It’s a busy and special time of year on campus as we anticipate the end of fall classes, final exams, commencement, and the holidays. We are excited about returning to a new and improved Humphrey Coliseum for Starkville commencement in December following an extensive renovation. As you’ll recall, that project required us to shift last spring’s graduation ceremonies to Davis Wade Stadium. It was a remarkable success thanks to the thorough planning and hard work of so many. We had enthusiastic participation by large numbers of students and faculty, and I hope we will continue to see this excitement this fall. Commencement is such a special day for our students and their families, but it is also a celebration for our entire academic community, especially the faculty who can see the results of their work with our students. I hope to see many of you there, as well as many at the Riley Center to celebrate with MSU-Meridian. Read more at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2023/11/msu-fall-graduation-ceremonies-set-dec-7-8.

Remind Fall Graduates to Take First Destination Survey

And speaking of our soon-to-be graduates, please encourage your fall graduates to take the MSU Career Center’s First Destination Survey. Understanding the next steps our graduates are taking related to their employment and continuing education is an important component of the Transforming MSU strategic plan. This information gives us insight into what our students are doing after graduation, identifies underserved populations, directs programming, and is essential to gauging our institution's contributions to the state, region, and country. The Career Center is deploying the First Destination Survey to all Fall 2023 graduates through this link: https://msstate-csm.symplicity.com/surveys/fds24. If you have questions or would like additional information, please call the Career Center at 662-325-3344.

New Report from Generative Artificial Intelligence Working Group

Like so many of our peers, Mississippi State has been working to understand the impact of artificial intelligence on our campus and the higher education landscape. This revolutionary technology offers both promise and peril, but I’m very pleased with the proactive steps we are taking to enhance AI’s opportunities and mitigate its risks. Members of our Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) Working Group recently concluded their work and delivered their report to me. Their findings and recommendations are available at https://www.provost.msstate.edu/initiatives/task-forces, and I’d encourage you to read it when you have a chance. We will continue to develop guidelines, policies, and resources to address your AI concerns, as well as those of our students, and I’d welcome your feedback as we move forward in this process. I want to thank working group chair Tommy Anderson and members Bimal Balakrishnan, Jonathan Barlow, Will Davis, Deborah Lee, Elizabeth Miller, Barton Moffatt, Sean Owen, Matthew Priddy, Rebecca Robichaux-Davis, Michael Seymour, and Merrill Warkentin for their efforts.

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 Jenny Du, who holds the Bobby Shackouls Endowed Professorship in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Jim Chrisman, the Julia Bennett Rouse Endowed Professor in Management in the Department of Management and Information Systems, who are again listed among the world’s most “Highly Cited Researchers” in Clarivate’s highly regarded citation index. Each researcher selected has authored multiple Highly Cited Papers which rank in the top 1% by citations for their field(s) and publication year in the Web of Science over the past decade. See more at https://clarivate.com/highly-cited-researchers.

* Congratulations to Michael Nadorff, a professor in the Department of Psychology and the director of the clinical Ph.D. program, who recently received the Kinloch Gill Award for contributions and service in the area of public interest and public service activities from the Mississippi Psychological Association (MPA). Additionally, Ty Stafford, an assistant clinical professor in the department, received the Distinguished Teaching of Psychology Award. It’s presented annually to an MPA member who has demonstrated outstanding performance as a university, college, or internship teacher. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7320.

* Kudos to Jagmandeep Dhillon, an assistant professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and MAFES scientist, who has received the Association of Agricultural Scientists of Indian Origin (AASIO) Early Career Agricultural Scientist Award for his contributions to agricultural research. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7327.

* Congratulations to students, faculty, staff, and alumni in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, which is celebrating 120 years of teaching, research, and service. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7339.

Final Words

One of my greatest blessings is being part of the Mississippi State family and working with such outstanding colleagues. Happy Thanksgiving — and 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.