A jpg picture-perfect version of this picture is available here.
A jpg picture-perfect version of this
picture is available here.
Matthew Campbell (at left in the above picture), the son of Lorna Reynolds and Dwayne Campbell, is a junior, majoring in political science. He is our new Bill Collins Scholar. Matthew is a native of Jackson, MS, where he is a 2010 graduate of William B. Murrah High School. He is extremely active on MSU's campus. He is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Pi Sigma Alpha the National Political Science Honor Society. Currently, he serves as the president of the Mississippi State College Democrats and also as the 1st District Delegate for the Young Democrats of Mississippi Executive Committee. Matthew is a Resident Adviser in Oak Hall where he is the RHA liaison for his residence hall. He has interned for Representative Bennie G. Thompson, in Washington D.C., and assisted staffers on the House Committee on Homeland Security with a variety of legislative and media tasks. Matthew conducted legislative research, assisted staff in the Committee hearing room, and assisted with the production of press releases. He also shadowed Congressman Thompson during press conferences and congressional meetings. Matthew also interned for the Council for Opportunity in Education, in Washington D.C., where he worked with the Government Relations department and was engaged in a wide variety of projects that ranged from advocacy efforts, event coordination to fundraising. Regularly, he represented COE on Capitol Hill and assisted in mobilizing the grass roots community by lobbying Members of Congress about issues of concern. Matthew played an integral role in the success of the organization’s annual National Student Leadership Congress, serving as a panelist, debate facilitator, and event coordinator. In his free time, Matthew enjoys fishing and flag football; he loves the outdoors. After graduating from Mississippi State he plans to attend law school.
Caroline Collins (second from the left) is a Freshman Stennis Scholar from Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi. While in high school, Caroline was a member of Student Council each year and served as Student Body President as a senior. Caroline started her school’s recycling program, served as Varsity Tennis and Cheerleading Captain, was a member of two state championship volleyball teams, and a delegate to the Mississippi Youth Legislature Conference as both a Senator and a Lobbyist. In her church community, Caroline served on the Diocese of Biloxi SEARCH retreat team, the KAIROS retreat team, Campus Ministry, and is a four-time delegate to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. During the summer of her senior year, Caroline spent time in Washington D.C. serving Senator Thad Cochran as a Senate Page. At Mississippi State, Caroline is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and the Stennis-Montgomery Association. Caroline currently serves as President of the MSU Freshman Class.
Kaitlyn Byrne (in the center) is a junior Haley Barbour Scholar majoring in political science and communication with a triple concentration in journalism, broadcasting, and public relations. Kaitlyn is involved in various organizations on campus. She has worked as a news writer, copy editor, news editor, and currently works as managing editor at The Reflector. She represents the Political Science department on the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Student Advisory Council. She serves as a Communication Ambassador for the Department of Communication, and she is also a Foundation Ambassador for the MSU Foundation. She is involved with the Baptist Student Union on campus and has served as a family group leader. She is also a member of Gamma Beta Phi and the Student Association. Kaitlyn has achieved Phase I honors from Shackouls Honors College and is a President’s Scholar. She is also a student writer for MSU Office of Agricultural Communications. After graduation, Kaitlyn plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career in political journalism.
Lindsay Linhares (second from the right) is a Distinguished Scholar double majoring in Political Science and Communication with emphasis in Journalism. As a senior at MSU, Lindsay has been involved in her university. She is the President of Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority, an Alumni Delegate, an Orientation Leader, a student representative for the Dean of Arts & Sciences Student Advisory Council and a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Lambda Sigma and Lambda Pi Eta Honor Societies. She has also acquired Phase I Honors from the Shackouls Honors College. Lindsay has been involved in political organizations such as Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society, Stennis Montgomery Association and Mississippi Model Security Council. During the summer time, Lindsay has interned in Washington D.C. working for Congressman Gregg Harper, National Association of Conservation Districts and Aristotle International. After graduation, Lindsay aspires to begin her career on Capitol Hill for a Congressman doing Legislative and Communication work.
Wilson West (on the right) is a senior Stennis Scholar studying political science, with a concentration in international affairs. Wilson recently spent a summer in Washington, D.C. interning at Migration and Refugee Services, a part of Catholic Charities. In the future, Wilson hopes to get some more work experience at a nonprofit dealing with international issues and possibly move on to pursue a graduate degree that would aid him in a career in the nonprofit sphere.
Haley Grantham (not pictured) is a sophomore Stennis Scholar from Florence, Mississippi. The Valedictorian of McLaurin High School, Haley was the Brigade Commander of JROTC, President of her class for four years, captain of the varsity cheerleaders, and a varsity tennis and softball player for three years. She was voted District Attorney at Girls' State, was named a Mississippi Hugh O'Brian Leadership Conference Delegate, and was chosen as one of Rankin County's Youth Leaders. At MSU Haley is a member of Freshman Forum, serves on the Student Association's History and Traditions committee, is a member of Kappa Delta sorority, as well as MSU's Mock Trial Team. After graduation, she is interested in attending law school and eventually serving as a District Attorney or pursuing other political office.
Roy Grantham "Grant" Krag (not pictured) is a junior John C. Stennis Scholar. A graduate of Hattiesburg High School, Grant is a member of the Student Association Senate where he serves as Chairman of the Sustainability Initiatives Committee. He has previously served as Campaign Field Director for Mississippi State Representative Toby Barker as well as the Mississippi State University Campaign Representative for Treasurer Lynn Fitch. He is a member of the Shackouls Honors College and is a double major in Political Science and Communications. In high school, Grant served as a page for Representative Barker, and achieved a leadership position at Boy's State. The winner of multiple first place Congressional debate awards as a member of the Hattiesburg Forensics Speech and Debate program, he was a National Forensic League Academic All-American. A member of student council for all of his high school years, he was elected senior class vice president. An Eagle Scout, Grant has served as assistant scoutmaster of the Aldersgate Mission Boy Scout Troop, and has been a member of the Hattiesburg High School Jazz Band and of the Thespian Society. After graduating from MSU, he plans to attend law school.
Stennis Scholar alumni Whitney Holliday and Shelley New enjoyed a view of Washington, D.C., while attending the inauguration of President Obama as students as part of the Stennis-Montgomery Association's annual D.C. trip. They are shown in the photo above.
Students in our department have the opportunity to meet prominent public officials, such as the governor and lieutenant governor. In the photo above, Stennis Scholar (now alumnus) and SA Vice President Lee Weiskopf met with 2-term Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck, a graduate of our department.
In the picture above, Barbour Scholars (now alumni) Jane Anna Harris and Tonya Thorton-Neaves pose with 2-term Governor Haley Barbour after a breakfast with him and the MSU President. Barbour offered the students invaluable advice about networking and job hunting in Washington, D.C. After graduation, Jane Anna served as the Staff Director for the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Tonya is a Research Fellow and Project Coordinator at the Social Science Research Center at MSU.
One annual conference that some of our students attend is the Southern Women in Public Service program sponsored by the Stennis Center. In the photo above, Stennis Scholar (now alumnus) Tamikia Carr met with then-Vice President Al Gore's wife, Tipper.
Our students also meet with numerous other public figures who visit our department. In the above photo, political science students (now alumni) Nikita Gandy, Ben Needham, and Ta'Shia Shannon (a Collins Scholar alumnus) are to the left of former Congressman Mike Espy. Espy was the first African-American from a rural district elected to Congress. Students Yashica Tate and Terrance James are to the right of Espy.
Our department's John C. Stennis Scholars are named in memory of MSU alumnus John C. Stennis, who served in the United States Senate from 1947 to 1988, rising to the powerful position of President Pro Tempore of the senate and fourth in line for the presidency. Senator Stennis also served as chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee and previously as chairman of the Armed Services Committee. He was so respected in the senate that Congress named a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier after him, which was commissioned into service before the carrier honoring former president Harry Truman. Because John Stennis inspired Mississippians to be active in public affairs, we include our department's Bill Collins (the founding director of the Stennis Institute of Government) and Haley Barbour (our two-term governor and a formidable Stennis challenger in 1982) scholars on this webpage.
To learn more about Senator John Stennis, click here.
The Haley Barbour Scholars are named after a distinguished public servant and native of Yazoo City who rose to the position of Chair of the Republican National Committee. As RNC Chairman, Haley Barbour inaugurated an aggressive fundraising, public relations, and candidate assistance program that led the GOP in 1994 to majority control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years. Barbour was elected Governor in the 2003 state elections, when for the first time Republicans won half of Mississippi's statewide executive offices as well as historically high percentages of state house and state senate seats. When Barbour was re-elected governor four years later, he swept his party to control of every statewide elected office with one exception.
The Bill Collins Scholar is named after a distinguished educational leader, who was the first Director of the John C. Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University. A Bill Collins Speakership series was established in his honor in the MSU Library.