Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Having just concluded an invited meeting in Italy with three international agencies, Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum is moving to tap capabilities of the state's flagship research university to help them.
"There are some exciting opportunities to match research strengths and expertise at Mississippi State with projects that literally stretch around the globe," said the former U.S. under-secretary of agriculture.
The privately funded travel took Keenum last week to Rome, headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program, specialized agencies of the United Nations, as well as the International Fund for Agricultural Development. He had been invited by the FAO to explore possible connections with MSU, which ranks seventh nationally in agricultural research and expenditures. (For more on the FAO, visit www.fao.org/.)
"As a result of these meetings, there's great interest in further dialog about possible memoranda of understanding with the FAO in particular," Keenum said Wednesday [June 30].
"We'll soon start discussions on our campus with faculty members about an international center or other ways to become more engaged with organizations such as the U.S. State Department's Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and non-governmental agencies and foundations," he explained.
Such collaborations should open new opportunities for MSU research, as well as travel-abroad study for students and expanded scientific and technical assistance avenues for faculty and staff, the chief executive said.
"The United States is the largest single contributor to U.N. world food assistance efforts," he noted. "By exploring these opportunities, we not only serve that cause, but we build the strength of our research programs and raise the international profile of Mississippi State's contributions in significant areas."
This is not the first time the U.N. agencies have sought collaboration with other U.S. institutions of higher learning. FAO has an existing partnership, for instance, with the University of Minnesota to develop capacity in animal and veterinary public health, as well as food safety and nutrition.
"My discussions with FAO and WFP centered on a number of possibilities," Keenum said. "We touched on technical assistance programs similar to the MSU Extension role, providing expertise in areas such as irrigation and water supply, and basic agricultural instruction."
In other areas, the 132-year-old land-grant institution has widely recognized strengths in fields that support many U.N. goals, including nutrition, food product development, food safety, and weather risk assessment, among others.
Keenum said he was hopeful that senior FAO officials would have an opportunity to visit the MSU campus later this year.
"One challenge in addressing world hunger is to find nutritious, inexpensive food products that don't require water and can serve a range of ages, from children to adults," Keenum said. "Mississippi State has much expertise it could bring to bear that would benefit not only the efforts in other countries, but in our own."
Alluding to the more than a billion malnourished people around the glob--many of whom are children--Keenum said his alma mater "has an opportunity to provide leadership here at home and on a global basis."
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional comments, contact Dr. Keenum at 662-325-3221.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.