Mississippi State University
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Motto | Learning, Service, Research |
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Established | 1878 |
Type | Public University |
President | General Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong |
Staff | 1,220 |
Undergraduates | 12,555 |
Postgraduates | 3,546 |
Location | Starkville, Mississippi, USA |
Campus | Rural |
Colors | maroon and white |
Mascot | Bulldogs |
Website | http://www.msstate.edu |
Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in north east-central Mississippi in the town of Starkville and is situated 125 miles northeast of Jackson and 23 miles west of Columbus.It is the largest public university in the state.
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[edit] History
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 university has since had its mission expanded and redefined by the Legislature. In 1932, the Legislature renamed the university as Mississippi State College.
Further, in 1926 the university had received its first accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
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).
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, a MSU alum and retired CEO, donated $10 million to found the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College in April, 2006.
[edit] Presidents
[edit] 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
- Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College
- College of Forest Resources
- College of Veterinary Medicine
As of fall 2005, the current total enrollment of Mississippi State is 16,101. 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 (the Chemical Engineering department, 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).
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 Architecture. 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.
[edit] Student life
[edit] Housing
Residence halls at Mississippi State University:
- Aiken Village - Family and Graduate Student
- Arbour Acres Apts. - Graduate/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
[edit] 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 some of over 300 others.
[edit] 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 twice a week.
[edit] 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
Panhellenic Sororities
National Pan - Hellenic Organizations
Among numerous national fraternities and sororities, Mississippi State University is home to the Omicron Chapter of the nation's largest Christian fraternity, Beta Upsilon Chi.
[edit] Athletics
The university's athletic teams participate in NCAA's Division I in the competitive 12-member Southeastern Conference (West Division) under the mascot Bulldog and colors maroon and white. Mississippi State competes in the NCAA in football, basketball (men's and women's), baseball, softball, tennis, golf, soccer, volleyball, track and field, and cross country running.
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.
I want to make sure everybody understands, I am the first African-American coach in the SEC, but there isn't but one color that matters here - and that color is Maroon. |
The football stadium is Davis Wade Stadium, at Scott Field, in the northwest part of campus; nearby is the basketball arena, the enclosed Humphrey Coliseum, aka The Hump. Adjacent to the Humphrey Coliseum is the baseball stadium, Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium, known for having the largest on-campus attendance record in NCAA baseball (14,991 vs. the University of Florida on April 22, 1989[1]) and is noted for the Left Field Lounge, an outfield area where many fans gather and enjoy the games in a tailgate-like atmosphere. Dudy Noble Field has consistently been regarded as the best place to watch a college baseball game in America.
[edit] Traditions
The school colors are maroon and white. The current mascot is the Bulldog. Past mascots have been the Aggies and the Maroons.
Cowbells are significant part of any Mississippi State University Experience. The tradition began after a jersey cow wandered on to the football field in the early 1900's, disrupting a game. Subsequently, State won the football game and the cow became a symbol of good luck. Eventually, the cow was replaced with just the cow's bell. Handles were welded onto the bells to ease ringing and are now manufactured and sold specifically as athletic noisemakers. Football games have been known for the tradition of 55,000 State fans clanging cowbells, despite the Southeastern Conference banning the "artificial noise-makers."
The school's fight song is "Hail State."
[edit] Hail State Lyrics
Hail dear ole State!
Fight for that victory today!
Hit that line and tote that ball.
Cross the goal before you fall!
And then we’ll yell, yell, yell, yell!
For dear ole State, we'll yell like H-E-L-L!
Fight for Mis-sis-sip-pi State.
Win that game today!
Go State!
(Although these are the official Hail State Lyrics, most Mississippi State students usually replace the "Win that game today!" with "Go to hell Ole Miss!")
[edit] Cheers
There are many cheers that involve the Famous Maroon Band. These cheers take place after a fanfare played by that band. There is a specific fanfare where the fans respond with "Go State!"
Another fanfare leads into spelling out MSU one letter at a time. After the fourth one, fans say MSU all together.
One cheer involves the band playing Rock and Roll (Gary Glitter song). Where the normal lyrics just say "hey!", MSU make it "hey! Go State!" When that is over, the fans all chant:
"We're gonna beat the hell outta you! Maroon! White! Fight fight fight! Mis-sis-sip-pi State! Whoo! Ya damn right!"
This song is traditionally said at the beginning of a game; however, usually after winning the game the fans chant:
"We just beat the hell outta you! Maroon! White! Fight fight fight! Mis-sis-sip-pi State! Whoo! Damn right!"
[edit] 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)
[edit] 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 boasts the first escalator in the Golden Triangle region in the recently opened Cullis-Wade Depot.
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Public service and activism
- Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Congresswoman
- Cynthia Cooper, 2002 Time Person(s) of the Year
- Jess Dickinson, MS Supreme Court Justice
- Charles D. Easley , MS Supreme Court Justice
- Bill Hawks, USDA Undersecretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs
- Mark Keenum, Chief of Staff for Senate Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran
- Rhonda Keenum, Assistant to President Bush (43) and White House Director of Public Liasion
- G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery, Former U.S. Representative and author of the Montgomery G.I. Bill
- Hunter Moorhead, Special Assistant to the President 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 Lt. Governor
- William Waller Jr., MS Supreme Court Justice
- Tim Wildmon, President, American Family Association
- 11 Members of the Mississippi State Senate
- Edward Sanders--White House Intern
- 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
- Frances Lucas, President of Millsaps College
- 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)
- Sports
- Jeff Brantley, Former Major League Baseball Relief Pitcher, currently a commentator for ESPN.
- 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.
- 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 Atlanta Falcons.
- Michael Haddix - Former NFL Running Back.
- Mario Haggan – NFL linebacker
- Bailey Howell, Former NBA Star
- Kent Hull, Former Buffalo Bills 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.
- 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.
- Eric Moulds – NFL wide receiver
- 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, Manager, Texas Rangers
- 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.
- Other
- Frank K. Spain, Founder of Tupelo television station WTVA; broadcasting pioneer
- Jerry Clower, Comedian
- Sean McLaughlin, MSNBC Chief Meteorologist
- 4 of 6 NBC Weather Plus Anchors
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Mississippi State University - (official web site)
- 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
Southeastern Conference |
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Eastern Division: Florida • Georgia • Kentucky • South Carolina • Tennessee • Vanderbilt Western Division: Alabama • Arkansas • Auburn • LSU • Mississippi • Mississippi State |