Mississippi State and the University of Mississippi are joining with the 10 other Southeastern Conference institutions in the launch of a new SEC Academic Network. A Web site designed to promote academic endeavors of SEC universities using ESPN360.com technology, http://www.secacademicnetwork.com went live Friday [Aug. 21] morning.

The Academic Network was established by the SEC, in partnership with ESPN and the member schools. It will feature content from every institution, ranging from research, innovation and economic development to community partnerships, civic engagement and service.

On the Web site, each institution has its own page featuring videos categorized by topic. Alumni, students and fans worldwide now have the ability in one place to learn more about SEC academics through video features that are posted by the league institutions.

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A Residence Hall Association-sponsored event, "Grill on the Drill," was planned for today, but will be postponed due to possible inclement weather.

"Grill on the Drill" is rescheduled for next Wednesday, Aug. 26, at 6-8 p.m. on the Drill Field.

For more information, e-mail the RHA at rhaexec@saffairs.msstate.edu.

The Drill will be held Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. on the Drill Field in front of Lee Hall.

The Drill, sponsored by the Student and Alumni associations, is held each fall semester to welcome new and returning Bulldogs to campus.

All students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the Starkville community are invited to hear head football coach Dan Mullen and MSU President Mark Keenum address the crowd.

Forbes magazine is ranking Mississippi State among the top 20 of its top 100 best college buys in America.

As ranked Aug. 5 in the national business publication's online edition, the university is given a higher designation than all other Mississippi public and private institutions of higher learning.

The 131-year-old land-grant institution also is the state's only public university included in the top 100.

Forbes said MSU is 18th among schools where students "get the most quality for each tuition dollar spent."

"Mississippi State is committed to providing an outstanding, affordable education for our students," said university President Mark Keenum in response to the magazine's report.

"To be recognized by such a reputable publication confirms that we are succeeding in our goal of being the premier education center for the state of Mississippi," Keenum added.

The Forbes "best buy" formula divides a school's overall quality score, as determined by the methodology for ranking colleges, by the tuition rate for the 2003-04 to 2006-07 academic years, after allowances for scholarships.

Mississippi College and Millsaps College, both religious-affiliated private institutions, were at 24th and 39th, respectively, on the 2009 list.

MSU's fall semester classes begin Aug. 17.

The complete Forbes list is available at www.forbes.com/2009/08/02/best-buys-colleges-opinions-value.html?partner=links.

Senior Justin James stands besides a record-setting barbecue sandwich. A food science and technology major, he also is chef at Starkville's Bistro at State Theatre, whose July 4 mega-cookout sought to enter the Guinness Book of Records. With the assistance of other area restaurants, James and his hard-cooking colleagues produced a 482-pound "sammie" that topped the old 175-pound record. Complete competition details may be found in local newspapers and at the WCBI-TV Web site. (Jul 06, 2009 Photo by Megan Bean)

A chemical engineering research lab is seeking blood donors for blood types B+, B-, O- and AB-.

Donors will be asked to provide proof of blood type, but other personal information will not be recorded and the entire procedure will be kept completely confidential. Participants will need to give their consent for donation; the form can be viewed at http://www.che.msstate.edu/research/MDERL/. A small monetary gift will be given to donors.

Anyone willing to donate a small vial of blood via Longest Student Health Center trained personnel should contact Kaela Leonard at kaela.m.leonard@gmail.com or 781-929-2588 to schedule an appointment.

For questions regarding the research, contact Dr. Adrienne Minerick at minerick@che.msstate.edu or 662-325-7323.

A pair of Mississippi State Bulldogs take their place among college baseball’s all-time greats this weekend in Lubbock, Texas, when former MSU skipper Ron Polk and three-time all-American Rafael Palmeiro are inducted into the National College
Baseball Hall of Fame. They are among 10 players and coaches in the fourth induction class tabbed for this weekend’s enshrinement by the Lubbock-based College Baseball Foundation.

Formal induction ceremonies are scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center and are a part of the four-day college baseball celebration in Lubbock. The inductees will be recognized Thursday night at the annual College Baseball Awards Show at the United Spirit Arena, a Friday morning ring presentation and autograph session, and a July 4th parade and fan fest.


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Source: mstateathletics.com

A Mississippi State computer science major's cooperation with the FBI is leading to the arrest of a Texan accused of planning a major computer "hack" of a Dallas medical facility.

Nearly two weeks ago, Wesley McGrew of Collinsville, a computer science doctoral student at the university, turned over his research about a potential hack to an FBI agent in Jackson. The agent passed the information to the Dallas bureau to investigate for possible federal crimes.

McGrew, a research assistant at MSU's Critical Infrastructure Protection Center, said he communicates often with perceived hackers, but researches only a small percentage of those he interacts with online. This time, however, one showed evidence of threatening public health and safety.

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Source: MSU News

The MSU ID card is getting a face lift, and those new to MSU and those in certain special categories will get a revised look. For most folks, the current ID card will continue to be the card to use.

A key feature of the new design is a larger ID photo for improved identity verification. Additionally, certain ID cards will have colored stripes to indicate individuals identified by their Vice President as being in one of three special categories including:

- Crisis Action Team member, signified by a yellow stripe

- First Responder to emergencies, signified by a red stripe

- Position Identification, signified by a blue stripe