Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

MSU President Mark E. Keenum speaks to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, District III, after being presented with the organization's Chief Executive Leadership Award last Monday [Feb. 10] in Orlando, Florida. Keenum was presented with the honor based on his outstanding leadership, ground-breaking innovation and insight as a committed leader among universities, colleges and schools. PHOTO: Logan Kirkland | Public Affairs

Biochemistry program earns prestigious accreditation from ASBMB
Mississippi State is the third SEC university and one of only 85 universities nationwide to gain accreditation from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Jeffrey Dean, professor and head of MSU’s Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, said the benefits of MSU’s accreditation, achieved on the first application, are two-fold: “First, accreditation provides independent assurance that the curriculum and education offered in this department meet the high standards set by ASBMB, the leading professional society for biochemistry and molecular biology. Second, this designation allows our program’s graduating seniors and former graduates to sit for the ASBMB comprehensive accreditation exam. Those who pass it will have a leg-up for admission into competitive research programs and other advanced training opportunities.”

Applications for MSU's 2020 Community-Engaged Learning Fellows program due Friday
Friday [Feb. 21] is the deadline to submit an application for Mississippi State's 2020 Community-Engaged Learning Fellows program. Sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, the Center for Community-Engaged Learning and the Center for Teaching and Learning, this three-week program supports instructional faculty and staff in integrating community-engaged learning into their formal or non-formal teaching. The CEL Fellows program will meet in May 2020, and CEL Fellows will learn community-engaged learning theory, course design, and pedagogy.

National speaker headlines Mississippi Women for Agriculture conference March 6-7 at MSU
Mississippi women who want to grow their farm and agribusiness skills are invited to an upcoming conference in Starkville. “Small Farm Success in a Global Market,” the 2020 conference of the Mississippi Women for Agriculture organization, will be held March 6 and 7 in the Bost Extension Center on the Mississippi State University campus. Mississippi Women for Agriculture is organized through the MSU Extension Service and provides information and education to help female agribusiness employees and owners build skills.

MSU offering Banner 9 demonstration registration sessions for faculty, staff
Mississippi State will begin making the transition from its current Banner 8 registration system to the new Banner 9 system with the summer/fall registration cycle. In anticipation of this transition, the university is encouraging faculty and staff to attend one of its demonstration sessions on Banner 9 registration. The Feb. 17 and 26 sessions will be held at 3:30 p.m. in Room 1030 (Turner A. Wingo Auditorium) at Old Main Academic Center. ITS will live stream the Feb. 17 session and record for anyone to view later.

Registration underway for annual Legal Issues Conference at MSU
Mississippi State will hold its 9th annual Legal Issues Conference April 22-24 on the Starkville campus. The conference is open to all levels of university practitioners and will provide valuable educational and networking opportunities. This year’s keynote speakers include Will Creeley, senior vice president of legal and public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), W. Scott Lewis, partner at NCHERM Group, a legal and consulting firm that serves K-12 schools and university campuses, and Marisa R. Randazzo, CEO and founder of SIGMA Threat Management Associates.

Nominations sought for Jefcoat and Ammon advising awards
The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President is seeking nominations for Mississippi State’s 2020 Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Awards and Wes Ammon Outstanding New Advisor Awards. The deadline for nominations for both awards is March 23. Nominations are to be submitted in PDF form to the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President via email to nfultz@provost.msstate.edu.

Information needed for 2020 youth summer camps
The MSU summer camp page is ready to be updated with your 2020 camp information. Please login at http://ce.extension.msstate.edu/add-summer-camp to enter information about your upcoming summer camps. Only MSU employees have the ability to access the summer camp information site using their MSU NetID and Net Password. Once submitted, your camp information will be reviewed, approved and posted. If you have any questions or have any trouble entering your information, please contact Amber Shultice at 662-325-1457 or ams257@msstate.edu.

Smoke-free policy enhances healthy environment
Mississippi State University is a smoke-free campus. Official policy prohibits the use of any combustible or vapor products anywhere on campus property including university buildings, university grounds, university vehicles, parking areas and sidewalks. The smoke-free campus policy is part of the university's commitment to creating a healthy environment for all members of the campus community. Use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah or other similar devices are prohibited by this policy.

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MSU, EMCC sign MOU for Bachelor of Applied Science degree program
Mississippi State University and East Mississippi Community College signed a memorandum of understanding last week at EMCC’s Communiversity to formalize partnership programs for students enrolled in technical education programs. “We need more two-year and four-year graduates to move Mississippi forward,” MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. “By working together, I believe we’ll be able to better assist our fellow Mississippians in gaining the education they need to compete for the jobs of the 21st century. We are committed to helping all of our BAS students excel, succeed, and earn a bachelor’s degree -- building on the excellent foundation they have been given at EMCC.”

MSU, MGCCC sign pathways agreements for BAS, culinology programs
Mississippi State University and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College leaders signed two agreements last week to expand opportunities for students in technical education and culinology programs. The technical education agreement outlines a pathway for MGCCC students to complete MSU’s new Bachelor of Applied Science program, leveraging the strengths of both institutions to provide more opportunities in technical education and meet current and future workforce demands. The culinology agreement establishes a pathway by which students in MGCCC’s Culinary Arts Technology program may complete a Bachelor of Science degree in culinology at MSU.

Pierce part of SEC physics and chemistry collaboration on comet research
Donna M. Pierce, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Mississippi State University, is now a member of a joint collaboration with faculty from Auburn University and the University of Mississippi and to conduct research on comets. Working jointly with Dennis Bodewits, associate professor of physics at Auburn University and Ryan Fortenberry, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Mississippi, the team received the 2019-2020 SEC Faculty Travel Grant, which enables faculty from a SEC institution to travel to another SEC institution for collaboration on topics of mutual interest.

14 years of fun: MSU Libraries again hosts Charles H. Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival, Gatsby Gala
Mississippi State University’s Mitchell Memorial Library is bringing the late 19th and early 20th centuries to life during the 14th annual Charles H. Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival. Taking place Feb. 27-29, the festival kicks off on the 27th with the seventh annual Gatsby Gala in the library’s main lobby. The 6 p.m. fashion show features 1920s apparel designed by MSU School of Human Sciences fashion design and merchandising students and modeled by MSU Fashion Board members. Internationally renowned pianist and seven-year festival artistic director Jeff Barnhart of Mystic, Connecticut, will provide music.