Mississippi State University Extension Service

Registration is now open for our Excellence in Tourism Leadership Certificate Course! This program is a collaboration between MSU Extension and the Mississippi Tourism Association and is perfect for anyone involved in the tourism industry—even volunteers—who want to enhance their skills and make a bigger impact in their community. The program is primarily virtual, making it accessible no matter where you are, and covers essential topics like: ?Leadership ?Economic and Tourism Development ?Promotion and Advocacy ?Digital Media and Marketing We invite you to share this opportunity with tourism professionals, chamber of commerce members, Main Street Associations, event and festival organizers, and other community leaders in your area. Learn more here: https://ow.ly/WYHr50UccBI

Thank you to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Gulf Coast for recognizing our Harrison County Extension Office as the Dynamic Group of the Year!

Join us in welcoming these new MSU Extension agents to our team! They are with us in Starkville this week to go through new agent orientation. These agents are learning all the ins and outs of how to make a meaningful impact in their community!

A Mississippi State University Extension professor of wildlife sciences has earned the top individual honor for excellence in Extension. Daryl Jones has been named the recipient of the 2024 National Excellence in Extension Award for an Individual. The award is given annually by the Cooperative Extension System’s Extension Committee on Organization and Policy, or ECOP, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, or NIFA. Jones is the first recipient of the award from MSU. Based in the MSU College of Forest Resources’ Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Jones has served since 2005 as director of the university’s Natural Resource Enterprises Program, which provides information to landowners on sustainable property enterprises, such as hunting, fishing, wildlife watching and agritourism. He conducts research and Extension programming for agricultural and forest landowners in natural resource enterprises development and conservation practices. Jones has led 300 in-person wildlife recreational enterprise workshops with nearly 12,000 landowners having used what they learned to develop more than 2,500 enterprises across 28 states. Participants also conducted conservation practices on their lands, totaling 3.4 million acres. He has also reached land managers online through webinars and other resources on the NRE website (https://lnkd.in/eDywBTgp), which has accrued more than 1 million users internationally. Jones was chosen as a 2022 Fellow and 2013 Special Recognition Service Award recipient from The Wildlife Society and named the Wildlife Conservationist of the Year by the Mississippi Wildlife Federation in 2017. He has secured more than $5 million in grant funding from state and federal agencies and the private sector to support NRE programming. “Dr. Jones is recognized as a national and international expert in natural resources development and conservation on private lands, and he also excels on campus as a mentor for other MSU Extension faculty and graduate students,” said MSU Extension Director Angus Catchot. “His contributions and leadership make him well-suited for this high honor.” Jones will be presented the award at the annual meeting of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities in November.

The Crosby Arboretum was recently designated an Outpost Business by the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area, opening the door to future funding opportunities. The 104-acre plant conservatory managed by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, was eligible for the award through its participation in Gulf Coast Outpost -- a business recognition program launched by the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area, or MGCNHA, for nature-based tourism business owners. The Arboretum’s designation was made Sept. 20. MGCNHA supports economic growth in the state’s southernmost six counties with an emphasis on the area’s natural, cultural and historical resources. It is funded by the National Park Service and the state of Mississippi and managed by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. The Gulf Coast Outpost program recognizes businesses and non-profits that take steps to protect the coast’s natural environment. It was developed in 2016 for the area by industrial stakeholders. “This is a wonderful recognition for The Crosby Arboretum,” said Pat Drackett, director of The Arboretum. "This designation acknowledges the many Crosby programs, events and daily offerings that foster environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation." Qualifying for the program makes the facility eligible for the MGCNHA Heritage Community Grants Program, which offers matching grants supporting projects that promote cultural and natural resources that expand economic opportunities in the state’s six coastal counties. MGCNHA is one of three congressionally designated National Heritage Areas in the state. The other two are the Mississippi Hills and Mississippi Delta National Heritage Areas. There are a total of 62 such designated areas in the U.S.

We are extremely proud to announce that Larry Alexander has been inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame! Alexander began his 4-H career in 1981 when he became the 4-H agent for Marshall County. He was there for 11 years, leaving in 1993 for the state 4-H office as 4-H youth development specialist where he coordinated 4-H functions such as the record program and contests, scholarships and 4-H agent and volunteer training. In 2011, Alexander moved from 4-H specialist to state coordinator. Until his retirement in 2019, he handled administrative duties for the state program, coordinating all 4-H activities with the help of state staff and others. “Larry believed in the power of 4-H to transform a child’s life,” said Mariah Morgan, interim head of Extension’s Center for 4-H Youth Development. “He worked tirelessly to advance 4-H in Mississippi so that a young person could find a place to belong and excel. “His work not only bettered the youth of our state, but he left a legacy through his mentorship of agents and specialists. His work continues in the lives that they touch every day,” she said. Alexander, of Starkville, was inducted in an Oct. 14 ceremony in Boise, Idaho and is pictured here with his family. He was part of a 16-member class who entered the hall of fame in 2024. The National 4-H Hall of Fame was established in 2002 as part of the 4-H Centennial Project of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents. Honorees are nominated by their states based on their exceptional leadership at the local, state, national and international levels. #TakingCareOfWhatMatters #MS4H #MSUext

Congrats to Dr. Jason Barrett with the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute for being awarded the Mid Career Extension/Outreach Award at the annual meeting for the Universities Council on Water Resources!

MSU Extension was well represented at the recent National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences conference in Arizona! We took home the FIRST PLACE National Winner and Southern Region Winner spots for our "Creating Healthy Indoor Childcare Environments Online Edition" program! Congrats to this amazing team: Ontenncia Boclear, Carroll County Extension Office Lara Angel, Desoto County Extension Office Tashmia Turner, Madison County Extension Office Regina Boykins, Humphreys County Extension Office Jasmine Harris-Speight, Department of Biochemistry, Nutrition and Health Promotion - MSU

Congressional staffers visited our youngest learners on #maroonfriday at the MSU Child Development & Families Study Center to learn about The School of Human Sciences Early Childhood programs with Mississippi State University Extension Service. They also looked inside the Resource and Referral Mobile Unit which addresses the critical need for access to educational resources and materials for children across the state. Learn more about these programs here --> https://lnkd.in/gHu6Ujtx

Congratulations to MSU Extension agent Katrina McCalphia! She has received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences. The Distinguished Service Award is the highest award presented by the NEAFCS. The award recognizes members for their leadership, educational program efforts, and professional development. Katrina currently serves as county coordinator at the Newton County Extension Office and as interim county coordinator at the Lauderdale County Extension Office.