'Mississippi State University' is a
land-grant university located in north east-central
Mississippi,
United States, in the town of
Starkville and is situated 125 miles (200 kms) northeast of
Jackson and 23 miles (37 kms) west of
Columbus. In attendance, it is the largest university in the state.
[3]
History
Lee Hall at 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 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.
Presidents
Main articles: 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:
★ '
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences'
★ '
College of Architecture Art and Design'
★ '
College of Arts and Sciences'
★ '
College of Business and Industry'
★ '
College of Education'
★ '
James Worth Bagley College of Engineering'
★ '
Shackouls Honors College'
★ '
College of Forest Resources '
★ '
College of Veterinary Medicine'
As of Fall 2006, the current total enrollment of Mississippi State is 16,206. 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
ROTC. 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 Engineering Research Center (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.
Student life
Housing
Residence halls at Mississippi State University:
★
Aiken Village - Family and Graduate Student
★
Arbour Acres Apts. - Graduate/Upperclass Co-residential
★
Building 3 - Freshman/Upperclass Co-Residential
★
Cresswell Hall - Freshman/Upperclass Men
★
Critz Hall - Freshman/Upperclass Co-residential
★
Evans Hall - Freshman/Upperclass Men
★
Griffis Hall - Freshman/Upperclass Co-residential[Honors]
★
Hathorn Hall - Freshman/Upperclass Men
★
Hull Hall - Freshman/Upperclass Co-residential[Honors]
★
Hurst Hall - Freshman/Upperclass Co-residential
★
McKee Hall - Freshman/Upperclass Women
★
Rice Hall - Freshman/Upperclass Women
★
Ruby Hall - Freshman/Upperclass Co-residential
★
Sessums Hall - Freshman/Upperclass Women
★
Suttle Hall - Freshman/Upperclass Men
Student organizations
The most prominent student organization is the
Student Association, the governing body for MSU's 16,000 student body. Other prominent organizations include 18 fraternities and 11 sororities, the Residence Hall Association, the Black Student Alliance, the Campus Activities Board, Music Makers, the Engineering Student Council,
Arnold Air Society, the
Stennis-Montgomery Association.
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.
The student newspaper is the
Reflector,
published once a week. 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.
Greek life
Mississippi State's Greek system comprises 18 fraternities and 11
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.
'IFC Fraternities'
'Other Fraternities'
★
Beta Upsilon Chi
★
Theta Tau
'Panhellenic Sororities'
'Other Sororities'
★
Sigma Phi Lambda
'National Pan - Hellenic Organizations'
Athletics
Main articles: Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Bulldogs participate in
NCAA Division I in the competitive 12-member
Southeastern Conference (West Division) under the mascot
''Bulldog'' and colors
maroon and
white.
The university made history on December 1, 2003, when it hired
Sylvester Croom as its head football coach. Croom was the first
African-American named to such a position in the history of the
SEC.
On June 8-9, 2007, the Mississippi State Diamond Dogs hosted the
Clemson Tigers in the Starkville
Super Regional baseball
series. This was the first Super Regional ever held in Starkville.
Attendance to Saturday's game was 13,715, the highest attendance ever
at any Super Regional game. It was MSU's fourth best-attended baseball
game.
Accolades
★ 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.
★
Mississippi State is among the nation's 100 "Baccalaureate
Bargains" for 2002, according to
Kiplinger's Personal Finance
magazine. (2003)
Interesting facts
★ MSU was once home to the world's largest dormitory,
Old Main. It burned to the ground on
the night of January 22, 1959. Of the nearly 1,100 students in the dorm
that night, all except for one, Henry Allen Williamson, were able to
escape the flames. Bricks from the ruins of Old Main were used to
construct the campus' famous
Chapel of Memories
★ About one-fourth of the teachers and administrators in Mississippi
public schools hold at least one degree from Mississippi State. (2003)
★
Clemson University founder
Thomas Green Clemson directed in
his will in 1888 that the University be modeled after Mississippi
A&M.
★
Machine Gun Kelly sought to enroll at MSU after finishing at the
campus prep-school.
★ MSU is currently the holder of the
Golden lamp of knowledge, which
is awarded to the winner of Quiz Bowl games between MSU and the
University of Mississippi. MSU recently won it in competition at the
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, winning 240-100.
Notable Alumni
John Grisham
Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn
;
Public service and activism
★
Marsha Blackburn, United States House of Representative,
representing
Tennessee ★
Cynthia
Cooper, 2002 Time Person(s) of the Year
★ Jess Dickinson, Mississippi Supreme Court Justice
★ Charles D. Easley, Mississippi Supreme Court Justice
★
Bill Hawks, Former USDA Undersecretary, Marketing and Regulatory
Programs
★
Kay Katz,
Louisiana Republican National Committeewoman; member of the
Louisiana House of Representatives from
Monroe
★ Mark Keenum, USDA Undersecretary, Farm and Foreign Agricultural
Service.
★ Rhonda Keenum, Assistant to President
George W. Bush
(43) and Director of White House Public Liaison
★
G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery, Former U.S.
Representative and author of the Montgomery G.I. Bill
★ Hunter Moorhead, Special Assistant to President George W. Bush for
Agriculture
★ Billy McCoy, Speaker of the
Mississippi House of Representatives
★ Jim Newsome, President of the
New York Mercantile Exchange ★
John C. Stennis, Former U.S. Senator and "Father of the Modern
Navy"
★
Amy Tuck, Mississippi Lieutenant Governor
★ William Waller Jr., MS Supreme Court Justice
★ Tim Wildmon, President,
American Family Association
★ 11 Members of the
Mississippi State Senate
;
Academia
★ James Cofer, President of the
University of Louisiana at Monroe
★ Prescilla Dean Slade, President of the
Texas Southern University
★ Vivian Presley, President of Coahoma Community College
★ Malcolm Portera, Chancellor of the
University of Alabama System
★ Louis H. Turcotte, Vice President of
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
★ Frances Lucas, President of
Millsaps College
★
Donald M. Rawson, Dean of the Graduate School,
Northwestern State University at
Natchitoches, Louisiana
;
Literary
★
Turner Catledge, former Vice - President of
The New York Times
★
John Grisham, Author
★
Gregory Keyes, Author
★
Donna Ladd, Award-Winning Journalist
★
Mike Adams,
Townhall.com
columnist and author of the ''Ivory Tower of Babel''
★
Lewis Nordan, Author
★
Paul Ruffin,
Author, Editor-in-Chief of ''The Texas Review''
;
Business
★ George Bryan,
Sara Lee Corporation Vice - President and Organizer
for the 54th U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship
★
Fred Carl, Jr., Founder and CEO of
Viking Range
★ Toxey Haas, Founder and CEO, Mossy Oak Outdoors
★ Ronnie Parker, Founder of
Pizza Inn
★
Hartley Peavey, Founder of
Peavey Electronics
★ James L. Flanagan, (1948), technical pioneer in speech transmission
and acoustics
★ Joe Frank Sanderson, co-founder of Sanderson Farms
★ Leo Seal, CEO Hancock Holding Company (Hancock Bank)
★
Arthur L. Williams, Jr. Insurance Magnate, #583 on the Forbes
list of the World's Billionaires
★ Richard C. Adkerson, CEO of
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.
;
Sports
★
Jeff Brantley, Former
Major League Baseball Relief Pitcher,
currently a commentator for the
Cincinnati Reds.
★
Will Clark, Former 1st Baseman for
San Francisco Giants,
St. Louis Cardinals, &
Texas
Rangers
★
Johnnie Cooks, Former NFL Star
★
Hugh Critz, Notable 2nd Basemen for
Cincinnati Reds (1920s)
and the
New York Giants (1930s)
★
Erick Dampier,
Dallas Mavericks Center
★ David Dilardi, Major League Baseball Player
★
Sammy Ellis - Former
Major League Baseball Pitcher - 7
seasons.
★
Buddy Elrod - All-American End.
★
Dave "Boo" Ferriss - Former
Major League Baseball Player
★
Joe Fortunato - Five-time Pro Bowler with the
Chicago Bears.
★
Steve Freeman - Former
Buffalo Bills defensive back for 13
seasons and current NFL game official.
★
Tom Goode - Former
NFL Center.
Super Bowl veteran.
★
Alex Grammas, Major League infielder for the
St. Louis Cardinals and
Cincinnati Reds and
manager of
the
Pittsburgh Pirates and
Milwaukee Brewers
★
Hoyle Granger - Former
NFL Running Back.
★
Justin Griffith - Fullback for the
Oakland Raiders.
★
Michael Haddix - Former
NFL Running Back.
★
Mario Haggan –
NFL linebacker
★
Ron Hill - Vice President of the
National Football League
★
Bailey Howell,
NBA Hall of
Famer
★
Kent Hull, Former
Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl center
★
Tyrone Keyes, Former Chicago Bears and Super Bowl veteran
★
D.D. Lewis - Former All-Star Linebacker
Dallas Cowboys.
Member of the
College Football Hall of Fame.
★
Paul Maholm -
Major League Baseball Pitcher. 2003 first round
draft pick (8th overall).
★
Jeff Malone -
NBA-former
player from
1984-
1996 with the
Washington Bullets,
Utah Jazz,
Philadelphia 76ers, and
Miami Heat. All-Star in
1986 and
1987.
★
Fred McCrary -
NFL Running back.
★
Bo McKinnis - Sports agent.
★
Eric Moulds –
NFL Pro Bowl wide
receiver
★
Buddy Myer - Major League Baseball 2-time All-Star second baseman
★
Tom Neville - Former NFL Offensive Tackle - 14 seasons.
★
Jerious Norwood –
NFL running back
for the
Atlanta Falcons
★
Rafael Palmeiro -
Major League Baseball Player
★
Jonathan Papelbon -
Major League Baseball Pitcher
★
Jackie Parker - Former All-Star Quarterbck
CFL. Member of the
College Football Hall of Fame.
★
Jay Powell - Former
Major League Baseball Relief Pitcher - 11
seasons, and World Series veteran.
★
Don Magruder Scott - Olympic Sprinter.
★
Buck Showalter, former baseball manager
★
Barrin Simpson -
National Football League linebacker
★
Fred Smoot -
National Football League cornerback
★
Walter Suggs - Former All-Star Lineman for
Houston Oilers.
★
Bobby Thigpen Former
Major League Baseball Relief Pitcher
★
Del Unser -
Major League Baseball former outfielder for the
Washington Senators,
Cleveland Indians,
Philadelphia Phillies,
New York Mets, and
Montreal Expos. Won
World Series with Phillies in 1980
★
Jimmy Webb - Former
NFL Defensive
Lineman - 7 seasons.
★
Jonathan Wing - Former Professional Volleyball Star
;
Other
★
Frank K. Spain, Founder of
Tupelo television station
WTVA;
broadcasting pioneer
★
Jerry Clower, Comedian
★
Rich Fields, Broadcaster and current announcer of the American
television game show ''
The
Price is Right''
[4]
★
Sean McLaughlin, MSNBC Chief Meteorologist
★ 4 of 6
NBC Weather Plus Anchors
References
★
"Dudy class=wikiexternal target=_blank>Noble Field, Polk Dement Stadium"
★
"Mississippi class=wikiexternal target=_blank>State Alumnus," Summer 2006
★
"Mississippi class=wikiexternal target=_blank>State Alumnus," Fall 2006
★
"Mississippi class=wikiexternal target=_blank>State Alumnus," Spring 2007
External links
★
Mississippi State University - (official
web site)
★
Mississippi State University Libraries
★
Extension Service and Experiment Station
★
Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems
★
High Performance Computing
Collaboratory
★
Mississippi State Sports Blog
★
Cowbell Nation - A Mississippi State
University Message Board
★
Official MSU athletics site
★
MSU Famous Maroon Band site
★
The New Barnes &
Noble at Mississippi State Bookstore
★
An Interview with
MSU Architect Tim Muzzi AKA What's new at the MSU campus?
★
Officially Unofficial Sixpackspeak- A
Mississippi State University Message Board
★
Genspage- A Mississippi
State University Message Board
★
Mississippi Colleges
and Universities at InfoPlease
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