Hodge honored with endowed scholarship
Keith Hodge and Michael Hall
A new scholarship endowment in the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering will honor B. K. “Keith” Hodge, professor emeritus in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Established through a gift from Michael Hall, a 1995 mechanical engineering graduate, the scholarship serves as a way for Hall to honor his former professor for which the award is named. Hall wanted to help give others a chance to experience the opportunities he had as a student at MSU, and the honorary scholarship seemed a fitting means to both ends.
The Dr. Keith Hodge Honorary Endowed Scholarship will benefit first-generation college students from Mississippi who are pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. Recipients may receive the award for eight semesters, given they remain in good standing with the university and maintain a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
In addition to the endowment, the Dr. Keith Hodge Honorary Annual Scholarship was also created to provide awards on a year-to-year basis until the endowment reaches maturity.
“Having these scholarships in my honor is a sense of affirmation that I’ve done something right in my career,” said Hodge. “I come from a rural background and was the first in my family to go to college. When I came to MSU as a freshman, I had two options: survive and graduate or go back home with limited options. It’s so important to give our students, especially first-generation students, a chance to succeed in their education.”
Hodge received his bachelor’s in 1965 and master’s in 1966, both in aerospace engineering from Mississippi State. After graduation, Hodge served in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard until 1976. He received a master’s and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama.
In 1978, Hodge returned to Mississippi State as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Since then, he has shaped many students’ lives and played an integral role in the structure and success of the department.
Today, more than 40 years later, he continues to make a positive difference at his alma mater. The dedicated professor emeritus serves as a lecturer for several courses, including Alternative Energy Sources and Energy System Design, a course he started in 1981. In honor of his outstanding service and achievements, Hodge has received numerous awards throughout his career, including being named a fellow in the American Society for Engineering Education, a Grisham Master Teacher and a Giles Distinguished Professor. He was also the inaugural holder of the TVA Professorship in Energy Systems and the Environment at MSU.
With more than 1,000 students in the department, mechanical engineering continues to grow year after year and is the third most popular major at the university. Hodge knows that the college and department will continue to produce students who excel in the workforce.
“Our students’ work ethic truly sets them apart,” he said. “Mississippi State is not an easy engineering school. Our students grow, flourish and do the work. They know how to apply their education in theory and practice, which employers immediately recognize.”
To both Hodge and Hall, Mississippi State represents hope and a home. They envision that this engineering scholarship will continue to uphold the standard of excellence provided by the Bagley College, while also enabling more ambitious students to pursue their goals from their “home away from home” at MSU.
“These scholarships give students a chance to go through school with the opportunities that they may not have had otherwise,” said Hall. “They help the state, the university and the individuals. We need to support our students and university to advance it and allow them to create hope for Mississippians.”
