| Friday, August 7, 2026 |
| MSU student team drives out competition in robotics design contest | |
 | Mississippi State students won first place in the Advanced Division of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers' annual Robotics Student Design Competition, recently held during the organization's annual international meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana. MSU's Maroon Robotics Team won the overall challenge and its minor tasks, and earned accolades for best design. "Robotics competitions give students valuable experience developing real-world skills in electronics, programming, AI, problem-solving and system integration -- skills that complement classroom learning," said Dong Chen, the MSU agricultural and biological engineering assistant professor who established the team in 2025. ASABE is a leading professional society in agricultural engineering, and its annual competition is one of the largest student robotics competitions focused on agricultural applications. "Earning first place in the Advanced Division is an extraordinary accomplishment and reflects the exceptional talent, dedication and teamwork of our students," said Alex Thomasson, professor and director of MSU's Agricultural Autonomy Institute and former head of the agricultural and biological engineering department.. |
| Cornerstone Park arboretum begins to take shape as wildflower meadow blooms | |
 | When Bob Brzuszek, a retired Mississippi State University landscape architecture professor, finally saw wildflower meadows in bloom this summer at Cornerstone Park, it felt like his dream was one step closer to reality. The meadow, which spans 10 acres surrounding the park off Highway 25, contains a variety of multicolored wildflowers and is just one of the areas under development for the city's recently accredited arboretum, Brzuszek said. What started in 2024 as a project to find ways to save the city money on labor costs for mowing 85 open acres near the park has evolved into a space to learn about local biodiversity, Brzuszek said. Brzuszek, through his company The Artful Gardener, was paid up to $25,000 in March 2025 for design work on the arboretum. That design work through the rest of that year, Bruzeszek said, included wildlife studies and speaking with local residents and officials with organizations like the state Forestry Commission and Department of Wildlife and Starkville's Town and County Garden Club. The idea in doing that, said MSU Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design Tim Schauwecker, who is a partner on the project, was to obtain public input on what locals wanted to see both from programming and physical designs around the park. |
| 'Hamilton' sensation Leslie Odom Jr. to open MSU's Lyceum Series Sept. 11 | |
 | Tony and Grammy Award-winning Broadway star Leslie Odom Jr. is sure to pack Mississippi State's Bettersworth Auditorium for the first performance of the university's 2026-27 Lyceum Series. Odom Jr., best known for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "Hamilton," makes his MSU Starkville campus appearance Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in historic Lee Hall. Among the 2015 original cast members of "Hamilton," Odom Jr.'s Tony Award recognition followed in 2016 when his name was called for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album as a principal soloist on the "Hamilton: Original Broadway Cast Recording." Tickets, which start at $65, go on sale Aug. 7 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased online at www.lyceum.msstate.edu or by calling the MSU Center for Student Activities at 662-325-2930. If available, tickets may be purchased the day of the performance at the door. Odom Jr. performed last December at MSU-Meridian's Riley Center to a sell-out crowd. |
| Programs lend hand to catfish producers | |
| Mississippi raises more than half of U.S. catfish, but overseas competition, rising input costs and bird depredation are among operational and financial challenges producers face just to stay in business. Two federal assistance programs approved in July aim to extend some relief. Two weeks before the U.S. Department of Agriculture officially set aside $20 million to buy U.S. farm-raised catfish under its Section 32 program on July 23, it updated its Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program. Known as ELAP, this program will pay $600 per acre per year to eligible farm-raised catfish producers who suffered inventory loss due to bird depredation. Jimmy Avery, catfish specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the purchases will enhance supply chain mobility by reducing surplus inventory and supporting struggling producers who are warehousing fish in their ponds to wait for better prices. |
| Amazon Awards Nearly $250,000 to Warren County Community Fund Recipients | |
| Amazon has awarded nearly $250,000 through the Amazon Warren County Community Fund, a community grant program supporting local initiatives in Warren County, Mississippi. A total of 28 local community groups, schools, non-profit organizations, and individuals whose projects are driving positive change across the region were recognized at an event in Vicksburg earlier this summer. "It is very exciting to see Amazon inspiring and funding ideas by local residents that support local needs and strengthen the community," said Pablo Diaz, President & CEO of the Vicksburg Warren Economic Development Partnership. "The fact that twenty-eight organizations collectively received nearly a quarter of a million dollars will have a meaningful impact across Warren County. This is a direct investment from Amazon into the people, organizations, and ideas that are making our community stronger." The 28 funded projects span education, health, basic needs, history, and community resilience, including: Mississippi State University -- Research to Startup Expedition connecting students with entrepreneurship. |
| U.S. Lost 23,000 Jobs in July, While Unemployment Ticked Lower | |
 | The U.S. labor market shed jobs in July, an unexpected contraction likely to renew questions about the economy's fundamental strength at a time when it is also facing elevated inflation. The Labor Department's July jobs report showed that the economy lost 23,000 last month, a big shortfall versus the gain of 83,000 that economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected. Also, revisions to May and June payrolls numbers showed that the economy added 103,000 fewer jobs in those two months. More Americans stepped back from the labor market entirely, according to the Labor Department's separate monthly survey of households. As a result, the unemployment rate eased to 4.1%, from 4.2% in June, even though fewer people were working. The sizable pullback in hiring -- not just in July, but in downwardly revised May and June numbers -- marked a shift for a labor market that appeared on the upswing earlier this year. In a bright spot likely reflecting the boom in data centers, the construction sector added 22,000 jobs last month. Manufacturing gained 5,000. But leisure and hospitality employers cut 40,000 workers, while retailers shed more than 19,000 employees. |
| Rep. Guest visits Mississippi district, discusses Washington priorities | |
 | The U.S. House of Representatives is in August recess, and Rep. Michael Guest is back in his district updating constituents on legislation passed out of the chamber and meeting with health care providers about federal hospital funding. Guest said the House has made progress on appropriations ahead of the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year 2026 funding deadline. "In the House, we've been able to pass all 12 of the appropriations bills out of committee," Guest said. "A big accomplishment. We've been able to get three of the bills passed off the House floor, sent to the Senate. There are ongoing negotiations between the House and the Senate. The House is much further along in the process than the Senate, knowing that our appropriations run out for FY26 at the end of September." Also on Guest's recess agenda is meeting with the state's medical providers to discuss a federal rural hospital stabilization program. Guest said he wants to ensure local and rural hospitals are aware of the application process and that the program is functioning as intended. |
| Will Mississippi send a Black Democrat to the US Senate? Scott Colom says don't count him out | |
 | Scott Colom is a gregarious prosecutor who grew up in Mississippi with a Republican father who campaigned for Ronald Reagan and counted political titan Thad Cochran as a friend. That background sounds ideal for a U.S. Senate hopeful in a Deep South state run for generations by white conservatives. Except Colom is a Democrat. And a Black man. So, he's an underdog in his bid to unseat Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a white Donald Trump acolyte seeking her second full term. Yet several variables -- Colom's biography, Mississippi's demographics, lingering inflation and Hyde-Smith's understated profile -- make for a wildcard matchup as Republicans defend their 53-47 Senate majority at the midpoint of Trump's second presidency. He told The Associated Press he has a rare opportunity to flip the state's usual script by casting Hyde-Smith as a rubber stamp while deflecting broadsides that he's a liberal misfit. Through aides, Hyde-Smith declined an interview. But her campaign manager projected confidence. |
| Farm bill proposal fails in US Senate ag committee over SNAP error rate issue | |
| Farm bill progress stalled Thursday as the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee failed to move forward its version of the omnibus legislation due to a conflict over when states will shoulder a share of federal nutrition assistance costs. While the bill included bipartisan language from more than 100 bills, Democrats were unwilling to budge on their demand for a two-year extension to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act policy that requires states to pay for part of their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program if they have SNAP payment error rates in excess of 6%. Chairman John Boozman amended the bill to extend the deadline one year, as a compromise, along with additional funding for an emergency food assistance program. In his opening remarks, the Republican from Arkansas said the amendments made to the draft are the "best and final offer" to address Democrats' concerns with SNAP. "Should this legislation be defeated today, current law will remain in effect, and states who poorly administer SNAP programs will begin to pay for the portion of the benefit cost next year," Boozman said in his opening remarks. Republicans were without a majority in the room due to the absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who has been hospitalized and in rehabilitation since June. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, was also not present during the final vote on the bill, allowing Democrats to win the vote against the bill by one vote. |
| Klobuchar-led Democrats defeat latest farm bill proposal over SNAP cost shift | |
| The U.S. Senate's push to fast track the farm bill fizzled Thursday after Sen. Amy Klobuchar and other Democrats opposed a committee draft that would leave Minnesota counties with millions of dollars in new SNAP costs. Last year's cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) included a cost shift to states. But in states like Minnesota that rely on county administration to run the program, the shift will add millions in costs that could only be covered through property tax increases, officials have said. Klobuchar, the ranking Democrat on the committee who is also running for governor of Minnesota, said the cost shift amounted to 10% of the $187 billion in SNAP cuts. "It is impossible for us to believe that we can't -- when $70 billion has been requested for the war in Iran and another $70 billion was added to ICE -- that we can't find a way to [delay the SNAP cost shift] this extra year," she said in her opening statement. SNAP and other nutrition programs are only one part of the $390 billion farm bill, which is the main federal funding roadmap that covers everything from crop insurance and research grants to rural housing initiatives. |
| Senate Republicans' farm bill fails over SNAP stalemate | |
 | Senate Agriculture Committee Democrats rejected a GOP-led farm bill Thursday in a vote that highlights deep partisan divisions over nutrition aid cuts and leaves Congress without a clear path toward reauthorizing the long-overdue bill. Chair John Boozman recessed the panel indefinitely after the 10-11 vote, meaning that he can call members back to revisit the bill at any point, including in September after the chamber's August break. Republicans needed at least one Democratic vote to advance the bill due to the absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell on Thursday. Boozman accused Democrats of holding SNAP participants "hostage and holding our farmers hostage." "I want to be clear: A two-year delay does not have the support of the majority in Congress or of the White House. The offer before you is the best, and it's the final offer," Boozman said. Senators adopted dozens of amendments to the original text, including those that would permanently transfer the Food for Peace program to USDA and make hot rotisserie chicken eligible under SNAP. They rejected several Democratic-led amendments to undo SNAP funding cuts and add other nutrition priorities to the bill along party lines. |
| Mitch McConnell discharged from rehabilitation center, continues recovery at home | |
 | Sen. Mitch McConnell was discharged from a rehabilitation center Thursday and is continuing his recovery at home following his June hospitalization, his office announced. McConnell said in a statement that he and his wife Elaine Chao are grateful for the well-wishes from friends, colleagues and Kentuckians, as well as the care he received from hospital staff. However, the 84-year-old did not specify when he would return to the Senate. Throughout his prolonged absence, Democrats and Republicans alike have demanded more transparency from Kentucky's senior senator. That includes Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who sent a letter July 27 asking for McConnell to release more details about his health condition, or resign from office. Meanwhile, Kentucky Republicans defended McConnell Saturday during the 146th St. Jerome Fancy Farm Picnic, where many politicians credited him with their successful careers. He has attended the annual event in Western Kentucky for decades, but had to miss his final picnic as a siting U.S. senator due to his ongoing recovery. |
| Murkowski Will Oppose Blanche, Putting His Confirmation at Risk | |
 | Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, said on Friday that she would oppose Todd Blanche's nomination as attorney general, further imperiling his chances of confirmation. Ms. Murkowski, who is the second Republican senator to oppose President Trump's pick for the job, said in a statement that she harbored concerns over the "politicization" of the Justice Department, and worried that Mr. Blanche would "fail to check the worst impulses of this administration." Given her stance and with Democrats uniformly against him, Mr. Blanche can likely not afford any other Republican defections and still be confirmed. Ms. Murkowski cited the department's handling of the release of the Epstein files, which Mr. Blanche oversaw, and the settlement agreement that Mr. Blanche negotiated in Mr. Trump's lawsuit against the I.R.S., which included the creation of a $1.8 billion compensation fund that could have been used to pay Jan. 6 rioters. "The country needs an attorney general who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Ms. Murkowski said. "I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case." |
| Trump signs new orders targeting birthright citizenship, weeks after SCOTUS ruling | |
 | President Trump is once again attempting to put restrictions on who is automatically guaranteed citizenship after being born in the U.S., just weeks after the Supreme Court struck down his attempt to end birthright citizenship. On Thursday, the president signed two executive orders, this time taking a more narrow focus on so-called "birth tourism." The first order aims to exclude babies born to members of foreign terrorist groups or employees working for foreign governments, such as ambassadors. The second order removes automatic citizenship for babies whose parents engaged in "birth tourism." This is an issue that Trump has raised for years, and the term refers to when pregnant foreigners visit the U.S. in order to give birth, so that their newborn can obtain American citizenship. Senior White House adviser Stephen Miller was at the Oval Office when the executive orders were announced, calling the crackdown on the practice one of the most important actions that Trump has taken when it comes to immigration. David Bier, an immigration policy analyst with the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, said that he expects a swift response in the courts. "This is a situation where you would hope that the Supreme Court would step in very quickly to enforce its prior decision," he said. |
| Blackburn advances to general election, first woman to win party nomination | |
| U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn on Thursday advanced to the general election in November, defeating U.S. Rep. John Rose and becoming the first woman to win the Republican nomination for governor. Despite polls in the final weeks of the campaign showing a tightening race, Blackburn cruised to victory. By 9 p.m. Thursday, after The Associated Press called the race, she had 43.8% of the primary vote with several precinct vote totals yet to be recorded. Rose had 32.7% of the primary vote and state Rep. Monty Fritts of Kingston received 23.4% as the race was called. Blackburn's 30 years in elected office and longtime Republican Party activism built a bulwark too formidable for Rose or Fritts to overcome. A native of Mississippi and former image consultant, Blackburn organized the first Young Republicans group outside of East Tennessee in Williamson County in the early 1980s before chairing the Williamson County Republican Party. Blackburn will face Democrat Jerri Green, a Memphis city councilmember, in the general election, making for the state's first all-woman partisan gubernatorial field. |
| Writers residency on William Faulkner's land comes closer to fruition | |
| Oxford entrepreneur and University of Mississippi alumna Helen Graeber Overstreet has given $100,000 toward the development of the Greenfield Farm Writers Residency. This is a reader's gift, honoring a family legacy of readers through three generations of women. It honors Overstreet's mother, the late Helen Rebecca Phillips Graeber, known to her friends as "Becky," and her daughter, Helen Rebecca Cornelius, an Oxford interior designer. It also fulfills a bit of wisdom that John T. Edge, developer of the UM project, got while visiting MacDowell, an artist residency program in New Hampshire. "Readers will be your donors, they told me, people who've enjoyed success and have depended on books and authors to introduce them to new ideas, new perspectives, new worlds," Edge said. Graeber was a lifelong lover of books, art, entertaining and cooking. In the last years of her life before she died in 2022, she lived in a vibrant assisted living community, where one of her closest friends was Edge's father, John Thomas Edge. "John T.'s father and my mother shared a love of reading and would often talk about books together; they became very close," Overstreet said. "She was an avid reader her entire life." |
| Oxford installs free Narcan vending machine in downtown parking garage | |
 | The city of Oxford has installed its first Narcan vending machine inside the downtown parking garage, offering free overdose reversal medication and drug testing strips to the public. The city partnered with Communicare to deploy the machine, which dispenses Narcan, fentanyl test strips and a kit designed to dissolve and dispose of leftover prescription medications. "It's completely free. So everything in there has been furnished through a federal grant Communicare has received, and it will be restocked as long as we have the funds to be restocked," said Melody Medaris, Communicare executive director. The parking garage was selected because of its proximity to bars and gathering spots on the Oxford Square. Medaris said the program is aimed at reducing accidental overdoses, particularly among college students. "I just want to remind people that most overdoses are completely accidental. We have a lot of college students that come in here every single year, and while we would like them to never experiment with drugs, the reality is that some of them will," she said. |
| UMMC performs rare liver transplant for Mississippi cancer patient | |
| Ashley Castle, a Meridian native and longtime Brandon resident, received Mississippi's first liver transplant for hilar cholangiocarcinoma, a rare form of bile duct cancer, at the University of Mississippi Medical Center on July 23. Castle's cancer was discovered in February 2024 during an endoscopy for an unrelated gastrointestinal condition. Because she had no symptoms, the early diagnosis was especially fortunate, as bile duct cancer often goes undetected until later stages, when it is harder to treat. Castle underwent chemotherapy and radiation to shrink the tumor and prevent it from spreading while she waited for a donor liver. "Mrs. Castle made it through these many challenging steps and was fortunate to receive a priceless gift from a person who had selflessly chosen to donate their organs," said Dr. Mark Earl, chief of UMMC's Division of Transplant Surgery and Castle's surgeon. Dr. Chris Anderson, chair of UMMC's Department of Surgery, said the case demonstrates the importance of combining a strong transplant program with advanced, multidisciplinary cancer care. |
| Southern Miss, Integer Technologies awarded $9.8M for Navy seabed warfare program | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi and Integer Technologies have been awarded a $9.8 million option exercise contract modification from the Office of Naval Research for the next phase of their Intelligent Autonomous Systems for Seabed Warfare program. The modification brings the total cumulative contract value to $24.8 million and supports continued development of software for autonomous undersea missions. The program centers on unmanned vessels equipped with sonar detectors used to inspect subsurface infrastructure and detect underwater explosives. The autonomous design allows the Navy to conduct those missions while minimizing risk to personnel. Integer is partnering with USM's oceanography and ocean engineering students to create software models for unmanned platforms. Integer's facility at USM's Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise at the Port of Gulfport provides direct ocean access for testing. |
| Columbus celebrates native, JSU President with fundraiser | |
 | Fascinators, pearls, elegant dresses, and well-tailored suits. That's how Mississippians celebrated the Columbus native and recently appointed Jackson State University President, Dr. Denise Jones Gregory. Hundreds came together earlier this week for the First Mother's Tea, recognizing the president's past and present impact on JSU's campus and preparing for its future. The event raised funds for her upcoming presidential inauguration while also honoring the legacy of her mother, Linda Irby Jones. Irby Jones was an educator in Columbus for over thirty years. "(The purpose of the event) is to celebrate (Dr. Jones Gregory) ... the funds (will) go towards scholarships, go towards service, everything to help Jackson State University and her inauguration," said Denise Jones Woody, triplet sister of Jones Gregory. "That's the biggest goal ... is having resources and opportunities for our students, to be able to make connections for those kids so they will be able to have better opportunities than what we have had," said DeWanda Jones Nelson, triplet sister of Jones Gregory. |
| Jackson State University warns students about electrical safety during Welcome Week | |
| Jackson State University is educating new students on electrical safety during Welcome Week as the new school year gets underway. Campus operations officials are urging students to replace extension cords with surge protectors to prevent fires or outages in residence halls. Vance Siggers, vice president of campus operations, said many students are unaware of the risks associated with extension cords. "A lot of people don't know the limitations of an extension cord. They really aren't safe at all because it is an extension of the main power supply that are going into equipment that requires electricity," Siggers said. "A lot of times people put a plug in an extension cord that ends up being too large and cause a surge and sometimes it'll cause a fire." The university said students should not plug heat products or kitchen appliances into surge protectors to avoid overloading the circuit. Residence hall directors said high-voltage equipment should plug directly into the wall. JSU is also upgrading fire panels in residence halls this school year. The new panels will improve smoke and fire detection and help emergency personnel respond faster if an alarm is triggered. |
| UGA celebrates completion of two new student facilities | |
| The University of Georgia celebrated the completion of its two newest student facilities Thursday: Building 2266, a first-year student residence hall, and the Dining, Learning and Well-Being Center. UGA held dedication ceremonies to commemorate the facilities' completion and their overall expansion of housing, dining, academic support and wellness services for students. "[The facilities] will further enhance UGA's world-class learning environment, providing students with the opportunity to eat, study, learn and grow in spaces that have been intentionally and carefully designed to meet their needs," UGA President Jere W. Morehead said in a press release. "They also will provide our students with immediate access to important resources and support services that will remove barriers as they progress towards their degrees." Both projects were developed and constructed in partnership with the University of Georgia Real Estate Foundation. Building 2266 was a $72.5 million project, and the Dining, Learning and Well-Being Center was $60.7 million. |
| U. of Oklahoma vice president to resign; Division of Access and Opportunity to end | |
| Vice President Belinda Higgs Hyppolite will resign in December after seven years in evolving roles at the university, and beginning this fall the Division of Access and Opportunity -- formerly the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion -- will cease to exist at OU. In a campus-wide email Thursday, the university announced the move as the third item in what it called a series of organizational and operational updates. The email has no statements from OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. or Higgs Hyppolite. During Higgs Hyppolite's tenure, what is now OU's Division of Access and Opportunity has undergone significant change as universities across the country have responded to legislation dialing back diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. In an email statement to OU Daily, Kesha Keith, chief strategy officer of Student Affairs, wrote the Division of Student Affairs is committed to ensuring a thoughtful transition as it absorbs some of the Division of Access and Opportunity's services. In a second email to OU Daily, OU Marketing and Communications wrote it does not foresee any job losses as a result of the transition. |
| Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recommends changing public university funding system to focus on student success metrics | |
| The way state funds are allocated to public universities could change after the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board proposed rewarding schools for student outcomes instead of credit hour enrollment in a July 22 quarterly board meeting. The proposal, which will go to the Texas Legislature when it convenes in January 2027, recommends adding a new formula that would supplement, rather than replace, Texas' existing higher education financing system that primarily allocated more funding to universities who enroll either more students or enroll them into more credit hours. Under the proposed model, 60% of new funding would be tied to the number of students who earn a "credential of value," defined as a degree whose long-term earnings exceed its educational costs. Currently, all Texas bachelor's degrees are credentials of value according to the proposal. The remaining 40% would go to measures of academic progression and persistence, including the number of students who reach 30, 60 and 90 credit-hour milestones and return from one fall semester to the next. The board also recommended additional funding incentives for high-demand fields and historically underserved student populations. |
| U. of Texas quietly opens new Center for Humanities to support core curriculum | |
| The University of Texas is launching a new Center for Humanities this fall to focus on teaching and research related to its core curriculum, credits all students are required to take. The launch comes during a period of academic upheaval -- Texas university systems are overhauling core courses under a new state law and closing departments unpopular with conservative politicians. The center will start in the fall with 14 new professors, one of whom will start in 2027. Though the university published the center's website in July, it has not publicly announced the center's creation. Questions linger over the origins of the new humanities initiative and why it is being stood up now. It is unclear who oversaw the creation of the center, which appears to be housed under the provost's office, or how it will interact with UT's existing Humanities Institute, which is housed in the College of Liberal Arts. It is also unclear how the center is funded. More than a third of the center's professors come from the University of Florida's Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education, where UT's Executive Vice President and Provost William Inboden worked as director the year before he joined the Forty Acres. At least half are co-appointed in the Civitas Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank that UT created in 2022 with $6 million from the Texas Legislature. |
| Cornyn praises NSF's $25M investment in Texas A&M for materials research infrastructure | |
| U.S. Senator John Cornyn has released a statement praising the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF) announcement of a $25 million award to Texas A&M University to build a Materials Innovation Platform (MIP) facility. The facility will utilize robotics and AI to accelerate the research and development of materials which can withstand extreme conditions, including those essential for national security and energy dominance. The office says the NSF Autonomous Robotic Metallurgist Materials Innovation Platform (NSF ARM-MIP) at Texas A&M University will integrate robotics and AI into one laboratory capable of creating new alloys in a short timeframe. The applications for these alloys include fuel-efficient jet turbines, stronger armor for tanks and other vehicles, radiation-resistant materials for nuclear reactors, corrosion-resistant bridges, and biocompatible implants. |
| States Wrestle With Data and Program Tweaks to Access Workforce Pell | |
 | States and institutions are trying to capitalize on the federal government's increased focus on nondegree, workforce-targeted credentials but, for many, their data collection systems and current short-term programs don't meet the federal criteria for funding. That was an overall message coming out of this year's State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) Higher Ed Policy Conference. The event, which ran from Monday through Thursday, featured six scheduled panels with "Workforce Pell" in the title, including two at the same time. There were also panels on merging higher ed and workforce agencies and other sessions focused on how to better connect what have traditionally been separate workforce and higher ed functions and expand access to workforce training. "Workforce Pell is clearly the canary in the coal mine," said JB Holston, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, during the workforce-higher ed agency merger panel. He said that, regardless of one's politics, Workforce Pell represents the path moving forward, and states need to have "interlocking data systems." |
| Higher Ed Has Entered the Age of 'Alignment' | |
 | In March, the University of North Texas made a big announcement. It was merging departments and eliminating three master's programs, an undergraduate major, and 25 minors. Forty-two certificate programs were getting the ax. How had these particular programs been chosen? An analysis of efficiency, student demand, and enrollment, its president and provost wrote. And one more thing: "alignment with our mission." Two months later, Columbia College Chicago explained why it was laying off six tenured faculty members: "The reductions reflect alignment with the college's revised program array," the college's spokesperson told the campus newspaper. Less than a week later, the president of Ursinus College laid out the decision to lay off 15 percent of the institution's staff. "We have to align the college's operations with current enrollment trends," he said to The Philadelphia Inquirer. In April, Gov. Mike Braun, a Republican of Indiana, got in on the act, praising trustees of the state's colleges for cutting or consolidating more than 500 programs: "When higher education is more closely aligned with the jobs of the future," he said, "it ensures that the investments of students, families, and taxpayers are stewarded well." Every so often, a word takes hold in higher education. At the height of Covid's uncertainty, that word was "pivot." Now, as higher ed is being buffeted by financial and political pressures amid darkening public opinion, the word on everyone's lips is "alignment." |
SPORTS
| Football: 'Now It's Time To Go Do It' | |
| Momentum has been building during Jeff Lebby's tenure at Mississippi State. Last season, Lebby led the Bulldogs back to a bowl game and is now looking to not only maintain that success but continue building upon it. MSU made their first strides toward that goal with their initial practice of the preseason on Thursday morning. "Since the day we got here, we've talked about building something sustainable," Lebby said. "Now we're in Year 3. There's no question this is the best roster we've had and the best staff we've had. It's only Day 1 of camp, but we're much further ahead than we were a year ago, and it's not even close compared to two years ago. Now it's time to go do it." With the season opener set for Sept. 5 against ULM, Lebby is looking to establish more depth throughout his roster over the next few weeks to give the Bulldogs as many viable options as possible this fall. "We have more competition today than we've had before," Lebby said. "There's no question about it. There's competition in the offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, in the secondary and at receiver. That's a great motivator. That's why we've got to continue getting reps and developing the entire (roster)." |
| Depth, chemistry big focuses on MSU's first day of camp | |
| Mississippi State's first order of business isn't unlike that of most architects: laying the foundation. That was the main focus for coach Jeff Lebby, as he took the podium following the first day of fall camp at the Seal Complex on Thursday. His play style requires speed and physicality, which underscores a need for depth as the team takes the field roughly a month before Week 1. "I love the competition. I think that's what we have as much as anything for us, and you need that inside a program," Lebby said. "We have that more today than we have had, and there is no question about it." Lebby is especially excited about the depth in the offensive line room. Between now and the season opener, he and the coaching staff want to not just find five starters, but eight or nine who can "play winning football." There isn't just one thing Lebby wants to focus on out of the gate. He does want the team to build chemistry, get on the same page and stay on it. |
| 'A great motivator': Depth, competition highlight first day of fall camp | |
| Jeff Lebby has more competition on his roster than he's ever had. The Bulldogs opened fall camp Thursday morning, and among all the topics Lebby discussed in his first camp availability, MSU's depth excited him most. "We have that (competition) more today than we've had, and there's no question about it," Lebby said. "For us, that is a great thing. It's a great motivator, and that's why we've got to get the reps and continue to develop the entire thing." Lebby said the speed on this year's roster is similar to some of his fastest teams he had as the running backs coach at Baylor. He said guys have "elite track speed." "We got really fast guys that love to play football, and that's what we're looking for," Lebby said. |
| GAO Report: Athletic Programs Bleed Money | |
| Who foots the bill when college athletics can't pay for themselves? The answer, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), is a mix of students -- who heavily subsidize programs with athletic fees -- and the academic enterprise itself. Virtually all programs rely on funding from outside athletics to cover costs, the report noted. Released Wednesday at the request of Education and Workforce Committee Chairman, Tim Walberg, the GAO report found that college athletic programs are, for the most part, not self-sustaining. Altogether, 330 of 352 Division I programs -- or 94 percent -- lost money in the 2023–24 academic year. Looking at data from Division I and Division II (DI and DII) programs, the report determined that only 20 of the 69 athletic departments competing at the highest levels in DI generated more than they spent. Collectively, DI programs spent $20.8 billion in the 2023–24 academic year while making only $13.1 billion (much of it at the upper echelon). DI athletic departments filled that multibillion dollar gap by tapping tuition and fees, as well as unrestricted funds such as investment income. Amy Privette Perko, CEO of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, told Inside Higher Ed by email that her organization's own research reflected similar spending concerns. Data collected by the Knight Commission show that between Fiscal Year 2015 and FY25, universities in the power conferences increasingly passed on athletic costs to the student body. |
| Protect College Sports Act debate has 'failed' to listen to Black Americans, CBC says | |
| The Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday voiced its opposition to the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act that's currently under consideration in the Senate, urging Democrats to block the bill until it "reflects the interests of Black athletes." In a statement, CBC Chair Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) said that though the legislation has "evolved" from when Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) first introduced it, "fundamental concerns" remain. The bill -- which seeks to establish a single federal framework for name, image and likeness rights for athletes, limit conference expansions and grant collegiate sports a limited federal antitrust exemption -- has already secured the backing of powerhouse conferences like the Big Ten and SEC. But the stakes extend far beyond the playing field, Clarke said Thursday. "Black athletes have transformed college athletics into one of the most successful enterprises in America. Yet the people most affected by this legislation have not been meaningfully included in shaping it," Clarke said. The caucus, made entirely of Democratic members, also expressed support for the NAACP's call urging Black student athletes to avoid committing to top public athletic programs in Southern states as the redistricting battles in the wake of the Supreme Court's Callais ruling continues. |
| Private investors could help LSU build a revenue engine to fund athletics | |
 | LSU officials are working on a plan to potentially house LSU athletics' broadcast rights in a revenue-generating entity separate from the university. That entity could then make investments to generate more money for the Tigers' sports teams, a source with knowledge of the strategy said. A tentative plan was shared this week with the school's top athletics boosters during informational meetings Monday and Wednesday. University and state leaders are hoping a perpetual revenue-generating model could alleviate strain in an NIL era, where big-money contracts for both coaches and athletes have stretched donors thin. LSU is looking at setting up a new company that would be run by a board of at least four members, including an LSU Board of Supervisors representative, LSU President Wade Rousse, Gov. Jeff Landry, and a private investor, according to a person who is familiar with the proposal and attended the meeting on Monday night. The source said that discussions about the proposal are still ongoing and details could change. The person said university officials hope to have plans finalized by LSU's first football game against Clemson on Sept. 5. |
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