Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Five current and former Mississippi State seniors are being honored for outstanding achievements by the university's Association of Retired Faculty.
The 2010-11 honorees include Mariah R. Baird of Starkville, Dennis Daniels of Madison, Emily A. Fleming of Coker, Ala., Jessica L. Porter of Meridian, and Martha I. "Missi" Smith of Columbus.
Baird graduated cum laude in December with dual degrees in horticulture and landscape architecture. Smith also is a December graduate, summa cum laude, in industrial and systems engineering.
Daniels, Fleming and Porter are seniors, respectively, in architecture, forestry/wildlife management and English.
Founded in 1986, the Association of Retired Faculty annually presents student awards named in memory of former colleagues and association members who made major contributions to student development at the land-grant institution. (For more, visit http://library.msstate.edu/arf/histupdate.htm.)
Baird, daughter of Richard and Sonya Baird, is receiving the Charles E. Lindley Leadership Award, named for the former dean of agriculture and home economics. Now pursuing an MSU master's degree in floral management, Baird was an undergraduate member of the Shackouls Honors College, Phi Sigma Pi honor society and various College of Agriculture and Life Sciences organizations. She also worked as a designer and salesperson, among other duties, at the University Florist, a teaching laboratory and full-time commercial operation.
Daniels, son of the Rev. John and Virginia R. Daniels, is receiving the William L. Giles Excellence in Architecture Award, named for the MSU president in whose administration the state's only collegiate architecture program was established. Daniels has served as a School of Architecture teaching assistant, as well as an intern architect for the Carl Small Town Center, the outreach and service arm of the College of Architecture, Art and Design. He is a member of Tau Sigma Delta honor society and has served on the college Dean's Council, among other achievements.
Fleming, daughter of Thomas and Linda Fleming, is receiving the Rodney Foil Exemplary Service Award, named for the former vice president of agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine. Fleming is a President's List Scholar, as well as a member of the Phi Kappa Phi academic and Xi Sigma Pi forestry honor societies. Last year, she was selected for a Division of Student Affairs' Spirit of State Award, as well as the National Garden Clubs Inc., College of Forest Resources/J.S. Therrell and Mississippi Agricultural Industry Council scholarships.
Porter, daughter of Everett and Kerri Porter, is receiving the Peyton W. Williams Jr. Distinguished Writing Award, named for the former English professor and editor of the MSU-based Mississippi Quarterly who was the first ARF president. Porter, a previous selection for the English department's distinguished Howell Gwin Scholarship, is a member of Sigma Tau Delta and Mortar Board honor societies. She also serves on the staff of the department's literary journal.
Smith, daughter of Charles and Martha Smith, is receiving the Harry C. Simrall Engineering Excellence Award, named for the former longtime dean whose leadership saw major growth in one of the university's oldest academic units. Now pursuing an MSU master's degree in industrial engineering, Smith maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and received numerous engineering scholarships and other high honors while an undergraduate. As a participant in MSU Cooperative Education, she also won high praise while working at Eaton Aerospace, her employer in the campus program that alternates semesters between fulltime classroom study and fulltime paid employment in a chosen career field.
For more information on the Association of Retired Faculty, telephone Charles Sparrow at 662-325-2480.