Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

The Mississippi State University Horticulture Club hosted its annual holiday poinsettia sale in early December. The university will be closed for winter break beginning December 23. Campus will reopen on January 3, 2022. Winter session classes end on January 12, with the spring semester starting on January 18. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs

Faculty honored as natural resource leaders
Mississippi State faculty in the College of Forest Resources and the Forest and Wildlife Research Center are being recognized for excellence in teaching, research and service. Awardees recently joined administrators, department heads, advisory board members, faculty and staff at the annual CFR/FWRC Recognition Ceremony and Advisory Board Lunch. Wes Burger, CFR dean and FWRC director, discussed how awardees are training tomorrow’s natural resource and conservation leaders while conducting research that has global impacts. This year’s honorees include Heidi Renninger, Brady Self, Steve Grado, Kevin Hunt, Ray Iglay, Robert Grala, Dan Seale and Guiming Wang.

Clary awarded for work in geoscience education by national teacher organization
A Mississippi State professor is being honored nationally for her outstanding contributions to geoscience education. Renee Clary, an MSU professor in the Department of Geosciences, is the recipient of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers’ 2021 Transformation Award. NAGT promotes innovation and improvement in the geoscience education research community. The organization’s Transformation Award is given to those who have made impactful contributions to the field. Clary’s work focuses on bringing geological and biological education to both formal and informal settings, as well as online. She has attained over $3 million in grant funding for her efforts and has written 80 journal articles, 30 book chapters and 300 peer-reviewed research presentations, all of which have been shared on at least five continents.

Miller awarded prestigious grant to research policy impacts, health disparities
A Mississippi State sociology department faculty member is receiving a prestigious grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study how political policy affects health outcomes for members of the LGBT community and other marginalized groups. Gabe H. Miller, an assistant professor of sociology and faculty member in MSU’s African American Studies program, is receiving the $248,431 two-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. The grant is part of the Health Equity Scholars for Action initiative at RWJF. The organization has supported research and programs since 1972 that target America’s most pressing health issues -- from substance abuse to improving access to quality healthcare.

Mississippi Public Transit Association recognizes Halbert, Koger for service
Two Mississippi State employees in Parking and Transit Services at the university are recent award recipients for service to the MSU community. Troy Halbert, transit coordinator for Parking and Transit Services, and Taquantis “Charlie” Koger, a Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit (S.M.A.R.T.) driver, were nominated for the awards at the recent Mississippi Public Transit Association annual meeting. Halbert received the Community Service Award, while Koger won the Driver of the Year Award. The Community Service Award is given to a public transportation coordinator who has made outstanding contributions in the industry. The Driver of the Year Award is presented to drivers that exhibit a commitment to both safety and efficient public transportation.

Foreman spotlights Natchez in new ‘Hidden History’
A fourth book in the Mississippi “Hidden History” series has been published by a Mississippi State faculty member and journalism advisor. Joshua K. Foreman, an instructor in MSU’s communication department and advisor to The Reflector student newspaper, has released “Hidden History of Natchez,” co-written with Ryan Starrett -- a fellow Jackson native and Foreman’s childhood friend. “Natchez’s history is so unique that it begs to be written about,” Foreman said. “Natchez was the grand village of the Natchez Indians, a fortress for the French, a trading hub for the British, a target of American pirates, and a prize of the Spanish, all before it became part of Mississippi. So many different kinds of people have lived in Natchez that the layers of culture and history there are as thick as its silt loam soil.

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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‘You can achieve anything’: Keenum encourages graduates to cherish Bulldog memories, values
It was an extra special Maroon Friday as more than 1,200 graduates participated last Friday [Dec. 10] in commencement at Mississippi State University. “Our whole world changed in the spring of 2020, and you found a way to adapt, persevere and endure. You handled every single curve ball that was thrown your way, and I commend you for that,” MSU President Mark E. Keenum told the graduates during Starkville commencement ceremonies in Humphrey Coliseum. “Whether you go on to continue your education or begin a brand new career, you are prepared for that next step in your life. Make a difference and be a positive change agent. Always be honest and truthful, do something to the best of your ability and be kind and considerate to everyone, all of the time,” Keenum emphasized.

Clevelands’ gift builds opportunity for Bagley College of Engineering
A generous commitment from Randy and Nina Cleveland of Fort Worth, Texas will benefit engineering students at Mississippi State University through the establishment of a state-of-the-art student services center. The Randy J. Cleveland Engineering Student Center will occupy the former Materials Testing Laboratory, located between McCain Hall and the Walker Engineering Building. Support from the Texas couple will enable a complete renovation of the historic building, designated a Mississippi Landmark by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Upon completion, the facility will serve as a modernized space to advance collaboration and successful learning experiences among the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering’s students, faculty and staff.

Dudy Noble Field, home to NCAA’s Baseball National Champions, is ‘Field of the Year’
Dudy Noble Field at Mississippi State, home to the NCAA Baseball National Champion MSU Bulldogs, is the 2021 College/University Field of the Year. Awarded annually by the Sports Turf Management Association, national Field of the Year recognition goes to natural grass fields that exhibit excellent playability and safety, and whose managers utilize innovative solutions, effectively use their budgets, and have implemented a comprehensive agronomic program. The professional association represents 2,700 members who are integral to maintaining sports fields worldwide. Bart Prather, campus landscape associate director, explained that MSU’s sports turf staff meet the STMA criteria for not just Dudy Noble Field, but all the university’s outside playing surfaces.

College of Arts and Sciences announces 2021 faculty award winners
Mississippi State’s College of Arts and Sciences is announcing four new recipients of the Dean’s Eminent Scholar Awards honoring “exceptionally meritorious faculty who have achieved national recognition and enhanced the quality and stature of academic programs.” They are Rachel Allison, Heather Jordan, Anthony Neal and Justin Thornton. “These faculty members have made excellent contributions to their academic disciplines, and thus to society, through their innovative and internationally recognized scholarship. I’m proud to present awards to these worthy faculty members,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Rick Travis during the recent college fall faculty meeting.