Alumnus Magazine | Summer 2020

Campus NEWS
health of everyone on campus, and part of
that protection was setting up a quarantine
facility. Butler Guest House became a secure
location for housing anyone who showed
signs of the disease.
Crocker also became the point person
for working with employees and students
who were producing personal protective
equipment, or PPE, for distribution across
the state. Because of its research and
engineering capabilities, the university was
able to send PPE to the Mississippi Emergency
Management Agency, medical facilities,
numerous cities and counties, and even offices
on campus that needed them.
“Helping out in a time of need is
rewarding,” Crocker said, adding that he
hopes history shows how everyone pulled
together to make health and safety the
university’s primary focus.
“People were genuinely willing to help and
put aside who gets credit,” he said. “They care
about their university community.”
JAMES JANKOWSKI
MSU DINING SERVICES
Food service on a college campus usually
comes in high demand the Monday after
spring break, with MSU Dining staff glad to
see the familiar faces of the more than 22,000
students returning to the university with big
appetites.
Things were different this March.
“We would have been ready to ramp back
up,” said James Jankowski, Aramark resident
district manager. “All 22 eateries would have
been back in full operation, and our team of
500 employees would be buying, preparing,
cooking, serving and selling.”
Instead, when that Monday rolled around
this spring, only three dining locations
reopened as the university moved all courses
online for the remainder of the semester with
coronavirus spreading across the state and the
nation. Marketplace at Perry, Starbucks and
the POD in Colvard Student Union sustained
the few students who stayed on campus.
Jankowski said adapting to serving a few
hundred instead of thousands isn’t that foreign
to his team, which has quickly been able to
switch gears in situations when classes are
suddenly canceled or weather prevents events
from taking place.
“They have helped each other to make
things happen,” he said of the smaller staff that
took on more responsibilities and changed
duties to keep those on campus fed.
Over the summer, Jankowski spent much
of his time thinking about how MSU Dining
would move forward for the fall semester and
how to accommodate students in the new
environment after COVID-19. To-go orders,
pick-up locations, new offerings, speed of
service, adequate seating and the installation of
kiosks have been a few of his considerations.
“We want safety to be our top priority,
but we also want quality food service,” he
said. “Our biggest factor is looking at student
feedback and what they want next. Their
habits drive our direction.”
ANN SANSING
MSU EXTENSION
Summertime usually means children and
teens of all ages come to Mississippi State for
enjoyable and enriching experiences through
camps and other activities that keep their
curiosity and creativity thriving. Talents
are developed, personal growth occurs and
encouragement to explore takes these young
people to places they never thought they
could go.
The summer of 2020, though, didn’t
happen quite as planned for camp organizers
who struggled with how to offer programming
in the time of COVID-19.
As director of the Rural Medical and
Science Scholars Program at Mississippi
State, Ann Sansing knew she and other staff
members had to begin early to prepare for
the continuation of her curriculum, a 20-
year staple at the university and cornerstone
of the MSU Extension Service’s mission
of youth development. The program helps
rising high school seniors determine if they
want to pursue health-related careers and
shapes students’ interest and understanding of
medicine, health-related disciplines and other
STEM fields.
“This required a different level of thinking
and planning. Solely leaning on technology to
create that face-to-face atmosphere was now
dependent on a screen with personality,” said
Sansing who, in addition to being a Rural
Health Fellow, holds both a bachelor’s in
marketing and master’s in technology from
Mississippi State.
Quickly recognizing the importance of
moving summer programs online, Sansing
said school closings, the emergence of the term
“social distancing” and all-around feelings
about future uncertainty emerged as key
factors in changing to virtual learning.
The toughest part was planning for
physician shadowing and practical learning
like suturing techniques. She said these
hands-on activities were replaced with
medical simulation software, video instruction
technology and real-time videoconferencing
sessions. Sansing and her team even created
virtual roommates and counselors, so student
participants could experience teambuilding
activities, relationship building, mentorship
and program navigation.
“The inception took a different mindset
to maintain that personal connection and
mimic a face-to-face environment,” she said.
“Our staff envisioned obstacles and challenges
as opportunities. We were pushed out of our
comfort zones to think critically, embrace
change and ‘create’ in the unknown.”
Looking back at this summer’s successful
program, Sansing is a believer that educational
programs via online learning—whether
real-time or independent—rises to the same
excellence and commitment as face-to-face
learning environments.
“Change can offer opportunities to develop
new skills and techniques that will prove
profitable in the 21st century,” she concluded. •
6 SUMMER 2020
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