Filed under: 1
My dear MVSU family,
It is with a deep sadness that I share with you the passing of one of our dedicated Valley staff members, Officer Robert P. Davis. Mr. Davis began his journey with the Valley family in August 2008 as a faithful member of our University Police Department.
Officer Davis was a diligent university servant who committed himself to ensuring that Valley maintained a lawful and orderly collegial environment for our entire campus community. While Officer Davis was only with us physically at Valley for a brief time, his spirit has left an indelible mark on the Valley and on all of the people with whom he came into contact. Earlier today, we held a memorial service in honor of Officer Davis and we will continue to keep the Davis family in our prayers. We sincerely thank the Davis family for sharing their husband and father with us.
The funeral service for Officer Robert P. Davis will be Saturday, July 25 at 11 a.m. at the Pilgrim Home M.B. Church located on 301 James Trimm Drive in Leland, Miss. Please continue to keep the entire Davis family uplifted through your kind words, thoughts, and prayers.
Filed under: 1
Welcome back, Alumni! Wherever your journey has taken you over the years since you were a student here, I want you to know that we regard every alumni of MVSU as an invaluable treasure. I am so excited that this year’s National Alumni Convention Summit is being held on our beautiful campus. As MVSU alum, you are always welcome to return to campus to reminiscence on cherished memories and to see the many changes that have taken place on the campus to make this institution the best it can be. The MVSU National Alumni Association is here to help you stay connected to all the great things happening at the University. We have many activities planned for you on your three-day visit on campus.
Congratulations, Senior Ryan Burciaga
On another high note, MVSU student Ryan Burciaga, a biology major, devoted eight weeks of his summer to an internship at North Dakota State University. Ryan, a native of Hawaii, is a member of the Delta Devils football team. He has excelled on the field as well as off, last semester he received honors during our annual convocation for maintaining between a 3.50 and 3.79 GPA. Ryan Burciaga, we salute you for your hard work and dedication.
Filed under: MVSU
I am pleased to announce that the Department of English and Foreign Languages at The Valley has released the latest issue (9.1) of Valley Voices: A Literary Review. Valley Voices is a journal of literature, culture, and criticism published twice a year at MVSU. This is a special issue featuring Sterling Plumpp, a well-known poet and Clinton, Miss. native. Contributors for this edition include writers such as African American novelist John Edgar Wideman; George Gruntz, a world-renowned Swiss jazz composer; and a professor from Harvard University. This edition also includes works by students and faculty. Congratulations to Dr. J.Q. Zheng, chair of the Department of English and Foreign Languages and editor of the journal. We applaud our Valley students who submitted journal entries and thank those students who worked with Dr. Zheng to ensure a scholarly publication. A very special thank you is extended to our guest editors, Hermine Pinson and Duriel E. Harris.
Our Social Work Department continues to make headlines. Recently, Dr. Barbara Newsome of the Department of Social Work was honored by high school students from Our House Domestic Violence Shelter in Greenville during a surprise ceremony. Dr. Newsome allowed the students to visit her class and encouraged them to attend the Unita Blackwell Leadership Summit at Tougaloo College. Each student that applied to the summit was accepted. During the ceremony, the students presented Dr. Newsome with proclamations and gifts. Congratulations, Dr. Barbara Newsome! This is such a testament to your excellence and commitment to education, social issues and our youth.
Filed under: 1
I am happy to announce that two departments at The Valley have received accreditation from their respective accrediting councils. The undergraduate environmental health program was reaccredited for six years by the National Environmental Health and Protection Accreditation Council at an annual meeting in Atlanta.
Also, MVSU’s master of Social Work (MSW) program has been granted full accreditation, and the bachelor of social work (BSW) program has been reaccredited by the Commission on Accreditation for the Council on Social Work Education at their annual meeting held June 12-13 in Alexandria, Virginia. This is definitely great news! I would like to congratulate Dr. Joseph Wahome, chair of natural sciences, Dr. Vincent Venturini, interim dean of professional studies and chair of social work and their staff.
Filed under: MVSU
I know it has been a while but I am pleased to bring good news to my MVSU family. Recently, I returned to my home state of North Carolina to deliver the keynote address at the Elon School’s Inaugural Commencement. The Elon School is near and dear to my heart, as I am a former member of the Board of Trustees. While in North Carolina, I also delivered the commencement address for the Kennedy Charter High School in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Our university is full of life this summer as numerous programs are in progress. It is a pleasure for me to welcome the many young men and women who have descended upon the campus to participate in the various experiences offered at The Valley. Those programs include LSMAMP, Upward Bound, Summer Development, the National Science Foundation’s ITEST-CEMO, and the Summer Language Institute. We also look forward to welcoming students and teachers in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Astro Camp and Aerospace Academy. NASA representatives from the John C. Stennis Space Center will visit our campus, July 14-16 as part of the center’s outreach program. In addition, there will be a special demonstration on July 15. This exhibit will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, as well as, other exciting aeronautical facts. This event will be open to the public. Please attend if you can.
I am so pleased to extend special congratulations to Ms. Jannette Adams, director of Sponsored Programs & Title III, for being named secretary of the National Association of Title III Administrators during a meeting in Memphis. What an honor for Ms. Adams as well as MVSU.
We are excited about our 20 new recruits to our football team for the 2009-2010 academic year. Of this 20, 15 are freshmen and 5 are transfers from community/junior colleges. It is very satisfying to know that we will have about 60 returning players for the season including our top quarterback, senior, Paul Roberts. Enhancing our team of football coaches this year is our new defensive line coach, Mr. Derrick Mason. We are anticipating a very competitive and spirit-filled football season beginning September 5. Let’s prepare to support our football team this fall.
We would like to welcome our new men’s basketball players, as well as, congratulate our basketball coaches for ranking 43 out of 109 universities for the recruiting class of 2009. We have eight new recruits coming to us from across the U.S., Michael Mayo and Jason Holmes, both of Arizona; Jason Sabb of Texas; Mark Holmes and Darian Donald, both of Mississippi; Chris Hamblin of Nebraska; Ricky Lamb of Florida; and D’Angelo Jackson of Arkansas. We look forward to a very exciting and competitive basketball season.
What a joy it is for me to welcome a new member of the President’s Office and the MVSU executive staff, A. Zachary Faison Jr., Esq., Special Assistant to the President for Legal and Legislative Affairs. Attorney Faison comes to MVSU from Edward Waters College where he served as director of external affairs. His background includes director of alumni affairs and adjunct professor at Albany State University and executive assistant to the CEO of a music publishing company. Attorney Faison is also the founder & principal for The Faison Firm, Albany, Ga. The Faison Firm is a multi-specialty law firm serving individuals, businesses, and governmental entities throughout the state of Georgia.
Mr. Faison holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Albany State University, a doctor of jurisprudence degree from the University of Georgia School of Law and a certification in fundraising management from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. Please join me in extending a warm Valley welcome to Attorney Faison.
