Posted by osbor on Jul 19, 2017
John Cohen, Mississippi State University Athletic Director spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at its July 18, 2017 meeting. Mr. Cohen discussed MSU's athletic programs focusing on the five guiding principles according to which the department operates; i.e., 
 
  1. Focus on the student athlete.
  2. Recognize and employ the full slate of compliance
  3. Utilize fiscal responsibility
  4. Serve our people
  5. Relentlessly promote Mississippi State
He amplified each of these points, emphasizing that compliance is not just with NCAA requirements but with life itself. With respect to promoting MSU, he said that the slogan is not "Go Dawgs" but "Hail State" as exemplified in the University's Fight Song. Mr. Cohen also spoke of the success that MSU has had on the athletic fields and in the recognition of that success. In addition to he baseball program under head coach Andy Cannizaro, he particularly discussed the success of the football program under head coach Dan Mullen; Women's basketball under head coach Vic Schaefer; as well as the student athletes past and current in the programs.
 
Prior to becoming Athletic Director , Mr. Cohen was an extremely successful head baseball coach at MSU (2009-2016), University of Kentucky (2004-2008), and Northwestern State U. in Louisiana (1998-2001). At MSU, he took baseball teams to the College World Series, where a team was national runner-up (2013) and several times to the NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals.
 
Mr. Cohen is shown in the accompanying photos during and following his presentation. The second photo shows him with Club Vice President Anna Powers following his presentation. We thank Mr. Cohen for his presentation and for his service to MSU and the State of Mississippi.