Welcome back! I know some of you have been around campus the past few months, but many of you have been away with research or creative discovery work or on vacation. And some of you are brand new to Mississippi State. To our new faculty and staff, I extend a sincere welcome — we are glad you’re here! I had the chance to meet most of our new faculty members during their orientation last week, and I enjoyed that opportunity. I appreciate everyone who joined us for New Faculty Orientation and all who made it a resounding success this year. As we anticipate the first day of fall classes on Wednesday, please let me take a few minutes of your time for an update from the Division of Academic Affairs.

University Smashes Previous Fundraising Records

My office works closely with the MSU Foundation as it secures private support for the university, and I want to congratulate Vice President John Rush and his team for their incredible success during the fiscal year the ended in June. They raised $259.9 million from MSU alumni and friends – the largest amount ever raised by any Mississippi public university. These investments are essential to our academic mission as they go to support our students and faculty. For example, a $100 million commitment to the George Bishop Family Endowed Scholarship will significantly increase the number of scholarships we can award our students. We also will see additional endowed faculty positions as a result of this fundraising success, including enhanced faculty support, professorships and chair positions in the Adkerson School of Accountancy, Bagley College of Engineering, College of Architecture, Art and Design, and College of Veterinary Medicine. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7163.

Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program Advances Toward Accreditation with Continued Provisional Status

We were very pleased to learn that our new Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree program at MSU-Meridian’s Riley Campus is continuing to make good progress in the accreditation process. Accreditation involves a multi-year, formal process administered by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, or ARC-PA. The second of three site visits occurred earlier this year, and we have received an official report confirming the commission’s continued provisional status of accreditation for our program. I commend Associate Vice President and Head of Campus Terry Dale Cruse, PA Program Director Shey Washburn, and our faculty who are fully committed to our students and to achieving our accreditation goals. Well done! Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7188.

Kudos and Congratulations

Every month, I look forward to sharing faculty and staff success stories with you, and here are a few that have crossed my desk recently:

* Kudos to Christie Collins, a lecturer in the Department of English, and Josh Foreman, an instructor in the Department of Communication, who are panelists for this year’s Mississippi Book Festival. This annual event takes place this Saturday – August 19 – in downtown Jackson and is free and open to the public. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7190.

* Congratulations to two colleagues in my home Department of Plant and Soil Sciences: Patricia Knight, a research professor for the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station at the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station, has been awarded the Outstanding Leadership and Administration Award, and Eric Stafne, an Extension/Research professor at the Coastal Research and Extension Center, has been awarded the Outstanding Extension Educator Award from the American Society for Horticultural Science. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7185.

* Kudos to Ed Swan, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, who has been awarded the Visualization and Graphics Technical Community (VGTC) Virtual Reality Service Award by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7171.

* Congratulations to George Dunn, who has been appointed assistant dean of the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College. Mr. Dunn has served as the college’s director of student services for five years before assuming this new administrative position. In his new role, he will be retaining his duties as director of student services as well as developing new initiatives that serve honors students across campus, expanding the outreach of the Shackouls Honors College to prospective students across the state and region, and forging new partnerships with community colleges.

* Kudos to Christopher Snyder, Honors Professor of History, who has received two fellowships to support his latest research: one is a Senior Academic Visitorship Fellowship at Oriel College, University of Oxford, for his work on Cardinal Newman and the Future of Honors Education. He has also been named a Visiting Fellow (Advanced Research) at the National Institute for Newman Studies for the same project.

* Congratulations to Like Li, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, wo has been awarded a grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority to design, develop and demonstrate a lab-scale thermal energy storage reactor. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7170.

* Welcome to four new faculty members in the Master of Science in Nursing entry licensure program at MSU-Meridian: Kayla Carr, professor; Katherine Rigdon, associate teaching professor; Matthew Byrd, assistant clinical professor; and LaDaryl Watkins, assistant clinical professor. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7179.

Final Words

Thank you for reading this month’s letter. As always, I welcome your thoughts, questions, concerns, and ideas about these topics or anything else on your mind. I look forward to seeing many of you at Convocation at Dudy Noble Field on August 22 at 6:30 p.m. Our incoming freshmen and transfers are excited about our special venue for Convocation this year due to construction at Humphrey Coliseum, and I know many memories will be made and selfies taken as we officially mark the start of the new academic year. We’re also expecting a great keynote address from MSU young alum, Stanley Blackmon. I would also note that the Fall General Faculty Meeting is coming up August 30 at 2 p.m. in Bettersworth Auditorium and will feature a university update from President Mark Keenum. A livestream of the meeting will be available for anyone unable to attend in person or who prefers to watch online.

Hail State!

David

Dr. David R. Shaw is Provost and Executive Vice President at Mississippi State University. His email address is david.shaw@msstate.edu.