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Hello dear Bulldogs!
How in the world is spring break right around the corner?! This year is going by way too quickly. We hope, wherever you are, you can already see signs of spring and new beginnings. As the end of the semester approaches, we know students also have their eyes on the new beginning of next semester. Fresh starts are invigorating. How about you? Would you like a fresh start?
Did you know Mississippi State has over 60 online degree programs and a knowledgeable, helpful staff to walk you through the process? We know you trust Mississippi State with your child’s future. You can also trust Mississippi State Online to assist you in moving to the next phase of your life and career.
We have all become familiar with the term online learning and there are certainly a range of emotions that accompany this type of learning for our traditional students. There are a lot of positives to online learning, especially for our Bulldog parents and families! We want to share a few with you.
In this issue you will find information about online education, events for your students, as well as important dates and announcements.
As always, if you need anything, please do not hesitate to contact us. (As I type this, I wish I was sitting outside watching Mississippi State baseball, our weather is gorgeous! Here's hoping yours is, too!)
Cat Walker & Becky Faulk
Office of Parent & Family Services
Don't forget to scroll down to check out our important announcements
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March 8
Last day to drop a class with a "W" grade
(36th class day) 5:00 p.m.
March 14 to March 18
Spring Break – No Classes Scheduled
(Dates Subject to Change)
March 21 to April 1
Faculty advising for pre-registration
(Some departments advise earlier)
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March 25
Last day to apply for May 2022
degree via myState with $50 fee
March 26 to April 25
Late May 2022 Degree Application
via myState - $50 fee plus $100 late fee
April 1
Second progress grade reporting deadline (end of week 10)
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LIVING BY EXAMPLE
Is your student in an academic rut? Are you trying everything possible to motivate your student to press on? Sometimes students need a little more push. Parents and families set the primary examples for their students. Whether it's through their own personal and academic achievements, life goals, or career performance, students learn my example.
On more than one occasion, Mississippi State has witnessed parents graduating at the same time as their son or daughter. For some parents, it is a promise they made to their child. For others, it is a move forward into a new career path or opportunity. Whatever the reason may be, our convenient online programs may be what you or someone you know need in order to make those life goals happen.
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With her oldest child away at college, Ashley Weaver decided to apply to MSU and found out what she needed to finish her own degree. Finding out there was an online option was a godsend.
“I want to finish what I started. To check that off my list and know that I completed it. And maybe a small part is because my daughter is a junior at State and I don’t want her to earn her degree before I earn mine!” Weaver said.
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When Kim Stone’s youngest child Jacob, then a freshman at Mississippi State, questioned why she hadn’t finished her degree, she couldn’t come up with a good reason.
“I realized all of my ‘excuses’ of time, money, raising kids, were no longer valid. So, with encouragement from my husband and kids, I decided to take the plunge and return to college as a full-time student while working over 40 hours a week as a high school registrar,” Stone said.
For those considering their own pursuit of a college degree as a non-traditional student, Stone offers this advice, “It's never too late! I was apprehensive since it had been thirty years since I was in high school; but from the academic advisors to the instructors, there is always support and readily available assistance.”
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ONLINE READINESS
Although distance education is a convenient alternative to the traditional classroom, be sure that distance education is the right choice for you. Successful and happy distance students have a few characteristics in common.
eLearnReady is designed to analyze students’ degree of readiness for participating in online courses. Based upon research and statistical analysis, a total of nine salient and measurable factors were identified that include:
- Self-Motivation
- Self-Management
- Communication with Instructor
- Interaction with Peers
- Learning Preference – Text
- Learning Preference – Visual
- Learning Preference – Auditory
- Technology Skills
- Classroom Website
At the end of the assessment, you will receive a detailed report of your results to help you better understand your readiness to succeed in online classes.
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WHO IS EARNING A DEGREE ONLINE?
Individuals who:
- began college but did not finish
- are balancing family & work obligations
- wish to change fields or move up in their careers
- are looking to expand their knowledge and creativity
Never feel alone when taking classes at Mississippi State University Online. We are here, every step of the way. With 40+ degree options, you can set your own schedule and enjoy the flexibility of work/other obligations and school. Learn what degree opportunities are available to you and your student by visiting the Center for Distance Education.
WHAT TO EXPECT
If distance education is new to you, you may be wondering what is involved in taking an online course or completing a degree program online. The following resources are available to assist you in the transition to online learning.
Technology Assistance
The Center for Distance Education provides students registered in online courses technical assistance through the Center's help desk. Additional information on these services can be found on the Technical Assistance page.
Distance Student Services
MSU and the Center for Distance Education provides support and assistance for all students registered for a distance learning course. Additional information on these services can be found on the Student Services page.
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BENEFITS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
Taking an online class can be a little nerve racking at first, especially if you've only taken face-to-face classes. Even if you are tech-savvy, being a little apprehensive at the beginning is normal. Taking an online course or two has its perks. Here are four advantages to studying online.
Career advancement
Taking courses online helps you gain more work experiences and learn new skills that will help you advance in your career. You're able to correspond with fellow online classmates from across the globe who come from all walks of life and experiences.
Flexible schedule and environment
You get to choose your own learning environment that works best for your needs: be it your bedroom, your car on a lunch break, the café across the street, or your local gym listening to your instructor’s lecture through podcast as you run on the treadmill. Taking an online course also means that you don’t have to commute to class, no parking dilemma, no decal, and no traffic!
Lower costs and decreased debt
Studying online means that you pay the tuition fee, possibly book supplies, an online application fee, and a few other items. You don’t incur the costs of housing, transportation, out-of-state tuition, or printing fees.
More choice of course topics
When selecting your classes for a face-to-face class environment, you are not only looking at what day of the week a class is offered but also what time. This can be quite a headache especially if a class you need (or want) isn't available on the day and time you need it.
Taking online courses will rid you of that headache. You no longer have to worry about the location of a class, the times available, and what works with the other classes you're taking. Online courses are much more flexible.
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February Issue of our e-Newsletter
In our February e-Newsletter, we provided information on Study Abroad, which included sections that covered:
- Faculty-Led Programs
- Health & Safety
- Spotlight on Kenya
If you would like to view the February e-Newsletter, please visit Get Connected.
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Spring Housing Fair
March 9 | 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Mississippi State's Office of Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS), in collaboration with the Dean of Students' Office, is sponsoring an in-person Housing Fair on the Drill Field this month. Representatives from local properties and apartment communities will be available to discuss pricing, availability, floor plans, in-person/virtual tour options, and participate in the various raffles and giveaway opportunities.
Rain location will take place inside the Colvard Student Union on the 1st floor.
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Bulldog Family Weekend
October 21-23, 2022
We are excited to announce the dates of our Bulldog Family Weekend fall event. MSU football will take on Alabama's Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, AL and we will host a tailgate and watch party here in Stark Vegas. We are working out the details, but we sure hope you will make plans to join us. It will also be an opportunity to highlight some (other) wonderful things on and off campus.
Registration will open in early June.
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Commencement Details
Dates for Spring Commencement have been announced; May 12 and May 13. Details regarding specific colleges are available on the Academic Calendar.
Regalia Orders (Cap and Gown)
In the next week or two, your students will receive more details about regalia and how to place an order. Please encourage your graduates to keep an eye out for these details in their university student email.
Commencement Guidelines
Details related to the ceremonies are pending and will be updated on the Office of the Registrar's site once they have been released.
Livestreams of Ceremonies
Guests who are unable to attend will be able to access the ceremonies through a live stream. More details will be provided later this month.
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Alumni Delegate Tuition Drawing
The Mississippi State University Alumni Delegates will hold its 17th Tuition Drawing in April! Any students returning for the fall 2022 semester are eligible to enter. The winner of the drawing will receive one in-state semester at MSU paid in full. Tickets can be purchased online through the Alumni Association by March 25. The winning ticket will be drawn on April 7 and the winner will be announced on the MSU Alumni Association’s social media accounts (@msstatealumni) following Prize Patrol the week of April 11.
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Upcoming Events
StateDM Thrift
Thursday, March 3 | 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
The Drill Field
Students are invited to join MSU's Dance Marathon Student Organization on the Drill Field for a pop-up thrift shop! All proceeds are donated directly to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.
Unified Kickball Game
Thursday, March 3 | 6:45 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Mississippi State University Unified Sports will be holding their first kickball game of the semester. All students are welcome. We encourage any student interested to bring a friend and prepare to have fun. This is such a great opportunity to connect with other Bulldogs, too!
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Dance Marathon
Saturday, March 5 | 2:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
The Sanderson
StateDM will host its annual Dance Marathon event to raise money for Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. The event includes games, activities with the kids, free food, free t-shirts, prizes, raffles, and a night full of dancing and fundraising! Students are invited to join StateDM and meet their Miracle Families as they tell their stories of hope all while having a fantastic time.
Alternative Spring Break - Volunteer Service
Saturday, March 12 - Wednesday, March 16
Alternative Break Trips give students a chance to explore and address prominent social issues while building relationships through service with communities across the state, nation and world.
Taking place in Atlanta, GA, this year's Alternative Spring Break Trip will engage students with one of the biggest No Kill shelters in the area, Fur Kids. This service project addresses animal rights and welfare while volunteering on site throughout the week. Not to mention, it is their 20th anniversary! The cost is $200 (this includes transportation, lodging, food, and recreation activities) and will be billed to the student's MSU account after the student is accepted to participate. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Feb. 27. For more information, contact akh258@msstate.edu.
Bark in the Stark!
Wednesday, March 23 | 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Cresswell Hall
The National Residence Hall Honorary Student Organization invites students to join them at Cresswell Hall to help make dog treats and tug toys that will be donated to the Oktibbeha County Humane Society. This is a great opportunity for students to find a way to give back to their surrounding community and meet other students.
MSU BIG EVENT
March 26 | 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
MSU BIG Event is a one-day service event for all our MSU student leaders, faculty, staff, and Starkville community members to serve alongside each other to enhance the assets in our community and leave your mark!
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Student Counseling Services - Group Services
scsgroups@saffairs.msstate.edu
662.325.2091
What is Group Therapy? is a free service provided by the Student Counseling Services (SCS). It is a form of psychotherapy in which individuals share and grow amongst others with similar concerns. For many presenting concerns, research has shown that group therapy can be as effective as individual therapy. Group therapy also offers a key component that is not available in individual therapy, social support. Group therapy can help reduce stigma, isolation, and feelings of alienation.
Each group has a different meeting schedule, but typically groups meet once weekly for between 6 and 14 weeks. This schedule will be shared with you by the group facilitator at the time of or after group screening. All groups will meet virtual during the spring 2022 semester due to COVID 19.
What types of groups area offered? SCS has a different menu of groups each semester, and we are open to creating new groups to meet student need and interest. Groups offered this semester are listed below:
- Dealing with Distress - Manage chronic negative emotions and/or behaviors through distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and mindfulness skills.
- Journey to Wholeness - This is a skills-based group that will help survivors of sexual assault or abuse cope with symptoms of trauma, feel empowered in their relationships and receive support from fellow survivors.
- ACT UP - A group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, questioning, or other students coping with coming out, adjusting to campus, relationships, or other concerns.
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RISE - Respect, Inspire, Support, and Empower. This group will assist survivors of emotional, physical, and/ or verbal abuse to cope with their experiences by learning coping skills and connect with a community of other survivors.
- Tabletop Talks - Travel to strange places. Meet interesting people. Fight unspeakable horrors together. Members of this group will engage in weekly installments of the tabletop role play game “Monster of the Week”, followed by a process discussion regarding their interactions in the game setting.
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EMERGE - Experiencing, Making sense, Equipping, and Reinvesting after your Grief Exposure. This group will provide a place to explore, along with others, your grief experience as you work toward acceptance, healing, and wholeness after the loss of a significant person in your life.
Is group therapy confidential?
Group facilitators guarantee their own confidentiality, with an exception if the facilitator has sufficient reason to believe that someone is in danger. In this case, the facilitator has a professional obligation to take direct action in order to keep everyone safe. Each group has its own rules and guidelines, but all groups have the rules that group members will keep what is shared in the group by other group members and the identities of other group members confidential.
To speak to a clinician about your interest in group therapy, please visit our website counseling.msstate.edu and click on Mississippi State Virtual Waiting Room, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 4 pm. Group screening with the group facilitator(s) is required before group involvement can begin, to ensure that the group is a good fit for your concerns.
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Scholarship Reminders
Students with scholarships are encouraged to review the guidelines of their scholarship to maintain their awards by logging into their MSU Scholarship Portal.
The scholarship applications for the 2022-2023 Academic Year opened on October 1, 2021. Current students may apply for competitive, private, and departmental scholarships by completing the General Scholarship Application. The departmental scholarship application and other applications can be found under their Recommended Opportunities. The priority date for submitting these applications is March 1, 2022.
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Money Matter$
As a reminder, on October 1 the 2022-23 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) became available to complete. Students can complete the FAFSA online. The FAFSA will ask for income data from the 2019 tax year. Some federal aid has limited funding. Therefore, to receive maximum consideration for all aid types we encourage your student to complete the FAFSA today.
Students who are receiving Title IV federal financial aid must maintain satisfactory academic progress. For details on the satisfactory academic progress policy as it applies to Mississippi State University, please visit Mississippi State Student Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines.
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Tradition Keeper Medallion
Your student is an essential part of carrying on time-honored traditions that we hold true at MSU. By completing 30 traditions, they could earn the official Tradition Keeper Medallion for a little extra swag to wear at graduation. For more information, visit our website at the MSU Alumni Association.
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Graduation Trip
For 2022, the MSU Alumni Association is offering graduating seniors the opportunity to go on a grad trip to Europe! This excursion lasts from May 23 to June 7 and will take the new grads to some of Europe’s must-see destinations. Guided by a professional Tour Director and surrounded by their peers, graduates can travel safely with flexible and informal programming. For more information, please visit MSU's Young Alumni Travel Program or contact our staff at the MSU Alumni Association at 662.325.7000.
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MSU Food Security Network
The Mississippi State University Food Security Network (FSN) connects students in need to food resources within the community through various avenues.
Block By Block
The Block by Block Program is a partnership between Aramark, the Dean of Students' Office, and the Student Association. It serves to provide short-term assistance by allocating meals to students in need.
Maroon Meals: Campus Food Alert
Maroon Meals is a program that informs current Mississippi State students about the availability of food on campus, including its location and how long it will be available.
Bully's Pantry
As part of the MSU Food Security Network, a broader initiative to meet the basic needs of students, Bully's Closet and Pantry provides nutritious food, toiletries, school supplies, and other necessary items to current MSU students free of charge.
Local Food Pantries
The following are local food pantries that are a resource to provide food to students, faculty, staff and community members who are in need. They are also in need of volunteers for packing and distribution.
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Would you like to make an impact on your student's Mississippi State experience and represent Bulldog Families just like you?
We would like to personally invite you to become an inaugural member of our Maroon Family Alliance. The Maroon Family Alliance will financially support programs and events that enhance your student's experience and our campus community as a whole.
The Maroon Family Alliance will meet on a Friday afternoon in both the fall and spring semesters. During these meetings, members will tour some of Mississippi State’s top facilities, learn about innovative programs, hear from dynamic faculty and administrators. Most importantly, members will decide as a group how Maroon Family Alliance funds will be used to strengthen Mississippi State University and its Division of Student Affairs. It is a special way for parents and families to become connected with key University members and other Bulldog families.
You can be a part of the Maroon Family Alliance by following the “JOIN NOW” link below to make your annual contribution of $2,500. You may also call Jana Berkery, Director of Development, at 662.325.9129 to make your contribution by phone.
Visit MFA.MSSTATE.EDU for more information and we look forward to working with the new Mississippi State Maroon Family Alliance!
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Make sure you mention #MSStateFamily when you make a post.
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Office of Parent and Family Services | 662.325.3611 | family@msstate.edu |
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