The new school year is well underway on our campus, and I hope your fall semester is going well. I also hope you had the chance to attend the general faculty meeting last week or watch the livestream. President Keenum provided a comprehensive update and important insight into a number of topics, including enrollment, a new branding initiative, and major capital projects. Additional information about the meeting is online at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6786.

Extending the Discussion on New Course-Section Information Tool

We continue to make good progress, receive feedback, and field inquiries about the new course-section information website developed by my office, Robert Holland Faculty Senate leadership, and the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness as a response to a resolution from our Student Association.

This process continued during the September meeting of the Robert Holland Faculty Senate, and I want to thank Assistant Vice President Tracey Baham and SA President Kennedy Guest for joining me to discuss where we are with the new site and answer questions from the senators. We received a lot of very good information during the meeting, and as a result, Faculty Senate President Jason Barrett is appointing an ad hoc committee to review the tool and provide constructive feedback for improvements. Thus, we are pausing implementation while we continue to develop and refine the site as a planning resource for our students. I’d invite anyone with questions or comments to reach out to me at david.shaw@msstate.edu or Dr. Baham at tbaham@oire.msstate.edu.

MSU Sees National Recognition for Ongoing Commitment to DEI

I want to commend Vice President Ra’Sheda Forbes, her Division of Access, Diversity and Inclusion team, and all who are working to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion on our campus. Once again, this work has received national recognition with a 2022 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Well done! You can read more about this prestigious award at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6787.

On a related note, I want to mention that the 2022 Campus Climate Survey will open today [Sept. 20] and close on Oct. 21. Our goal is to have full participation of students, faculty, and staff, and so I hope you will consider filling out the survey. You can find additional information at https://www.msstate.edu/campusclimate.

Top 5 National Ranking for Free Speech

And speaking of national recognition, I also applaud the recent top five national ranking we received from FIRE—the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (formerly known as the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education)—for our commitment to student free speech. Coming in at No. 4 in the organization’s annual College Free Speech Rankings, I would note that we have earned FIRE’s “green light” rating for 10 consecutive years as a higher education institution with strong free speech protections in campus policies and procedures. Congratulations to Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt, Dean of Students Thomas Bourgeois, and all who have contributed to ensuring that our campus is a place where free speech and expression are protected, and where differing opinions and viewpoints are welcome. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6794

Nominations Open for Excellence in Community Engagement Award

I would also encourage you to consider applying for a 2022 MSU Excellence in Community Engagement Award. Any MSU faculty, staff, or student can apply on behalf of a project in the following categories: Community-Engaged Service, Community-Engaged Research, Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning, and Scholarship of Engagement. A $3,000 award will be given in each of these areas to recognize outstanding work and support its continuation. Projects that achieve honorable mention in each category will receive $750. The submission deadline is Oct. 17, and you can find additional information at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6791.

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 Yaroslav Koshka, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who has been appointed to a one-year term as a program director for the National Science Foundation’s Division of Materials Research. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6790.

* Congratulations to Susan Seal, the executive director of the Center for Distance Education, whose MGT 8113 Leadership Skills course has earned the Quality Matters (QM) Certification Mark. In addition to Dr. Seal, this achievement also involved the innovative work of instructional designers Kiley Forsythe, Kenna Vowell, and Taylor Yarbrough. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6774.

* Kudos to Vesabjit Banerjee, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, who is a featured speaker this month for The British Academy’s conference on the Russo-Ukrainian War. Dr. Banerjee will be speaking as part of a session on public narratives and global opinion, and he has provided previous commentary on the ongoing war. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6775.

* Congratulations to Anna Osterholtz, an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, whose work with colleagues is featured in three current articles in Science. Their work ties together genetic data and linguistic movement as people migrated across early civilizations. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6773.

* Kudos to Joonsik Hwang, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, whose work will be featured on the cover of the Coalition for Advanced Scientific Computation’s annual brochure highlighting research activities utilizing advanced computing at selected member institutions. The brochure cover will feature a Combustion Engine CFD image from Dr. Hwang's work on reducing CO2 emissions. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6758.

* Congratulations to Catherine Pierce, a professor in the Department of English and Mississippi’s Poet Laureate, who has been named a Poet Laureate Fellow by the Academy of American Poets, one of only 22 recipients this year. Dr. Pierce will use the fellowship support to launch a statewide poetry-writing initiative for young people, culminating in a Mississippi Young Writers Poetry Festival hosted here on our campus in April 2023. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6761.

Final Words

It was gratifying—but not surprising—to see that Mississippi State has once again been recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education as a “Great College to Work For.” This ranking is dependent on the information that faculty and staff provide to The Chronicle, and I think it speaks volumes about what a special place this university is. It certainly means so much to me that I can call all of you colleagues and work with you every day. As always, I welcome your questions, suggestions, comments, and concerns related to the Division of Academic Affairs 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.