Mississippi State is inviting members of the general public to join the campus community for a Dec. 13 reception honoring Malcolm and Olivia Portera, the university's departing president and first lady.

The farewell gathering will take place 2-3:30 p.m. at the Leo Seal M-Club Building at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.

"Mack and Olivia Portera have made extraordinary contributions to Mississippi State during the past four years, and their leadership and friendship will be greatly missed," said Dr. J. Charles Lee, who becomes MSU interim president when Portera leaves Dec. 31.

"This event offers an opportunity for faculty, staff, students, and friends of the university to say 'thank you' and to extend our best wishes to the Porteras as they take on new challenges and responsibilities," Lee said.

On Jan. 1, 1998, Portera became the sixth Mississippi State alumnus to lead the Starkville institution. He is resigning to become chancellor of the University of Alabama System on Jan. 1.