Mississippi State University

Mississippi State University
Motto	Learning, Service, Research
Established	1878
Type	Public University
Endowment	US$350,500,000
President	Dr. Mark E. Keenum
Academic staff	1,359
Admin. staff	3,361
Students	21,424 [2]
Location	Starkville, Mississippi, United States
Campus	Rural
Colors	Maroon and White
Athletics	NCAA Division I
Nickname	Bulldogs
Mascot	Bully
Affiliations	SEC
Website	msstate.edu

The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area. Mississippi State, Mississippi, is the official designation for the area that encompasses the university.

It is classified as a "comprehensive doctoral research university with very high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation. Fall 2011 enrollment statistics from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning show the MSU Starkville campus is the largest university campus in the state. They also have campuses in Meridian, Biloxi, and Vicksburg. In 2009, Mississippi State University was ranked #18 nationally in Forbes magazine's "America's Best College Buys" and 1 in agricultural schools within the Southeastern Conference.[3] Mississippi State was also ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best universities in the United States for Engineering and Veterinary Medicine were it ranked #84 and #24 respectively.

History

Lee Hall at Mississippi State University

Panoramic; Regimental parade; March 15, 1914; Miss. A & M College (now known as Mississippi State University).

The University began as The Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi (or Mississippi A&M), one of the national land-grant colleges established after Congress passed the Morrill Act in 1862. It was created by the Mississippi Legislature on February 28, 1878, to fulfill the mission of offering training in "agriculture, horticulture and the mechanical arts . . . without excluding other scientific and classical studies, including military tactics." The university received its first students in the fall of 1880 in the presidency of General Stephen D. Lee.

In 1887 Congress passed the Hatch Act, which provided for the establishment of the Agricultural Experiment Station in 1888. The Cooperative Extension Service was established in 1914 by the Smith-Lever Act. The university has since had its mission expanded and redefined by the Legislature. In 1932, the Legislature renamed the university as Mississippi State College.

By 1958, when the Legislature again renamed the university as Mississippi State University, the Graduate School had been organized (1936), doctoral degree programs had begun (1951), the School of Forest Resources had been established (1954), and the College of Arts and Sciences had replaced the General Science School (1956).

In July 1965, Richard E. Holmes became the first African-American student to enroll at Mississippi State University.

The School of Architecture admitted its first students in 1973, the College of Veterinary Medicine admitted its first class in 1977. The MSU Vet school (commonly referred to as the CVM) is the largest veterinary school in the nation under one roof.

The School of Accountancy was established in 1979.

The University Honors Program was founded in 1968 in order to provide more rigorous course curricula for academically talented students, as well as to facilitate guest lecture series, forums, and distinguished external scholarships. The program has been vastly expanded to form its own college after Bobby Shackouls, an MSU alumnus and retired CEO, donated US$10 million to found the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College in April 2006.

The school recently also started a joint Ph.D program with San Jose State University allowing an increase in research for both universities, as well as enhancing the stature of both engineering colleges.

In March 2009, Mississippi State announced the conclusion of the university's seven-year capital campaign, with more than $462 million received in private gifts and pledges. [4]

Presidents

Main article: List of Presidents of Mississippi State University

University campus

Mississippi State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's, specialist, and doctoral degrees.

Today, the university has the following colleges and schools:

• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• College of Architecture Art and Design
• College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Business
• Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy
• College of Education
• James Worth Bagley College of Engineering
• Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering
• Shackouls Honors College
• College of Forest Resources
• College of Veterinary Medicine

As of Fall 2011, the current total enrollment of Mississippi State is 20,424. The university contains 160 buildings, and the grounds of the university comprise about 4,200 acres (17 km²), including farms, pastures, and woodlands of the Experiment Station. The university also owns an additional 80,000 acres (320 km²) across the state.

Mississippi State University also operates an off-campus, degree-granting center in Meridian where both undergraduate and graduate programs are offered. In cooperation with the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, the College of Engineering offers the Master of Science degree to students in Vicksburg.

Mississippi State's campus is centered on the main quadrangle, called the Drill Field (pictured) due to its heavy use by the Corps of Cadets prior to the end of World War II. The Drill Field is defined at its north and south ends by the mirror-image buildings, Lee Hall (the original University building, now the division of languages building, far left in picture below) and Swalm Hall (home to the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering, far right in picture below). Old Main was the original dormitory, west of Lee Hall; it burned in a tragic fire, and was replaced by the Colvard Student Union. The largest building fronting the Drill Field is Mitchell Memorial Library (immediately to right of flagpole in picture below).

The Drill Field and surrounding buildings

From the Drill Field, the campus radiates in all directions. The College of Engineering can be found mostly to the east side of the Drill Field; to the north are the Arts and Sciences, including Computer Science, and the College of Architecture, Art, and Design (CAAD). Humanities are found to the south, while Agriculture dominates the west section. To the west and northwest are also found the athletic facilities, including Scott Field and the Humphrey Coliseum, or The Hump.

Beyond the main campus (and the series of commuter parking lots ringing the main campus) are the North and South Farms. While still used for their original purpose of agricultural research, the Farms are also host to newer facilities, such as the astronomical observatory and Veterinary College (South Farm) and the High Performance Computing Collaboratory (North Farm). At the far west of campus, one finds first the fraternity and sorority houses, and beyond them the Cotton District and downtown Starkville, Mississippi. The University is also home to the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park, which host many of the university's research centers, such as the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) and the nationally-recognized Social Science Research Center.

Student life

Housing

Residence halls at Mississippi State University:

• Cresswell Hall – Freshman/Upperclass Co-Residential [Day One Leadership]
• Critz Hall – Freshman/Upperclass Co-Residential
• Evans Hall – Freshman/Upperclass Men
• Griffis Hall – Freshman/Upperclass Co-Residential [Honors]
• Hathorn Hall – Freshman/Upperclass Co-Residential
• Herbert Hall – Freshman/Upperclass Co-Residential (former guest housing)
• Hull Hall – Freshman/Upperclass Co-Residential
• Hurst Hall – Freshman/Upperclass Co-Residential
• McKee Hall – Freshman/Upperclass Men
• North Hall (formerly Building 3) – Freshman/Upperclass Co-Residential
• Rice Hall – Freshman/Upperclass Co-Residential
• Ruby Hall – Freshman/Upperclass Co-Residential
• Sessums Hall – Freshman/Upperclass Women
• South Hall (New Residence Hall)- Freshman/ Upperclass [Day One Leadership]

Old Main

Old Main

Old Main, originally called the Main Dormitory, was the first building on the campus of Mississippi State University. The first section of Old Main was built in 1880. Additions were constructed in 1901, 1903, 1906, and 1922. It is considered to have been the largest college dormitory in the United States. The building was completely destroyed by fire on the night of January 22, 1959. The blaze claimed the life of one of the dorm's 1,100 residents. Bricks salvaged from the fire were used to build the Chapel of Memories. Bricks from Old Main were also dumped in the area that became the band practice field and can be seen on slope of the north side.

Roy Vernon Scott, professor emeritus of history at MSU is the author of Old Main: Memories of a Legend.

Aiken Village

Graduate students, married families, and students with families may live in Aiken Village, a complex on College View Street. A married student may live with his or her spouse and up to two dependents, and an unmarried student may live with up to three dependents. Leaseholders are required to be full time students. A student may live in Aiken Village for up to eight years. The apartments at Aiken Village do not come with furniture. A student may receive transportation via the university transportation system. Aiken Village is located in the City of Starkville, and it is within the Starkville School District. Children living at Aiken Village are zoned to Sudduth Elementary School (K-2), Henderson Ward Stewart Intermediate School (3-5), Armstrong Middle School (6-8), and Starkville High School (9-12).

Student organizations

MSU has over 300 student organizations. Prominent organizations include the Famous Maroon Band, MSU Road Runners, Student Association, Alumni Delegates, Orientation Leaders, 18 fraternities and 11 sororities, the Residence Hall Association, the Black Student Alliance, the Mississippi State University College Democrats and Republicans, the Campus Activities Board, Music Maker Productions, the Baptist Student Union, the Engineering Student Council, Arnold Air Society, the Stennis-Montgomery Association and ChallengeX. The national literary magazine Jabberwock Review is also based at MSU.

Student media

Mississippi State's local radio station is WMSV.

Prior to WMSV, Mississippi State had a student-run radio station, WMSB which went off the air permanently at the end of the spring semester of 1986. WMSB was a low-power FM station with studios on the top floor of Lee Hall. WMSB was started the Fall Semester 1971 in a freshman dorm room on the third floor of Critz Hall utilizing a FM stereo transmitter that was designed and built as a high school science fair project by one of the station's founders. The station's original call letters were RHOM. It was on air from 8:00–12:00 pm each evening. Later, funding was solicited from the Student Association. Funding was approved, the low-power RCA FM transmitter was ordered and the call letters WMSB were issued by the FCC. The station was moved to studios on the top floor of Lee Hall that were formerly occupied by a student-run AM station.

The student newspaper is the Reflector, published twice per week on Tuesday and Friday. The publication was named the #1 college newspaper in the South in 2007 by the Southeast Journalism Conference. In previous years, The Reflector has consistently ranked in the top 10 among college newspapers in the southern United States.

Music Scene

State's music scene is wonderful for fans of mainstream alternative acts like Third Eye Blind, which performed recently during the annual Bulldog Bash. It is considered the biggest outdoor concert in the state of Mississippi. The Bulldog Bash is free and held in the Starkville Cotton District, where many State students live.

Mississippi State is home to WMSV, the campus radio station, which routinely plays older alternative mainstream rock and pop from the 1990s. The radio station regularly plays outdated college acts like the Dave Matthews Band, The Gin Blossoms, Barenaked Ladies, or any other lame performers from the 90's like Darcy Playground. Much of the music on the radio station comes from syndicated radio programs from Public Radio International, yet the station's homegrown music programs on Sunday afternoons and evenings emphasize jazz and blues classics.

During the spring semester the Old Main Music Festival takes place, it is also free to the public, and is held on the Mississippi State Campus it has featured artist such as Trey Songz, Sugarland and One Republic.

The city of Starkville and the Mississippi State campus have been a tour stop for many artists such as Bon Jovi, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and most famously for Johnny Cash in 1965. After Johnny Cash's performance he was arrested, which lead him to write the song "Starkville City Jail".

Lecture Series

Every semester Mississippi State has several distinguished speakers, these have included best selling authors Greg Mortenson and Mississippi State alumnus John Grisham, Academy Award nominated Spike Lee, television science show hosts Jeff Lieberman and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Also several Nobel laureates such as Sir Harry Kroto (1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry), J. M. G. Le Clézio ( 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature) and Joseph Stiglitz ( 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences).

Greek life

Mississippi State's Greek system comprises 20 fraternities and 9 sororities. Fraternities and sororities take part in a number of philanthropic programs and provide social opportunities for students. Formal rush takes place at the start of every fall semester.

Greek life dominates Mississippi State's social scene as well as student government. The fraternities and sororities control the annual popularity contests that elect student-body presidents and the homecoming court. It is common to see Greek-affiliated students, bedecked in their Ugz boots and North Face fleece windbreakers, standing at strategic locations on campus where they harangue other students to participate in the otherwise meaningless student elections.

Greek affiliation is overwhelmingly popular at Mississippi State; members of fraternities and/or sororities comprise roughly 65 percent of the student body.

IFC fraternities

Alpha Gamma Rho Alpha Tau Omega Delta Chi FarmHouse Kappa Alpha Order Kappa Sigma Lambda Chi Alpha

Phi Delta Theta Phi Gamma Delta Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Phi Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Chi Sigma Nu

Other fraternities

• Beta Upsilon Chi
• Gamma Beta Phi
• Kappa Kappa Psi
• Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
• Theta Tau

Panhellenic sororities

Chi Omega 1936 Delta Delta Delta 1972 Delta Gamma 1969 Kappa Delta 1971 Phi Mu 1962 Zeta Tau Alpha 1940 Pi Beta Phi 2009 Alpha Delta Pi re-colonizing in 2013 Other sororities Sigma Phi Lambda Sigma Alpha Iota Delta Xi Phi 1998 National Pan – Hellenic Organizations Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Delta Sigma Theta Phi Beta Sigma Iota Phi Theta Kappa Alpha Psi Omega Psi Phi Sigma Gamma Rho Zeta Phi Beta Athletics Main article: Mississippi State Bulldogs Davis Wade Stadium at its record-setting capacity of 58,103 against Alabama Mississippi State University's sixteen athletic teams are known as the Bulldogs, which was adopted in 1961. Previous nicknames included the Aggies and the Maroons. Since 1935, the official mascot for Mississippi State has been a live English Bulldog named Bully. They compete in Division I of the NCAA and the western division of the 14-member Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Bulldogs have garnered a total of 28 conference championships (14 SEC). Mississippi State's most successful sport is baseball. The Diamond Dogs have won 16 conference championships (10 SEC) and 6 SEC tournament championships, while making 28 NCAA Tournament and 8 College World Series appearances. The Diamond Dogs play home games at Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium, which holds the NCAA record for the largest single on-campus baseball attendance at 14,991 (April 22, 1989, vs. Florida). Mississippi State is also competitive in men's basketball, winning 10 conference regular season championships (6 SEC), 4 conference tournament championships, and 7 divisional championships. The Bulldogs have made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by 3 Sweet Sixteen appearances and a trip to the Final Four in 1996. Both MSU men's and women's basketball teams play home games at Humphrey Coliseum, nicknamed "The Hump", one of the most intimidating places to play in the SEC with a seating capacity of 10,500. Bulldog football is also a favorite among the MSU faithful. The Bulldogs play their home games at Davis Wade Stadium, the second oldest Division I-FBS football stadium in the nation, with a seating capacity of 55,028. Bulldog fans are known throughout the nation for bringing cowbells to "ring" Mississippi State onto victory. Cowbells became part of Mississippi State tradition in the 1970s, and were banned by the SEC in 1977, defined as "artificial noisemakers". For over 30 years, fans would secretly sneak their cowbells into the stadium, while security guards carefully "inspected" fans' possesions, continuing the unique tradition. In 2010, the SEC officially lifted the ban on artificial noisemakers, allowing fans to "ring responsibly" during pregame, timeouts, halftime, and Bulldog touchdowns. Mississippi State's first SEC championship came in 1941, as the Bulldogs finished with an 8-1-1 record. The Bulldogs also appeared in the 1998 SEC Championship Game after winning the SEC Western Division championship, before falling to eventual national champion Tennessee 14-24. Overall, MSU has appeared in 16 postseason bowl games, highlighted by trips to the Orange Bowl in 1937 and 1941. The official fight song and battle cry of Mississippi State is Hail State, which is played by the Famous Maroon Band, the university's marching band. Accolades University rankings (overall) National Forbes 127 U.S. News & World Report 157 Washington Monthly 65 Mississippi State University was ranked #18 nationally in Forbes magazine's "America's Best College Buys". In 2009, Forbes also ranked Mississippi State University #368. The university has produced 16 Truman Scholars and is one of 38 universities recognized by the Truman Foundation as an honor institution. The competitive Truman Scholarships are awarded to those who plan a career in public service. (2003) Mississippi State has had eight Barry M. Goldwater Scholars since 1999. The national scholarship recognizes academic excellence in the sciences, mathematics and engineering. (2003) Mississippi State has also produced George Mitchell, Ronald Reagan, and Morris Udall Scholars. Mississippi State ranks among the top 15 in the nation in awarding bachelor's degrees in both engineering and education to African-Americans, according to Diverse Issues in Higher Education. A 2007 NSF report on academic research and development ranked Mississippi State's engineering program 34th and agricultural sciences program 5th among all U.S. colleges and universities in R&D expenditures. Mississippi State is among the nation's 100 "Baccalaureate Bargains" for 2002, according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. (2003) The Raspet Flight Research Laboratory at MSU was recognized as a National Landmark of Soaring in 2003 The Cullis & Gladys Wade Clock Museum, located at the MSU Welcome Center, features an extensive array of clocks and watches dating as far back as the early 18th century, and is the only collection of its size in the region. In 2009, MSU's School of Landscape Architecture was ranked the second best program in the nation by the journal DesignIntelligence in its annual "America's Best Architecture & Design Schools" rankings. The journal gave the program high marks in teaching students skills related to construction methods and materials. The University's School of Landscape Architecture program is the only such program in Mississippi. PayScale.com listed a median starting salary of $44,200 and a median mid-career salary of $80,600 for Mississippi State baccalaureates. Graduate US News and World Report National Rankings' Graduate Area 2012 National Rank Engineering 84 Veterinary Medicine 24 Notable alumni Main article: List of Mississippi State University notable alumni Football Fred Reid RB Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL) Korey Banks DB BC Lions (CFL) Titus Brown DE Cleveland Browns (NFL) Jerry Clower Comedian who played on the team Quinton Culberson LB St. Louis Rams (NFL) Anthony Dixon RB San Francisco 49er's (NFL) Kevin Dockery #35 CB St. Louis Rams (NFL) Super Bowl XLII Champion Dominic Douglas LB Denver Broncos(NFL) Ronald Fields DT Denver Broncos(NFL) Justin Griffith RB Oakland Raiders (NFL) Mario Haggan LB Denver Broncos (NFL) Joe Fortunato LB Chicago Bears (NFL) All American '51, Five-time All Pro, NFL 300 Greatest Players Team Walt Harris CB San Francisco 49ers (NFL) Justin Jenkins WR Buffalo Bills (NFL) Tommy Kelly DE Oakland Raiders (NFL) Donald Lee TE Green Bay Packers (NFL) Super Bowl XLV Champion Lance Long WR Arizona Cardinals (NFL) Brandon McRae WR St. Louis Rams (NFL) Alvin McKinley DE Denver Broncos (NFL) John Miller LB Green Bay Packers (NFL) Henry Monroe DB Green Bay Packers (NFL) Eric Moulds WR Buffalo Bills (NFL) Jerious Norwood RB Atlanta Falcons (NFL) DelJuan Robinson DT Houston Texans (NFL) Fred Smoot CB Washington Redskins (NFL) David Stewart OT Tennessee Titans (NFL) Floyd Womack OT Seattle Seahawks (NFL) Ellis Wyms LT Oakland Raiders (NFL) D.D. Lewis LB Dallas Cowboys (NFL) Super Bowl VI and Super Bowl XII Champion Jackie Parker QB/RB/DB/Coach (CFL) Grey Cup champion (1954, 1955, 1956) Tyrone Keys LB (NFL) Super Bowl XX Champion Johnie Cooks LB (NFL) Super Bowl XXV Champion Kent Hull C Buffalo Bills (NFL) Kirby Jackson DB Buffalo Bills (NFL) Don Smith QB/RB Fred McCrary FB (NFL) Super Bowl XXXVIII Champion David Heard DB Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL) 95th Grey Cup Champion Baseball All Star Buddy Myer Jeff Brantley, RHP (Retired & Commentator) and Current Baseball Analyst Will Clark, 1B San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals (Retired). 1989 NLCS MVP John Cohen Mississippi State University Head Coach Paul Maholm, LHP Pittsburgh Pirates Chris Maloney, Memphis Redbirds Manager (St. Louis Cardinals AAA) Mitch Moreland, 1B Texas Rangers Buddy Myer, MLB 2-time All-Star second baseman (Washington Senators), batting and stolen base titles Rafael Palmeiro, 1B (Baltimore Orioles retired) Jonathan Papelbon, RHP Boston Red Sox Jay Powell, Winner of World Series Game 7 for the 1997 Florida Marlins. Buck Showalter, Current Baltimore Orioles Manager. Former New York Yankees Baseball Player. Former New York Yankees & Texas Rangers Manager and Former ESPN Baseball Analyst. Bobby Thigpen, RHP Basketball Eric Dampier C Miami Heat (NBA) Bailey Howell – Hall of Fame NBA basketball player with the Boston Celtics. Jeff Malone Jarvis Varnado – Miami Heat Entertainment Jerry Clower Author Damon R. Eubank, Kentucky historian John Grisham Matthew F. Jones Greg Keyes Entrepreneur George Bryan, Bryan Foods Fred Carl, Jr., Viking Range Corporation Cully Cobb, agricultural publishing Hartley Peavey, Peavey Electronics Law and politics Sharion Aycock, First female Federal District Court judge in Mississippi Marsha Blackburn, United States Congress (R-TN) Alan Nunnelee, United States Congress (R-MS) Rafael Leonardo Callejas Romero, Former President of Honduras (1990–1994) Kay Kellogg Katz, Louisiana House of Representatives (R) Gillespie V. "Sonny" Montgomery, United States Congress (D-MS) Billy Nicholson, Mississippi House of Representatives (R) John C. Stennis, former United States Senator (D-MS) Amy Tuck, former Mississippi Lt. Governor (R) Howard Sanderford Alabama House of Representatives, District 20 (R) Steve Hettinger, former Alabama State Representative (1982-1988) and former mayor of Huntsville, Alabama (1988-1996) See also List of forestry universities and colleges References External links Official website Official athletics site