The previous version incorrectly stated the dates for Winter Express.

We regret this error and have made the necessary correction below.

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Attending college is an exciting life experience for our students, but it can also be a time of stress, change and adjustment. Mississippi State University has partnered with My Student Support Program (MySSP) to help our students be successful. MySSP provides free, confidential mental health and well-being support to all Mississippi State students. MySSP includes many resources such as 24/7 free mental health support by phone or text through the app. 

Students can receive help anytime with:

• adapting to changes or challenges
• being successful at school
• navigating relationships with friends and family
• handling feelings or sadness, loneliness, homesickness, or more
• or to just to talk to someone.

Make sure your student downloads the app today! Students can search "MY SSP" in the app store to download the My SSP App and get connected.

Hello Bulldogs, 

The final stretch! Support your students during this time with positive encouragement, compassion, or a mailed surprise from home. Your student can expect their final grades to be posted by 10:00 a.m. on December 12. Remember, if your student has granted you access to the Parent Portal then you will be able to view the final grades, too.

If your student is a first-year student and their semester grades are lower than expected, please keep in mind that grades will often improve moving forward as students adjust to their new life away from home. (Sometimes the transition can be a little tough!) The Center for Academic Excellence is a great resource for assistance. Also, it's a good time to sit down with your student and discuss what went right, what went wrong, and what adjustments need to be made for the spring semester. Establishing new expectations is super important to your student's success.

As always, remember you can give us a ring if you need anything, even over the break. We will leave for the winter holiday break on December 21 and will be back in the office on January 2.

(If you have something that can't wait, please call me on my cell at 662.418.2441.)



Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and Hail State!

Cat Walker and Becky Faulk

662.325.3611

family@msstate.edu

Checklist for students planning to graduate:



• Confirm with advisor that all degree requirements have been met. CAPP degree audit system is a guide for this, but we recommend consulting advisors to be sure.
• Log in to myState (Banner) and select “Apply for a degree.”
• Complete ALL steps of the application and select SUBMIT.
• Students will receive a confirmation number signifying the application was successfully submitted.
• Account balance must be paid in full. This includes everything from tuition to parking and library fines. (Students with an unpaid balance will not receive a diploma.)
• Students who plan to walk in the December commencement ceremony must order caps and gowns through Barnes & Noble bookstore.
• Students who have taken courses away from MSU at any time (summer courses at home, etc.) need to have all transfer transcripts sent to MSU. If a transcript containing a required course has not been received, a student may not be eligible to graduate.

The Fall 2022 main campus commencement ceremonies will be held on Friday, December 9, 2022, in the Humphrey Coliseum on our Starkville Campus (details below). Graduates must arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to their ceremony start time and should be dressed in their regalia at check-in.

Please read through these important notes about the ceremonies:

• Security screening will take place upon entry and all bags are subject to search.
• Please DO NOT bring personal items into the Coliseum. There will not be any storage areas available, and anything left in seats will be thrown away.
• Guest attendance is limited to 8 guests per graduate and all guests must have tickets to enter (regardless of age). Ticket information can be found in the section below.
• Guest seating will be general admission and first-come, first-served. Please DO NOT sit in the roped off sections behind the stage.
• Graduates will be seated after check-in and an entrance processional will not be included in the ceremonies. However, graduates will still walk across the stage as they are announced and congratulated.
• Graduates will receive a diploma cover as they cross the stage. Physical contact with anyone on stage is prohibited.
• Once graduates are recognized by walking across the stage, they will not return to their seats. Instead, they will be guided to the photography area to take a professional photo before exiting the Coliseum.
• Guests are expected to begin leaving the Coliseum once their graduate exits the stage. Please do this quietly with respect to other graduates and guests.
• Re-entry into the Coliseum will not be permitted, and each ceremony should last roughly 1.5 hours total.
• There will be no concessions available during the ceremonies. Guests may bring one clear water bottle into the Coliseum.
• Please plan to remove all vehicles from the parking areas promptly following the morning ceremony to make space for guests attending the afternoon ceremony.
• Any guests who are unable to attend may view a livestream of the ceremonies online (links can be found below).
• All cords, stoles, pins, etc. that are worn with graduation regalia come from the individual organizations that the graduates may be involved with. Graduates can reach out to the MSU-affiliated groups that they are part of to see if they offer any graduation adornments. These items must be approved in order to distribute them to graduates.

Instructions for claiming guest tickets will be emailed to graduates and updated online here in late November 2022. There is no cost, and each graduate may claim up to 8 tickets. Please check back in late November for additional information regarding commencement guest tickets.

Fall 2022 Ceremony Divisions are as Follows:

Friday, December 9, 2022, 9:30 a.m. 

(Doors open at 8 a.m.)

Academic Affairs

College of Architecture, Art & Design

College of Arts & Sciences

College of Education

Friday, December 9, 2022, 3:30 p.m. 

(Doors open at 2 p.m.)

Bagley College of Engineering

College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

College of Business

College of Forest Resources

College of Veterinary Medicine

GRADUATES MUST APPLY FOR THEIR DEGREE

THROUGH BANNER IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THEIR DIPLOMA.

(Diplomas are mailed 4-6 weeks after the ceremonies.)

To access the Fall 2022 commencement parking map, ADA parking accommodation information, commencement seating diagram, regalia order and professional photography details, please click the button below.

Encourage your student to consider advancing their academic journey this winter with Mississippi State’s online curriculum, Winter Express.

Through the MSU Winter Express, students can choose from an updated, expanded selection of more than 200 online courses that begin December 13, 2022 – January 13, 2023. The condensed, five-week semester allows students to earn up to six hours of course credit while getting a head start on the spring semester, finishing core course requirements, taking classes within majors, or picking up extra credits to accelerate graduation. They also may want to explore new subject areas, concentrate on difficult courses and/or benefit from smaller classes taught by MSU’s world-class faculty.

Students can learn more about this program, the courses offered, tuition expenses, financial aid, and more by visiting MSU Winter Express today.

Winter housing applications are now available for current students who plan to spend the winter holiday break at MSU. Winter housing is only available to current fall residents who will remain living on campus for the following spring semester.

To apply, students will need to visit their Housing Portal. The rate for winter housing is $1,000 and will be charged to any student staying after December 9 thru January 13. Costs will not be pro-rated under any circumstances. 

Does your Bulldog need a ride to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport?

Encourage your student to consider riding the Golden Triangle Regional Airport (GTRA) Express Route in order to make their next flight out of Starkville. The GTRA Express Route provides transportation services from the HWY 12 West Walmart stop and the Mill at MSU stop. No reservation is needed for these stops.

On-campus accommodations are available through a 48 hour reservation. Students who live on campus are able to reserve a pick-up day and time with the GTRA Express Route and coordinate getting picked up at the nearest shuttle stop by their residence hall. To make an on-campus reservation, students can call MSU Parking and Transit Services at 662.325.5204.

Students can follow the GTRA Express Route on the DoubleMap app for a real-time location and estimated time of arrival (ETA).

Previous Issue of our e-Newsletter

In our November e-Newsletter, we provided information on various topics that included:

• Preparing for Finals
• Resources provided by the Career Center

If you would like to view the November e-Newsletter, please visit Get Connected.

Conversation Starters

Take time this month to ask your students the following questions:

1. What are your plans this winter break?
2. What adjustments do you plan to make to your academic routine to help you better prepare for the spring semester?
3. How are you feeling about returning for the spring semester?

Upcoming Events

December Flu Clinics

Fridays | 9AM - 4:30PM

Longest Student Health Center

Student Account Reminders

In an effort to foster responsible financial management and reduce student debt, we would like to remind you about important payment requirements related to student accounts.

• Payment Plans are Available

MSU is pleased to offer payment plans that will allow you to pay tuition, residence halls, meal plans and other expenses through monthly installments. Learn more at Pay My Bill.

• Payment Due Dates are on the 1st of Each Month

Your monthly billing statement will be available around the 15th of each month, and the due date is the 1st of the following month. For example, a December 15th billing statement will have a due date of January 1st.

• Bills Must be Paid Before the Semester Begins or your Student's Schedule will be subject to Cancellation

Before classes begin, you must pay the full balance on your student’s account (net of aid) or be enrolled in a payment plan. Otherwise, your student’s schedule will be subject to cancellation, and if they are living in campus housing, they will not be permitted to move into their residence hall.

PLEASE NOTE: If your account balance is displayed in (parentheses), it means you have a (credit balance), and MSU owes you a refund. A (credit balance) means you do not need to make a payment or enroll in payment plan.

For questions concerning billing statements or tuition and fees call 662.325.2071 between 8:00 - 5:00 Monday through Friday or email studentaccounts@msstate.edu.

For questions concerning financial aid call 662.325.2450 between 8:00-5:00 Monday through Friday or email financialaid@msstate.edu.

Money Matter$

Past due holds and late fees will be assessed on the October 15th statement. Holds prevent pre-registration for the upcoming semester. Remember, classes fill up fast! In order to be eligible for pre-registration, students must be enrolled in an active payment plan or have a current account balance of zero.

As of October 1, the 2023-24 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available to complete. Students can complete the FAFSA online. The FAFSA will ask for income data from the 2021 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.

Scholarships

Do you have a student interested in being considered for scholarship resources for the upcoming academic year? The scholarship applications for the 2023-2024 Academic Year will open on October 1. Current students may apply for competitive, private, and departmental scholarships by completing the General Scholarship Application. The priority date for submitting these applications is March 1, 2023.

The Family Club was started in 2008 to help parents stay informed about Mississippi State University. By joining, you will receive email notifications of important dates, be informed of the latest campus news, and stay connected to campus life and resources for your student. We believe that the Mississippi State family extends beyond our campus borders to include students, parents/guardians, grandparents, siblings, alumni, staff, and faculty.

The Family Club enables you to be an integral part of the Mississippi State family! The Family Club membership is open to parents and family members of current, former, and future Mississippi State University students. Benefits of joining include:

• Mississippi State Family Club Padfolio
• Family Programming Support

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 a 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!