Contact: Kenneth Billings
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State's director of housing and residence life is among 15 individuals selected to participate in a national student gaming task force sponsored by the Harvard Medical School.
Ann Bailey, who has led the major university office since 2000, will spend the next year working with counterparts from universities and colleges across the country. The goal: developing a set of guideline recommendations to help combat and alleviate the problems associated with student gambling.
The task force was organized by the medical school's Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders. Announced during last weekend's 2008 NCAA National Basketball Championship, its members are charged with developing recommendations in three specific areas:
--A science-based gambling policy;
--Recovery-oriented policies and services designed to prevent development of gambling-related problems and helping students with gambling-related problems; and
--Steps for improving the communication of these policies and services to students, parents and other interested stakeholders.
"To be a part of this project form the ground up is an excellent opportunity for MSU," Bailey said. "We in the Division of Student Affairs are committed to bringing this issue to the forefront of conversations about students in higher education."
Bailey completed her MSU doctorate in educational leadership in 1997 while working as a graduate assistant. She was promoted that year to assistant director of housing and residence life.
Bailey also holds a bachelor's degree in guidance and counseling from the University of Montevallo (Ala.) and a master's in higher education administration from Florida State University.
While an MSU graduate student, she was involved in research dealing with student gambling. As a result, two of her research reports were published by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Journal and the College Student Affairs Journal.
In 1999, she was selected to participate in a NASPA Student Gaming Task Force because of her work in the area. She served with the organization until 2002.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information, contact Dr. Bailey at 662-325-3557 or annb@saffairs.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.