Season’s greetings from the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President. It’s a busy week as we conclude final exams, celebrate our newest graduates at commencement, and look forward to the upcoming winter break. Please let me take a few minutes of your time for a brief update from the Division of Academic Affairs. 

Encourage Graduating Students to Complete First Destination Survey

As I mentioned in my last letter, please encourage any December graduates you know to complete the MSU Career Center’s First Destination Survey at https://www.career.msstate.edu/fds-survey-selection/. While the Career Center is currently collecting information from August and December 2025 graduates, this link may be shared with any student who is nearing graduation or has recently graduated as we rotate through our continuous survey collection. To learn more about how you can assist the Career Center in collecting First Destination Survey data to give back to your department, please visit https://www.career.msstate.edu/career-outcomes/ or contact Payton Burns at pburns@career.msstate.edu.

Call for Honorary Degree Nominations

Faculty, staff, students, and alumni are invited to submit nominations for honorary doctoral degrees that will be awarded in 2026. Nomination letters and support materials should be sent to the Honorary Degree Committee via email to provost@msstate.edu by January 16, 2026. Under IHL guidelines, persons eligible for the Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Science, Doctor of Humane Letters, Doctor of Creative and Performing Arts, or Doctor of Public Service must have demonstrated nationally recognized sustained achievement in scholarship, public service, creative and performing arts, or professional activity.

Kudos and Congratulations

Every month, I look forward to sharing faculty and staff success stories with you, and here are a few that have crossed my desk recently:

* Kudos to Jesse Goliath, an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, who is the 2026 recipient of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Community Connections Mosaic Award. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8366.

* Congratulations to Karyn Brown, assistant dean for communication and media in the College of Arts and Sciences, who has been re-elected to a second term on the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences Board of Directors, Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8367. 

* Kudos to John Green, a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and the director of the Southern Rural Development Center, who is the 2025 Rural Renewal Research Prize winner. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8369. 

* Congratulations to Renée Clary, a professor in the Department of Geosciences, who is the 2025 recipient of the Geological Society of America’s Mary C. Rabbitt Award. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8370. 

* Kudos to the Meridian Division of Education and principal investigator Michelle Stubbs, an assistant teaching professor at MSU-Meridian, who is joined by Diana Outlaw, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and program manager at the Social Science Research Center, and Ryan Walker, an associate professor in the College of Professional and Continuing Studies, for winning a $1.75 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8368.

* Congratulations to the College of Arts and Sciences faculty who were recently recognized for excellence in teaching, research and service: Associate Professor Ben Crider, Department of Physics and Astronomy; Associate Professor Scott DiGiulio, Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures; Assistant Professor Allison Jaeger, Department of Psychology; and Associate Professor Amanda Patrick, Department of Chemistry. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8355. 

* Kudos to Gregg Twietmeyer, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology, who is the recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Association of Kinesiology in Higher Education. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8356. 

* Congratulations to Jada Johnson, an instructor in the Department of Sociology and a licensed social worker, who was named Mississippi Field Educator of the Year at the 53rd annual Alabama-Mississippi Social Work Education Conference. Read more at https://memo.msstate.edu/story.php?id=8360. 

Final Words

During this special time of year, I wish you happy holidays and all the best in the upcoming new year. I hope each one of you can use the time we have during the break to relax, reflect, and prepare for an even better and brighter 2026.

Merry Christmas and Hail State!

David

Dr. David R. Shaw is Provost and Executive Vice President at Mississippi State University. His email address is david.shaw@msstate.edu.