The fall semester is off to a great start, and I am looking forward to another successful academic year. August has been a busy month — New Faculty Orientation, New Maroon Camp, MVNU2MSU, Bid Day, the first day of class, and so much more. It certainly is a busy and exciting time on our campus, and before it gets even busier, I’d like to give you an update from the Division of Academic Affairs.

Lipscomb Headlines Fall Convocation

With the start of the new school year, we’ll officially welcome our new students and celebrate the start of their academic journey here at Mississippi State during Fall Convocation on Tuesday [Aug. 27] in Humphrey Coliseum at 6 p.m. Young alum Whitney Lipscomb is this year’s keynote speaker, and I know our students will enjoy hearing from her. I’d also encourage faculty to join us for this special event (and as an added incentive, regalia is not required!). Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7733.

New Partnership with MC Provides Accelerated Law Degree Pathway

In addition to being the first day of class, Wednesday [Aug. 21] also saw us sign an agreement with Mississippi College and its School of Law that will give students a new 3+3 accelerated pathway to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a law degree. Qualified MSU students will now be able to enter MC’s Juris Doctor program before fully completing a bachelor’s degree here, accelerating the total length of undergraduate studies plus law school by one full year. We are focused on growing our academic portfolio to give students the programs they want and need, and I appreciate everyone who has contributed to the success of this new partnership with MC. Read more at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2024/08/msu-mc-partner-accelerated-law-degree-program.

University Leads National Discussion on Agriculture as Instrument of Diplomacy

Mississippi State is well known for its collaborative culture, and we were pleased to join with colleagues at Arizona State University a few weeks ago to host “The Intersection of Agriculture and Competitive Statecraft” in Washington, D.C. This conference brought together industry, government agencies, and academia to discuss how agriculture impacts national security. I was pleased to join Vice President for Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine Keith Coble and members of the DAFVM team to explore this compelling and highly relevant topic. We also appreciate U.S. Senator Roger Wicker for joining us to kick off this special event in the nation’s capital. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7707.

Take Advantage of Emergency Management Training Opportunities

None of us like to think about emergencies, but all of us can take steps to be prepared for them just in case. The university’s Emergency Management team is offering a diverse lineup of workshops this fall, and I’d invite you to participate. The training opportunities start Thursday [Aug. 29] with “How to Handle an On-Campus Emergency.” Future sessions will cover severe weather, active attacker defense, winter prep tips for the South, and more. Deans, directors, and department heads have two opportunities to take “Leading in an Emergency” in September, and I hope many of you will. Complete details and registration links are available at https://www.emergency.msstate.edu/trainings.

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 members of the Faculty Leadership Program’s Class of 2024: Pratima Acharya Adhikari, Ryan Akers, Bimal Balakrishnan, Caroline Betbeze Ivy, Clay Cavinder, Hilary DeShong, Melody Fisher, Daniel Gadke, Caroline M. Kobia, Jeffrey Leffler, Stephenie Lemley, Laura Marler-Templeton, James McCurdy, Jean Mohammadi-Aragh, Kelly Moser, David Nolen, Michael Potter, Lauren Priddy, Adrian Sescu, and Garrett M. Street. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7722.

* Kudos to Wes Schilling, a professor in the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, who has received the American Meat Science Association Distinguished Research Award for his application of science to solve food industry challenges. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7675.

* Congratulations to Amirtaha Taebi, an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, who has won a $3 million National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his work in developing novel screening methods for congenital heart diseases currently missed by standard pulse oximetry tests. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7696.

* Kudos to Vilas Shinde, an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, who recently won a $1.13 million grant from NASA to develop a new simulation tool to aid the design of hypersonic vehicles used in space exploration. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7712.

* Congratulations to Aswathy Rai, an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, who was recently honored with the NACTA Educator Award, and O.P. McCubbins, an associate professor in the School of Human Sciences, who was honored with the Excellence in Teaching and Learning with Technology Award, by the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7671.

* Kudos to Rocky Lemus, an Extension and research professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and MSU Extension forage specialist, who recently received a distinguished service award from the National Association of County Agriculture Agents. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7717.

* Congratulations to the first Teaching Excellence and Motivating Success (TEAMS) cohort in the College of Arts and Sciences: Katie Doughty, Cody Fondren, Amy Fountain, Abigail Good, Evan Kaplan, Matthew Kilpatrick, Bob Swanson, Emily Stinson, Sean Stokes, Angelle Tanner, and Benjamin Tkach. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7709.

* Kudos to Ben Porter, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, who has an article in the Journal of American Medical Informatics Association examining the All of Us Research Program’s potential to enhance understanding of military and veteran health. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7710.

* Congratulations to Missy Hopper, a professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership, who has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to teach and conduct research abroad during the 2024-25 academic year. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7732.

* Kudos to Beth Baker, an associate Extension professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, and the MSU Extension team, who won a Conservation Innovation Award from the Soil and Water Conversation Society for their One Good Idea online platform. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7683.

* Congratulations to Wes Neal, a research professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture and MSU Extension fisheries specialist, who has been named a fellow of the American Fisheries Society. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7702.

* Kudos to Dean Nick Frank and the College of Veterinary Medicine team for their national recognition from Insight Into Diversity magazine as a 2024 Inspiring Program in STEM Award winner for the Vet Aspirations initiative. Read more at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2024/08/msu-s-college-veterinary-medicine-national-spotlight-inspiring-program.

Final Words

I look forward to seeing many of you at the Fall General Faculty Meeting on September 4 at 2 p.m. in Lee Hall’s Bettersworth Auditorium featuring a university update from President Keenum. I also thank you for reading this month’s letter. As always, your thoughts, suggestions, questions, and concerns are welcome at david.shaw@msstate.edu.

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.