Season's greetings from the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President. Before we officially start winter break in just a few days, please let me share a brief update from the Division of Academic Affairs with you.

A Special Time for Our Graduates

I want to thank everyone who contributed to the success of our two commencement ceremonies in The Hump, MSU-Meridian’s ceremony at the MSU Riley Center, and the first-ever hooding ceremony for our doctoral students held at The Mill. It was a busy two days last Thursday and Friday, and each event went exceptionally well thanks to countless hours and tireless efforts by many of you. Thank you for ensuring that our graduates could celebrate this special time with their family and friends in such meaningful ways. Read more at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2021/12/you-can-achieve-anything-keenum-encourages-msu-graduates-cherish-bulldog and https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2021/12/new-hooding-ceremony-recognizes-msu-doctoral-graduates

Call for Honorary Degree Nominations

And while we just concluded fall commencement last week, our spring graduation ceremonies will be here before we know it. I would remind you that faculty, staff, students, and alumni are invited to submit nominations for honorary doctoral degrees that will be awarded in May. Nominations, including supporting materials, should be sent to the Honorary Degree Committee in care of the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President by January 14, 2022. Nominations may be sent via Campus Mail to mailstop 9723 or via email to provost@msstate.edu. Names of nominees will be kept confidential until they are approved. Under IHL guidelines, persons eligible for the Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Science, Doctor of Humane Letters, Doctor of Creative and Performing Arts, or Doctor of Public Service must have demonstrated nationally recognized sustained achievement in scholarship, public service, creative and performing arts, or professional activity.

Winter Session Underway

Winter session classes started this week, and I’m pleased to report that this year’s enrollment surpasses last year’s, which was very, very strong. It’s clear that we are meeting the needs of many of our students by offering these classes, and I appreciate all of you who are providing them with these opportunities over the course of the next few weeks. Thank you! Read more at https://www.msstate.edu/winter

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 Vice President for Finance and Administration and CFO Don Zant, who has been recognized as one of only 20 Mississippians to be named a 2021 Leader in Finance by the Mississippi Business Journal. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6411

* Kudos to LaShan Simpson, an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, who is the 2021 winner of the Biomedical Engineering Society’s Diversity Lecture Award. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6409

* Congratulations to Changyou “Edwin” Sun, the George L. Switzer Professor of Forestry in the College of Forest Resources, who has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to examine how land use limitations imposed by conservation easements impact landowners and the public. Read more https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6414

* Kudos to Junbo Zhao, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who has been awarded the Outstanding Chapter Volunteer Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Power & Energy Society. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6419

* Congratulations to Renee Clary, a professor in the Department of Geosciences, who is the recipient of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers’ 2021 Transformation Award. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6429

* Kudos to College of Arts and Sciences faculty members Rachel Allison, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology; Heather Jordan, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences; Anthony Neal, an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion; and Justin Thornton, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, who are new recipients of the Dean’s Eminent Scholar Awards. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6430

* Congratulations to Gabe Miller, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, who has been awarded a $248,431 two-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as part of its Health Equity Scholars for Action initiative. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6431

* Kudos to College of Forest Resources and Forest and Wildlife Research Center faculty members Heidi Renninger, Brady Self, Steve Grado, Kevin Hunt, and Ray Iglay who were recently recognized for excellence in teaching, research, and service. And additional kudos to these College of Forest Resource professors who have been bestowed with distinguished professor titles: Robert Grala, George L. Switzer Professor of Forestry; Dan Seale, Warren S. Thompson Professor of Wood Science and Technology; and Guiming Wang, Dale H. Arner Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6435

Final Words

During this special time of year, I wish you happy holidays and all the best in the upcoming new year. I hope that all of you can use the time we have during the break to relax, reflect, and prepare for an even better and brighter 2022.

Merry Christmas 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.