UPDATE: Maroon Alert Starkville: Police have concluded their search. The area is being reopened and the university is returning to normal operations.

Contact: Sid Salter

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University is responding to a bomb threat and has evacuated the Cullis Wade Depot, which houses the MSU Welcome Center and Barnes & Noble Bookstore.

All students, staff and visitors should move quickly away from this area of campus and yield to all direction from law enforcement. MSU Police are securing the area and investigating the threat. Other first responders are assisting.

Other universities recently have received similar threats that have been false alarms, but MSU is taking an abundance of caution, with MSU Police investigating thoroughly and utilizing canines.

MSU will provide updates as they become available via official university outlets, including www.emergency.msstate.edu, twitter.com/msstate and facebook.com/msstate.

Also, follow MSU Maroon Alert at twitter.com/maroonalert.