Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

President Mark E. Keenum, front left, and Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan, front right, congratulate the 24 faculty members that have completed the spring 2021 MSU Faculty Leadership Development Institute. Pictured, front row from left, is Keenum, Sorina Popescu, Tonya Stone, Qian “Jenny” Du, LaDonne Delgado, Heidi Renniger, Alisha Hardman, Kimberly Hall and Jordan; middle row: Beth Baker, Angelle Tanner, Lyndsey Miller, Alexis Gregory, Ginger Pizer, Kristine Evans, Kathleen Sherman-Morris, Leslie Burger and Julie Jessop; back row: Amelia Woolums, Mary Love Tagert, Bindu Nanduri, Anne Marshall, Amy Crumpton, Suzanne Powney, and Beth Stokes. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs

MSU project highlighted in 2021 STEM for All Video Showcase
A Mississippi State University project examining the role of culture in encouraging women to pursue engineering fields was highlighted last week as part of the National Science Foundation-funded 2021 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) for All Video Showcase. Two faculty members and a graduate student in MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering shared a presentation titled “Impact of Culture on Women’s Choice of Engineering Majors.” The presentation is based on NSF-funded research conducted by aerospace engineering professor Rani W. Sullivan, electrical and computer engineering assistant professor Jean Mohammadi-Aragh and engineering education doctoral student Soundouss Sassi.

Madkin makes healthy choices doable
A career as a registered dietitian wasn’t what Qula Madkin had in mind when she started college, but she has no doubt it was meant to be. As a nutrition instructor with the MSU Extension Service, Madkin helps develop, coordinate and distribute materials related to nutrition, wellness and the ServSafe food safety certification program. She also provides training and technical assistance to all Extension agents with nutrition education responsibilities. Madkin said Extension’s model is ideal for understanding and providing what people need. She is working to develop new statewide nutrition programs, Extension-developed recipes and other educational materials to focus specifically on local needs.

Applications open 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 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.

Researchers invited to discuss opportunities for collaboration with Jackson Heart Study
Mario Sims from the University of Mississippi Medical Center will be visiting Mississippi State University virtually on May 27 at 2 p.m. to discuss the Jackson Heart Study and opportunities for collaboration with faculty and researchers at MSU. The JHS is a community-based prospective cohort study of cardiovascular disease in more than 5,000 African-Americans in Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties. Initiated in 2000, the study is a partnership between UMMC, Jackson State University, and Tougaloo College. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities fund the study.

MSU Golf Course offering summer membership special for students, faculty and staff
The Mississippi State University Golf Course is offering a membership special for MSU students, faculty and staff. The $550 special includes unlimited golf green fee and golf car fees for the entire summer semester. A green fee only option is available for $300. Membership will be valid from May 10-Aug. 8. For more information, stop by the golf shop or contact PGA Head Golf Professional Tim Basel at 662-325-3028 or tbasel@business.msstate.edu.

Reminder: University policy addresses employee political activity
With political campaigning underway for local elections, 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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24 complete Faculty Leadership Development Institute
Mississippi State leaders recognized 24 graduates of the university’s Spring 2021 Faculty Leadership Development Institute during a May 7 ceremony. The group represents the largest cohort in the history of the leadership program, which is sponsored by the Office of Research and Economic Development and the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President. The program includes lessons on leadership styles, organizational change, diversity, building winning research teams, and organizational evaluation and assessment. MSU President Mark E. Keenum commended the faculty on completing the program and shared several of his own leadership lessons, including those he learned while working as chief of staff to U.S. Senator Thad Cochran.

University Television Center earns Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for best news documentary
The University Television Center at Mississippi State is among broadcast winners of the prestigious 2021 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and also has received 12 nominations for the 2021 Southeast Emmy Awards. Presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association, the Regional Murrow Awards recognize “extraordinary journalism that brought clarity and context to 2020’s biggest news stories,” said RTDNA Chair Andrea Stahlman. MSU’s University Television Center is a Region 9 winner of a Best News Documentary award in the small market television category for “The Last Supermarket.” The documentary filmed in Clarksdale in 2019 and 2020 examines the impact to the Mississippi Delta community when its only full-service supermarket closed, leaving residents in a food desert with fewer options for nutritious food.

Ag faculty, staff, students honored at annual awards reception
Several Mississippi State faculty, staff and students are recipients of awards in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station for dedication and ingenuity during a challenging year. “While the global pandemic exponentially changed how we approach teaching, our faculty and staff rose to the occasion to deliver a quality education to our students,” said Scott Willard, interim dean of MSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Wes Burger, associate director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, spoke to the commitment of the Experiment Station’s researchers and staff. “While there were disruptions in 2020, MAFES scientists were still able to secure over $37 million in extramural funding, representing over 14 percent of the university’s total grants awarded,” Burger said.

Truax earns a pair of honors from ASCE
Mississippi State faculty member Dennis D. Truax has added a pair of awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers to his impressive collection of honors and accolades. The director of the Richard A. Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering has been recognized at both the national and regional level by ASCE. At the national level, he was chosen as the 2020 winner of the prestigious Edmund Friedman Professional Recognition Award. He has also been selected to ASCE’s Region 5 Wall of Fame. In addition to his role as director of the Rula School, Truax holds the James T. White Endowed Chair and is the director of the Mississippi Transportation Research Center.

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