I want to begin my message by thanking everyone who contributed to the success of commencement season this spring. We held multiple special events and ceremonies in Starkville and Meridian earlier this month, and all of them were extraordinarily successful thanks to the incredible teamwork, coordination, and cooperation of so many of you. I was also happy to see so many faculty members in attendance. Your presence is much appreciated by our graduates, and I thank you for taking time to be there.

Service Recognition Program Celebrates Academic Affairs Team

In addition to celebrating our graduates, the Division of Academic Affairs celebrated the service milestones of more than 400 faculty and staff with a recognition program and reception on May 14. This year’s group of honorees ranged from five to 50 years of service to MSU, and added all together, account for nearly 5,300 years! It’s an honor to work with all of the smart, talented, and creative individuals in our division, and I think we had a great deal of success and growth this past academic year thanks to all that they do.

IHL Approves Two New Schools

Among that success and growth, we can include two new schools at MSU-Meridian. The IHL Board of Trustees voted to approve our proposals for a School of Nursing and a School of Health Professions at its meeting last week. I appreciate this vote of confidence in our efforts to address critical health care needs from the trustees, and I also applaud our Meridian team for identifying opportunities where we can make a difference through innovative academic programs and service components. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7596.

A Growing Academic Degree Portfolio

The Board of Trustees also approved a new Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence degree program during its May meeting. This program will prepare students for a wide range of careers as AI technology continues to rapidly evolve and advance. It’s the latest addition to our academic portfolio — joining other recently approved programs, including a Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity, a Master of Applied Data Science, a Master of Arts in Teaching Elementary Level Alternate Route, a Master of Science in Engineering, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Healthcare Administration, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Office Technology, and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Management. It’s exciting to see how we’re creating even more opportunities to connect students with the degrees they want and need.

Emeritus Recommendations Due by June 14

In case you missed the recent email call for nominations, a reminder that recommendations for emeritus status are due by June 14. These recommendations should proceed from the department head through the dean or director and then to my office, as outlined in OP 13.01: Emeritus Appointment. Additional information about this process is available at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2024/05/nomination-window-emeritus-status-closes-june-14.

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 Peter Ryan – executive vice provost, dean of the Graduate School, and a professor in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences – who was recently honored with a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean’s Award for his tremendous support of the college. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7580.

* Congratulations to Jean Mohammadi-Aragh, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who has been honored with the 2024 Bagley College of Engineering Award for Distance Education. This award recognizes her for demonstrated excellence and commitment to distance education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including transitioning the undergraduate degree to an online campus.

* Kudos to Umar Iqbal, an associate teaching professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Aaron Smith, an associate clinical professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, for their induction into the Bagley College of Engineering Academy of Distinguished Teachers.

* Congratulations to Merrill Warkentin, the James J. Rouse Endowed Professor of Information Systems and a William L. Giles Distinguished Professor in the College of Business, who has been named an Association for Information Systems Fellow. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7579.

* Kudos to Dean Terry Jayroe and the College of Education team for earning Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7597.

* Congratulations to Michael Nadorff, a professor in the Department of Psychology and director of its clinical Ph.D. program, who was recently recognized with a Friend of APTC Award from the Association of Psychology Training Clinics. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7571.

* Kudos to the Veterans Business Outreach Center in the College for Business for being named the Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration as part of the 2024 National Small Business Week. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7572.

* Congratulations to Terry Likes, head of the Department of Communication, who is the winner of the national 2024 Broadcast Historian Award from the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation, in conjunction with the Broadcast Education Association. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7557.

* Kudos to College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station faculty and staff recently recognized for outstanding achievement in teaching, research, and service: Kelsey Harvey, CALS Excellence in Teaching-Graduate Level; Angel Fason, CALS Teacher of the Year and CALS Undergraduate Teaching Award-Upper Level; Cappe Hallberg, CALS Undergraduate Teaching Award-Lower Level; Ben Burke, CALS New Faculty Teaching Award; Caroline Kobia, CALS Excellence in Advising Award; Lorin Harvey, CALS/MAFES Faculty Service Award; Cathy Aultman, MAFES Safety Award; David Wise, Mississippi Land Bank-sponsored MAFES Excellence in Research Faculty Award; Vitor Martins, MAFES Grantsmanship Award; Jagmandeep Dhillon, MAFES Outstanding Publication Award and MAFES Most Impactful Publication Award; Sonya Baird, CALS/MAFES Professional Staff Award; and Terri Shaw, CALS/MAFES Support Staff Award. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7598.

* Welcome to Sheri Worthy, the new director of the School of Human Sciences. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=7551.

* And a farewell to Jason Keith, dean of the Bagley College of Engineering, who has been named as the next provost at Iowa State University. Dr. Keith has been a strong leader and valued colleague during his tenure with us, and I appreciate his many contributions to his college and our university. Thank you, Jason – your Mississippi State family wishes you all the best!

Final Words

With Dr. Keith’s departure, we’ll be making an announcement about an interim soon and then moving forward to form a search committee to conduct a national search for a new dean this fall. I know we will have many highly qualified applicants who will help us maintain the college’s very strong momentum and grow in new ways as well.

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.