“Maroon and white runs in my blood. My father attended Mississippi State University in the 90’s. I grew up attending football and basketball games on campus. There was never another thought in my mind of another school that I would attend,” said Ava Rutherford, a 2021 Mississippi State graduate.

Mississippi State University’s long tradition of academic innovation has shaped generations of critical thinkers, hardworking professionals, and leaders in health care. Edward Rigdon was well-suited for the university’s legacy of excellence in medicine. He came to Starkville in search of the rigorous, high-caliber education that has come to define MSU.

Two Mississippi State associate professors are the university’s latest selections as Fulbright U.S. Scholars, a prestigious honor among researchers, administrators and established professionals involved in scientific discovery around the world.

“From the moment I first toured Mississippi State University during recruitment events, I knew it was the place where I belonged and where I wanted to pursue my bachelor’s degree,” said Ashley Thompson, 2021 MSU graduate. “Every person I met was genuinely kind, welcoming, and eager to help, making me feel like part of the community long before I officially enrolled. That sense of authenticity and support never faded once I became a student.”

“I have been a lifelong Bulldog and always wanted to attend Mississippi State University,” said 1999 MSU graduate Carrie-Beth Randall. “However, my decision to pursue a degree within the College of Arts and Sciences came about only after I changed from my initial major, architecture. I had a couple of dear friends majoring in communication, and as I learned more about the degree, specifically public relations, I thought it would be a good fit for me.”

Mississippi State faculty member Christie Collins’ new co-edited anthology features essays by 17 authors and educators living with disabilities, chronic illnesses and neurodivergence, helping address a longstanding gap in creative writing scholarship. Collins, an English department lecturer, and co-editor Saul Lemerond, an assistant professor of English at Hanover College in Indiana, have compiled “Divergent Writers: Disability, Illness, Neurodivergence, and Ableism in Creative Writing.” Released this spring by Bloomsbury Publishing, the collection brings together contributors from five countries who share firsthand experiences navigating ableism and bias in the creative writing profession.

Jaspreet Singh Randhawa, a Mississippi State assistant professor of physics, has received a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to support a $700,000 research project on the nuclear reactions that power stellar explosions and other extreme cosmic events. Using advanced detection systems, researchers will gather data that has never been measured directly in a terrestrial laboratory, helping scientists understand how elements are formed and how these processes shape the universe.

Mississippi State’s Executive Director of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library Anne E. Marshall has received a Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award for her book “Cassius Marcellus Clay: The Life of an Antislavery Slaveholder and the Paradox of American Reform,” adding to a growing list of accolades for the acclaimed work.

Five Mississippi State educators are the recipients of 2026 Inclusive Excellence Teaching Grants supporting innovative College of Arts and Sciences projects to enhance student learning through engagement, application, access and experiential opportunities.

“Mississippi State University felt like home to me the moment I stepped on campus. My mom also attended MSU, so touring the university always felt meaningful from the start, but it was my own experience walking the campus and meeting the students that let me know it was the right place for me,” said Liliana Hewitt, a 2025 MSU graduate.

Mississippi State recently recognized a dozen university staff members for their exemplary professionalism and dedication with this year’s Donald W. Zacharias Distinguished Staff Awards. Congratulations to College of Arts and Sciences staff members Rhonda Hannah, Business Manager I, Department of Biological Sciences, and Tracy Wilcox, Administrative Assistant I, Department of Physics and Astronomy!

“My connection to Mississippi State University runs deep in my family,” said Margaret Shepherd, a 2022 MSU graduate. “MSU brought my mom’s family to Starkville in the 1960s when my grandfather became the first head of the Department of Biochemistry. My dad grew up near Starkville in Louisville, and, following his father’s path in forestry, attended MSU. My parents met in Starkville and were married on campus at the Chapel of Memories. No matter what was happening in our lives, being a Bulldog always brought our family together. When it came time to choose a college, the decision felt easy,” said Shepherd.