Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State will host more than 90 Scouts BSA members this weekend as part of the Pushmataha Area Council’s 2020 Merit Badge University.

On Saturday [Feb. 22], scouts will have the opportunity to continue their advancement program and earn merit badges by participating in merit badge classes taught by MSU faculty and student instructors. The program is designed to have scouts explore a topic from experts in their field, introduce them to life on a university campus and assist scouts on their journey to achieving their next rank in Scouting up to Eagle Scout and beyond.

Merit badges offered and MSU faculty and student instructors include (alphabetically, by badge):

Citizenship in the Community badge

—Paulette Ferguson, an MSU Bachelor of Science graduate and member of the MSU Maroon Volunteer Center AmeriCorps VISTA Project

—Matt Monroe, assistant coordinator of student leadership and community engagement, Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement, and supervisor of the Maroon Volunteer Center AmeriCorps VISTA Project

Citizenship in the Nation badge

—Eric Collins, assistant research professor, Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems

Communication badge

—Kevin Williams, associate professor, Department of Communication

Personal Fitness badge

—Brent Fountain, interim director, Career Center; assistant vice president intern, Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President; associate extension professor, Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion

Environmental Science badge

—Jay McCurdy, assistant professor, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences

—Victoria McCurdy, instructor, Department of Biological Sciences

—Jeff Harris, associate extension/research professor, Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology

Sustainability badge

—Nicole Welch, professor of biology, Mississippi University for Women

Personal Management badge

—Brandan Wheeler, assistant professor, School of Human Sciences

Architecture badge

—Richard Chenoweth, visiting assistant professor, School of Architecture

Programming badge

—Alexander M. “Alex” Sommers, computer science doctoral student from Carbondale, Illinois

Established in 1925, the Pushmataha Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, provides character development and skills training to Scouting units in 10 counties of North Mississippi. For more information, contact Jeremy D. Whitmore, scout executive, at 662-328-7228 or whitmore@bsamail.org.

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