Points of Pride
Service
Mississippi State is among 39 colleges and universities recognized as "role models" by a Maryland-based organization that works to improve the national recruitment, retention and enhancement of minorities in education, government and industry. Minority Access Inc. annually recognizes public and private institutions with exemplary records of producing minority administrators, faculty, students, and alumni.
MSU's Soil Testing Laboratory processes 25,000 soil samples each year for Mississippi's citizens.
Tony Luczak, director of golf and coordinator of the MSU Golf Course, recently was honored with a regional award. Luczak was recognized as Regional Club Fitter of the Year for the Southwest region by Callaway Golf Co. The recipients of Callaway's annual awards are honored for their exceptional achievements using a Callaway Golf Custom Fitting cart at their facilities.
Mississippi State's associate provost is being included in the inaugural class of Fellows of the Institute of Biological Engineering. Jerry Gilbert was honored during the IBE's spring meeting in Chapel Hill, N.C. A 19-year faculty member at the university, he also is associate vice president for academic affairs.
The university's T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability, established in 1995, is a research facility that helps remove barriers for persons with disabilities. It serves clients with mobility, hearing, visual, communication, and cognitive impairments.
The university's College of Architecture, Art and Design hosts an annual summer Design Discovery program to introduce high school students to architecture.
The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision based at Mississippi State is the only one in the nation.
The College of Veterinary Medicine has prevented tens of millions of dollars in losses to catfish, poultry, beef, and swine producers through nutrition and disease prevention research.
Ian A. Munn is a new Fellow of the Society of American Foresters. A professor in the university's Forest and Wildlife Research Center, he is being honored by the international organization for contributions to the society and forestry profession.
Dr. Lucy Senter, head of laboratory animal resources at MSU, is a director of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. The organization is recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association as the certifying body for laboratory animal medicine.
The MSU Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts was recognized with a state tourism award. The Meridian-based center received the Tourism Achievement Award, presented by the Mississippi Tourism Association at the 2007 Governor's Conference on Tourism.Stephen Middleton is being honored by his peers with election to a five-year term on the National Association of African-American Studies and Affiliates' board of directors. A history professor and author, Middleton heads the university's academic program in African-American studies.
A Mississippi State administrator is receiving the Mississippi Association of Governmental Purchasing and Property Agents' 2008 Purchasing Agent of the Year award. James G. "Jay" Rester III, procurement card and invoice control manager, joined the MSU professional staff in June 2006 as an invoice control supervisor. He assumed his current duties the following February.
The National Society of Professional Engineers has bestowed a major honor on Robert A. Green, undergraduate coordinator in the Bagley College of Engineering. Green was named to the organization's 2007 Fellows class. Chosen by active NSPE members, the designation recognizes exemplary service to the profession, organization and community.
A nationally recognized professor in the College of Forest Resources is in line to become president of the American Fisheries Society. Don Jackson of the wildlife and fisheries department is the organization's second vice president. He becomes the top officer of the 10,000-member organization in summer 2009.
Richard M. Kaminski of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center is a Fellow of The Wildlife Society. He was honored for his distinguished and exceptional service to the profession.
MSU is ranked 82nd in the 2007 edition of Washington Monthly's "what colleges are doing for the country."
The National Association of Industry-Specific Training Directors' official Web site now is managed at MSU. The association is the professional development organization for persons involved in industrial training programs.
The head of an MSU research unit is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. GeoResources Institute director David R. Shaw was honored for his efforts to advance science and its applications.
A member of the political science and public administration faculty at is a member of the executive board of the Mississippi Heritage Trust. Bethany M. Stich, a public administration assistant professor who came to the university in 2006, was invited to join the leadership body of an organization dedicated to preserving state prehistoric and historic cultural resources.
The College of Veterinary Medicine annually sponsors a "Human-Animal Bond" week to highlight topics such as pet overpopulation, pet loss and bereavement, and animal abuse. One of only 28 veterinary colleges in the nation, MSU's veterinary program also has an endowed professorship that focuses on issues related to the humane and ethical treatment of animals.
The Animal Health Center, part of the College of Veterinary Medicine, is open to the public and functions as a primary care and referral center for the treatment of companion animals, horses and livestock in Mississippi, as well as the surrounding states. The center's latest figures show that it treats approximately 9,000 animals annually.
The university recently was named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Washington, D.C.-based federal agency recognized the university's "exemplary service efforts and service to America's communities."
Domenico "Mimmo" Parisi, a professor of sociology, received a national professional award recognizing the positive impact of his sociological research. Parisi accepted the Rural Sociological Society honor in July. He leads MSU's National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center. His areas of specialization include rural sociology, community development, public welfare policy, and workforce development, among others.
Terry L. Amburgey, a professor in the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, is a new Fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science. Amburgey is being honored by the professional organization for outstanding contributions to the field.
A top administrator in the Bagley College of Engineering was among 11 being honored nationally by the Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network. Associate Dean Donna Reese received a WEPAN Presidential Award for her work as a committee chairman with the Denver, Colo.-based organization. The honor recognizes individuals or groups whose contributions have helped improve engineering education and the success rate of young women aspiring to enter the engineering profession.
Jeanne C. Jones, an associate professor in the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, is a new Fellow of The Wildlife Society. She was honored by the Bethesda, Md.-based organization for "distinguished and exceptional service" to the profession. In addition to military land restoration, Jones is a specialist in ecotourism and the economic values of game and non-game wildlife, as well as ecosystem management and restoration, with an emphasis on conservation of native biological diversity.
Mississippi State was named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Washington, D.C.-based independent federal agency is recognizing "the university's exemplary service efforts and service to America's communities."
Computer science faculty members at Mississippi State soon will be training "wounded warriors" in digital forensics at Walter Reed Army Hospital. With the goal of helping veterans improve their job opportunities after leaving the military, the university's partnership with U.S. Army Garrison at the Washington, D.C., medical center is similar to an MSU training program in digital forensics. To date, that campus program has been completed by more than 2,400 law enforcement officers from more than 20 states.
The MSU Riley Center in Meridian was presented with ConventionSouth magazine's annual Readers' Choice Award for 2009. ConventionSouth has been the recognized leader in covering the South's meetings industry for the last 26 years. After more than a decade of recognizing some of the most talented meeting professionals in the nation through its annual "Meeting Professionals To Watch" designation, ConventionSouth editors asked meeting professionals to name the convention and visitors bureaus, convention centers, conference centers, hotels, resorts, and other meeting sites that they believe display exemplary creativity and professionalism to groups.
Richard M. Kaminski is holder of the James C. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation in Mississippi State's College of Forest Resources. Kaminski is associate dean and a 25-year faculty veteran. He is a professor of wildlife and a nationally recognized North American waterfowl and wetlands scientist.
Dr. Lanny Pace, executive director of the Mississippi Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Laboratory System in Jackson, was presented the National Institute for Animal Agriculture's President's Award in March. The President's Award is given to an NIAA committee chairman in recognition of exemplary leadership and dedication to the Institute. Pace heads NIAA's Emerging Disease Committee and also serves MSU as a professor in pathobiology and population medicine in addition to his duties with the state diagnostic lab.
Forbes magazine is ranking Mississippi State among the top 20 of its top 100 best college buys in America. As ranked in the national business publication's Aug. 5 online edition, the university is given a higher designation than all other Mississippi public and private institutions of higher learning. Forbes said MSU is 18th among schools where students "get the most quality for each tuition dollar spent."
