Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—For thousands of Bulldog students, the impact of knowledgeable, supportive Mississippi State faculty and staff rings true from freshman year to graduation and beyond. MSU recently presented 10 of these educators with special honors during the annual Faculty Awards and Recognition Reception.

Provost and Executive Vice President Judy Bonner, whose office co-sponsored the event with the university’s Alumni Association, said in addition to a beautiful campus with strong academic programs, “the thing that makes Mississippi State special is its people.”

“There is nothing more exciting than taking the time to recognize and say thank you to an exceptional group of faculty and staff who have gone an extra mile and distinguished themselves,” Bonner said. “We thank and congratulate each of them and all of our faculty and staff across campus on the outstanding work they have accomplished in the 2018-19 academic year.”

Peter Ryan, associate provost for academic affairs; Jeff Davis, executive director of the MSU Alumni Association; and Jim Dunne, physics professor and interim associate vice president for academic affairs, also congratulated and thanked award recipients for their service to the state’s leading university.

MSU Associate Professor of English Michael Kardos joined a select group of role models and mentors for campus colleagues with his acceptance of the John Grisham Master Teacher Award. Also in his 12th year as co-director of MSU’s creative writing program, Kardos has authored novels that have received the prestigious Pushcart Prize, among other honors.

First presented in 1993, the Grisham Master Teacher honor is a tribute to classroom and instruction excellence that is named for the MSU accounting alumnus and internationally-recognized best-selling author who provided funds to endow the award.

Mohsen Razzaghi and Merrill Warkentin, MSU’s newest William L. Giles Distinguished Professors, also were recognized during the ceremony. Based on distinguished scholarship demonstrated by a record of outstanding performance in research, teaching and service, the Giles honor is conferred on faculty members who have attained national or international status as verified by external reviewers in the candidates’ specific fields. Razzaghi serves as professor and head of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Mathematics and Statistics; Warkentin, the James J. Rouse Endowed Professor of Information Systems in the College of Business.

Other honorees include:

—Nicholas Fitzkee, associate professor of chemistry, recipient of the MSU Alumni Association’s Graduate Teaching Excellence Award.

—Sandra Powe, University Academic Advising Center academic coordinator, staff recipient of the Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Award.

—Peter Summerlin, assistant professor of landscape architecture, recipient of the MSU Alumni Association’s Early Career Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award.

—Amie Russell, instructor and undergraduate coordinator of Spanish, faculty recipient of the Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Award.

—Jermaine Jackson, University Academic Advising Center academic coordinator, staff recipient of the Wesley A. Ammon Outstanding New Academic Advisor Award.

—Kasia Gallo, instructor, lead undergraduate advisor and educational psychology minor coordinator, faculty recipient of the Wesley A. Ammon Outstanding New Academic Advisor Award.

—Stacy Haynes, associate professor of sociology, recipient of the MSU Alumni Association’s Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award.

University leaders also recognized other faculty contributions throughout the Division of Academic Affairs, University Libraries and individual colleges.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.