Alumnus Magazine | Summer 2020

“We will continue to emphasize more need
for grants and contracts so that our budget
can be supplemented with the overhead,”
Moore continued. “More technology will
be used in our two colleges along with new
teaching methods that can be effective with
less classroom time. We will continue to
have students on campus because a college
education is much more than just learning the
material taught in classrooms. It is learning
soft skills like leadership, how to work
together to accomplish something, how to
get along with others, problem-solving and
conflict resolution to name a few.”
MSU Vice President for Development
and Alumni John Rush is also looking to
the future and how Mississippi State will
overcome the financial uncertainty brought on
by the pandemic.
“During my tenure with the MSU
Foundation, I’ve witnessed severe events that
have impacted the MSU family in different
ways—the 9/11 attacks and the dot-com
bubble burst, Hurricane Katrina and the
financial collapse of 2008-09,” Rush recalled.
“During these terrible times, we found that
there were pockets of alumni who were not as
impacted, and they rallied to support MSU
and our students.
“The fiscal years coming out of Katrina
and 9/11 were some of the largest in terms of
support in our history at the time. However,
this pandemic coupled with the oil market
collapse has led to greater instability across
sectors of the market,” he added. “Additionally,
we’ve never faced a scenario where our staff
could not actually visit our alumni and discuss
opportunities to move MSU forward from
this. We are blessed that many of our staff have
been with us for over a decade and have long
relationships with donors.
“As a result, we are able to have open
conversations via technology about gifts
to MSU,” Rush continued. “Typically,
technology does not allow for the human
“Information is changing
and taking on different
nuances on an almost
hourly basis. With guidance
from federal and state
leaders, from global and
national medical and
epidemiological advisers,
and from our own capable
students, faculty and
staff, MSU’s leadership
team has taken this
evolving information and
is developing a measured
response. “
~ Mark E. Keenum
connection needed but due to these long
relationships, we are able to advance past
those limitations.”
SECURING DIGITAL
SPACES
The security of MSU’s online academic
effort has been vital to the COVID-19
response. MSU Chief Information Officer
Steve Parrott explained, “MSU was prepared
in many ways for the pandemic with a cyber
security-conscious workforce and a significant
number of faculty and staff who travel and
work remotely. This was something that has
not happened overnight but rather is a security
awareness culture we have tried to cultivate at
Mississippi State University over time.
“A remote workforce highlights the
importance of two-factor authentication,”
Parrott continued. “Two-factor authentication
adds a second layer of security when
logging into MSU systems. The first factor
is something you know, your NetID or
password. The second factor is something you
have, your mobile device or a security token.
On July 24, 2017, ITS enabled two-factor
authentication for faculty and staff, and on
January 15, 2019, two-factor authentication
was made mandatory for all students.”
MOVING FORWARD
MSU Extension State Health Specialist
David Buys likewise expressed confidence as
the university seeks to move forward into the
“new normal”—whatever that might be.
“Being a part of not just seeing ‘the
sausage being made’ but also ‘making the
sausage’ at some level has been a remarkable
learning and leadership experience,” Buys
said. “I’ve learned a lot about the value of a
multidisciplinary team and the importance
of meaningful meetings with a solid agenda,
mutual respect for what everyone brings to
the table, and the importance of frequent
and open communication. What’s more,
the opportunity to sit at a meeting table
with Dr. Keenum at the helm is a humbling
experience.”
Hyatt said she sees challenges looming
but is hopeful for a return to the “student
experience” that makes college special.
“There is much work to be done in the
realms of teaching and learning, campus life,
business functions, athletics, health and safety
considerations—and within these broad areas
a whole list of questions about how to do
these things safely, efficiently and affordably,”
she said. “There are many questions, too many
options and few answers.
“My vision for moving forward is to be
able to make decisions that are in the best
interest of our students and their success and
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