Mississippi State University

More than 610 of the state's brightest young men, representing 207 high schools throughout the state, will attend Arkansas Boys State, an immersive leadership and civic engagement experience sponsored by the American Legion. This summer's 84th annual session runs May 25 through May 30 at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. The program's 2025 enrollment marks its largest class of young men in 10 years. During their week at Arkansas Boys State, these students, known as "delegates," are assigned a political party, city, and county. Throughout the week, delegates, from the ground up, administer this mock government as if it were real: they run for office, draft and pass legislation, solve municipal challenges, and engage constituents. By the week's end, the delegates have experienced civic responsibility and engagement firsthand while making life-long memories and friends.

Twenty-seven Mississippi State University students from a variety of majors received Spirit of State Awards this past week for their exceptional personal contributions to student life at MSU. Organized by the university's Division of Student Affairs and celebrating its 20th year, the Spirit of State Awards honor those who have made a positive impact on peers and the broader campus community through organization involvement, service to the institution and personal actions promoting school spirit and tradition. This year, MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt and award-winning students also presented President Mark E. Keenum a Spirit of State watch, the award given to recipients, to recognize his continued support of MSU students. "As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Spirit of State Awards, we are proud to honor these outstanding student leaders-individuals whose selflessness, service and integrity exemplify what it means to be a Bulldog," Hyatt said. "This recognition also extends to the families, mentors, faculty and staff who have supported and uplifted these students along the way. It truly takes a village, and it was exciting to be able to celebrate the entire community that helps shape and inspire student success at Mississippi State." The Spirit of State Awards are open to all students, no matter their classification, major or primary campus. Nominees must have a minimum 2.25 GPA and be in good academic standing. "I would describe Mississippi State using the analogy of a wide-open field with nutrient-rich soil where students can form strong roots and a firm foundation that allow them to bear fruit and cultivate qualities to positively impact the lives of others and make a change for good in the world," said August Jones, a junior biochemistry major and 2025 Spirit of State Award recipient from Bay Springs. "During my time here at Mississippi State, I am grateful to have made and continue to make many incredible memories. Along with these memories and all the fun that accompanies them, my fellow students and I have learned valuable lessons, principles and qualities that we will use for the rest of our lives."

More than 45 Mississippi State seniors are 2025 inductees into the Gamma of Mississippi Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's most prestigious academic honor society. Among the top 10% of their graduating class, Phi Beta Kappa inductees have completed a broad range of liberal arts and sciences coursework, including foreign language and mathematics. The Phi Beta Kappa Society was founded in 1776. Only 10% of U.S. colleges and universities have PBK chapters. Noteworthy members include 17 U.S. presidents, 42 U.S. Supreme Court justices and more than 150 Nobel laureates.

Mississippi State University is the back-to-back national champion of collegiate debate after winning top honors at the April 2025 International Public Debate Association National Tournament at Lee College in Baytown, Texas. The International Public Debate Association is the largest intercollegiate debating association in the U.S., with more than 200 colleges and universities from across the country competing in its tournaments in 2024-25. IPDA debating emphasizes a mix of logic, rhetorical skill and adaptability, as students debate a new topic each round, with only 30 minutes to prepare. The MSU team squared off over four days of competition against hundreds of top competitors from programs across the country, including the University of Arkansas, Boise State University, UC-San Diego, the University of Tennessee, Texas Christian University, Union University, Dallas Baptist University and Abilene Christian University. While winning the national tournament for the second consecutive year, the Bulldogs also added a new title, winning the IPDA Season Long Championship for the first time ever and uniting both titles as the undisputed champions of IPDA college debate. Individual MSU debaters also advanced far into the tournament, winning numerous accolades in every division. In the Team Debate division, sophomore Ben Harvey was the national champion speaker, while freshman Brevia Kibet was the champion speaker in the Novice division. Freshman Sam Harvey took second place in the Professional division, while sophomores Nicholas Neal and George Utz and senior Devin Hutchins were named second-, third- and fourth-place speakers respectively. For the overall season rankings, MSU fared equally well, with Sam Harvey being named season-long national champion in the Pro division, while freshman Kamron Hitson was national champion speaker in the Junior Varsity division. Neal and Hutchins also ranked in the top five for the season in the Professional division, while senior Hannah Daniels finished the season in fourth place in Varsity. For both the national tournament and the season rankings, numerous other MSU debaters placed in the top 10 and advanced to elimination rounds. For the season, MSU took first place overall in eight of the 10 tournaments the team entered. The MSU Debate Team was founded 10 years ago as part of the university's Speech and Debate Council, coached by Brett Harvey and Jake Reed. "It's a huge challenge to win your first national championship, but I'd argue that repeating is even harder. You have the weight of expectations and you're getting every opponent's best effort," Brett Harvey said. "For these kids to not only repeat but improve on last year's performance is just astounding. Jake and I could not be prouder of them, and how they represent our university. Civil, intelligent debate is more critical than ever right now, and MSU students really are leading the way. "And, as always, this season is the end result of many people, not just the debaters and coaches. It's also our alumni, administrators-including MSU President Mark E. Keenum and Provost David Shaw-parents and even students who never debated but volunteered to serve as judges," he added. "We could not be more grateful to the university for allowing this activity to thrive."

Twenty-eight Mississippi State graduate students won prizes for their cutting-edge work during the spring 2025 Graduate Student Research Symposium. More than 140 students participated in the symposium, a bi-annual event allowing students to showcase their faculty-guided research and creative activity. The GSRS featured students from diverse departments and colleges who participated in poster and oral presentation sessions, sharing their research with the MSU community. Student projects were evaluated by 55 judges, who provided feedback that can be useful in improving current research and preparing for future endeavors. Research projects were divided into four categories-Agriculture and Life Sciences; Education, Arts and Sciences, and Business; Engineering; and Forest Resources and Veterinary Medicine-and the event featured 15 oral and 12 poster sessions, and 14 moderators and volunteers. Winning students received $150 for first-place, $75 for second-place and $50 for third-place entries. The event was hosted by the MSU Graduate Student Association in collaboration with the Graduate School. For more information about the GSRS, visit www.grad.msstate.edu/students/graduate-development/graduate-research-symposium.

Hosting the Southeast Journalism Conference for the first time in university history, Mississippi State University student journalists earned top honors, securing four institutional awards: first place for Best Radio Station, second place for Best TV Station, third place for Best Public Service Journalism and third place for Video Newscast, in addition to multiple individual awards. MSU competed against 200 students from universities of Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee, as well as approximately 20 other universities from across the Southeast. Students heard from 16 journalism professionals--including MSU alumni now working in journalism, reporters from The New York Times and The Hill, a news anchor from WLBT-TV, the nation's top college football reporter and the senior editor for the Minnesota Vikings--for discussions about the changing media landscape. Founded in 1986, SEJC exists for the advancement of journalism education in the Southeast and is open to any regional university or four-year college with courses in journalism or mass communication.

Mississippi State University congratulates 26 recent fall semester graduates recognized as Stephen D. Lee Scholars for achieving a cumulative 4.0 grade point average during their college careers.

Mississippi State University congratulates 4,569 students who were named to the fall 2024 President's List. These students achieved a 3.80 or better grade-point average, based on a 4.0 scale, while completing at least 12 semester hours of coursework with no incomplete grades or grades lower than a C.

Mississippi State University congratulates approximately 1,500 students who are among the fall 2024 graduates. MSU President Mark E. Keenum congratulated graduates as their keynote speaker for the December commencement, reminding the class that the university's core values will serve as their foundation for life after graduation and help them change the world. "You understand our values that we uphold here at Mississippi State," he said. "Integrity: Strive to have a reputation in your life of being the kind of person that other people can trust and count on. Hard work: You had to work hard just to be sitting here today, continue that work ethic. Respect for other people: Be the kind of person that other people just enjoy being around because you're always so nice, kind, thoughtful and considerate of others. That's the reputation of Mississippi State people."

Mississippi State University congratulates 2,661 students who were named to the fall 2024 Deans' List. These students achieved a grade-point average between 3.5 and 3.79, based on a 4.0 scale, while completing at least 12 semester hours of coursework with no incomplete grades or grades lower than a C.

Thirty-nine outstanding Mississippi State freshmen are recipients of Presidential Endowed Scholarships, the university's most prestigious undergraduate award. The 2024-25 Presidential Scholars are members of the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College and possess strong academic skills, creativity and a drive for success. Endowment-level gifts for the scholarships provide students with financial support to cover the cost of attending the university for four years. The experience offers a one-time educational enrichment scholarship for study-abroad opportunities, internships or other qualified academic pursuits, an undergraduate research fellowship award and mentoring. To qualify, applicants must have a minimum 30 ACT/1330 SAT score, as well as have graduated with a minimum core or overall 3.75 high school GPA (based on a 4.0 scale). Recipients are expected to maintain an overall 3.4 GPA in their respective academic majors. Presidential Scholars can interact with members of the land-grant institution's extensive research faculty and be part of the honors college's summer-study program at Oxford University in England, among other enhanced learning experiences.

Mississippi State University congratulates 113 recent spring graduates recognized as Stephen D. Lee Scholars for achieving a cumulative 4.0 grade point average during their college careers.

Seven Mississippi State ROTC cadets took the U.S. Army commission oath during a May ceremony led by honorary speaker Maj. Gen. David Wilson. The cadets' commission as part of the MSU Bulldog Battalion Cadre signifies the formal beginning of the spring 2024 graduates' military careers. Commissioned cadets include Zachary Wright, a secondary education major from Double Springs, Alabama; Joshua Walton, a business administration major from Pelham, Alabama; Paul Richardson, a psychology major from Tupelo; Micah Layton, a math major from Irondale, Alabama; Jacob Guthrie, a psychology major from Gulfport; James Baker, an electrical engineering major from Duck Hill; and Joseph Adams, a kinesiology major from Jackson.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is proud to announce the 2024 Study Abroad Grant recipients. The grants, worth $1,000, were awarded to 125 students nationwide.

MSU student-journalists won top awards at the 2024 Mississippi Press Association Better News/Media Conference in Ridgeland this spring. The Reflector, MSU's student newspaper, won the overall General Excellence award for the fourth year in a row. MSU students took home 11 first-place awards, including Best General News Story, Best General Interest Column and Best Sports Photo, and left the conference with 25 total awards. In an unusual turn for the MPA contest, the award for Best Series of Investigative Packages was given to The Reflector and the University of Mississippi's Daily Mississippian for a joint climate change-focused project the two newspapers completed in the fall. At the conference, students from the state's universities and community colleges heard from Mississippi journalism legend Felder Rushing, national director of the Garden Writers Association, and sports columnist Rick Cleveland.

Nearly 120 Mississippi State graduate students participated in the fall Graduate Student Research Symposium, a bi-annual event allowing students to showcase their faculty-guided research and creative activity. This fall's GSRS included students from diverse departments and colleges who participated in poster and oral presentation sessions, sharing their research with the MSU community. Student projects were evaluated by 43 judges, who provided feedback that can be useful in improving current research and preparing for future endeavors. Research projects were divided into four categories - Agriculture and Life Sciences; Education, Arts and Sciences, and Business; Engineering; and Forest Resources and Veterinary Medicine - and the event featured 14 oral and eight poster sessions, and about 20 moderators and volunteers. Winning students received $150 for first place, $75 for second place and $50 for third place entries. The event was hosted by the Graduate School in collaboration with the MSU Graduate Student Association. For more information about the GSRS, visit www.grad.msstate.edu/students/graduate-development/graduate-research-symposium.

Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society, celebrates students who are serving as circle (chapter) presidents. Students who serve as circle presidents are leaders amongst leaders. Members of ODK must be sophomores, juniors, seniors, or graduate/professional students in the top 35% of their class and embrace the Society's ideals. They also must demonstrate leadership experience in at least one of the five pillars of campus life celebrated by ODK: academics and research, athletics, service to campus and community, communications, and creative and performing arts. Fewer than five percent of students on a campus are invited to join each year.

Twelve Mississippi State students have been selected for summer internships in Washington, D.C., through the William A. Demmer Scholars Program. Designed for students to learn about policymaking on natural resources and conservation, the Demmer Scholars Program allows students to complete a 12-week, 40-hour per week internship with a government or non-governmental organization active in natural resources policymaking and take a 400-level policymaking course. Created in 2009 and named after Michigan State graduate, conservationist and businessman William A. Demmer, the program selects students from Mississippi State, Michigan State and the University of Montana to work with internship partners including the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and House Natural Resources Committee. It is affiliated with the Boone and Crockett Club, one of the oldest U.S. conservation organizations in which Demmer once served as president.

Twenty-four Mississippi State students have been honored with Spirit of State Awards, the university's premier student recognition. The award honors students making a positive impact on peers and the broader campus community through organization involvement, service to the institution and personal actions promoting school spirit and tradition.