MSU All Staff Council Newsletter
All Staff Halloween Contest- 2022
Congrats to our Winners!
1st Place- The Schmidt Lab
2nd Place- Shawn Raecke
3rd Place- Lee Hall
Featured Staff Member
James Burroughs - Center for American Indian & Rural Health Equity
Program Coordinator
In my role for CAIRHE, under the leadership of Director Alex Adams, I’m the primary liaison with our National Institutes of Health funders, and I also coordinate our support of MSU faculty investigators leading health equity research projects with Native and rural community partners across Montana. The best part of my job is assisting our faculty in their rise from early-career investigators to research independence. It’s very rewarding to see them succeed!
I’m married to Dr. Elizabeth Burroughs (Dept. Chair, Mathematical Sciences), and we are the proud parents of three young men. Our oldest, Owen, a recent MSU graduate, is now in graduate school in London. We also have an 18-year-old, Hugh, now applying to college, and a 14-year-old, John, finishing middle school. As a family we enjoy live theater and exploring the United Kingdom, where we lived in York in 2014-15 while on sabbatical.
November is National Gratitude Month
By Carol G Speake - Always the Holidays
Did you know that the month of November is National Gratitude Month? This probably comes as no shock, since Thanksgiving, a day of practicing gratitude, is one of the major holidays this month.
Thanksgiving offers so many ways to express gratitude. From showing your appreciation through making holiday themed food for loved ones, or deepening your knowledge of our history by learning more about symbols of Thanksgiving, or volunteering in your community, there’s a multitude of ways to say thank you.
As November arrives, make sure you’re celebrating gratitude all month long, not just on the Thanksgiving holiday. There are so many ways to be thankful this month – from gratitude journaling, to sending your loved one's cards and notes, to colleagues and staff gratitude quotes, and more!
Nature celebrates autumn with the trees shedding their leaves and entering a dormant season of rest. We can mirror the changes that happen in nature by slowing down this fall, resting, and reflecting with gratitude on everything wonderful in our lives.
National Gratitude Month gives us the perfect opportunity to give thanks for the people and things around us.
Food Insecurity in Montana
More than 1 in 10 Montanans struggled with food insecurity according to 2018 food insecurity data from the USDA Economic Research Service. Montana State University takes the fight to address food insecurity very seriously. Go to MSU Extension Nutrition Education Program to learn more at https://buyeatlivebetter.org/index.html
What about BoB?
Bounty of the Bridgers (BoB), a food pantry on the MSU campus, was created using a 2017 seed grant. The project was established by Mary Stein, leader of the Sustainable Foods and Agriculture program in the College of Education, Health and Human Development and used student volunteers from multiple disciplines to educate the campus community about the level of food insecurity at MSU while creating a campus food pantry that offers shelf stable food at a permanenet location with hours that complement those of the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, a key partner on the project.
Stein wrote that research shows a correlation between food security and academic success, and that assisting MSU student in obtaining safe and healthy food could ultimately affect college retention rates.
Hunger hides in every community. It is a silent disaster often unseen. The food pantry is a resource available to MSU Staff as well as family members, students, and faculty.
For more information about BoB, check out their website at https://www.montana.edu/oha/bounty-of-the-bridgers/index.html
Activities to help alleviate food insecurity in our community:
It's time for Can the Griz Food Drive!
2022 marks the 23rd year of this friendly, off-field competition between Montana State University and the University of Montana to see which school can collect the most donations for their local food bank. The competition begins Saturday, November 5th and ends Saturday, November 19th. The winner of the competition will be announced during the CatGriz football game. Can the Griz proceeds go to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and benefits The Bounty of the Bridgers campus food pantry. The Bobcats have successfully canned the Griz 18 of 22 years!
Last year, MSU and the Bozeman community donated 642,473 (pounds of food and money) to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. The University of Montana and Missoula community donated a grand total of 583,010 (pounds and money).
Food Fight!!
This year the All Staff Council is holding a friendly Can the Griz challenge between all MSU Staff. The three Staff members with the most food/$$ raised will receive a prize and recognition in our upcoming newsletter. Please fill out this Qualtrics form to submit your donation amount and documentation.
Sign up for Thanksgiving Box Distribution at Gallatin Valley Food Bank (GVFB)
Assemble and deliver Thanksgiving dinner boxes to needy families. Sign up on the GVFB website at https://gallatinvalleyfoodbank.org/
Shake Your Tailfeathers in the 16th Annual Huffing for Stuffing
Since the inception, Huffing for Stuffing has provided over half a million dollars in funding to local food pantries and is a great way to feel good about that second helping! Find out more at
Get To Know Your Council Members
Victoria Stallings - Human Resources Shared Services Center
I have been working with MSU’s Human Resources department for 1 year! I started my journey as an Associate, and I am currently a HR Generalist. Working on the Human Resources team has been very rewarding! My favorite thing about working for MSU is getting to share my love of people with each department. My day to day involves me onboarding and welcoming all the new employees to MSU. I work hard to bring a happy and inviting environment to the university in hopes that they love their new job as much as I do! The divisions I serve include – Communications, University Business Services- Financial Services, Fiscal Shared Services, Office of Academic Affairs, Advising Center, OIP, Testing Services, ATO and Allen Yarnell Center for Student Success. I am originally from Phoenix, Arizona where I was born and raised. I have a mini poodle named Lola and we spend all our free time reading and playing in the snow!
Kayla Lee, MBA SHRM-CP - Human Resources Shared Services Center
As a former MSU student and a Gallatin Valley local, I’ve always understood the value of Montana State’s presence within the community, which is why I was so excited to join the Human Resources team last August. As a member of the Shared Services group, I’m able to work with multiple departments across campus, foster relationships with the amazing staff and faculty that keep us moving forward and have a front row seat to the work that goes on behind the scenes, at both the state and federal levels, to make this the best University for our employees and students. My divisions include Student Success, College of Letters and Science, College of Agriculture and VPRED, and all the departments housed beneath. I’m also a member of MSU All Staff Council, the Gender Equity Alliance Committee, and a Brand Ambassador for Bridgercare.
In my time away from the office, you can find me floating a river with my husband and kids, cheering on the Seahawks or skate skiing at Bridger Creek Golf Course. And if you see us on the ski hill, please forgive my terrible form; downhill is still not my friend. Go Cats!