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Contact: Georgia Clarke

STARKVILLE, Miss.ā€”Nearly 300 new graduate teaching assistants at Mississippi State are participating in a workshop to enhance class preparation skills while introducing them to the many university policies and procedures.

GTAs closely assist faculty and staff members with grading, attendance monitoring and other course responsibilities, but also are called on to handle lectures and related duties as necessary.

Concluding Friday [Aug. 14], the weeklong program of lectures and other learning activities leads to their formal certification. Ā 

President Mark E. Keenum headed a list of speakers during the week that included, among others, Lori Bruce and Thomas Bourgeois, respective deans of the graduate school and students. Participants also heard from various faculty and staff members, as well as experts in a variety of education-related specialties.

In his presentation, Keenum stressed the importance of the GTAsā€™ role in learning experiences of undergraduate students.

ā€œWe are a very research-oriented university, but we also are a very student-oriented university, and that is where you come in,ā€ Keenum said, adding that the land-grant institution is ā€œvery proud you have chosen to continue your education at Mississippi State.ā€

Sessions on classroom material, communication and culture were supplemented with a panel discussion led by current GTAs who shared their experiences and advice with the new campus family members.

The entire Friday session will be devoted to individual evaluations of this yearā€™s group conducted by 70 volunteer faculty members.

To learn more about MSUā€™s graduate programs, visit .

MSU, Mississippi's flagship research university, is online at .