I’m reminded daily by the heat and humidity that it’s still summertime in Mississippi, but checking my calendar, I see that we are only about five weeks away from the start of the fall semester. While I’m looking forward to the fall semester – and cooler weather! – we have had a busy and productive summer with no signs of it slowing down. Please let me take a few minutes of your time for an update from the Division of Academic Affairs.

Partnerships with UN FAO Taking Next Steps Forward

In June, I joined President Keenum and several other senior administrators and faculty members to celebrate the official launch of the new UN Food and Agriculture Organization-designated Reference Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Aquaculture Biosecurity. Managed through the university’s Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security in the College of Veterinary Medicine, this reference center is part of a coordinated international effort to better understand and reduce the level of antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture. We are also working with FAO to develop a new high-performance computing partnership. It was a very successful trip, and I expect additional research and academic partnerships as a result of our discussions with FAO and others. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7142.

New Maroon Academy for Teaching Excellence Kicks Off

As a result of the work of our Faculty Development Task Force, we launched the Maroon Academy for Teaching Excellence this summer. I appreciate the faculty members who are participating in this program, which is designed for both early career and established teachers on our campus. The first cohort is comprised of Morgan Green, Ali Gurbuz, and Aaron Smith in the Bagley College of Engineering; SaMin Han, Aswathy Rai, and Bryan Whittenton in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Afshin Hatami, Caroline Hatfield, and Aaron White in the College of Architecture, Art and Design; Katie Doughty, Cody Fondren, Amy Fountain, Abigail Good, Evan Kaplan, Matthew Kilpatrick, Whitnee Nettles, Emily Stinson, Sean Stokes, Bob Swanson, Angelle Tanner, Benjamin Tkach, and Ashley Vancil-Leap in the College of Arts and Sciences; Patty Bogue and Sheida Riahi in the College of Business; Jeanette Fontaine, Angela Mulkana, Brecken Rush, Kimberly Smith, and Brandi Sumrall in the College of Education; and Ashley Schulz in the College of Forest Resources. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7135.

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:

* Congratulations to Sandra Correa, an assistant professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, who has been invited by the U.N. Environment Programme for membership in its Multidisciplinary Expert Scientific Advisory Group (MESAG). Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7132.

* Kudos to Alex Bostic, a professor in the Department of Art, who has been named a 2023 Distinguished Educator by the Society of Illustrators for his contributions to art and higher education both inside and outside the classroom. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7148.

* Congratulations to Becky Hagenston, a professor in the Department of English, who has been honored by Story magazine with its Story Foundation Prize for her work “Woman of the House.” Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7144.

* Kudos to Vu Thai Luan, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, who has been awarded a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to develop new mathematical methods to provide efficient solutions for complex systems while maintaining computational efficiency. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7149.

* Congratulations to Carolyn Adams-Price, a professor in the Department of Psychology, who has been named a fellow by the Gerontological Society of America. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7150.

* Kudos to Assistant Professors Laura Boltz, Department of Sociology; Joel Komakech, Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion; and Karina Zelaya, Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, who were selected for the Mississippi Center for Clinical and Translational Research’s Community-Engaged Research Summer Institute. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7137.

* Congratulations to Melanie Loehwing, an associate professor in the Department of Communication, who has been named associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7146.

* Kudos to the faculty, staff, and students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station who were honored for their excellence in teaching, research, and service during this past academic year: Matthew Janzen, Aswathy Rai, O.P. McCubbins, Riley Messman, Courtney Wynn, and Kevin Braman for teaching; Shecoya White, Derris Devost-Burnett, Scott Willard, Okikiola Alegbeleye, Zonia Caro Carvajal, Mya Dixon, Courtlone Glaspie, Kenisha Gordon, Lauryn Heidelberg, Meredith Maynard, Avona Randolph, Tori Smith, and Julie Parker for diversity and service; Carrie Vance, Mark Shankle, Raju Rangappa, Raja Reddy, Sabin Poudel, Li Zhang, Jenny Ryals, Taylor Blaise, and Tongyin Li for research; and Laikyn Starkey and Kimberly Young for staff. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7138.

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.

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.