I want to begin by thanking everyone who attended the Spring General Faculty Meeting on Tuesday, February 14, as well as those of you who watched the livestream. I appreciated the opportunity to share an update from the Division of Academic Affairs, as well as to hear updates from President Mark Keenum, Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan, and Vice President for Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine Keith Coble. If you weren’t able to attend or watch, you can read more about the meeting at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2023/02/msus-keenum-vows-continue-supporting-faculty-through-funding.

New Nursing Program Taking Next Steps with IHL Approval

I was in Jackson Thursday, February 16, for the monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and it was a history-making meeting for our university. The trustees voted unanimously to approve Phase I of our proposal to plan the professional Accelerated Master’s Graduate Entry Nursing Program at MSU-Meridian’s Riley Campus. It’s a first of its kind program in Mississippi, and it will help our state address the critical need for more nurses. I want to thank Head of Campus and Associate Vice President Terry Dale Cruse and his team in Meridian for all of their hard work, as well as The Riley Foundation for its significant investment in this new academic program. Read more at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2023/02/msu-meridian-proposal-accelerated-masters-degree-nursing-program-gains-ihl.

IHL Honors Buys and Gardner with Diversity and Inclusion Awards

In addition to gaining approval to move forward with the new nursing degree program, the IHL meeting also featured the board’s annual Diversity and Inclusion Awards presentation. Our honorees this year — Associate Professor Antonio Gardner and Associate Professor David Buys — were recognized during the program, and they are so deserving of this honor. Additionally, Dr. Buys was named IHL’s Diversity Educator of the Year — an extraordinary honor for him, as well as the entire Mississippi State community. Congratulations to Dr. Gardner and Dr. Buys! Read more at https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2023/02/msus-buys-named-ihl-diversity-educator-year-gardner-also-recognized.

Please Complete MSU Libraries Survey

If you haven’t already done so, I would encourage you to complete the MSU Libraries survey at https://msstate.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cI8crpQvV5A34Vg in order to provide needed information and insight as Dean Lis Pankl and her team plan for the future and develop a new strategic plan. Academic libraries are changing and will be facing great challenges in the coming years, including economic issues. For MSU Libraries to meet these challenges and to better serve our faculty, students, and staff, they need your thoughts and ideas. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey.

Deans, Associate Deans, and Department Heads Meeting Next Week

As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ll be meeting with our deans, associate deans, and department heads as a group and continue to hold such a meeting every semester thereafter starting this spring. These gatherings will give us additional opportunities for sharing updates, asking questions, and exchanging ideas on a regular and timely basis. The first meeting is coming up next week on Thursday, February 23, at 2 p.m. in Bettersworth Auditorium.

Nominations open for University Academic Advising Awards

Guidelines and nomination forms for the 2023 University Academic Advising Awards are now available. The deadline for nominations for these awards — Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Awards, Wes Ammon Outstanding New Staff Advisor Award and Foil-Wyatt Outstanding New Faculty Advisor Award — is 5 p.m. on March 1. Nominations should be submitted in PDF form to my office via email to Lisa Stricklin at lstricklin@provost.mssate.edu. Guidelines and nominations are available at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6965.

2023-2024 Community-Engaged Learning Fellows Applications Due February 28

Applications for the university’s 2023-2024 Community-Engaged Learning Fellows program are due by February 28. The CEL Fellows program supports instructional faculty and staff in integrating community-engaged learning into their formal or non-formal teaching. The CEL Fellows program seminar will meet in May. Participants receive a $1,000 course or research development award, peer support and one-on-one assistance to design a new CEL course or modify an existing course. Program guidelines and application can be obtained via an email to michelle.garraway@msstate.edu. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6964.

MSU Online Teaching Award Nomination Window Open Through March 8

The nomination window for the 2023 Mississippi State University Online Teaching Award is open through 5 p.m. March 8. The award, now in its fifth year, acknowledges and rewards an online instructor who employs best practices to engage, inspire, and support students in an online environment. The nominee shall be a faculty member, instructor or lecturer of a Campus 5 course taught in the current academic year. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6966.

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 Nicole Rader, a professor and the head of the Department of Sociology, who has published a new book titled “Teaching Fear: How We Learn to Fear Crime and Why It Matters,” Temple University Press. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6943.

* Kudos to Melody Fisher, an associate professor in the Department of Communication, who has published a new book titled “The Untold Power: Underrepresented Groups in Public Relations,” Fisher’s Business Expert Press. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6944.

* Congratulations to Jean Mohammadi-Aragh, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who has been named director of diversity programs and student development in the Bagley College of Engineering. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6923.

* Kudos to Pete Smith, an associate professor in the Department of Communication, who has been named MSU’s 2023 Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher of the Year. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6957.

* And a welcome to Ken Macklin, the new head of the Department of Poultry Science. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=6932.

Final Words

I want to echo Dr. Keenum’s words from the Spring General Faculty Meeting about how well our campus is working together and how strong shared governance is here at Mississippi State University. Over the course of the past few months, we’ve had many productive discussions and good questions about how to move forward with the recent changes made to promotion and tenure by the IHL Board of Trustees. As I’ve explained, IHL gave us the “what,” and we are figuring out the “how” — how we are going to implement these changes through shared governance. It was gratifying to see the Robert Holland Faculty Senate unanimously approve an update to the Faculty Handbook to reflect the changes from IHL during their meeting last Friday. This marked an essential step, and I appreciate everyone who has contributed to this process so far. I look forward to continuing our conversations as we implement these changes in our departments and colleges in the coming months.

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.