Mississippi State University hosted Reimagining MSU on Tuesday to reveal its new branding vision to faculty, staff and students.
Student Association President Ellie Herndon opened the discussion by welcoming dozens of attendees. Herndon said she was delighted to speak at the event and appreciated university leaders listening to students’ opinions.
“It says a lot that faculty is very invested in how students feel not only about the branding of Mississippi State but just overall, all that they’re doing for students,” Herndon said to The Reflector after the event.  
After Herndon spoke, a short promotional video played before university President Mark Keenum took the stage.
Keenum said MSU is officially launching its new branding initiatives.
“To ensure our success for years to come, well, we have to have a plan, right?” Keenum said. “A course of action — we have to know where we’re going and, hopefully, how we’re going to get there.”
Throughout MSU’s 145-year history, Keenum said it has had an “incredibly important mission of learning, research and service.”
“Well, that initiative continues with us to this very day,” Keenum said.
Keenum noted how higher education continues to change and develop, presenting challenges and opportunities for university employees.
“Changes higher ed is going through are, in many cases, transformational changes,” Keenum said. “As an institution, we must change as well.”
Keenum mentioned five of the initiative’s goals: successful student recruitment, creating new academic programs, student success and retention, amplifying branding and telling “our story.”
Keenum said the university is hiring more recruiters, boosting marketing resources and targeting international students to bolster student enrollment.
MSU is developing new programs and degrees to attract more students. Keenum said the Institute of Higher Learning recently approved MSU to add an accelerated Master of Science in Nursing degree to accommodate a growing interest in the field.
“Student success and retention is absolutely critical for our university,” Keenum said. “We need students to stay here to make academic progress toward earning their degree.”
Additionally, MSU is working to improve students’ first-year experience so they will be involved and connected on campus. Keenum said the university is hiring additional academic advisers to further student success.
The university is pushing branding and its story to show that MSU is “taking care of what matters,” Keenum said.
Keenum acclaimed the MSU community for winning awards and said the university has also achieved fundraising success. 
He closed his speech with his hopes for a future of teamwork. 
“We will thrive at Mississippi State,” Keenum said, “and I look forward to working with all of you and all of our leadership, our faculty and wonderful staff we have here at Mississippi State to help prepare Mississippi State for our future.” 
Brittany Moore-Henderson, assistant clinical professor and director of admissions and recruitment for the College of Veterinary Medicine, spoke at the podium about making individual impacts to improve MSU overall.
“We are ensuring that tomorrow’s leaders are ready to propel us into the next decade,” Henderson said.
Closing the event, Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw noted the importance of Reimagining MSU.
“I believe today may be one of the most impactful events in the university’s 145-year history,” Shaw said.
Shaw spoke about MSU’s new slogan, “taking care of what matters,” and how it encompasses the university’s mission.
“It will show how Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters in the 21st century, starting in our own backyard,” Shaw said. “We are creating a foundation that inspires better storytelling throughout the university and beyond.”
Shaw noted the competition in higher education. 
“Universities must compete, just like other enterprises, so each school must offer something unique that sets it apart from the rest,” Shaw said. “It must have that distinction that immediately communicates to others what it stands for.” 
Shaw said university leaders spoke with a wide pool of people, including those who chose not to attend MSU, to ascertain MSU’s public image.
Concluding his speech, Shaw outlined the university’s four guiding principles: applied experiences, uncommon opportunities, meaningful impact and a positive environment.
“… In our current media environment, there is no such thing as sitting still and being successful,” Shaw said. “There is no keeping quiet about our successes and our aspirations. We must tell our story, and I believe that’s what this plan will help us do better than we ever had before.”
Finally, MSU administration premiered the official university commercial to the attendees, launching a new era for MSU. 
“All of you are already taking care of what matters,” Shaw said to the crowd.

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Courtesy Photo | MSU

College of Veterinary Medicine Director of Admissions and Assistant Clinical Professor Brittany Moore-Henderson.