Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Associate Professor Charles Freeman talks with iCREATE campers in the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach during Mississippi State’s iCREATE Camp. Camp participants -- ages 14-17 and hailing from Mississippi, Louisiana and Colorado -- spent last week learning entrepreneurial skills, including how to set up a business plan. Campers were challenged to design, create, market and sell products in a short timeframe, and their featured items were available at the Idea Shop in downtown Starkville as last-minute Father’s Day gift options. The iCREATE Camp is a partnership between MSU’s School of Human Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach in the College of Business.

Financial planning virtual workshops available for faculty, staff Wednesday
MSU Human Resources Management is offering a "Planning for Financial Security" workshop for faculty and staff. The virtual workshop will provide a comprehensive financial planning overview on the following topics: cash management, retirement planning, investment planning, tax planning, risk management, and long-term care. Faculty and staff can register for one of four time slots available on Wednesday [June 23]. Click here to register with code MSUPWA11AE.

Friday deadline for SEC Visiting Faculty Travel Grant Program
Mississippi State faculty members are invited to submit applications for the Southeastern Conference Visiting Faculty Travel Grant Program until Friday [June 25]. Sponsored by the SEC Academic Consortium, the program is intended to enhance faculty collaboration that stimulates scholarly initiatives between SEC universities. It gives faculty from one SEC university the opportunity to travel to another SEC campus to: exchange ideas; develop grant proposals; conduct research; consult with faculty and/or students; offer lectures or symposia; or engage in whatever activities are agreeable to the visitor and host unit.

ORED accepting Faculty Leadership Program applications through July 30
Mississippi State University's Office of Research and Economic Development is currently accepting applications for the 2021-2022 Faculty Leadership Program. Interested faculty members that meet eligibility criteria can submit applications through July 30. The Faculty Leadership Program is designed for faculty who have aspirations of becoming an administrator or who simply want to improve their personal leadership skills. Many past participants have been successful and serve in key leadership positions today at MSU.

MSU Libraries offering variety of fun, skill-enhancing workshops this summer
MSU Libraries is offering a variety of fun, skill-enhancing workshops for the MSU community this summer. Whether you're looking for information and digital literacy skills development workshops for your students or you want to learn more about the research databases offered through MSU Libraries, we have a session for you! Learn how to use new citation software (such as EndNote, Mendeley or Zotero), learn how to use Adobe Spark, Premiere Pro, InDesign and Illustrator, or brush up on your Microsoft Excel skills.

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. The complete policy is available at www.policies.msstate.edu/policy/91301.

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Khaitsa named to global One Health High-Level Expert Panel
A Mississippi State University professor of veterinary epidemiology has been named to an international panel focused on the ways humans, animals and the environment impact global health. Margaret Khaitsa in MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine is now serving on the One Health High-Level Expert Panel to advise key international organizations on the potential emergence and spread of new diseases, among other areas. The 26-member panel, selected from a pool of over 700 applicants, advises the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health, UN Environment Programme, and the World Health Organization. “Dr. Khaitsa’s selection to the One Health High-Level Expert Panel is a testament to her globally relevant expertise in the ways human, animal and plant health interact,” said MSU Vice President for Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine Keith Coble.

Tours galore: Welcome Center resuming campus visits for individuals and groups
As pandemic restrictions are eased, Mississippi State University’s Welcome Center is resuming personalized individual and group tours of the Starkville campus this summer. Tours are open to all age groups and should be scheduled two weeks in advance. Guided campus tours, as well as historical and children’s tours and self-guided walking tours, are among those available. Each tour is led by a trained student volunteer with MSU’s Maroon VIP program. Tours are conducted Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To view tour options or schedule a visit, go to visit.msstate.edu, call 662-325-5198 or email visit@pres.msstate.edu. “While the MSU admissions office takes care of scheduling prospective student tours, the Welcome Center is here to enlighten visitors on the historical and visual aspects of our beautiful campus,” said Cristi Stevens, coordinator of MSU’s Welcome Center.

Mississippi’s largest, free outdoor concert Bulldog Bash returns this fall
Bulldog Bash, Mississippi’s largest, free outdoor concert sponsored by Mississippi State’s Student Association, is returning in the fall after a 2020 hiatus due to the pandemic. This year’s Bash is set for September 17, in downtown Starkville at the intersection of Jackson and Main streets, before the MSU vs. University of Memphis football game on September 18 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Liv Hunter, Bulldog Bash director, said the decision to move the date to a non-home football game weekend was a well-thought-out evaluation of the event by both the Bulldog Bash committee and the city of Starkville. “Bulldog Bash has grown tremendously in the past 20 years and, for this reason, it deserves its very own weekend that will bring even more visitors to campus and to Starkville,” Hunter said.