Jackson Free Press

Mississippi State University recently announced that alumnus Charles E. Menifield has established a new annual scholarship with the university's College of Arts and Sciences. The Dr. Charles E. Menifield Public Service and Leadership Annual Scholarship is available to full-time African American students in MSU's Department of Political Science and Public Administration who have shown leadership skills and a commitment to public service.

Recipients can receive the scholarship on a year-to-year basis and are eligible to receive it for multiple years if they continue to meet the selection criteria. The scholarship will go into effect in August. Political science and economics major Walter Goss is the first recipient.

Menifield, a Mound Bayou native who currently lives in Newark, N.J., received his bachelor's degree in political science from MSU in 1990 and a master's degree in public policy and administration from the university in 1992. In 1996, he received his doctorate in political science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Menifield served as an associate professor of political science and public administration at MSU from 1999 to 2002.

He also taught at the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs in 2012 and served as the associate dean of programs from 2013 to 2017. He is currently dean of the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University in Newark.

For more information on the scholarship, call 662-325-3240 or visit cas.msstate.edu.

USM Announces 23rd Annual Eagle Fanfare

The University of Southern Mississippi's Southern Miss Alumni Association, Department of Athletics and South Central Mississippi Alumni Chapter announced this week that the school will host the 23rd annual Eagle Fanfare on Saturday, Aug. 11, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the university's Thad Cochran Center.

Eagle Fanfare will feature appearances from USM athletes, coaches and cheerleaders, as well as merchandise for sale from the campus' Barnes & Noble, activities for children, and live and silent auctions to raise money for scholarship funds and USM's Eagle Club. The event will also have food and drinks available for purchase

Admission to Eagle Fanfare is $5 per person or $20 per family, which is for immediate family only. Tickets are available online at southernmissalumni.com/fanfare2018. Most of the proceeds with benefit the South Central Mississippi Alumni Chapter Scholarship Fund.

Belhaven University and Millsaps College Named as Colleges of Distinction

Colleges of Distinction, a publication of Student Horizons Inc., recently named Belhaven University to its 2018-2019 list.

A panel of college admissions professionals, administrators and high-school counselors who specialize in college preparation chooses institutions for the list based on student engagement, quality teaching, successful outcomes for students, and the community both on and off campus.

Colleges of Distinction also reviews each candidate institution's undergraduate experience, general education program, strategic plan and alumni success.

For more information or to view the full 2018-2019 Colleges of Distinction list, visit https://collegesofdistinction.com/.