College of Education faculty member among those recognized by IHL with Diversity and Inclusion Awards

A Mississippi State University College of Education faculty member was among thosehonored Thursday [Feb. 18] during the Mississippi Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning’s annual Diversity and Inclusion Awards ceremony.

Qiana M. Cutts, assistant professor in MSU’s Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Foundations, as well as Derris Devost-Burnett, assistant professor in MSU’s Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, were recognized for their efforts in advancing diversity and encouraging understanding and respect.

A member of the Bulldog family since 2016, Cutts earned a bachelor’s in English and master’s in teaching from the University of West Alabama. The West Blocton, Alabama, native also holds a master’s in clinical mental health counseling from Argosy University and a doctorate in educational policy studies from Georgia State University. A self-described “qualitative researcher by training and poet by nature,” Cutts focuses her research primarily on diversity, social justice and intercultural competency, which examines teachers’ relationships and communication with students of various backgrounds.

For more on IHL’s Diversity and Inclusion Awards, visit http://www.mississippi.edu/pr/newsstory.asp?ID=1684.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.