| Friday, September 11, 2026 |
| Keenum: MSU's positive momentum, continued impact due to its world-class faculty, staff | |
 | Mississippi State continues to provide a positive impact to the Magnolia State and beyond through its missions of learning, service and research thanks to its world-class faculty and staff, university President Mark E. Keenum said. Keenum shared his excitement about MSU's work and commitment to bettering the world during Wednesday's [Sept. 2] Fall General Faculty Meeting at Lee Hall, noting numerous university growth milestones, achievements and campus projects from this summer and the fall semester while looking ahead to future opportunities. "No other institution, university or organization anywhere is doing more than we are every day to help grow, support, strengthen and make Mississippi better for all of its people," the 19th MSU president said. "We're educating and graduating students from communities from all across our state; we're leading research and community engagement efforts that are making lives better; and we're a powerhouse economic engine that generates $4 billion annually for the state economy. These are all things we can take great pride in." |
| NOAA selects Mississippi State to host new Northern Gulf research institute | |
| The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has selected Mississippi State University to host its new Cooperative Institute in the Northern Gulf of America, an award valued at up to $100 million over five years. Known as CINGA, the institute will bring together researchers from across the Gulf Coast to advance environmental research, forecasting, coastal resilience and sustainable resource management. CINGA builds on the foundation of the Northern Gulf Institute, which MSU has led in partnership with NOAA for 20 years. MSU President Mark E. Keenum said the designation reinforces MSU's position as a national leader in coastal and ocean research while expanding opportunities for Mississippi scientists, students and communities to address some of the Gulf region's most pressing challenges. |
| NOAA selects Mississippi State to host new Northern Gulf research institute with up to $100 million in funding | |
| The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has selected Mississippi State University to host its new Cooperative Institute in the Northern Gulf of America, an award valued at up to $100 million over five years. Known as CINGA, the institute will bring together researchers from across the Gulf Coast to advance environmental research, forecasting, coastal resilience and sustainable resource management. CINGA builds on the foundation of the Northern Gulf Institute, which MSU has led in partnership with NOAA for 20 years. MSU President Mark E. Keenum said the designation reinforces MSU's position as a national leader in coastal and ocean research while expanding opportunities for Mississippi scientists, students and communities to address some of the Gulf region's most pressing challenges. "Mississippi State University is honored by NOAA's selection and grateful for the opportunity to continue and expand this important partnership," said Keenum. "This designation recognizes the world-class expertise of our faculty, researchers and staff, as well as the strength of the partnerships we have built throughout the Gulf region." |
| NOAA selects Mississippi State to host new Northern Gulf research institute with up to $100 million | |
 | Video: NOAA selected Mississippi State University to host its new Northern Gulf Research institute. |
| Mississippi State student earns Flight 93 scholarship honoring pilot | |
 | A Mississippi State University (MSU) sophomore is the 2026 recipient of the Flight 93 LeRoy Homer Jr. Flight Scholarship. According to the university, Bradyn Long applied for the scholarship when he realized the funds could help him combine his desire to be not only an engineer, but a pilot like Flight 93 hero and First Officer Leroy Homer Jr., who died during the 9/11 attacks in 2001. "When they told me they had chosen me, I really didn't have words," Long said. "There's obviously the motivation to learn to fly, but on top of that, I want to honor LeRoy's legacy. I want to be part of the reason his name will never be forgotten." Before moving to the Blue Springs area in Union County, Long's family grew roots in Pennsylvania and Illinois. Even though he didn't initially think of going to college in Mississippi, he said MSU quickly stood out once he began comparing aerospace programs. Long will be in Shanksville on September 11, 2026, to attend the 25th anniversary memorial service, where he will represent the foundation and meet Homer’s wife. |
| Aviation scholarship recipients inspired by Philly-area Black pilot who died on Sept. 11 | |
| Bradyn Long, a sophomore at Mississippi State University studying aerospace engineering, is pursuing a career in aircraft design and hopes to eventually become a professional pilot. The 19-year-old's path is being shaped by a pilot he never met but who is being remembered as a hero during the 25th anniversary commemoration of America being attacked on Sept. 11. Long is among four recipients who received an aviation scholarship from the LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation this year. Homer was the first officer of United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked as part of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and crashed into a field near Shanksville, killing all 37 passengers and seven crewmembers, including Homer. One of nine children, Homer developed a passion for aviation as a young boy, building model airplanes, reading about flying and beginning flight lessons at 15. He completed his first solo flight at 16 and earned his private pilot's license before entering the U.S. Air Force Academy. Long grew up familiar with Homer's story through his family's ties to Shanksville and the Flight 93 National Memorial. His parents are from Shanksville, and his grandmother is an ambassador at the memorial, which he has visited several times. |
| MSU PHOTO: MSU President Meets with Student Leadership | |
| Mississippi State's newly elected 2026-27 executive council of the MSU Student Association recently visited with university President Mark E. Keenum, front center, during a luncheon. Along with discussing several upcoming activities and events on campus, Keenum emphasized leadership qualities to the group that have been helpful to him as the 19th president such as integrity, hard work and respect for others. Council members present for the conversation were, first row, from left, Mary Walker Foster, Pascagoula, chief of staff; Abigail Spreen, New Orleans, Louisiana, vice president; Keegan Figueroa, Mooreville, president; Victoria "Torie" Keenum, Starkville, secretary; and Amelia Spreen, New Orleans, Louisiana, marketing director. Second row, Andrew Berry, Goshen, Kentucky, policy director; Penelope "Cape" Merrell, Andalusia, Alabama, treasurer; Grahm Torrey, Flowood, programming director; Jojo Henderson, Pittsburg, Texas, service director; and Amelia Summy, Memphis, Tennessee, deputy chief of staff. |
| MSU poultry scientists recognised with early career awards | |
| Two faculty members in Mississippi State's Department of Poultry Science have earned early career awards from the Poultry Science Association, an international organisation dedicated to advancing the poultry industry, according to Mississippi State University. Associate Professor Li Zhang received the Early Achievement for Research Award, while Assistant Professor Timothy Boltz received the Early Achievement in Teaching Award. These awards are given to individuals who have made significant strides in the first six years of their professional careers. Both were recently recognised at the Poultry Science Association's annual meeting held in Toronto, Canada. Boltz, another MAFES scientist, joined the MSU faculty in 2022 as a poultry science assistant professor. He has dedicated more than 10 years to the PSA and is currently serving as an advisor for MSU's Sigma Alpha Chapter. He teaches courses including poultry nutrition, broiler production and avian anatomy and physiology, which use real-world applications and offer hands-on experiences to his students. |
| Dry weather works in farmers' favor | |
 | Dust is filling the air as farmers work hard in the fields. The recent lack of rain may not be good news for everyone. Right now, it's exactly what farmers need to get their crops out of the field during harvest time. The dry weather allows them to get equipment into the fields without dealing with muddy conditions. Dr. Amee Ausec, an assistant professor for the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the lack of rain is actually working in farmers' favor. "The past two weeks we haven't gotten any rain, so farmers have been able to finish up their corn harvest and start on soybean harvest," Ausec said. "They are rolling. So if you see any dust in the fields, that's where it's from." Farmers will continue harvesting corn and soybeans as long as conditions remain favorable. |
| Southern Crop Finances Weaken as Livestock Conditions Improve | |
| Southern crop producers continue facing deteriorating financial conditions in 2026, while livestock operations remain comparatively stronger, according to Mississippi State University agricultural economist Kevin Kim. A mid-year Extension survey found 73% of respondents reported worsening liquidity and solvency among crop producers, while fewer than 10% saw improvement. About 46% also reported lower regional farm income compared with last year. Higher fuel costs and consecutive years of weak crop returns are eroding working capital and borrowing strength. Agricultural loan rates for operating, intermediate-term and farmland debt remained near 7.5%, slightly above levels reported six months earlier. Respondents generally expect land values to remain stable or rise, but worsening crop cash flow and repayment pressure point to continued financial strain across the region. |
| Camp Shelby hosts forum on drones and emerging threats | |
| More than 400 people were at Camp Shelby this week for a two-day event focused on technology, safety and emerging threats. Drones are changing how threats are detected and handled. At Camp Shelby, military and law enforcement leaders are getting a hands-on look at the technology designed to respond. Magnolia Crucible is a two-day forum and exercise hosted by the FBI, the Mississippi National Guard (MSNG) and Mississippi State University (MSU). "It's an opportunity for us to bring key sectors across the state who have stakeholders relative to the U.S. capabilities and counter U.S. threat," said Robert Eikhoff, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Mississippi. "Drones are being used in a way that they're not legally allowed to be used, like the DGI drones. Those are made out of China. China is an existential threat for the United States. And so as we look at that, it's not just them taking the drone and using it as some kinetic weapon, it is them collecting the information from that drone and then sending that back to China," Eikhoff explained. Organizers hope the forum becomes an annual event. |
| Poet Joy Priest brings prize-winning collection 'Horsepower' to Mississippi State | |
 | Mississippi State's Department of English welcomes acclaimed poet Joy Priest to campus Sept. 21 as the featured guest for the 2026 Price Caldwell Visiting Writers Series. The free, public event begins at 5:30 p.m. in Old Main Academic Center Room 1030. Priest will share excerpts from her award-winning 2020 collection "Horsepower," followed by a Q&A and book signing. The University of Pittsburgh Press publication won the 2020 Donald Hall Prize for Poetry, named for the former U.S. Poet Laureate. "In her deeply moving and expansive poems, Joy Priest explores the intersection of race, gender and the South using a language where the lyric and the vernacular collide," said Samyak Shertok, MSU assistant professor of English and event organizer. "Her work is intellectually rich, deeply engaging and beautifully crafted, and we're thrilled to bring her to Mississippi State. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students and community members to experience the words of an acclaimed poet in person." |
| 25 years later: Remembering 4 Mississippians killed on 9/11 | |
| Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Mississippi continues to remember the four people with ties to the state who were among the 2,977 Americans killed that day. Three of the four were killed when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, while the fourth was killed at the World Trade Center in New York City. Their names were Ada Mason-Acker, Jerry Dickerson, Joe Ferguson, and James Cleere. Dickerson grew up in Yazoo City and graduated from Durant High School in 1978. After graduating from Mississippi State University, Dickerson became a systems analyst and a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. He was working at the Pentagon when the terrorist attack occurred and was killed when Flight 77 crashed into the building. Dickerson was survived by his wife and two children. |
| Former presidents mark 25 years since 9/11 at World Trade Center site | |
 | Former presidents Joe Biden, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and their spouses, along with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were among those who attended the 9/11 memorial ceremony at the site of the World Trade Center in New York on Friday, Sept. 11. Former New York City mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg also participated in the ceremony, which marked 25 years since the deadly attacks changed the course of history. It has been 25 years since planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in what was the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil. This year's ceremony was also attended by Vice President JD Vance, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, meanwhile, attended a memorial at the Pentagon, where hundreds gathered to remember the 184 people who died in the building and aboard Flight 77, which hit the building at 9:37 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001. |
| Musselwhite says Southaven at forefront of next Industrial Revolution with AI | |
 | Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite says AI is the next Industrial Revolution and that Southaven is playing a key part in the race against China. Musselwhite made the remarks during his mayor's report at the Sept. 1 Board of Aldermen meeting in which he explained the importance of the SpaceXAI data centers being built in Southaven and across state lines into Memphis. "There is an AI race with China," Musselwhite said. "What is happening in Southaven has national security implications for the future of the United States. It is truly a patriotic project." Southaven recently approved a new 660,000 square foot data center for Space XAI -- the company's third on its campus which straddles the state line -- which will be built at 8235 Tulane Road on land acquired in a land swap with the city. SpaceXAI is currently building a power plant at 2875 Stanton Road that will have 41 natural gas turbines permitted by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. The plant provides power to SpaceXAI's Colossus II data center at 5420 Tulane Road in Memphis but has been subject to lawsuits over not having the proper emission permits and noise complaints about the turbines from neighbors. XAI also has a data center called MacrohardRR in Southaven at 2400 Stateline Road W in the 810,000 square foot former GXO Logistics warehouse, and is expected to invest $20 billion in the area. |
| Redistricting hearing at Alcorn State draws support for continued use of racially gerrymandered legislative, congressional districts | |
| Of the nearly 20 people who spoke at the fourth redistricting meeting held Tuesday at Alcorn State University, only one person publicly said they support "race neutral" redistricting. Over the past several weeks, the Joint Committee on Redistricting and Reapportionment has been holding hearings to gather public input from Mississippians in response to pending legislative and congressional redistricting in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's Callais decision which ruled racial gerrymandering as it had been practiced under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional. Before the start of the meeting, committee chairman State Senator Dean Kirby (R) informed the crowd that his committee will be responsible for redrawing lines for congressional, state senate and state house districts. Judicial lines, however, will be the responsibility of the Senate Judiciary A Committee and House Judiciary B Committee. Even still, Kirby said the lawmakers present during Tuesday's meeting were there to listen to opinions on the potential for redistricting lines across all. He added that the legislative committee does not deal with electoral districting pertaining to local offices such as boards of aldermen, city councils and boards of supervisors, as those are locally decide. |
| PEER points to concerns with MAGCOR, MDOC reporting | |
| The Mississippi Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) released two reports on the Mississippi prison system this week. In the first report, PEER found that MAGCOR Industries, the state's prison-industries nonprofit, reported combined net losses of more than $5.2 million in fiscal years 2024 and 2025. PEER also found that MAGCOR lacks a comprehensive system of internal financial controls, increasing the risk of errors, fraud, embezzlement, and theft. In the second report, PEER examined correctional education and career-training programs operated by the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). PEER found significant discrepancies between program data recorded in MDOC's data management system and information reported by individual correctional facilities. Less than 2% of data matched between the two sources. MDOC is also transitioning to a new-data management system, and PEER recommended that the department validate its existing data before migrating it to the new system. |
| George W. Bush says Americans 'don't pay attention to the lesson of 9/11' | |
 | Former President George W. Bush gave rare remarks on Wednesday as Americans mark 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, saying that Americans "don't pay attention to the lesson of 9/11." "Our nation occasionally goes through isolationist periods, where the attitude is, 'Well, we've got too many problems at home. Therefore, who cares about what happens overseas?'" said Bush, who wasn't yet eight months into his first term when the attacks occurred. "Which really means to me they just don't pay attention to the lessons of 9/11, because what happens overseas matters to our national security at home." Bush spoke about it at his presidential library in Dallas with Condoleezza Rice, who served as national security adviser at the time of the attacks and then went on to become secretary of state. Bush said he disagrees with the view of some Americans who say people there "don't know the difference" of what it is like to live under freedom. "Of course they know the difference," Bush said. "Young girls going to school for the first time in their lives know the difference. Women becoming doctors and professors know the difference between a free society and a tyrannical society. And sadly, these women who begin to realize their full potential no longer have a chance to realize their full potential." |
| 'It's not safe here': Former President Bush, Condoleeza Rice remember moments after 9/11 attacks | |
| George W. Bush was spirited away from a classroom in Florida to a secure location in the Midwest just minutes after learning of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on American soil. The president was frustrated about not being at the White House, but Condoleeza Rice, his secretary of state, was hearing none of it. "Stay where you are," she ordered Bush, raising her voice for the first time since she had assumed her role months before. "The United States of America is under attack. It's not safe here." Later that evening, after both towers of the World Trade Center had collapsed, killing nearly 3,000 people, Bush was advised that he needed to give an address to Americans in their moment of crisis. But he "damn sure" wasn't going to do it from "a bunker in Omaha, Nebraska." "I thought that would be a psychological victory for those who attacked us, and so I flew back," Bush told 400 people Wednesday night at the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University. On Wednesday, Bush was joined by Rice in the 40-minute conversation, during which the pair highlighted the profound wave of national unity the terrorist attacks triggered. "When America's in trouble, Americans respond, and I got to see it firsthand," Bush said. "It was a remarkable moment." |
| Firm Inflation Reading Pushes Fed Closer to a Rate Increase | |
 | The annual inflation rate stalled out last month, with Americans still paying high prices for gasoline. The report could put more pressure on a Federal Reserve that has been sharply divided over whether it should raise rates at its meeting next week. The Labor Department said Friday that the inflation rate held steady at 3.4% in August. That matched analyst expectations and was even with July's 3.4%. A key measure of underlying price trends, however, came in stronger than expected. Markets now see a rate increase next week as very likely. Interest-rate futures now imply there is about an 85% chance that the central bank will increase its target range on overnight rates by a quarter point. Before the report, the chances were about 70%. "If you don't raise rates now you better have a damn good story on why you didn't," said Omair Sharif, head of advisory firm Inflation Insights. Fed policymakers have been sharply divided over whether they should raise rates at their policy-setting meeting next week. At the Fed's last meeting, in July, three officials dissented in favor of raising rates, and others have since said they could join them if inflation doesn't improve. Further complicating the Fed decision, oil prices have surged this month, with crude lately fetching over $99 a barrel in Friday New York trading, versus $85.76 at the end of August. |
| Boozman set to hold another committee farm bill vote next week | |
 | Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) is planning to hold another committee vote on his farm bill plans next week, in a new attempt to squeeze the farmer-friendly policies through to the full chamber ahead of November's midterms. The panel first met in early August to debate and vote on the GOP-led package. But the legislation stalled due to opposition from committee Democrats and the continued absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) from the Capitol. Boozman hasn't set a firm date for a committee meeting next week, he told POLITICO on Thursday. He recessed the committee before the Senate's summer break so he could call them back for another vote without a lengthy amendment and debate process. "I really feel like it's important to continue to have members express where they're at on this, and so we are going to vote again next week," Boozman said. Democrats voted against the package in August due to ongoing frustration over the GOP's massive spending cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Their top demand is for Republicans to give all states two extra years before the onset of a new requirement that will require state governments to pay for part of SNAP benefits. |
| GOP secretaries of state ask Supreme Court to block Trump mail-in ballot rule | |
 | A group of Republican secretaries of state have asked the Supreme Court to prevent the Trump administration's new mail-in ballot rule from taking effect during the 2026 midterm elections. The officials in Kentucky, North Dakota, South Dakota, Georgia, New Hampshire and Kansas warned in an amicus curiae letter to the Supreme Court on Wednesday that late implementation of the rule could disrupt the midterms. "The principle rests on incontestable facts about voters and about the people who run elections: that late changes breed confusion, that confusion keeps eligible voters from voting, and that a chaotic election erodes confidence in the result," they wrote. On Sunday, the Trump administration made a last-ditch plea to the Supreme Court to allow the USPS rule, which has been blocked in part by the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, to be implemented. The officials told the court they have no position on the legality or policy goals behind the change -- only concerns about their ability to administer the election smoothly if they are forced to implement the new rule on such short notice. |
| The Battle to Lead the MAGA Movement Kicks Off at GOP Convention | |
| Vice President JD Vance looked very much like a presidential candidate-in-waiting at the Republican convention this week. He delivered a prime-time address, met with delegates from battleground states and headlined a high-dollar fundraiser with GOP donors. Vance's Thursday night speech fired up the crowd, as he laid out his vision for the America he wants his children to grow up in, while painting Democrats as extreme. During the speech, audience members said the quiet part out loud, shouting "48!" Donald Trump is the 47th U.S. president, and the next one will be the 48th. The moment is likely to solidify Vance's rising status as the Republican front-runner heading into the 2028 election. "I think the country is really getting to know him," said Michael Foster, 32 years old, of Raleigh, N.C. "I'd be shocked if he hadn't sealed the deal tonight." Yet over the duration of the two-day convention, another name also surfaced: Marco Rubio. The secretary of state was more than 3,000 miles away, wrapping up a diplomatic tour of South America. In more than three dozen interviews on the sidelines of the convention, many people mentioned Vance and Rubio in the same breath, openly debating which man should be at the top of the ticket in 2028. Convention attendees rarely mentioned other potential GOP presidential candidates. |
| Cyberattack disrupts Mississippi student financial aid application processing | |
| The Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid is temporarily unable to process student applications and payments after a cyberattack on Monday. It's unclear when that issue will be resolved. The cyberattack struck the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning offices, which include the student financial aid office. The attack affected the student financial office the most, agency spokesman John Sewell confirmed Thursday, but he did not provide details about the broader impact. It is still possible to apply for aid online through the Mississippi Aid Application dashboard, or MAAPP, because that operates separately from IHL's affected system, Sewell said. There have been no reports of the cyberattack affecting individual colleges or universities. IHL officials are working with federal law enforcement and cybersecurity professionals to determine what happened and whether confidential or sensitive data were accessed or compromised, according to Sewell and a news release from IHL. The attack against IHL is the latest example of cybersecurity disruptions at state institutions so far this year. |
| IHL investigating 'network security incident' that impacted student aid services | |
| The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning is working to see if sensitive information has been accessed by bad actors following a network security incident. While details are slim, officials said there was a disruption to services at the Office of Student Financial Aid. Individual public colleges and universities were not impacted by the incident, per the IHL. "No impact to any individual higher education institution has been reported," the state agency stated. "External cybersecurity professionals have been engaged to determine what, if any, confidential or sensitive data may have been accessed or compromised. At this time, the investigation is in its earliest stage." As the investigation plays out, officials said applications for student aid can still be submitted securely through the Mississippi Aid Application portal on the Office of Student Financial Aid website. |
| 25 years later: How the U. of Mississippi reacted to the 9/11 attacks | |
 | On the evening of Monday, Sept. 10, 2001, the average student at the University of Mississippi had one thing in mind: football. Following a tough loss to Auburn, the Rebels were gearing up for their upcoming game against Vanderbilt that Saturday. By the next morning, talk of tailgating plans was replaced by fear and disbelief. Televisions in the University of Mississippi's student union broadcast news of the 9/11 attacks as students gathered in crowds, eager to see what was happening on the East Coast. Images of the World Trade Center, engulfed in flames and smoke, flashed across the screen. Fifty-one minutes later, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania half an hour later. For UM students, what started as a normal morning of classes became personal for some. Clay Chandler, The Daily Mississippian's sports editor in 2001, recapped the week in a column titled "From Monday to Tuesday, it all changed." Chandler said his thoughts were consumed on Monday, Sept. 10, by fantasy football, the Grove and the status of the Ole Miss' football team. By Tuesday, his outlook on the world was permanently altered. "I went to bed Monday night worried about Steve McNair's injured shoulder," Chandler wrote. "Tuesday, mamas, daddies, children, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, wives and husbands were lost forever." |
| UMMC aircare launches fixed-wing service with new aircare 5 aircraft | |
 | The University of Mississippi Medical Center's AirCare has officially launched its new fixed-wing service, with AirCare 5 now operational and available to transport patients who need specialized care over longer distances across Mississippi and the surrounding region. The launch marks the latest expansion of AirCare's critical care transport capabilities and follows UMMC's announcement earlier this year that a fixed-wing aircraft would be added to its fleet. Based in Jackson, the Pilatus PC-12 becomes AirCare's fifth aircraft and its first fixed-wing aircraft. For patients in Mississippi's rural and community hospitals, access to specialized trauma, stroke, transplant, neonatal, burn or cardiac care can require traveling significant distances. AirCare 5 provides UMMC and its partner hospitals with another option for safely and efficiently transporting patients when the care they need is not available locally. Dr. L. Kendall McKenzie, chair of the UMMC Department of Emergency Medicine, said the launch of fixed-wing service strengthens the Medical Center's ability to connect critically ill and injured patients with advanced specialty care. |
| 'A Beacon in Indian Country': New Mississippi Choctaw Central Campus Is Largest Indigenous School District | |
| Ralph Isaac walked around the arena of the new Choctaw Central middle and high school campus as he used an eagle feather to waft sage smoke out of a metal bucket on July 14. He was blessing the school, starting in the east portion of the gym where the sun rises, then the west, north and south, while the Southern Pine Drum Group and Blue Nation powwow group sat in a circle and played a large, traditional Choctaw drum, the alhípa chito. While saging is not specifically a Choctaw tradition, many indigenous cultures use the practice to purify areas and expel negative energy. Isaac also saged the drummers and the Choctaw elected officials who were on the floor of the arena. That day, a couple hundred people filled the maroon chair back bleachers in the brand-new gym, decorated in maroon, gray and white, as Choctaw and national leaders celebrated the opening of the new campus with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Located on 35 acres of tribal land on the corner of South Oswald Road off of Highway 16 West in Choctaw, Mississippi, the campus features modern designs with touches of maroon, white and gray displayed throughout the buildings. Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben noted that the Choctaw Central campus was the largest tribally controlled consolidated school district in the country. |
| In an age of instant answers, educators say there's a case for letting kids struggle a little | |
 | When children forget their lunch, can't solve a math problem or don't know how to get somewhere, the instinct for parents can be to step in immediately. But sometimes, the problem is an opportunity. Developmental experts and educators say children need chances to struggle with everyday problems because figuring them out is a skill that has to be practiced. The challenge for parents is knowing when to help and when to step back. There is a difference between helping children through difficult situations and removing the problem before they have a chance to try. At a time when an answer or AI-generated help can be seconds away, giving children room to figure things out for themselves can be hard to do. What independence looks like depends on a child's age, abilities, and circumstances, but experts say it means learning to plan, make decisions, solve problems, recover from mistakes and figure out what to do next. Here's how experts say parents can give children more opportunities to practice those skills. |
| Schools, libraries sound alarm over potential changes to federal internet program | |
| A multi-billion-dollar federal program that helps schools and libraries afford broadband internet is under review by the Trump administration, leaving education officials and advocates worried about potentially significant cuts. The E-Rate program provides about $3 billion annually for internet access and telecommunications to more than 100,000 schools and 11,000 libraries across the country. It is the fifth-largest stream of federal funding for schools nationwide, according to the Schools Superintendents Association (AASA). The Federal Communications Commission said it is reviewing "whether the program should be narrowed or otherwise reoriented to reflect the extent to which its connectivity objectives have been achieved." The agency is accepting public comments until Oct. 13, which it will take into account when it crafts a proposal. Amid a landscape of scaled back federal funding for education under the Trump administration and of tightening state and district budgets, some school officials and advocates are wary of what changes to the E-Rate program could spell for how schools and libraries operate. E-Rate dollars impact every corner of the country, with nearly 102,000 schools and nearly 12,000 libraries receiving commitments in funding year 2024, according to the latest publicly available data. |
| U. of Alabama adds eight electric buses to Crimson Ride fleet | |
| The University of Alabama launched eight electric buses in its Crimson Ride fleet in early September, advancing its electric vehicle research. The zero-emission buses operate on the regular routes around campus and nearby areas as part of a fleet of nearly 50 vehicles. They produce no tailpipe emissions and run more quietly than diesel models. Bharat Balasubramanian, executive director of the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies at the Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering and chief mobility research and development officer at the Alabama Transportation Institute, said the project is aimed at combining service and study. "This is a project that offers emission-free transportation and advanced mobility technologies for the community," Balasubramanian said. "At the same time, it creates a living laboratory where students and faculty can study electric mobility in real-world operations." Chris D'Esposito, assistant vice president of enterprise services, said the collaboration between operations and research teams has been a strength of the effort. The project grew from a 2022 federal transit grant of nearly $8 million that was then furthered by $2 million from the University. |
| Tiger Transit discontinues 16 stops for Fall 2026 | |
| Beginning in Fall 2026, Tiger Transit has discontinued 16 stops, with notable ones including the Auburn Mall and Auburn Medical Park. Students who used these stops will now have to find alternate public transportation, housing or available remaining routes. The announcement came in August 2025, according to AU Transportation Director Chris Harris. In 2024, an unidentified third-party contractor was hired by AU Transportation to conduct a survey for Tiger Transit. The survey included student interviews, stakeholder surveys and analysis of each route via cost per ride. The study identified 16 stops that underperformed, which was indicated by a lack of ridership. "The cost per ride was a big factor in deciding what the next steps were going to be toward the end of the study," Harris said. According to Harris, one route cost nearly $30 per trip, which added up over the 40 trips the particular bus made on a given day. "We combined some in an effort to not lose more stops than necessary," Harris said. "The costs per route discontinued were between $10 and $15 per round. On the other end of the spectrum we have very productive routes costing less then $1 per round." |
| A Grand Isle snail hunt: How these LSU students are studying Louisiana's changing coast | |
 | Ankle deep in the muck, LSU students combed through tall grass in the brackish marsh of Grand Isle, Louisiana, searching for snails. They were looking for specimens that had been tagged and color coded earlier in the summer. The retrieved snails would serve as "bioindicators," cluing scientists into how the black mangrove -- a heat-loving tropical shrub -- affects the habitat as it advances into Louisiana wetlands amid rising global temperatures. "It's going to be a needle in the haystack," LSU graduate student Ahmani Browne, who is leading the project, told the students. With the collected marsh periwinkle snails, he and his team of undergraduates will study changes in their physiology, from shell length and weight to the shape of their teeth and the microbes in their feces. The characteristics will reveal how the mollusks and their ecosystem are responding to the encroaching black mangrove population. But first the researchers needed to find the snails. |
| U. of Arkansas reports record number of freshmen with highest average GPA in school history | |
| The University of Arkansas is reporting a record number of freshman have enrolled this fall semester. The freshman class of more than 7,100 students also has an average 3.87 incoming GPA, the highest in school history, according to a university news release issued Thursday. "This year's freshman class is the largest and most academically accomplished group of incoming students in our history," Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admission, said in the release. Final numbers aren't available yet, but preliminary estimates indicate the university's total enrollment continues to hover around 34,000, likely the second largest total in school history, the release states. The campus had a total enrollment of 34,161 last fall, with 17,769 of those students from Arkansas, according to last year's data. The university publicly announced in late August a goal to increase its six-year graduate rate from 72.6% to 80%. Chancellor Charles Robinson said the rate was about 55% when he arrived on campus in 1999. This semester's incoming class includes more than 3,100 Arkansas students, the second-most in school history. |
| Foes this week, Tennessee sees Georgia Tech as a model for campus growth | |
 | As the Volunteers hit the road for the first time this season to face Georgia Tech on Sept. 12, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville is taking a page from its opponent's playbook as it plans a network of innovation districts near campus and in Oak Ridge. Georgia Tech is home to TechSquare, its own version of an innovation district on Fifth Street in Atlanta. The hub includes more than 175 startups and corporations, as well as 2.5 million square feet of university and commercial real estate. Home to more than 48 labs, institutes and programs, Tech Square serves more than 12,500 students. Georgia Tech's hub has become a model for UT administrators as they plan three innovation districts in East Tennessee. Like Georgia Tech's development, the projects are intended to create live-work-play environments that pair research, education and private investment. The most visible of the three might be the Maplehurst Innovation District east of Neyland Stadium. Property records show The University Financing Foundation in 2025 purchased eight properties in the area for a combined $44 million. The Hill Avenue site is expected to focus on artificial intelligence, computing and data sciences. |
| IT employee disciplined by UGAPD for unauthorized Flock camera use | |
| A civilian IT employee has been suspended without pay for 20 business days and demoted by the University of Georgia Police Department (UGAPD) for unauthorized use of Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) database, according to a UGA press release. His unauthorized usage was discovered during a periodic audit, and an Internal Affairs investigation found that the employee did not have criminal intent. He accessed the ALPR system twice in 2025 to look into off-campus incidents that were reported to other law enforcement agencies, including a hit-and-run and local theft. It was determined that the employee had a personal interest in both of these events, leading to his use of the ALPR system. The IT staff member had access to the database, but did not have permission to use it from his UGAPD supervisor. "Our campus community trusts us to be forthright and transparent, and these core values are essential to uphold the integrity of the University of Georgia Police Department," UGA Police Chief Jeff Clark said in the press release. "This staff member's behavior constitutes a clear violation of departmental policy, particularly regarding misuse of a law enforcement database and failure to notify the chain of command." |
| Bush School dean recalls working in the Situation Room on 9/11 | |
| On Sept. 11, 2001, John Sherman was a CIA officer on duty in the Situation Room at the White House when terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Now, 25 years later, he is the dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at his alma mater, Texas A&M University, where he graduated in 1992. He and his wife, Liz Tisch Sherman, who was also a CIA analyst and a 1991 A&M graduate, recently shared their story with The Eagle. One of the details that sticks out in both of their minds is the weather that day. "We all have the same memories, the very azure, blue skies, not a cloud. It was a September morning, but the weather was very low humidity, not crisp, but maybe Indian summer-ish. It sticks out in your mind how clear the sky was," John Sherman recalled. It was still dark when he reported to work at 5:30 a.m. in the West Wing of the White House. "Really, it was a beautiful day. It was the first morning or one of the first mornings where it was kind of cool, and it was bright blue and sunny, and there was kind of this like excitement in the air for the fall," Liz Sherman said. She went to work in Building 213, which was later torn down to make way for the Washington Nationals baseball stadium. |
| Texas A&M regents consider the future of scooters on campus | |
| Scooters and e-bikes, known collectively as micromobility devices, have become more and more popular for students to use on the Texas A&M campus in recent years but that has also led to concerns about the safety of the devices and how they are being used by students. Between 2024 and 2025, accidents involving micromobility devices increased 37%, and of the 346 crashes on A&M's campus in 2025, 52% were due to inattention and 15% were related to micromobility devices. "I was on campus last week and through the weekend. During that time, I had the opportunity to formulate some observations on our next important student safety topic, scooter safety. This is increasingly a concern for our universities around the country and indeed in this community," Regent Sam Torn said. "A couple of observations from four days of being on this campus just last week and intentionally observing scooter traffic. First, no one, and I mean no one, wears a helmet. Second, almost everyone on the scooter was either A, talking on their phone or listening to something on their headphones while paying little, if any, attention to their immediate surroundings. Finally, virtually none of these operating scooters obeyed any basic traffic laws." "This is not just an issue at Texas A&M University in College Station. We are seeing this issue across the country," Peter Lange, vice president and chief operating officer, said. |
| National ranking grades 3 Oklahoma colleges' support for free speech | |
| Oklahoma's two largest universities received D grades for campus free speech in a national ranking. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, known as FIRE, ranked 261 colleges across the country based on student surveys, institutional policies and responses to speech controversies. FIRE gave a national average score of a D-minus. The University of Oklahoma, ranked at No. 99 and given a D-minus, and Oklahoma State University, No. 75 and a D grade, trailed the University of Tulsa, which was ranked No. 20 and graded at a C. Although OSU and OU have faced free speech complaints over the past year, Tulsa was the only one of the three universities to have a speech controversy considered in FIRE's ranking process. The incident, though, didn't end up counting against the university's free speech score. OU ranked in the top 50 for political tolerance, showing a greater student willingness to host speakers of different ideologies, but it also landed in the bottom 25 for openness. |
| U. of Missouri Faculty Council discuss wages, scheduling conflicts and game day parking | |
 | University of Missouri Faculty Council Fiscal Affairs Committee member expressed the need for diversified funding sources in order to keep up with rising costs of wages in Thursday's meeting. The fiscal year 2026 budget for everything under the Mizzou brand is $4.6 billion, said Jenny Bossaller, Fiscal Affairs Committee member on the council. "Over the last 10 years, we've seen dramatic overall growth in the total size of our budget," Bossaller said. While the overall budget is growing, Bossaller said that state support was shrinking. "You may have heard that the governor had asked departments at the state level to be contemplating what a 10% reduction of their budgets would look like," she said. Bossaller shared concerns that higher education would also be affected, adding that the answer was not raising tuition. She also explained why tensions frequently arise concerning current wages for Mizzou employees. Mizzou staff members have protested low wages, but Bossaller explained that the amount of money needed for wages is a trade-off. |
| Architect of Ohio Higher Ed Overhaul Calls Shared Governance 'Garbage' | |
 | State-level Republican politicians have been increasingly intervening in public higher education in matters once left to boards of trustees, university administrators and faculty. Ohio state Sen. Jerry Cirino has been among the most prominent. In 2025, Cirino, former chair of the Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee, succeeded in persuading his fellow GOP members to finally pass the sweeping Senate Bill 1, despite significant opposition from faculty and students who went as far as arguing it essentially eliminates tenure and kills higher ed. The legislation had been debated for two years. Among other things, SB 1 banned full-time faculty from striking; allowed certain administrators to, at any time, launch post-tenure reviews that could result in termination; mandated a version of institutional neutrality; prohibited diversity, equity and inclusion offices, DEI in job descriptions and DEI in scholarships; required institutions to "demonstrate intellectual diversity" in areas including course approval, general education requirements, common reading programs and faculty annual reviews; and mandated four-year institutions publicly post online the syllabi for undergraduate courses. Cirino, 74, said he really wants to improve higher ed. He said he has 40 grandchildren, all in Ohio, some of whom are still in college. "I want them to get the best education they can get, public or private, and so that's why I have skin in the game," he said. |
| Indiana higher ed commission to review dual-college credit accessibility | |
| State officials want to see more Hoosier students earn college credits or career certifications before they graduate high school. Indiana leads the nation for students finishing at least one college class in high school, but many students are just one or two classes shy of earning a credential upon graduation. Others earn high school credit for career technical classes when dual-college credits are available for the same course. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education shared those statistics when it issued a Request for Information Thursday to improve access to career technical classes and the Indiana College Core, a block of dual-credit classes designed to easily transfer toward a college diploma. Lawmakers directed Education Secretary Katie Jenner to assess dual-credit, career technical and advanced placement offerings before the next legislative session, with the goal of better aligning the state's $30 million early college investment with its new high school diploma seals. |
| U. of Utah to lay off hundreds of staffers over the next year | |
| The University of Utah is planning to lay off 285 to 855 staffers over the next year in a "modernization effort," the state's flagship university revealed Tuesday. The impacted workers represent 5% to 15% of the university's workforce and will exclude faculty and healthcare staff, the university said in a blog post. The cut roles are expected to be consolidated, simplified or eliminated. The university's healthcare units will follow a "parallel path in coordination with the broader university effort," the post says. "The University of Utah has never become stronger by standing still," University of Utah President Taylor Randall said in a statement. "One of the most important responsibilities of being a leader is stewardship. We inherited a remarkable university that was shaped by those who came before, and we have an obligation to leave it stronger for those who follow." The staff cuts will be made in the Office of Advancement, human resources and finance, information technology, marketing and communications, and administrative support, Rebecca Walsh, a spokesperson for the University of Utah said in an email. Some roles will be cut through normal attrition and retirement, Jeff Herring, chief human resources officer, said in the post. But other positions may be eliminated. |
| Trading Keggers for 'Wellness Darties' | |
 | On a recent Saturday at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Olivia Suskowicz, a sophomore, got ready for a party. She picked an outfit, grabbed her sorority sister and headed out the door to join hundreds of other college students at a fraternity house where a D.J. was already spinning tunes. The workout was set to begin at noon. Suskowicz, 19, was going to a "wellness darty." The events on college campuses -- which are causing a stir on TikTok -- have some people trading the dimly lit rooms and mysterious mixed drinks of yore for daytime parties featuring cold plunges, saunas and nonalcoholic beverages. "I'm really into wellness; I feel like kind of everyone is right now," Suskowicz said. She bought a $10 ticket for the event, thinking, "Oh, this is right up my alley." Videos from events like this one have garnered millions of views on TikTok, where millennials and Gen X-ers have placed them side by side with videos or anecdotes from their college heydays that offered a strong contrast: crowded frat basements and D.J. sets, drunken high jinks and large quantities of alcohol. Of course, many of the Gen Z students in attendance said there was no shortage of old-school partying, and that these events were just a bonus. But at a time when partying culture has changed -- between awkward dance floors, the pressure of being filmed or photographed, and younger people's more moderate drinking habits -- some millennials and Gen X-ers took the wellness videos as a personal insult. |
| University faculty in the South report culture of fear, doxxing and threats | |
| A survey of higher education faculty in the South found professors are concerned about the political environment around higher education, with some fearing for their physical safety. The annual survey from the American Association of University Professors included an open-ended question that allowed faculty to detail the problems they're facing. Compared with previous years, there was a significant spike in faculty scared not only for their careers but also for their physical safety. "I teach a subject that is now considered 'controversial,'" a professor in North Carolina wrote. "As a result, I have had a non-student with a gun enter my classroom to intimidate me. I have received an email death threat from a student." The AAUP survey polls faculty at schools in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. The association received about 2,700 responses, with 41 coming from Louisiana universities. Across the nation, state leaders have put higher education under a microscope. The scrutiny has been particularly acute in conservative Southern states, where changes to education laws have been extensive. Dozens of faculty members said they had to fight back against angry alumni, political officials and student activists who attempted to get them fired or doxxed them. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State must sniff out standouts | |
| For Mississippi State's coaching staff, watching the film of Minnesota's win over Eastern Illinois felt less like watching film and more like looking in a mirror. "Both games, I think, were pretty similar. They completely dominated Thursday night. They made explosive plays. They've got guys defensively that play incredibly hard and fast and run and hit," coach Jeff Lebby said of the Golden Gophers. "And then offensively, they've got two good backs and they've got a couple of really good pieces on the perimeter with a quarterback and an offensive line that's got a ton of plays." Kamario Taylor has earned a lot of hype after his performance against Louisiana-Monroe. Even Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said he's one of the best quarterbacks they've ever played in the Gophers' press conference on Monday. However, the home team has a signal caller to be reckoned with. |
| Minnesota has a rare SEC team on the schedule, putting rising star QB Drake Lindsey in the spotlight | |
| Drake Lindsey long dreamed of playing for Arkansas, his native state's flagship school. He finally gets a crack at Southeastern Conference competition this week. Minnesota's matchup against Mississippi State on Saturday will mark the first time the Gophers face an SEC opponent in a regular-season game since 1959, a schedule rarity and a welcome nonconference test before Big Ten play. The national telecast on CBS will also serve as a showcase for Lindsey, their rising star quarterback. "It all starts with Drake," coach P.J. Fleck said. "Drake is taking his game to a different level." After an up-and-down 2025 season as a redshirt freshman revealed far more promise than problems, Lindsey experienced significant growth over the spring and summer. Arrested in May for underage possession of alcohol and use of fake identification at a bar in his hometown, a case later settled with probation and court fees, Lindsey underwent an unexpected test of character and leadership that included an apology to the team for his misstep. |
| Gophers' rare SEC visit gives them a chance to add to Big Ten's case as college football's best | |
| From the office watercooler to neighborhood barstools, when the subject is which college football conference is the best, the argument usually comes down to the Southeastern Conference or the Big Ten. And rightfully so. The two leagues are the power brokers in the sport, an American duopoly along the lines of Ford vs. Chevy, Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi and Apple vs. Google. They control the college football market to the point that each has veto power over the playoff format. For most of the past 30 years, the SEC reigned atop the college football world. SEC teams combined to win nine of the 16 national championships in the Bowl Championship Series era (1998-2013) and six of the 10 titles in the four-team College Football Playoff era (2014-23). However, the Big Ten has shifted the conversation in recent years. Michigan won the national title in the final four-team tournament during the 2023 season, and Ohio State and Indiana followed with titles in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, respectively, under the 12-team format. On Saturday, the Big Ten vs. SEC argument will play out at three locations: No. 1 Ohio State at No. 4 Texas, No. 11 Oklahoma at Michigan, and Mississippi State at Minnesota. "It's the Big Ten and the SEC. Those are the powerhouses of college football," said Gophers edge rusher Anthony Smith, whose team faces Mississippi State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium in a game that will be nationally televised on CBS. "I'm just excited to play them." |
| Magnolia Cup Kicks Off Soccer's SEC Slate | |
| Mississippi State opens SEC play at Ole Miss on Friday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. CT. State will look to claim the Magnolia Cup for the seventh year in a row, extending the longest winning streak by either school in the rivalry's history, when the match kicks off on SEC Network+. The programs enter Friday night a combined 13-2-0 (.867), which is the highest combined winning percentage entering the game in the history of the rivalry. This year's meeting will also be the first time since the first season of the two programs in 1995 that both teams are led by first-year head coaches. State won the 1955 meeting, 1-0, in Oxford. The last time the Magnolia Cup was MSU's SEC opener was in 2014, when Ole Miss won, 1-0, in Starkville. The Bulldogs have won four consecutive SEC openers dating back to 2022. Mississippi State has retained possession of the Magnolia Cup for the last six years with six straight wins, the longest winning streak by either school in the history of the rivalry. |
| Hattiesburg man arrested over online threat tied to Southern Miss football game | |
| A Hattiesburg man has been arrested following an investigation into an online threat connected to a University of Southern Mississippi football game. LaDamien Hutchins, 24, was arrested Thursday, Sept. 10, by the U.S. Marshals Service in Poplarville, according to the Hattiesburg Police Department. Hutchins is charged with making a terroristic threat. Police said the investigation began after an online threat was made in connection with the Southern Miss football game held Sept. 5. The Hattiesburg Police Department worked with the University Police Department, Forrest County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Marshals Service to assess the threat, identify the person believed to be involved and continue the investigation. Authorities said there was no active threat to the campus or surrounding community at any point. |
| SEC presidents and chancellors meet without voting on LSU's membership | |
| Southeastern Conference leaders met by video conference on Thursday without holding a vote on LSU's membership. The SEC had threatened as part of a federal lawsuit against LSU to take such a vote earlier in the week, but decided against it after LSU finalized its football roster without including a pair of NFL signees who had been recruited back to college by first-year Tigers coach Lane Kiffin. Presidents and chancellors of SEC member institutions discussed "recent matters involving conference expectations and responsibilities," the SEC said in a statement Thursday evening. "Those discussions will continue as the conference and its member universities work toward an appropriate resolution." The SEC has a long-established rule forbidding teams from putting players with major professional experience on their rosters. In recent weeks, the conference announced updated enforcement provisions to that rule, stating that the commissioner had the power to suspend coaches, fine universities up to half of a sport's budget and restrict a member university's voting privileges on conference matters. |
| No sanctions for LSU after SEC meeting on expulsion | |
| A meeting of SEC presidents and chancellors Thursday ended without any punishment imposed on LSU. The conference issued a statement following the highly anticipated meeting, which court records had indicated would "decide whether to terminate Louisiana State University." According to the statement, the videoconference was meant "to discuss recent matters involving conference expectations and responsibilities." The threat of expulsion against LSU had subsided in recent days as the football program backed off its desire to add former NFL rookies Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to its roster. In a letter to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey on Wednesday, school president Wade Rousse said the Tigers complied with conference rules by not rostering former pros, calling the issue "moot." Rousse joined the SEC presidents and chancellors call Thursday, but only briefly, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel. Rousse explained to the participants that in light of the pending federal litigation, of which he and LSU are named defendants, that he was advised by counsel not to participate. |
| The Protect College Sports Act has Nick Saban, Deion Sanders campaigning ahead of Senate vote | |
| The first full weekend of college football delivered us all of the dysfunctional and inspiring trappings of the sport we love so much. A disputed (and, it turns out, mismanaged) game clock controversy and a Hail Mary completion all rolled into one. Lane Kiffin's halftime antics that made their way into a federal lawsuit. A Heisman Trophy favorite, Trinidad Chambliss, leading a fourth-quarter drive that culminated in a last-second, game-winning field goal. A Monday night game delayed 90 minutes because of a power outage in Tallahassee. And, finally, Nick Saban and Deion Sanders on your television screen as part of a multi-million dollar political advertising campaign. Wait, what? Yes, the last one of those is not like the rest. The lobbying effort for the Congressional bill to regulate college athletics, the Protect College Sports Act, is in full swing ahead of an expected vote process next week on Capitol Hill. |
| Two Sports Labor Giants Join Fight Against College Sports Bill | |
| With the Senate back in session next week -- and with the college football season in full swing -- lobbying around the Protect College Sports Act is picking up again. If you watched even a moderate amount of football last weekend, you know that Nick Saban, the legendary former coach, appeared in a pro-PCSA commercial funded by a group called Saving College Sports. If you turned on ESPN's College GameDay at a certain time, you would have heard Saban and Pat McAfee discussing how Congress has to regulate the industry, another endorsement of the bill. This week, Saving College Sports is out with another television spot, this one starring Colorado Coach Deion Sanders, as Politico first reported. With a tight window before the midterms, those pushing the bill are getting heavy hitters to support it in public. On the other side, though, some of the biggest names in opposition have been operating behind the scenes. Michele A. Roberts was executive director of the National Basketball Players Association from 2014 to 2022. DeMaurice Smith was executive director of the NFL Players Association from 2009 to 2023. Early in the summer, as the PCSA gained traction in the Senate, Roberts and Smith decided to link arms and fight the bill together. |
| Interest groups spend $31 million lobbying Congress on Cruz, Cantwell college sports bill | |
 | Interested parties in recent months have poured tens of millions of dollars into lobbying lawmakers on sweeping legislation regulating the big business of college sports. The Protect College Sports Act, championed by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), is the latest of these after a similar measure failed in the House earlier this year. So far, parties with vested interests in the issue have spent a combined $31 million on lobbying lawmakers as they consider the proposal, according to OpenSecrets. Some of the largest universities that have contributed include Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame, the organization found, noting 36 institutions from major conferences have put a stake in seeing the bill passed. Critics of the legislation argue it would grant the NCAA and top schools too much power and protect them from litigation surrounding issues like NIL and the transfer portal. President Trump has endorsed the bill, leading to skepticism among some Democrats in the Senate who are not eager to hand the president and his party a legislative victory before the midterm elections. |
| College Athletes Used to Live in Dorms. Now They're Buying Million-Dollar Homes. | |
| Buying a house used to be a crowning achievement after an athlete turned pro. But a 2021 rule change that let college athletes profit from their fame has sped up that timeline. Player pay has surged, creating a multibillion-dollar market in Name, Image Likeness, or NIL, payments. Starters on major college football teams now earn hundreds of thousands -- or even millions -- of dollars a year. Flush with cash, many college football players are jumping into the real-estate market and buying homes in their university towns. In addition to living in these homes, athletes use them to put up family members, host teammates, generate rent and serve as long-term investments. This spring, Ole Miss's star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss bought a $1.9 million townhouse on the Square, the historic shopping and restaurant hub in Oxford, Miss., records show. Although some college athletes have bought luxury cars or other indulgences, many are using their newfound wealth to make careful investments. "One of the questions I get asked a lot is, 'I bet these guys are reckless with their money,'" said Walker Jones, executive director of the Grove Collective, the University of Mississippi–affiliated group that helps raise money for athlete pay. "To be honest with you, they're really not. These student-athletes in a really short amount of time have learned how to budget and how to be careful with their money and to spend it in ways that are creating additional wealth and value for them." |
| NCAA's Federal Court Winning Streak Subdues Eligibility 'Chaos' | |
| The NCAA has landed key legal wins in recent weeks regarding its new eligibility rule system, and that success continued Wednesday. A West Virginia federal judge denied a preliminary injunction to 14 Marshall University and Ohio University athletes who graduated from high school in 2022, have already played four seasons and seek another year of Division I competition. U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers ruled that Marshall cornerback Dwayne "Boogie" Trotter and other athletes who play basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, track, softball and cross country failed to make a persuasive case for an injunction. One key problem: These athletes "got exactly what they were promised" in that they completed four college seasons, and the eligibility rules in place when they entered college "did not allow them to play professionally and then return to the college level." Chambers' ruling is important because it follows the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit's recent decision to grant the NCAA a stay of a federal judge's nationwide injunction in Colorado that would have allowed athletes in the same situation to return to college sports. The more the NCAA wins in federal court, the more likely it is to persuade state court judges -- who might otherwise be inclined to rule for athletes seeking to play at a local university -- to follow a national trend. While there is much talk these days about the "chaos" of college sports, with athletes turning pro and then trying to return to college, it's possible the chaos will simply subside as judges reach the same conclusions of law, thereby deterring other athletes from spending time and money on litigation. |
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