Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Mohsen Razzaghi and Merrill Warkentin, Mississippi State’s newest William L. Giles Distinguished Professors, were among the honorees recognized during the university’s recent annual Faculty Awards and Recognition Reception. Based on distinguished scholarship demonstrated by a record of outstanding performance in research, teaching and service, the Giles honor is conferred on faculty members who have attained national or international status as verified by external reviewers in the candidates’ specific fields. Razzaghi serves as professor and head of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Mathematics and Statistics; Warkentin, the James J. Rouse Endowed Professor of Information Systems in the College of Business. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Ola Hawkins
Even though she has a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice, Ola Hawkins found her place with the MSU Extension Service as a nutrition educator in Leflore County. She has been working with children and adults, teaching them the importance of nutrition and physical activity for nearly 27 years. Specifically, she teaches a better way of living by eating healthy foods and engaging in regular physical activity. “One of my favorite things about my job is going out and seeing a child or adult after the class and they remember me and remember what I taught them,” she said.

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Lanna Miller
Lanna Miller has been advising students for 24 years, having discovered her passion as a student when she worked in the academic advising office for the MSU Athletic Department. She realized that working with students on a college campus was something she wanted to do as a career. As the Student Services Coordinator in the MSU College of Forest Resources for the past 6 years, she coordinates academic advising for undergraduate students, academic sessions and registration during orientation, class scheduling with the registrar’s office, the college scholarship program, and activities of the college living and learning community.

Provost search enters final phase
The search for the new Mississippi State University provost has moved into its final phase, and the Search Committee has selected, with MSU President Mark E. Keenum's approval, three candidates to bring on campus for interviews. The candidates will be on campus May 9, May 10, and May 14. Further information will be released as the schedule is finalized, but please mark your calendars and plan on participating in the seminar and open forum discussion that will be held for each candidate.

Nature Ecology & Evolution publishes MSU study on marine exotic species
An associate director of Mississippi State’s Northern Gulf Institute is receiving international attention for his eye-opening study on the impact exotic species have on native marine communities. Just Cebrian, also an MSU research professor, this month has published his discoveries in the academically acclaimed, peer-reviewed journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. Titled “Global Ecological Impacts of Marine Exotic Species,” the meta-analysis study questions the validity of a list compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature which identifies the world’s 100 most invasive species.

Applications sought for 2019-2020 Academic Leadership Program
The Office of Research and Economic and Development and the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President at Mississippi State will be leading a newly restructured Academic Leadership Program in the upcoming 2019-2020 academic year for faculty who aspire to be administrators. The format of the leadership program consists of two-hour seminar sessions once per month from August to April. A wide variety of topics will be covered by senior leaders at MSU. Applications are due by May 24.

Sanderson Center offers Summer Fun membership at special rate
Join in the summer fun at the Joe Frank Sanderson Center! Ask for the special Summer Fun membership now available for all faculty/staff, affiliates, and retirees. Rates for adults are just $100 per person and only $30 for each child. Come by the Member Services Office in the Sanderson Center, open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, to purchase a Summer Fun membership today. An MSU photo ID card is required.

Butler Hall parking lot construction to cause temporary closure
Construction to improve the parking lot adjacent to Butler Hall will cause temporary closures of the lot beginning Monday [April 8] and lasting through Aug. 6. The MSU Office of Planning, Design and Construction Administration is administering a project to replace a retaining wall, curbs and sidewalks in the area. The parking lot also will be milled, overlaid and striped.

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Annual faculty, staff honorees are among those ‘who make Mississippi State special’
For thousands of Bulldog students, the impact of knowledgeable, supportive Mississippi State faculty and staff rings true from freshman year to graduation and beyond. MSU recently presented 10 of these educators with special honors during the annual Faculty Awards and Recognition Reception. Provost and Executive Vice President Judy Bonner, whose office co-sponsored the event with the university’s Alumni Association, said in addition to a beautiful campus with strong academic programs, “the thing that makes Mississippi State special is its people.”

Annual award ceremony honors MSU ag faculty, staff and students
Nearly two dozen Mississippi State faculty, staff and students are being honored with major awards in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. During a recent campus ceremony, George Hopper, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, discussed how awardees dedicate themselves to the university’s land-grant mission to make a difference in the lives of not only Mississippians, but others around the globe.

College of Arts and Sciences recognizes spring faculty award winners
Mississippi State’s College of Arts and Sciences recently recognized eight faculty members with awards honoring their research and scholarly commitments to the university. This year’s honorees include faculty who contribute significantly to the university’s mission of research and increase awareness of MSU’s fields of study and programs. MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,300 students, 300 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs and 25 academic majors offered in 14 departments.

Barnard becomes new executive director at MSU Riley Center
Daniel R. Barnard is the new executive director at the MSU Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts, one of the Southeast’s premier performing-arts and conference facilities. Terry Dale Cruse, administrative director and head of campus at Mississippi State University-Meridian, announced the appointment. The Riley Center anchors MSU-Meridian’s Riley Campus in historic downtown Meridian and is housed in two renovated 19th-century buildings. Offering state-of-the-art performance, conference and education spaces, it features a beautifully restored Victorian theater.