Mississippi State

MSU Alumnus Dr. Mark Keenum has been chosen at the next president of Mississippi State University by a unanimous decision by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.

Keenum’s term will begin sometime in January 2009. Keenum received his Bachelor’s and Masters in Agricultural Economics at MSU. He joined the MSU faculty in 1984 as as a Marketing Specialist with the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service. From 1997 - 2006, Dr. Keenum also served as an Agricultural Economics Adjunct Professor and taught an annual course on agricultural legislative policy.

Dr. Keenum will be leaving his current position as Under Secretary of Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services - a position he has held since December 2006.

Students, faculty, and staff will begin the fall semester Monday, August 18th. The fall semesters is always full of activities and sporting events. It always seems to fly by, so make sure to mark down important dates on a calendar. There’s nothing worse than showing up to class on a test day and being unprepared.

At five o’clock on the drill field will be an ice cream social. At six o’clock, there will be The Drill held on the front steps of Lee Hall. Bring your cowbell and get ready for a pep rally to kick off the new school year. Free t-shirts and collectible cowbells will be given away.

It sounds like a great way to kick of the fall semester at Mississippi State.

It’s hard to believe that the fall semester at Mississippi State University will begin in less than a month. Soon the MSU campus will be bustling with students. Summer time is very quiet on campus even with summer school classes taking place. The fall semester will soon begin and so will the excitement of another year at MSU.

August 9th is the 3rd annual Moving You to MSU - an event to help students move into university housing. It begins at 8am at Humphrey Coliseum.
August 14th and 15th are the final days for regular registration and paying fees.
August 15th is new student orientation day.
Late registration will be through August 25th.
The fall semester begins Monday, August 18th.
September 1th is Labor day and MSU will be closed.
Fall break will be October 6th and 7th.
There will be no classes that day but administrative offices will be open. Thanksgiving break is November 26th and 27th.
Fall classes end December 2nd.
Final exams will be held December 3rd - December 10th.
Commencement services will be December 12th and 13th.
December 23rd - January 2nd MSU is closed for Christmas holiday.

The fall semester is always busy with football season and other activities. It can almost be a blur since it seems to fly by. Mark important dates on your calendar so that mid-semester test doesn’t catch you off guard.

I always enjoyed the fall semester much more than the spring. Maybe it’s the cooler weather, football games, and Christmas break. Whatever the reason, I always loved it more and hated that it always seemed to go too fast.

Here’s an interesting tidbit news from Starkville, the home of Mississippi State University. New buildings in Starkville will be more friendly to the environment. The Board of Aldermen passed a sustainability policy last week that will require all newly constructed city buildings larger than 3,000 square feet to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.

The standards are a rating tool to encourage energy-efficient planning. Structures are rated on energy use, water efficiency, and building materials.

The new rule doesn’t apply to schools, private structures and many public buildings.

Only city-owned new building structures will have to meet the requirements.

Are you a Mississippi State graduate in need of an alumni decal for your vehicle? It’s super easy to get a Mississippi State decal.

Just fill out the form to request a Mississippi State alumni decal. You can request more than one, so be sure to get one for every vehicle.

The decals are free for alumni.