Messages from the Provost

  • April 2012
    Dear Faculty and Staff:

    April will be a month of many activities as we prepare for the end of the semester and for Commencement. On Monday, April 9, Dr. Keenum unveiled the Maroon Edition book for 2012, "Unbowed" by the late Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. In the summer and fall, we will be planning many activities associated with the themes of the memoir which include personal determination
    and environmental responsibility. I hope all in the university community will obtain a copy of this inspirational book and join with our freshmen in reading
    it.

    I am pleased to announce that Dr. Keith Coble has been selected as the MSU recipient of the 2012 SEC Faculty Achievement Award. One outstanding faculty scholar from each SEC university has been selected to be honored. A process was established at each university to select faculty members with a "record of extraordinary teaching; and have a record of scholarship that is recognized nationally and/or internationally." As a Giles Distinguished Professor, Dr. Coble continues to bring honor and recognition to MSU. More information on the award can be found at:
    http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NEWS/tabid/473/Article/233718/2012-sec-faculty-achievement-award-recipients.aspx

    I have been encouraged by the activities of the recently created university Committee on Work-Life Balance. The committee members are working with university personnel to better define and expand opportunities for our employees to manage their work responsibilities with various aspects of their personal lives. I would like to take this opportunity to ask department heads to be
    flexible in accommodating such life events as the birth of a child. I would encourage department heads to consult with me or others in my office if you have
    questions with regard to how to manage such events in the context of your department workload.

    Dean Gary Myers of the College of Arts and Sciences has chosen to return to the faculty on July 1 to continue service to the university as a Professor of English. I will be appointing an interim dean in the near future and then conducting a national search during the 2012-2013 academic year. My thanks go to Dean Myers for his leadership in advancing the mission of the College of Arts and Sciences.

    Best wishes for a successful end of the semester.

    With warm regards,


    Jerry Gilbert
    Provost and Executive Vice President
  • March 2012
    Dear Faculty and Staff:

    The month of March marks the two-year point in my continuing tenure as Provost and Executive Vice President. It is a deep honor and privilege to be able to serve my alma mater in this capacity. I continue to be grateful for this opportunity.

    During the first two days of March, MSU hosted the second annual Diversity Conference on our campus through the auspices of the President's Commission on the Status of Minorities. The conference highlighted the importance of having diverse thought and culture in an educational environment and the fact that promoting diversity and excellence are mutually congruous and complementary pursuits. At MSU, we remain stalwartly committed to both excellence and diversity.

    Construction is on schedule for the two new residence halls south of Rice Hall. They will be named Oak Hall and Magnolia Hall and will be completed in time for
    the fall 2012 semester. Planning continues for the new classroom building and for a replacement facility for Aiken Village.

    The President's Committee on Planning is currently reviewing the public comments that have been submitted through the website for the university's Strategic Plan. It is our intent to finalize the plan by the beginning of the fall semester.

    I hope that each of you has a great second half of the spring semester.

    With warm regards,


    Jerry Gilbert
    Provost and Executive Vice President
  • February 2012
    Dear Faculty and Staff:

    February has brought the semester into full swing. This month we had the first meeting of the Information Technology Council. Under the direction of Chief
    Information Officer Mike Rackley, it will coordinate and unify, where appropriate, IT functions across the campus. We are already looking at possibilities for a single email system for the campus and further ways to go paperless with MSU forms. I have also asked Executive Director of Campus Operations Amy Tuck to begin looking at ways to better coordinate our custodial
    and maintenance functions on campus, as was suggested in the report of the Select Committee on Efficiencies and Innovations.

    Also this month, I am appointing a new university committee, the Sustainability Committee, as is specified in a new policy recently passed on sustainability
    http://www.msstate.edu/dept/audit/0127.html. It will be broad-based, and it will "set a framework and procedure for sustainable facility development and operations, grounds development and maintenance, materials procurement and disposal, and transportation." In keeping with the effort to encourage conservation of energy resources, our parking options for 2012-2013 will include a couple of park-and-ride opportunities at reduced rates, and Parking Services is looking to expand its shuttle routes in the future into the community to
    encourage the use of public transportation as an alternative to driving.

    Last week, I was in charge of leading the discussion in the last listening session for the university's process to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan to enhance a single component of undergraduate learning. Dr. Keenum was also present at the session, and he and I both were encouraged by the enthusiasm that has been exhibited by faculty members and staff throughout the process as we
    move further along the path of reaffirmation of accreditation by SACS.

    Progress continues to be made on planning for the new 90,000 square foot classroom building. With input from the classroom subcommittee of the Master Plan Development and Advisory Committee (MPDAC), the architects are adjusting layouts of various spaces and classrooms and should report back later this month. Similarly, the architects for the Aiken Village project are producing additional designs for consideration and should report back to the MPDAC within a month or so. As you know, we are making plans to rebuild housing at Aiken Village for graduate students, international students, and married students.

    As you may have already heard, the Faculty Senate is taking a look the P&T Procedures document. There are a couple of items to clarify, and since they have the document on the table, they will read through all of it for possible edits. Additionally, I have asked the Senate to consider a possible job description and annual review process for Instructors which could then be
    included in the Faculty Handbook.

    I am pleased to announce that beginning in the fall of 2012, I will be having Associate Vice President Dr. Julia Hodges conduct a series of administrative
    training sessions for department heads and other academic administrators in the specifics of practices and policies at MSU. We will begin taking requests to
    participate in the sessions as soon as the content and dates are finalized. This will be an on-going process which can accommodate all interested administrators over time.

    As we finish out February, please consider registering for the Diversity Conference (http://www.ce.msstate.edu/DiversityConference/) which will take place on our campus March 1-2, 2012.

    With warm regards,


    Jerry Gilbert
    Provost and Executive Vice President
  • January 2012
    Dear Faculty and Staff,

    It is great to see the campus invigorated anew with the excitement of the start of spring semester. We have a number of outstanding events and speakers planned for the early spring and I hope that you will take advantage of these opportunities. They include a teaching seminar by Dr. Saundra McGuire of LSU on January 20 (information can be found at http://ctl.msstate.edu/) and a two-part
    faculty recruitment workshop sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs on January 24 and January 31 (http://odep.msstate.edu/events/).

    Our fall academic calendar has changed as a result of the change in the fall football schedule. We will not have a Thursday night football game. Consequently, the Calendar Committee met and recommended a change in the fall schedule which is now approved. We have restored class meetings on Thursday, October 11, and on Monday and Tuesday, November 21 and 22. The 2012 Fall Break
    will now occur on Thursday and Friday, October 4 and 5.

    We will be keeping the window open for feedback on the MSU Strategic Plan (https://w.msstate.edu/strategicplan/index.php) in order for the website to be open simultaneously with the forthcoming website for review of the university's research priorities, as recently announced by Vice President David Shaw. I encourage you to comment on both of these important documents. I would also ask you to consider submitting potential ideas for our upcoming Quality Enhancement Plan to improve some identified aspect of the undergraduate educational experience at MSU (http://www.qep.msstate.edu/).

    I, along with my team in the Office of the Provost, remain committed to finding ways to enhance all of the programs at MSU and reward our personnel. I will continue working hard in 2012 with President Keenum and the Vice Presidents to do so.

    With warm regards,

    Jerry Gilbert
    Provost and Executive Vice President


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