A rose to the Mississippi State University Department of Geosciences, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The department, founded in 1916, first taught geography and geology, but has expanded over the years to include a wide variety of disciplines within its four main branches — geology, geography, geospatial sciences (which uses information technology to study people, places and processes of the earth) and meteorology.
Department officials kicked off its centennial celebration with a “Fossil Extravaganza” Wednesday, allowing children to see and touch a variety of fossils.
It is just one of many events the department has scheduled to both celebrate its history and call attention to the fascinating world of geosciences.
A rose to Mississippi University for Women, which again brings nationally-known authors to campus during its Eudora Welty Series. This year’s event, held Thursday through Saturday, will feature Valerie Plame, a former CIA officer whose cover was famously blown during a political scandal in 2003.
The scandal ended her career as a CIA operative, but opened a new career as an author, including her auto-biography, “Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House,” which was later made into a movie.
Over the years, the Welty Series has become a much-loved annual event for readers. This year’s event certainly lives up to that billing.
A rose to the Columbus Junior Auxiliary, which hosted an “In My Shoes” event at Joe Cook Elementary School on Wednesday. It is one of two events (another will be held at New Hope Elementary School in the spring) designed to expose children to what life is like for people with disabilities. The program involves JA volunteers going into the classrooms to explain various disabilities, and, in doing so, removing some of the misinformation and stigma that often accompany disabilities.
These are lessons geared toward young children, presented in a way they can understand. Wednesday, children learned about autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and hearing/vision impairment. We applaud these efforts to create understanding and empathy.
A rose of welcome to Roxanne Hernandez, whose hiring this week as women’s volleyball coach, marks another major step in Mississippi University for Women’s plans to resume sports after its sports programs were disbanded in 2003. The W Director of Athletics Jason Trufant and the school is going through a nationwide search to find coaches.
Hernandez is the first coach hired at The W, which plans to compete in baseball, softball, men’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, and women’s volleyball beginning in the 2017-18 school year.
It will add more sports for the 2018-19 year as it continues the process to gain NCAA Division III status. We welcome her to our community and wish her the best in this important role in getting sports “off the ground” at The W.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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