Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Faculty, staff and students joined together to celebrate Arbor Day and the university’s 12th year as a Tree Campus Higher Education by planting nearly 140 hardwoods along the College View Connector pathway earlier this month. Nationally, Arbor Day is celebrated this year on April 26; however, due to the climate of the Southern U.S. states, trees are planted earlier to ensure their survival, with Mississippi’s Arbor Day held the second Friday in February each year. PHOTO: Grace Cockrell | Public Affairs

Highly anticipated musical line-up announced for 18th annual Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival
The stage is set for a premier showcase of musical talent during the 2024 Charles H. Templeton Sr. Ragtime and Jazz Festival, taking place this week at Mississippi State. MSU Libraries and the Charles H. Templeton Sr. Music Museum are hosts for this 18th annual event, promising an unforgettable experience with a stellar line-up of both returning favorites and exciting new performers. The three-day event will include two major concerts, mini concerts, talks at the piano and more. Attendees will have the chance to learn about this year’s performers, and what inspires their music. The always-popular silent movies performance will again be included, according to Festival Co-Chair Stephen Cunetto.

NASEM support helps MSU Extension Service launch climate resilience program
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine have awarded grant funding to Mississippi State University to establish a Gulf Coast-based climate resilience fellowship. The MSU Extension Service was awarded nearly $500,000 to launch the program, known as Expanding and Diversifying Youth Climate Resilience Opportunities in Coastal Mississippi. The project director is Alison Rellinger, an MSU Extension instructor based at the MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. She said the project’s overarching goal is to develop a more diverse climate resilience workforce that reflects the communities of the northern Gulf Coast.

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Ali Diamond
Head, shoulders, knees and toes. As the diagnostic imaging intern at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University, Dr. Ali Diamond has imaged it all. “We collaborate with clinicians by deciding which imaging modality, such as radiographs, ultrasound, CT or MRI, will be most beneficial in the clinical workup of patients. Then, we use those images to get an idea of what’s going on inside of animals to determine the next best steps,” said Diamond. As an intern, one of Diamond’s jobs is to assist in positioning animals to acquire high-quality images to be interpreted by the diagnostic imaging team. The hands-on training available at the College of Veterinary Medicine allows Diamond to work side-by-side with the diagnostic imaging team as she transitions into a radiology residency next year.

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Marvena Haynes
Seeing the joy and enthusiasm children have when they learn a new skill drew Marvena Haynes to the field of early childhood education more than 20 years ago. In November 2023, she brought her passion and experience to the Mississippi State University Extension Head Start in Harrison County. “I chose this career because I believe in the value of early childhood education, and I am passionate about providing the best early childhood education possible,” said Haynes. “I love being able to interact with the children and teachers.” In her role as education leader, Haynes supports the families Head Start serves by coaching and mentoring the center’s teachers.

MSU partners with DoD SkillBridge program to give military members experience in university research
Mississippi State is now an official partner of the U.S. Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program, offering active military members a chance to explore post-military careers at the university’s research centers and institutes. SkillBridge grants active service members the opportunity to spend up to 180 days working and learning in civilian career areas related to military work experience at employers like MSU, helping to bridge the transition to civilian life. Michael Navicky, who went through the SkillBridge program, serves as the primary point of contact for MSU’s SkillBridge partnership. “Our research centers and institutes already work closely with Department of Defense partners on research that is focused on national security priorities,” said Navicky, director of MSU’s High Performance Computing Collaboratory. “We are excited to offer this opportunity for individuals exploring their next steps following active duty service.”

Breakfast Club in MSU Research Park expands hours, begins serving breakfast buffet
The Breakfast Club, located in Mississippi State University’s Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park, is expanding its hours of operation and adding a breakfast buffet. The restaurant’s new hours for breakfast and lunch, as of Feb. 12, are: Monday-Friday: Breakfast served from 7 a.m.-10:30 a.m., and lunch served from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday: Breakfast only, served from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. Sunday: Breakfast served from 8 a.m.-1 p.m., lunch from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The Breakfast Club is housed in the café space within the Business Incubator building, located at 60 Technology Boulevard.

MSU, Jackson State to host inaugural Mississippi High Performance Computing Conference
Mississippi is one of the leading states in the country when it comes to high performance computing resources and for the first time, a statewide meeting will bring together the researchers, faculty and students that lead the state forward in supercomputing. Registration is now open for the inaugural Mississippi High Performance Computing Conference, hosted by Mississippi State University and Jackson State University, taking place March 26 and 27 in Jackson. Mississippi boasts seven supercomputing systems that rank among the top 500 most powerful in the world, with two housed at MSU.

MSU Athlete Engineering Summit returns April 16-17 with focus on building a human performance culture
Mississippi State’s annual Athlete Engineering Summit returns this April to discuss human performance issues in sports, industry, military and medical applications through interactive learning sessions, networking and more. The summit, themed “Building a Human Performance Culture,” will be held April 16 and 17 at The Mill at MSU Conference Center. Reuben Burch, associate vice president for research and head of MSU’s multidisciplinary Athlete Engineering research group, said equipping practitioners with the tools for problem solving and culture building is important.

University commemorates Black History Month with numerous special events
Mississippi State is celebrating Black History Month throughout February. A number of activities and events, sponsored by the university’s Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, Division of Access, Opportunity and Success, and other campus units, feature music, art, history, virtual reality experiences and more.

Reminder: University policy addresses employee political activity
With qualifying and campaigning for elected offices underway this year, Mississippi State's Office of General Counsel offers the following reminder of the university’s policy on political activities. There are several basic guidelines that university employees should keep in mind when engaging in any form of political activity. MSU employees are encouraged to review OP 01.14: Political Activities in its entirety and to understand their rights and responsibilities.

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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Mississippi needs ‘critical investments in higher education,’ Keenum says
Securing funding for Mississippi State’s faculty, capital projects and future growth remain President Mark E. Keenum’s main legislative priorities this year, the university’s 19th leader said during last week’s Spring General Faculty Meeting. Faculty also heard updates from Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw, Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan and Keith Coble, vice president of the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine, who shared their excitement for MSU’s ongoing academic and research successes and the impact the university is having on the Magnolia State. “Our future here in Starkville, the Gulf Coast, Meridian and across the entire state could not be brighter,” Shaw said.

Biological Sciences' Folk receives prestigious NSF CAREER award for groundbreaking hybridization research
Ryan A. Folk, assistant professor in Mississippi State’s Department of Biological Sciences, is the recipient of a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award from the National Science Foundation. Folk, receiving $500,000 for research into hybridization, joins four biological sciences faculty who together have secured almost $4 million in the past few years through the program. Including this funding, the department currently is managing the most competitive federal funding in its history. Also the MSU herbarium curator, Folk’s cutting-edge research into hybridization -- the flow of genetic information between species -- pursues an understanding of how changing seasonal climates and insect pollination may be affecting the process.

MSU-Meridian receives IHL approval for student admittance to new accelerated Master of Science in Nursing degree program
Mississippi State University received approval during last week's meeting of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning to admit the first students into a newly created Master of Science in Nursing degree program at MSU-Meridian. The 12-month, fast-track program is Mississippi’s first direct-entry MSN which allows college graduates holding non-nursing degrees to enter the nursing profession and become candidates for registered nurse licensure. The MSN program is housed at the MSU-Meridian Riley Campus in downtown within the historic Rosenbaum Health Sciences Building. A $6.1 million gift from The Riley Foundation made possible the recent building renovation designed for the MSN program along with the adjacent Master of Physician Assistant Studies program.

Sanderson Center to undergo $2.5M renovation
Mississippi State University’s Joe Frank Sanderson Center will undergo a two-phase, $2.5 million interior renovation beginning March 1. “The Sanderson Center is a beloved part of our campus community and an integral part of our university well-being efforts,” said MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt. “We are grateful to our students for their investment in improving these facilities through the student activity fee and for the support from President Keenum and Campus Services in providing additional resources to make these much-needed improvements. This is a perfect example of students providing feedback and using that feedback to make changes to better the student experience.”