Dear New Students,

Welcome, new Bulldogs!

Pale smoke rises above a tall canopy of needles. A blaze crawls underneath, eating away at the yellowed savannah of wire grass. Crackling flames lick at the towering pines, their flaky bark stretching skyward for more than 80 feet.

Big Dawgs Barbecue quietly reopened under new ownership this week, following a brief period of closure earlier this year.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the number of community college students transferring to four-year universities declined 7.5% nationwide last year. Mississippi State University transfer advisors have solutions to improve transfer rates.

Mississippi State University students enrolled in the Introduction to the Business of Museums course have put together an exhibit called "Tiny Itty-Bitty Little Guys: The Cobb’s Micro Museum” at the Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology.

Mississippi State University is planning to begin construction of a new $96 million residence hall on the corner of George Perry Street and East Barr Avenue. Construction will begin December 2023 and is planned to be completed by fall 2025.

Mississippi State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Outreach within the College of Business hosted its annual Startup Summit from March 27-31, 2023.

The Mississippi State University Fashion Board held a fashion show Wednesday, April 19, and will be releasing the tenth issue of their magazine, Être, on May 2.

Mississippi State University presented 24 students with the Spirit of State Award at a recognition program Friday.

Starkville’s George M. Bryan Airport is set to receive $4.5 million in federal funding that will go toward building a new, larger terminal that will provide an updated environment for pilots and their passengers.

The Starkville Board of Aldermen recently issued $15 million to park projects.

A devastating tornado leveled dozens of homes and businesses in the small town of Amory in Monroe County, Mississippi March 24.

MSU Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Discovery hosted the Undergraduate Research Symposium April 13-14.

Changes in the water condition of the Mississippi Sound have led to a decline in seafood production, as well as the degradation of coastal ecosystems along the Gulf Coast.

MSU Students for a Sustainable Campus is hosting events from April 17-22 to celebrate Earth Week.

Mississippi State University hosted Reimagining MSU on Tuesday to reveal its new branding vision to faculty, staff and students.

Joe and Erica Carpenter found Children’s of Mississippi Hospital in 2021 after searching the country for a hospital to help deliver their unborn son, who had a rare condition called pentalogy of Cantrell.

The number of experienced teachers in the Starkville-Oktibbeha County School District has decreased by 7.3% since the 2018-2019 school year.

In Oktibbeha County, just outside of Starkville, sits NorthStar Industrial Park, a development site that is getting ready to house new occupants.

This spring, The Reflector obtained 41 awards at two student journalism competitions.

Mississippi State University’s Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures is returning to an excavation site in Israel for the first time since 2017.

The Mississippi State University Police Department and Parking and Transit Services collaborated to create a Safe Exchange Zone outside the police department’s building.

Mississippi State University’s Psychology Graduate Student Association will host the suicide prevention walk called Out of the Darkness at 10 a.m. on April 1 in the Junction.

A Mississippi State University student organization is looking to make history by putting the first satellite from the state of Mississippi into orbit.

The city of Starkville will introduce the app CivicReady to send important alerts to its residents.

Mississippi State University faculty and students have been working to create a pollen nutrition database for all bees in North America.

Old Mayhew Road and East Lee Boulevard are due for a makeover.

Recent sampling data shows that chronic wasting disease, a fatal condition threatening Mississippi’s deer population, has continued to expand its reach.

The C&G Rail Trail Coalition has established a mission to build a 92-mile-long rail trail corridor from Greenwood to Columbus, Mississippi.

L’uva Wine Room opened its doors on 509 University Drive in January.

Mayor Lynn Spruill visited campus Thursday to share her local government journey with students. 

The Mississippi State University Equine-Assisted Therapy Program will offer therapeutic horse riding for children with a variety of different disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy.

This semester, Mississippi State University is transitioning from the CAPP compliance system of degree audits to a program called Degree Works.

The Lantern Project is a collaborative project Mississippi State University leads to provide access to records documenting enslaved persons.

Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1125 into law Tuesday afternoon, establishing the Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (REAP) Act. The act prohibits "gender transition procedures for a person under eighteen years of age."

The Round Table at Mississippi State University encourages students to come together to discuss current political events and policies in a calm and civil manner.

Mississippi State University’s Men of Excellence and I.D.E.A.L. Woman will host the Talented 100 event on Feb. 27 in Dorman Hall auditorium.

On Tuesday nights in the Cotton District, a crowd of students gather outside of the locally-famous Fountain Bar on University Drive to enjoy the three drinks-for-$1 special.

This spring, two Mississippi State University graduate students are conducting a research project to study dairy cattle behavior using varying observation methods.

Mississippi State University’s 2022 Annual Security and Fire Report indicated an increase in reported on-campus sexual misconduct since 2019.

An empty house caught fire early Tuesday morning on 1507 Blackjack Road.

Mississippi State University hosted former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron for the 2023 Global Lecture Series Feb. 7.

Mississippi State University has collaborated with Merit to launch the new student network, Merit Pages.

Alderwoman Sandra Sistrunk detailed a new opt-in recycling proposal with a $15 residential fee at the Board of Aldermen work session Feb. 3.

A life-sized ancient statue has been discovered near the Appian Way in Rome, Italy.

After 15 years of marriage, Keith and Kelly Moser continue to thrive together while both working in Mississippi State University’s Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures (CMLL).

On Jan. 31, Chicken Salad Chick on Highway 12 permanently closed in Starkville.