Contact: Kenneth Billings
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State's alumni association and the university's extension service again are joining forces to give graduates, supporters, friends, and others around the state an opportunity to talk with leaders of the land-grant institution.
Interim President Vance Watson, athletic director Greg Byrne and other administrators will be part of four live video conferences being broadcast later this month to local MSU Extension Service offices around the state.
The first such statewide hookup was held in February as part of MSU's 130th anniversary celebration. The July programs will include a "State of Mississippi State" report by Watson.
"Using the interactive technology already in place at our county extension offices is a great way for us to bring the MSU family together and make more people aware of the many things happening throughout the institution," said Michael Richardson, the alumni association's chapter programs coordinator.
"Persons who normally might not have the opportunity to do so again will have the means to directly comment and ask questions of Dr. Watson and other campus leaders," Richardson said.
Due to time constraints, question-and-answer times will be closely monitored to ensure equal participation, he added.
Free and open to all, the one-hour sessions will begin at 5:30 p.m. Specific dates for the participating counties include:
--Monday, the 7th: Choctaw, Marshall, Oktibbeha, Sunflower, Tishomingo, Webster, and Yalobusha.
--Tuesday, the 8th: Coahoma, Delta Branch in Stoneville, Forrest, Kemper, Neshoba, Noxubee, Panola, Pontotoc, and Prentiss.
--Monday, the 21st: Central Branch in Raymond, Clarke, Clay, Coastal Branch in Biloxi, Covington, Grenada, Hancock, Humphreys, Marion, and Yazoo.
--Monday, the 28th: Alcorn, Bolivar, Carroll, Franklin, Harrison, Itawamba, Jackson, Jones, Lee, Lincoln, Pearl River, and Wilkinson.
For more information on the video conference, contact either a local county extension agent or the MSU Alumni Association. The association's telephone number is 662-325-7000.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.