSU Alumni Association invites you to the Hunter Henry Center on Tuesday and Wednesday from 2-5 p.m. to browse a selection of class rings and learn more about the tradition of The Ring at Mississippi State. Complimentary coffee and pastries from Strange Brew Coffeehouse in Starkville will be served while supplies last. Those who would like to receive a class ring by Christmas must place their order by Dec. 1.

Lyceum Series getting in the holiday spirit
Members of the award-winning a cappella ensemble known as “m-pact” are sharing their world-renowned vocal talents during a Dec. 5 Lyceum Series performance at Mississippi State University. Hailed as “one of the best pop-jazz vocal, a cappella groups in the world” by the San Francisco Chronicle, m-pact will perform a holiday show at 7 p.m. in Bettersworth Auditorium on the first floor of Lee Hall. Based in Los Angeles, m-pact is respected worldwide as a cutting-edge trailblazer in the realm of vocal music.

Diamond Rio Christmas Show comes to MSU Riley Center next week
Diamond Rio spent the last holiday season performing in residence at Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville. This year, the country supergroup takes their Christmas Show “Holiday and Hits” on tour, including a concert Dec. 6 at the MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian. The music starts at 7:30 p.m. The group has done some holiday-theme concerts in years past, and released “A Diamond Rio Christmas: The Star Still Shines” in 2007. But planning a full-fledged Christmas show turned out to be a bit more complicated than planning an album, said lead guitarist Jimmy Olander.

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TVA recognizes university for low carbon emissions
The Tennessee Valley Authority is recognizing Mississippi State University for its efforts in improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. “We have diligently worked to improve the efficiency of all campus operations, and it is exciting to see those efforts pay off,” said MSU Vice President for Campus Services Amy Tuck. “I want to thank the many people across campus who have embraced our sustainability initiatives, and I would like to thank TVA for recognizing our efforts.” Through university initiatives implemented over the last decade, MSU has been able to substantially reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, saving more than $55 million in utility costs.

Cebrian named Northern Gulf Institute associate director
A senior marine scientist with research interests in coastal ecosystems and human impact on coastlines is being named associate director of Mississippi State University’s Northern Gulf Institute. Just Cebrian, a former senior marine scientist with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, which is an NGI research partner, will serve as the science lead for a group of MSU employees supporting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information. He also will work as an MSU research professor.

Warkentin recognized by Association for Computing Machinery for outstanding contributions
Mississippi State’s Merrill Warkentin is being recognized by the Association for Computing Machinery for his scientific contributions to the field of computing. Warkentin, the James J. Rouse Endowed Professor of Information Systems in MSU’s College of Business, has been named a Distinguished Member for Outstanding Scientific Contributions to Computing by ACM. He is the first person in the state of Mississippi to be selected for the honor. An MSU faculty member for over 17 years, Warkentin’s research focuses on individual user behavior in the context of information security and privacy.

Baldwin joins annual giving program
Bruce native Mary Beth Baldwin is the new associate director of annual giving for the Mississippi State University Foundation. In this position, Baldwin will secure leadership-level annual giving commitments, assist with special campaigns, and focus on specific university programs such as Compass Scholarships. “Mary Beth brings much enthusiasm to this role, and I am confident she will be a strong asset to the annual giving team as we work to engage more donors in assisting the university each and every year,” said Georgia Carter, director of annual giving.