| Friday, August 28, 2026 |
| Mississippi State University dedicates plaza for first black student to attend the institution | |
 | To recognize the contributions and life of Mississippi State University's first black student, the ribbon was cut on a monument erected in the plaza on the Starkville campus that now bears his name. Dr. Richard E. Holmes became the first black student to attend MSU back in the 1960s. He went on to provide healthcare in two states. In recognition of those milestones, the former YMCA Plaza on the university campus was officially renamed the Holmes Plaza on August 21. A monument also now stands on the site in his honor. "Holmes Plaza and the monument we are dedicating today ensures that Dr. Holmes' story is always remembered on our campus. And what an incredible story it is," MSU President Mark Keenum said. Holmes was a member of MSU's Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. After graduating from the university, he went on to become a physician who provided health care in Mississippi and Alabama. He also worked in the MSU Longest Health Center for 30 years, according to the school. |
| Mississippi State University dedicates plaza for first black student to attend the institution | |
| To recognize the contributions and life of Mississippi State University’s first black student, the ribbon was cut on a monument erected in the plaza on the Starkville campus that now bears his name. Dr. Richard E. Holmes became the first black student to attend MSU back in the 1960s. He went on to provide healthcare in two states. “Holmes Plaza and the monument we are dedicating today ensures that Dr. Holmes’ story is always remembered on our campus. And what an incredible story it is,” MSU President Mark Keenum said. “He was a true pioneer and courageous trailblazer when he became Mississippi State’s first African American student on July 19, 1965.” During the ribbon cutting ceremony, I’terrious Hunter, a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, said he was honored to participate in the recognition of a fraternity brother. Hunter is also a MSU Promise Scholar. Other participants of the event included Vice President of Access, Opportunity and Success Ra’Sheda Forbes and MSU Student Association President Keegan Figueroa. |
| MSU's Department of Music announces fall concert season | |
 | Mississippi State's Department of Music offers an array of concerts this fall, featuring Mississippi blues legend Jesse Robinson to the university choirs and Wind Ensemble. Select events are ticketed to support programming, specific honorariums and technical and academic services. For box office information for each event, visit www.music.msstate.edu. Additionally, football fans can enjoy halftime performances by MSU's Famous Maroon Band, made up of more than 400 members from every college on campus. Designated as an All-Steinway School, MSU's Department of Music is housed in a $21 million, state-of-the-art facility equipped with sound-proof practice rooms, a high-tech recording studio, an acoustically advanced lecture-recital hall, more than $3.5 million in Steinway pianos and more. MSU's College of Education, home of the Department of Music, also includes four additional academic departments, a division of education, one research unit and numerous service units. |
| High school students earn real-world job training | |
 | Ever since his freshman year, Logan Kroner knew he wanted to be a first responder, but he was not sure which kind. That was until a recent internship through Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District's 21st Century program gave him hands-on experience rolling hose lines and doing live burn training with the Starkville Fire Department. Now the choice is obvious, he said. "I plan on joining the fire department here," Kroner told The Dispatch. "I'm not committed. I haven't signed anything, but I definitely plan on doing that after I graduate." Kroner, along with 15 other Starkville High School juniors and seniors, took part in paid internships during the summer with partners like the City of Starkville, Starkville Utilities and Mail Managers through the new program at Millsaps Career and Technology Center. After applying in August 2025 for a Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant to fund the program, Brandi Burton, SOCSD Discovery Center director of educational enhancement and innovative research, said Millsaps' program was approved for a $1.6 million grant to be disbursed annually in $400,000 awards. The program places Starkville juniors and seniors in paid internships in career fields they have an interest in pursuing after graduation, including in trade jobs, emergency response careers and other civic jobs, Rob Fyke, work-based learning coordinator, told The Dispatch. |
| Winning lottery ticket sold in Oktibbeha County | |
 | A winning lottery ticket was sold in Oktibbeha County. A Starkville player won $30,000 in a scratch-off ticket, which the Mississippi Lottery said was a top prize on a three-dollar "Bingo Night" jackpot ticket. The winning ticket was bought at the Sprint Mart number 4140 near the Starkville airport. That is off Highway 12. Mississippi Lottery officials said the winner is a longtime fan of crossword-style scratch-offs and added that it is the only type of game that they play. |
| Rent, a revolving door and a cookbook: The story of Starkville Arts Council's closure | |
| In 2020, Starkville Area Arts Council drafted a strategic plan with a dream that, by 2025, it would build a "modest" endowment of $500,000 and secure 25 local donors giving $5,000 annually. The dream never materialized, as the group's bank account instead dwindled to nearly nothing. With no publicly provided explanation or cause, SAAC announced its permanent dissolution via a Facebook post on Aug. 5. "I felt like I had stepped onto the Titanic right before it hit the iceberg," said Squeak Humphreys, SAAC's last executive director. "... At the time I started in September (of 2025), we had six board members, and we only had around $30,000 in the bank. When I left in February of this year, there were three board members and $5,000." According to previous executive directors and board members, "myriad" reasons turned SAAC's dreams into a nightmare. An ill-fated cookbook fundraiser "costing well over $100,000" and the lawsuit that followed, an expensive move to a downtown Starkville storefront and four directors in four years -- with one "lasting only a month" -- led the few remaining board members to believe closing "was the only remaining option." Phillip Carter, board president when SAAC dissolved, said the end "played out over roughly five years." Despite that, SAAC's signature event, Cotton District Arts Festival, will go on under different leadership. |
| Timber Was Gold in the South -- Until a Market Collapse Crushed the Forest Economy | |
 | Bill Howard's family has earned a living from the piney woods of southeast Georgia since 1898, when his great-grandfather and seven great-great uncles started cutting lumber with a portable sawmill. Over four generations, the Howards built a permanent mill in Statesboro, Ga., and added timberland to feed it. Today the family employs roughly 300 people between the sawmill, two other plants and three builder-supply yards. The collapse of pulpwood markets in the region is threatening the prospects of a fifth generation working the woods. The South, and Georgia in particular, have borne the brunt of a historic run of pulp and paper-mill closures as recycled boxes, cheap imported pulp and more thrifty packing by e-commerce giants, including Amazon.com, have hit demand. Last year, the U.S. shed roughly 10% of its capacity to produce containerboard, the thick paper used to make shipping and moving boxes. Demand for pulpwood -- trees unfit for making lumber but fine for cardboard and paper -- plummeted. So did demand for wood chips, sawdust and other byproducts that are crucial to the bottom lines of sawyers like the Howards. Prices across the South are at the lowest level in nearly 40 years before factoring in inflation. In some parts, there's essentially no market. Some growers are, for the first time, having to pay to have their pulpwood removed. |
| Tupelo contractors prepare to shift gears to Target road | |
| Tupelo summer maintenance will soon hit an extended break as the contractors overseeing the work take on another project -- the access road leading to the soon-to-open Target. While the maintenance on South Thomas Street has a few items to wrap up before work can be officially declared complete, Public Works Director Kelly Knight said the street is open to the public again as contractors tackle the last of the city's annual maintenance. "Falcon, which is our paving contractor, will be pulling off our local roads for a little while as they have a project they are a subcontractor on for the paving very soon .... that is time sensitive," Knight said. "So completion on ours will be at the end of the contract." The time-sensitive project, Woodford Way, is the new access road connecting North Gloster at the intersection of Commonwealth Boulevard to Barnes Crossing Extended. This project is on a tight window to coincide with the opening of the new Target storefront on Oct. 11. |
| Raytheon announces completion of $50 million expansion in Forest | |
| Raytheon announced Thursday that the RTX business has completed its 17,000 square-foot expansion in Forest. The expanded manufacturing facility was part of a $50 million capital investment aimed at boosting its production capacity for critical electronic warfare and radar systems. As previously reported, the expansion is expected to create 100 high-skill jobs by 2028. Raytheon's Forest, Mississippi, site now encompasses 445,000 square feet of manufacturing space, making it one of the largest defense manufacturing plants in the Magnolia State. Governor Tate Reeves (R) said in a statement from the company that the expansion is not only a great economic development win for Mississippi but also an important investment in America's national security. This most recent expansion will serve as a hub for production, test and integration of Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) pods for the U.S. Navy and Australian government, as well as other airborne radar programs, further strengthening Mississippi's role in supporting critical defense capabilities for the United States and its allies. |
| This Gulf Coast downtown never recovered from Katrina. Now signs of hope are finally emerging | |
 | Lining the walls of Renee Loranger's bakery in Waveland, Miss., are photographs of Coleman Avenue hours before Hurricane Katrina washed over the strip, where live oaks and white picket fences stood alongside restaurants, churches and a lone saloon. Reminders of what the storm took away live beyond those photographs. Five years ago, when Loranger opened her bakery, Sugar Pop Co., she described the downtown street in one word: "quiet." Recovery remained scarce, with few elevated homes scattered among grassy lots -- evidence that time had stood rather still more than a decade after the storm. Some of those lots remain empty today. But standing alongside them are subtle signs of growth along the thoroughfare. As noon approached on a recent Friday, crowds filed into Rickey's on Coleman for fried catfish and ciabatta sandwiches during lunch breaks, returning to a neighborhood fixture that reopened last fall after Katrina dismantled it. Farther down, near the beachfront, construction crews were building a new restaurant elevated on stilts and surrounded by sandpits and young palm trees. Nearby, a pier closed since Hurricane Zeta damaged it in 2020 is set to reopen for residents and fishermen. The gradual rebirth of Coleman Avenue points to a broader trend unfolding across the Mississippi Coast, as population growth, new developments and an influx of vacationers transform a region long stunted by Katrina's destruction. |
| Sen. Roger Wicker receives MAB service award, talks Iran War direction | |
 | U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker received the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters inaugural Medal of Service Award during the organization's conference in Biloxi on Wednesday. The MAB Medal of Service recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to protecting, promoting, and advancing local broadcasting and the communities it serves. Wicker spoke about how local television and radio stations are vital to helping the public stay informed, especially in times of crisis. "There's some folks in Washington that think we ought to put more fees and taxes on local broadcasters, we can certainly run the government without those fees and taxes. Local broadcasting is very important. It's the way people hear about natural disasters, hurricanes, floods and other things that they need to be informed about. We need to do what we can at the federal level to encourage local broadcasters to stay in business," Wicker said. |
| Warsh Says the Fed May Not Be Done Fighting Inflation | |
| Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh signaled the central bank may not be done fighting inflation, saying financing conditions didn't look restrictive to him and that better price readings recently hadn't convinced him the trend was improving. "We must be confident that underlying inflation is moving to our objective, clearly and at sufficient speed. Otherwise, we have work to do," he said in first speech as Fed chairman, a highly anticipated debut at the Kansas City Fed's annual symposium in Wyoming. Warsh stopped short of saying whether he would support raising rates when the Fed meets next month and offered no path for policy, in keeping with his approach to how the central bank should communicate less about coming moves. "I stand here today committed to a discipline, not to a decision," he said. He described an economy showing few signs of restraint from the Fed's current rate of around 3.6%. "Credit and loan markets are showing few signs of policy restraint," he said. Despite some signs of strain in housing and agriculture, "on balance, I would be hard pressed to describe broad financial conditions as restrictive." The remarks provided the fullest account Warsh has given of how he reads an economy that has split the central bank since he took over this spring. Three officials voted last month to raise rates, and others have signaled they are open to joining them. |
| Trump looks to ease beef processing regulations | |
 | President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration will seek changes to allow farmers and ranchers to slaughter and process their own products in response to calls to loosen the grip of the big companies that dominate U.S. meat processing. "I am authorizing legal documents to be drawn in order to allow Farmers and Ranchers to be given the right to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "This should move quickly." The president's announcement follows his proclamation earlier this week allowing an increase in beef imports over the next three months as part of a broader effort to bring down food prices ahead of the midterms. Trump also signaled his interest in addressing ranchers' concerns about the so-called Big Four meat processors during an interview Wednesday with conservative commentator Glenn Beck. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Friday in a post on X that "big announcements" are coming starting next week, including "expanding truth in labeling," prioritizing "real support for small processors (funding and deregulation)" and fighting consolidation. But federal agencies are limited in how much they can unilaterally change without congressional action. |
| Gen Z regrets Trump support and is midterm motivated | |
 | Thirty-one percent of Generation Zers who voted for President Trump say they regret it, a recent Navigator poll reports. Millennials followed at 28 percent, with 20 percent of Generation Xers and 10 percent of baby boomers saying they regret backing Trump, too. It's another sign of the dismal polling Trump and the GOP are facing as Republican lawmakers brace for this fall's midterm elections. Gen Z was a significant source of votes for Trump in 2024. He won 42 percent of voters born in the 1990s and 2000s, according to Pew Research Center, compared with former Vice President Kamala Harris's 55 percent. "Young Americans are telling us that politics is deeply important to who they are, but it doesn't mean they're happy with the current political system, or that they're even optimistic about the direction of the country as a whole," Tina Tang, director of polling and analytics at Navigator, told The Hill. "Gen Z is not a group that's hard to understand," Tang said. "Politics are important to them, but they are also pessimistic about the economy right now." |
| Republicans are breaking with Donald Trump on data centers | |
| Battleground Republicans are breaking from President Donald Trump on data centers. So far, they're getting away with it. In recent weeks, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Michigan GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers and Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee Stacy Garrity have called for temporary pauses on data center projects. Rep. Tom Tiffany, Republicans' gubernatorial candidate in Wisconsin, launched an attack ad painting his Democratic rival as too pro-data centers. Michigan GOP Rep. Tom Barrett also rolled out an ad last week saying "I stood up to my own party" on data centers and introduced legislation to shore up local control over them. It's a stark shift in a party that had previously embraced the burgeoning industry, which Trump has positioned as a critical piece of winning the artificial intelligence race with China. In some cases, the candidates are issuing their new, restrictive data center policies without consulting the White House, according to Garrity and advisers to Barrett, Abbott and Tiffany. The president, for now, is allowing the pivot. He admitted last week that the industry needs "a little public relations help" and appeared to give Republicans a long leash on the issue, telling reporters Friday: "If a Republican's against a data center, that's OK with me." It's a notable move for a president not known for accepting perceived disloyalty or pushback on his agenda. |
| Americans have turned against police cameras that track license plates, new survey shows | |
 | When Justin Cowgur, a city council member in Centerton, Arkansas, was asked two years ago to vote on a contract to install Flock license-plate readers, he found it easy to say yes. The Republican wine seller believed the artificial intelligence-powered cameras -- which record passing cars' plates into a database that officers can search to investigate crime -- could help ease the strain on their understaffed police force and keep his bedroom community safe. But lately, he's come to regret the deal, saying he no longer trusts the company with the huge amount of data its roadside cameras collect. Earlier this month, after a parade of residents voiced concerns about their privacy and the system's risk of abuse, he and other members voted unanimously to cancel the contract. "Being a parent and having two girls, I wanted safety. But the way that the license plate readers have hit a lot of radars is very concerning," Cowgur, 39, said in an interview. "People want to have privacy in some way, and you don't want to feel like you're being watched. ... Do we really know where our data is going?" Cowgur's change of heart reflects the national mood on one of the fastest-growing surveillance tools in American policing, according to surveys from the polling firm YouGov. More Americans now oppose law enforcement's use of the technology than support it, a reversal from last year as a growing backlash raises concerns about its potential for invasive monitoring and police misuse. |
| USM School of Leadership to update graduate programs | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi's (USM) School of Leadership will introduce new names and updated curricula for its Human Capital Development graduate programs beginning in Fall 2026. According to the university, the Master of Science in Human Capital Development will become the Master of Science in Leadership and Talent Development, while the Doctor of Philosophy in Human Capital Development will become the Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and Organizational Development. "These new names characterize the knowledge and capabilities our students develop while reflecting the language used across today's organizations," said Dr. Jacob Breland, director of the School of Leadership. "At the same time, the programs remain firmly grounded in the human-centered principles that have defined Human Capital Development at Southern Miss. This is an evolution of that foundation, not a departure from it." |
| Northwest Mississippi Community College launches centennial celebration; fundraising initiative | |
| Northwest Mississippi Community College will officially launch its Centennial Celebration in September 2026, beginning a series of events commemorating 100 years of transforming students, families and communities throughout Northwest Mississippi. "This Centennial is more than a celebration of Northwest's history-it is a celebration of the people who built this institution and the communities we have been privileged to serve," said Northwest President Dr. Michael Heindl. "As we honor our first 100 years, we are also looking forward with great excitement and purpose to the opportunities ahead." The official Centennial Kickoff Celebration will take place Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 10 a.m. on the Senatobia campus. SuperTalk Mississippi will broadcast live from the Senatobia campus throughout the day on Sept. 8, featuring "Mornings with Richard Cross," "MidDays with Gerard Gibert" and "SportsTalk Mississippi." Interviews with Northwest leaders, alumni, students and friends of the college will highlight Northwest's history and its vision for the next century. |
| Pearl River Community College students, faculty, staff can 'Reach Out' in new way for mental health counseling | |
 | There's a new way for students, faculty and staff at Pearl River Community College to access confidential mental health counseling services, 24 hours a day. It's called ReachOut, and it's the Result of a partnership between PRCC and Gaggle ReachOut. You can access the service by text, phone or secure web chat. Any student, faculty or staff member dealing with stress, anxiety, grief, financial concerns or other mental health challenges can take advantage of the free service. It's designed to complement PRCC's existing mental health support services. "We've added a counselor, full-time, that handles mental health services, we did that about three years ago, but now, to be able to add this with a 24/7 component, is a really big addition for all of our campuses," Jeff Long, vice-president of the Poplarville Campus of Pearl River Community College, said. |
| U. of Alabama quietly closes Intercultural Center | |
| The University of Alabama silently closed the Intercultural Center over the summer. The center, which was located in room 2100 of the Student Center, is now referred to as the "REAL Tide Engagement Commons." The Intercultural Center, originally the Intercultural Diversity Center, opened in 2016 at the Riverside Community Center. Davis Grady, then vice president of student affairs, said the opening of the center "ensures UA has successful students in a multicultural world." The space later moved to the Student Center in Oct. 2020. The website for the Intercultural Center has not been taken down; however, the Division of Opportunities, Connection and Success website link has been removed and the phone number listed for the center has been disconnected. "As announced over the summer, some programs from the former divisions of Community Affairs and Opportunities, Connections, and Success were reassigned to divisions where they best align," said Alex House, a spokesperson for the University. "Programs in the Student Center, including the operation of the REAL Tide Engagement Commons, were moved to the Division of Student Life to expand student engagement and programming." |
| TikTok dorm designer gives Alabama colleges top dollar makeovers and a 'wow factor' | |
 | Among the bustle of parents carrying belongings up multiple flights of stairs while their students direct where everything should go is Shelly Gates, a Mississippi-based interior decorator who specializes in creating custom college dorm rooms. Gates and her team, sometimes clad in pale pink t-shirts bearing her business name, Mary Margaret Designs, work for weeks at a time during college move-in season, traveling across the South to fulfill students' dorm room dreams. Gates has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram for her dorm reveals, amassing more than 30,000 followers and more than 745,000 likes. She said the attention has helped bring greater recognition to her business. She said personalized dorm rooms have become something of a rite of passage for students at many Southeastern Conference schools. "That's something they really look forward to. Almost a rite of passage. In a lot of SEC schools, having a beautiful dorm is an expectation. Whether mom does it, whether I do it, whoever does it, that is kind of an expectation," Gates said. One of her favorite universities to decorate is the University of Alabama because the move-in process is easier than at many other schools. "I think that Bama is one of my favorites. It's so easy to get in and out of there," Gates said. "Their move-in process is very, very streamlined. It's very efficient." |
| Students face inconsistencies with AI policies. Here's what LSU faculty plan to do about it | |
| As LSU faculty and staff try to stay updated and control the use of ever-changing AI technology, students are encountering differing Artificial Intelligence policies in their classes. Professors across academic disciplines have built their own guidelines for how and when students can use AI in their courses. Some STEM professors believe that AI is a useful tool. Keith Mills is an assistant professor of computer science who allows students to use AI in his computer science and data analytics course. From creating visually aesthetic statistical models to coding industry-specific models, Mills lets his students use AI in the creation process of their coursework. However, Mills asks students to review the generated materials and add their own thoughts into the projects. "You as a human will have to go in and on top of the AI, edit it and make it look nice," Mills said. "AI can make a competent math plot, but to make something that really stands out, there's a human touch that is required for that." Other professors from different disciplines, like mass communication, disagree with the use of AI to help create content. Roxanne Dill, professor and journalism area head, said that she does not bother to keep up with AI, but she appreciates the university's efforts to bring everyone up to speed. |
| LSU student charged in connection with lucrative illegal gambling operation | |
| An LSU student is accused of being a bookie and managing an illegal gambling operation. Joseph Contente, 23, of Baton Rouge, was charged with gambling, cyberstalking, extortion, unlawful communications; telephones and telecommunication devices; improper language; harassment, and unlawful wagering; prohibited player. The Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division to possible illegal gambling and more on Jan. 16, 2026. An interview was conducted with the person who issued the complaint, and they stated that they were able to connect with a "gambling bookie" who was identified as Contente. The individual said he placed multiple bets with Contente and lost one, which he was unable to pay. The man told LSP that he was then harassed via text and phone. |
| Beloved New Orleans hospital, wracked by floods and grief in Hurricane Katrina, to get a makeover | |
 | In the chaos of Hurricane Katrina, Charity Hospital in New Orleans became a scene of heartbreak and heroism, with doctors scrambling to keep patients alive without power or functioning medical equipment while floodwaters trapped them inside its darkened halls for days on end. The massive hospital, a New Orleans landmark that long cared for the city's most vulnerable residents, was shuttered after the last patients and staff were rescued in 2005. Now, as Louisiana marks the storm's 21st anniversary Saturday, the long-vacant storm-damaged building is on the brink of new life. Tulane University announced this summer that it is spearheading a $500 million effort to convert Charity Hospital into a pioneering medical research facility, transforming the 1930s-era art deco building into a downtown hub of biomedical innovation. Construction is expected to start this fall. Tulane leaders say reviving the iconic landmark marks a major stride in putting behind the hurricane's dark days. Charity Hospital "reflected the sort of commitment of New Orleans to the healthcare of the community," Tulane President Michael Fitts said. "Now it's being brought back in a way that makes the same commitment to the community." |
| Tennessee Promise Boosts College Enrollment and Attainment, Data Shows | |
 | Tennessee Promise, the first statewide tuition-free community college program in the country, significantly boosted college enrollment and degree attainment at minimal cost to the state, according to a recent working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Looking at 2000–2023 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and 2000–2024 American Community Survey data, the researchers found that after the statewide introduction of the Tennessee Promise program in 2015, college enrollment among traditional-age high school graduates grew by 5.4 percentage points. The effects were even greater for nonwhite and rural students, the paper notes. Among community colleges, the advent of free tuition correlated with "a statistically significant" 15 percent increase in associate degrees conferred and a 24 percent increase in the number of students who transferred to bachelor's degree programs, the researchers found. The paper also addressed concerns among Promise program critics who argue that offering free community college diverts to two-year colleges students who might otherwise pursue a bachelor's degree. Researchers found that Promise-eligible students in Tennessee were roughly 2.7 percentage points more likely than their peers to earn a bachelor's degree by the time they turned 24; women were 4.1 percentage points more likely. |
| Texas A&M Regents approve interim provost, certify state compliance for DEI and more | |
| The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents unanimously approved Dr. Jerry Strawser as interim provost and executive vice president of Texas A&M University during a special telephonic meeting Thursday. Strawser will begin the role Tuesday, Sept. 1, and is expected to serve through May 2027 while the university conducts a national search for a permanent provost. He replaces Dr. Alan Sams, who is stepping down to return to a faculty role in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Texas A&M President Susan Ballabina recommended Strawser for the position during Thursday's meeting. "It's my pleasure to recommend Dr. Jerry Strawser as Interim Provost for Texas A&M University," Ballabina said. "Dr. Strawser has served here for several years in various leadership capacities, including dean of the Mays Business School, chief financial officer, and is widely respected." Strawser is currently a professor and the KPMG Chair in the James Benjamin Department of Accounting at Mays Business School. He's also a Texas A&M alum, earning his bachelor's and doctoral degrees in accounting from the university, and is a licensed CPA in Texas. |
| Alpha-gal, MU Express Care clinics discussed at Health Affairs Committee meeting | |
 | Opportunities to enhance data tracking for alpha-gal syndrome due to an uptick in cases were discussed Thursday by the University of Missouri's Board of Curators Health Affairs Committee. Alpha-gal syndrome is defined as "a serious, potentially life-threatening allergy and tick-borne disease. Ross Zafonte, executive vice dean of the MU School of Medicine, said alpha-gal syndrome cases in Missouri have increased. Zafonte said that more than a quarter of Missourians have been sensitized to alpha-gal, a sugar molecule in mammals, through lone star tick bites. Those sensitized to alpha-gal may be sensitive to red meat but may not experience severe reactions, like anaphylaxis, according to the National Library of Medicine. This increase in sensitization could have a large financial impact on Missouri, from healthcare to groceries, diet and more, Zafonte said. In response to the increase, Benjamin Casterline, who specializes in dermatology and immunology at MU Health Care, is developing a disease registry to link symptoms to biological markers for further study. |
| Former Stanford president releases emails to rebut fraud and cover-up allegations in new book | |
| Three years after a closely watched research misconduct investigation of Stanford's then-president, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, led to his resignation, the prominent neuroscientist revealed new details this week from his research and travel in an attempt to refute allegations that he published fraudulent results and orchestrated a cover-up. These allegations found new life this year with the release of "How to Rule the World," a book by former Stanford Daily reporter Theo Baker, who presents Tessier-Lavigne as a case study in Silicon Valley's culture of corner-cutting. A key part of that story revolves around a major paper on neurodegeneration that Tessier-Lavigne co-authored in 2009, while he was a top scientist at the South San Francisco biotech Genentech. The former university head on Wednesday posted a more than 3,000-word response to the book on his Stanford lab website, alongside emails with former colleagues meant to bolster his defense of the study, published in the journal Nature. |
| Alumni Are Forever. Alumni Email Addresses Aren't. | |
| Jobs come and go. Friendships fade. But a Duke University alumni email address is forever. At least, that's what Ara Karamanian thought Duke meant when it gave him and thousands of other graduates "free lifetime" access to an @alumni.duke.edu address. "A lot of us accepted that promise at face value," Karamanian, a radiologist who has used his Duke alumni email address for personal and professional communication for more than 20 years, told Inside Higher Ed. In addition to serving as a reliable, long-term nexus for managing access to the apps, accounts and digital correspondence governing modern life, he said sending emails from a @alumni.duke.edu address carries "a certain level of cachet and credibility" that benefits both alumni and the university. "Generally the graduates of Duke are cut above average," said Karamanian, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering in 2002. "Seeing good people associated with Duke University (via their alumni email address) is the cheapest and best marketing tool it has." So, he was outraged when Duke announced in May that it planned to discontinue alumni email addresses (which forward to an outside personal account, such as Gmail) on July 31 of this year due to "increasingly restrictive security policies among external email service providers" that has resulted in unreliable delivery. Rising technology costs and increased cybersecurity threats have pushed several other universities -- including Columbia, Temple and Ohio State -- to stop offering lifetime alumni email addresses over the past several years as well. |
| Once Seen as a Sure Thing, Computer Science Has Lost 53,000 Majors | |
 | After years of growth, the number of undergraduates majoring in computer science declined by 8.4 percent, or about 53,000 students, at four-year institutions, according to a report on the spring of 2026 enrollment from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The recent drop in the field was first seen in enrollment estimates last fall, when there was an 8.1-percent decrease, "so computer science stands out for its enrollment declines," Matthew Holsapple, senior director of research at the clearinghouse, said in a statement. The number of students enrolling in computer science as a major has tended to ebb and flow in response to trends in the economy. The tech sector has shed over 127,000 jobs so far this year. Meanwhile, engineering and health professions fared better, with increases of 41,000 and 61,000 students, respectively, and one-year changes of 6.8 and 6.2 percent. Both of these fields experienced declines in 2022 and 2023 before seeing growth in the past few years. Majors in area, ethnic, cultural, and gender studies also saw a drop of 12 percent this past year. |
| Changes Are Coming to the FAFSA. But Will It Be 'Delightful'? | |
 | Filling out the FAFSA college student aid form may not yet be "delightful," as federal officials hope. But after fixes triggered by a notorious technical meltdown three years ago, the online application may start to shed its burdensome reputation. The FAFSA update for the 2027-28 academic year is undergoing testing and is scheduled to be made widely available to students by Oct. 1, the traditional annual opening date. "It has changed tremendously for the better," said Julia Hellmich, senior managing director of the college readiness and alumni support program at KIPP DC, a network of charter schools in Washington. KIPP DC students participated in testing of the new form this month. The new form can generally be completed quickly, and gives students an estimate of their financial aid eligibility much faster than previous versions did, according to Federal Student Aid officials as well as advocates and parents who have tested it. A government website was upbeat, telling users, "There's a lot to look forward to" in the new FAFSA. It said changes, like tweaks to the wording of some questions, "aim to make the applicant experience quicker and more delightful." That should be welcome news for families in a year that has brought worrisome changes to the world of student aid, including new borrowing limits on education loans for parents and graduate students. |
| Public Colleges Tightened Their Rules on Protests. Judges Are Skeptical. | |
| This week, a federal judge ruled in favor of a group of Florida International University students who'd been disciplined by administrators after they silently protested the university's partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March. The judge barred the university from punishing the students and from continuing to enforce its rule banning indoor protests -- both of which likely violate the First Amendment, the judge wrote. The rule against indoor protests dates back to 2024, when Florida International and many other campuses expanded their policies regulating protests after dozens of encampments sprung up across the country over Israel's war in Gaza. This week's ruling was just the latest instance of those rules being challenged in the courts. In the past year, judges have also ruled against restrictions on expression at the University of Texas system and at Indiana University at Bloomington. Those three rulings demonstrate that the free-speech landscape remains contested at public colleges, two years after campus leaders were criticized by some observers for tolerating disruptive encampments. Free-speech experts told The Chronicle that while the cases are reassuring signs of the upholding of First Amendment rights, the need for court challenges suggests an ongoing chill on protected campus speech. |
| Trump administration seeks to restrict internships for international students | |
| President Donald Trump's administration has issued a memo for universities that seeks to restrict issuance of certain internship work authorizations for international students as the federal government warned that colleges not complying with the regulations may lose certification to enroll foreign students. The federal memo dated August 24 said the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which is part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, has "observed a rise in Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorizations that appear to violate regulatory requirements which permit CPT only where the training is an integral part of an established curriculum." Separately, the U.S. Justice Department alleged on Thursday admissions practices at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services favored Black and Hispanic applicants, citing findings of a probe as the Trump administration continued its diversity crackdown. |
SPORTS
| Soccer: State Flips Script In Dominant Comeback Victory | |
| For the first time in 2026, Mississippi State found itself trailing in a match after conceding in the third minute of the match against Oklahoma State. The Bulldogs quickly reasserted themselves, scoring four unanswered goals in the first half on their way to a 4-1 victory. MSU's four goals in the first 45 minutes were its highest single-half scoring output since a 7-0 win over Southern in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. It was the Bulldogs' highest-scoring first half since a four-goal performance against Alabama on Oct. 7, 2018. "I love [the comeback]. For me, that was the message when we got to the hydration break," head coach Kevin O'Brien said. "I was just so proud of the way they responded to the adversity that we faced, which we hadn't yet, against a good team. The way we kind of dug ourselves out of a little bit of a hole, played great soccer from start to finish but created the goals, made some rotations in the squad and those players came in and created goals, it was just big-time performance from start to finish." Mississippi State will host Alcorn State on Sunday night at 6 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs enter that match on an eight-game winning streak against in-state foes. The match will air on SEC Network+. |
| MSU scores 4 unanswered to down Oklahoma State 4-1 | |
| Mississippi State soccer hadn't played from behind all year. The Bulldogs had played three games, 270 minutes tied or with the lead. That changed less than three minutes into their Thursday night bout against Oklahoma State. A corner kick from the left sailed into the box, hit off the head of OSU's Brenna Rowlett and got past MSU keeper Jenny Harrison 2:10 into the match. The Bulldogs trailed, and for the first time all year, would have to answer early adversity. And answer they did. Loudly. MSU netted four unanswered goals in the first half, riding the offensive onslaught to a 4-1 victory over the Cowgirls. "I was just so proud of the way they responded to the adversity that we faced, which we hadn't, and against a good team," head coach Kevin O'Brien said. "It was just a big time performance from start to finish." The Bulldogs parked the bus in the second half, taking just two shots in the period. OSU was the first Power 4 opponent MSU had faced all year, and a 4-1 win against the Cowgirls "means a lot," O'Brien said. |
| Volleyball Opens Season At Jaguar Classic | |
| The wait is over for Mississippi State volleyball, as the team is set to make their 2026 regular season debut in Mobile, Alabama, in the Jaguar Classic. The Bulldogs begin the season on Friday against Georgia State. From there, the Dawgs will matchup with the hosts, South Alabama, on Saturday and will conclude the invitational by playing Rice on Sunday. Mississippi State volleyball finished with a 16-10 record during the 2025 campaign, the highest win total since the Bulldogs made their NCAA Tournament debut in 2021 with a 25-6 record. The Bulldogs return 10 players from the '25 squad, including the only six players to start 10 or more matches last season. |
| MSU volleyball readies for season opener against Georgia State | |
| Mississippi State volleyball heads into a new season after one of the best years of the Julie Darty Dennis era. The Bulldogs finished last year 16-10, the second-best record of her eight seasons in Starkville. MSU went 10-0 in non-conference play, and started the year 11-1, the best start to a season in program history. Even with the strong 2025 campaign, outside expectations for the Bulldogs' 2026 season aren't high. MSU was picked by SEC coaches to finish 13th in the conference, ahead of only Arkansas, Alabama and South Carolina. The Bulldogs finished 10th in the SEC last season, going 6-9 in conference play. MSU will start its campaign to prove the low-voters wrong this weekend at the Jaguar Classic in Mobile, Alabama. The Bulldogs will open their season against Georgia State on Friday, and face South Alabama on Saturday and Rice on Sunday. MSU is the only Power 4 opponent on the schedule in Mobile. |
| Texas judge puts SEC's new eligibility rule on hold | |
| Two days after the Southeastern Conference passed a rule barring players from returning to the league from the pros, a Texas judge put that rule on hold Thursday in a case involving more than 40 players. It was the latest piece of news in what has turned into a breakneck week of legal wrangling over the NCAA's new five-year eligibility rule. The rule does not apply to college players who exhausted their fourth year of eligibility last spring; many are suing across the country for that fifth year. "As long as they would have been eligible to continue playing college sports in the following semester if they had a fifth year of eligibility, they are eligible today," Dallas County Judge Martin Hoffman wrote in the temporary restraining order. Two of the plaintiffs are former SMU receiver Jordon Hudson of the Cowboys and former Miami linebacker Wesley Bissainthe of the Chiefs. Neither played in the SEC, though the judge ordered the NCAA to open the transfer portal for a week, meaning either could play for a new school if one wanted to sign them. |
| College sports meltdown fuels push on Capitol Hill | |
| The ongoing public outcry over pro athletes attempting to come back to college sports is boosting the Senate's bipartisan college sports bill. A series of summer headlines about professional football and basketball players trying to get back in the college game are landing ahead of the Senate's return in September --- when the body plans to take up the Protect College Sports Act. Tim Buckley, an NCAA spokesman, told Semafor that public "outrage" over the issue has "really changed some minds on Capitol Hill about the need for this legislation" and could help shore up support. "The events over the past week have been helpful to help us drive home the point. You don't need to take our word for it or the conference's word for it," Buckley said. "This piece of legislation gives senators the ability to fix this problem for their constituents." "The polls are really clear about this and you don't need to be a political genius to understand it is wildly unpopular ... to use college sports as a fallback," Buckley said. |
| Attorney says Sankey, SEC in violation of Louisiana law | |
| Tuesday's statement by Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey did not end the back-and-forth between the players fighting for a fifth year of eligibility and the SEC. It was the next step. As for the response from the counsel representing the 33 players who won a temporary restraining order in Louisiana's 19th district, it was emphatic. "It is our position that the SEC, and its commissioner Sankey, are in direct violation of Louisiana law," Tony Clayton who, along with The Texas Trial Group, represents the players, told LouisianaSports.net. The SEC, along with other conferences like the Big Ten, believe their newly-formed rules will be enforceable and a deterrent to players returning to the college ranks after signing with and/or participating with professional teams. The thought process is the NCAA may lose its power in the court of law, but the league offices still control participation on the field. Clayton doesn't see it that way. |
| College Football Playoff could look to ban teams with former pros, report says | |
| The College Football Playoff might look to ban teams that include former professional athletes on their rosters, according to a report Thursday by On3's Ross Dellenger. According to Dellenger's report, CFP leaders are set to meet by conference call, during which the hot-button topic of former NFL players seeking to return to college football will be broached. After two players recently released from NFL training camps committed to LSU after being declared eligible via a Louisiana lawsuit, the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 all passed rules banning their member schools from rostering such players and promising stiff penalties for those who attempt to do so. In the case of the CFP, Dellenger reports that similar discussions took place in the spring while controversy swirled around Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby. After the NCAA ruled him ineligible for engaging in online gambling, Sorsby sued to restore his eligibility. |
| The 91-Player Overhaul Behind College Football's Most Audacious Rebuild | |
| Every college football coach in the country spent last season with their jaws on the floor as they watched Indiana go from spectacular irrelevance to undefeated dominance. And once the Hoosiers became national champions, those coaches began to wonder how they might capture some of that Indiana magic for themselves. Almost no one needed it as badly as Oklahoma State. The Cowboys went 1-11 last year and 3-9 the year before. In fact, they haven't won a single game in the Big 12 since 2023. But this offseason, Oklahoma State embraced the Indiana blueprint and embarked on one of the most ambitious rebuilds in football. After hiring coach Eric Morris from North Texas, the Cowboys brought a staggering 91 new players to Stillwater. That's even more than the 86 newcomers on coach Deion Sanders's 2023 roster at Colorado. But in a post-Hoosiers world, the Cowboys believe an up-and-coming coach and roster overhaul might actually work. "It gives you hope," Morris said. "The only thing different: The Big Ten's operating with a different budget than Oklahoma State is." Morris has a point. Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference teams generally spend more on players than anyone else in college football, with some elite rosters costing more than $40 million this season. The Big 12, meanwhile, hasn't won a national title since Texas in 2005 -- and the Longhorns have since decamped to the SEC. |
| BYU restructures athletic department; school vice president will oversee football program | |
| BYU shook up its athletic department on Thursday, splitting football off from the other 20 sports. Head football coach Kalani Sitake will report directly to a university vice president while athletic director Brian Santiago will oversee the remaining programs. The decision's dramatic timing, nine days before the season's first football game, underscored both the hurtling rate of change in college sports and rumors about friction between Sitake and Santiago. "BYU Athletics shares a common focus on helping our student-athletes succeed not just on the field, but also in the classroom and, most importantly, in their Christian discipleship," advancement vice president Keith Vorkink said in a statement. Sitake now reports directly to Vorkink, who is also Santiago's supervisor. The sudden disruption comes a month after Sitake, without naming names or making specific requests, called publicly for additional investment in the school's flagship sport to help it get over the hump and into college football's playoff. BYU officials believed the need for change couldn't wait until after the football season. |
| 'We are broken': One family's fight against gambling addiction | |
| Amit's mom barely recognized her son when she picked him up from college. He had lost roughly 20 pounds since his parents dropped him off nearly two years earlier. He looked disheveled, with unkempt hair and a patchy beard. He came to the University of Cincinnati in the fall of 2023 as an honors student who devoted himself to tennis, schoolwork and a dream of becoming an engineer. His parents gave him the usual warnings about drinking, drugs and wild parties, but they didn't worry too much. Then the unusual activity on their bank accounts started piling up. So did the excuses. He flunked a few classes, dropped out of the rest and blew the rent money his parents gave him. Now it was just three weeks before finals in spring 2025, but he couldn't stay. "Mom, I'm glad you got me," Amit told her on the drive home. She didn't know what to say. A pediatrician, she has treated the maladies of other people's children for years. She had no idea how to help the 20-year-old gambling addict sitting next to her. As gambling becomes ever more ingrained in American society, experts say they are seeing more cases like Amit's -- vulnerable young adults who develop addictions and parents who struggle to help them. College students who spoke to ESPN said that betting is an accepted part of day-to-day life and that they learned about their school's gambling culture immediately after arriving on campus. |
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