| Thursday, September 24, 2026 |
| UN taps MSU again as a world center for antimicrobial resistance, fish health | |
 | The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is redesignating Mississippi State University as an FAO Reference Centre on Antimicrobial Resistance and Aquaculture Biosecurity. The renewal follows FAO's positive review of MSU's progress since it was first named an FAO Reference Centre in 2022, and it extends the agreement for a five-year period through October 2031. The university has a long history of leading expertise in the areas of fisheries and aquaculture, working with the FAO in the areas of antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, as well as aquaculture biosecurity and aquatic animal health. The center is housed within the university's Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security, or GCAHFS. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses or other microorganisms evolve to resist treatments such as antibiotics. MSU's Stephen Reichley, FAO Reference Centre head and GCAHFS associate director, said the redesignation recognizes the university's continuing contributions at the intersection of aquatic animal health, antimicrobial stewardship, aquaculture biosecurity, food security and One Health. The work also reinforces MSU's role in supporting both the U.S. aquaculture sector and international efforts to build sustainable, biosecure aquatic food systems. |
| Digital States 2026 'A' State Interview: Craig Orgeron, Mississippi | |
| In this year's Digital States Survey from the Center for Digital Government,* 11 states received an "A" grade. To get more insight into how they stay on top of the trends and keep government moving forward, we asked those state CIOs four questions tied to the major themes uncovered in this year's survey. In this interview, we hear from Mississippi CIO Craig Orgeron. Q: What AI initiative or project has had the most impact in your state so far? A: The Mississippi AI Innovation Hub has had the greatest impact because it gives agencies a practical and disciplined path from interest in artificial intelligence to actual use. Procurii is a good example. Developed by Mississippi State University students through the Hub, it is an AI procurement assistant that helps ITS staff locate and interpret authoritative procurement guidance more efficiently, with the goal of improving consistency and reducing avoidable clarification and rework for our partner agencies. The broader value is the model itself. Guided by Executive Order 1584, the Hub brings together ITS, partner agencies, AWS the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network, and our universities, while connecting to broader workforce efforts involving AccelerateMS. We are creating a repeatable model for responsible AI adoption. |
| NOAA Bets $100 Million on Mississippi State for New Gulf Research Powerhouse | |
| The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has selected Mississippi State University to host its newest Cooperative Institute in the Northern Gulf of America, an award valued at up to $100 million over five years. The new institute, known as CINGA, will serve as a hub for environmental research, forecasting, coastal resilience and sustainable resource management across the Gulf Coast, and it builds directly on two decades of collaboration between the university and the federal science agency through the Northern Gulf Institute, which Mississippi State has led for 20 years. The announcement positions Mississippi State at the center of one of the most consequential research enterprises in the region. Steve Thur, NOAA's assistant administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, framed the award as a continuation of a proven partnership. "This collaboration builds on the 20-year partnership between NOAA and Mississippi State University through the Northern Gulf Institute," Thur said. |
| 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. MSU's partnerships with NOAA include a shared building at the Stennis Space Center to promote collaboration. NOAA also has invested in supercomputing systems managed by MSU, two of which have been ranked among the most powerful in the world. I |
| Mississippi State University College of Business offers hands-on learning | |
| Video: Mississippi State University College of Business Dean Scott Grawe joined Studio 3 to discuss experiential learning and entrepreneurship. |
| MSU ACCESS partners with boutique, NYC clothing line for Hail State design | |
 | For Allie Simmons, Mississippi State felt like home the moment she stepped on campus. Now, the MSU ACCESS senior from Hoover, Alabama, is putting her personal design on gameday fashion. Simmons, a hospitality major with Down syndrome, partnered with New York City-based adaptive fashion label Alivia and downtown Starkville boutique L.A. Green to launch the "Hail State Bandana" collection. The exclusive lineup, featuring two dresses, tops and a scarf, features Simmons' custom paintings. The Bulldog family is invited to celebrate the fashion release and meet Simmons in person during a public launch party from 3-5 p.m. Friday [Sept. 25], at L.A. Green in downtown Starkville. "I'm just excited," she said. "I cannot believe they chose me to design it. I am so honored." In honor of Simmons' and the brand's passion for service, 10% of proceeds from every purchase will benefit MSU's T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability, where Simmons previously completed an internship as a teacher's assistant and front desk staffer. |
| Mississippians urged to watch for spotted lanternflies | |
 | While not yet detected in Mississippi, the spotted lanternfly is spreading across the country. Scientists with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service are asking the public to help watch for signs that the pest is present in the state. In infested states, it has become a key pest in fruit crops, including grapes, apples and peaches, requiring ongoing monitoring and management. "Mississippi has several small-scale fruit production areas that would suffer from this insect if it made its way into the state," said Jermaine Perier, an Extension entomologist. "However, because these farms and gardens are small, the impact from this pest can potentially be missed if the public is unaware that they should watch for it." |
| Extension scientists ask public to watch for new insect | |
| What might appear to some to be a beautifully exotic butterfly is actually an invasive pest that can devastate fruit crops and be a nuisance in home landscapes. While not yet detected in Mississippi, the spotted lanternfly is spreading across the country. Scientists with the Mississippi State University Extension Service are asking the public to help watch for signs that the pest is present in the state. In infested states, it has become a key pest in fruit crops, including grapes, apples and peaches, requiring ongoing monitoring and management. Spotted lanternfly adults are about 1 inch long and half an inch wide with visually striking wings. They have brown forewings with black spots at the front and a speckled band at the rear. Their hind wings are scarlet with black spots at the front and white and black bars at the rear. Their abdomen is yellow with black bars. Mississippi's expanding grape industry would be most at risk economically from the pest. |
| Education briefs: Lang among 14th Excellence in Teaching Program cohort | |
 | Keylee Lang, a freshman secondary education major with a concentration in biology from Starkville, is among 36 Mississippi State University scholarship recipients in one of the state's most prestigious teacher education programs. Housed in the MSU College of Education, the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program is a collaborative endeavor with the University of Mississippi. The scholarship, available to majors in K-12 education, includes full tuition, housing, dining, books, a $1,000 technology stipend and a fully funded national or study-abroad experience. Funded by the Jackson-based Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation, the scholarship is valued at about $100,000 over four years. |
| Mary Means Business: Starkville: Jive Turkey turns temporary closure permanent at Eckford location | |
| A temporary hiatus has officially turned permanent for a popular spot on Eckford Drive. Trey Spencer opened Jive Turkey Breakfast Club at 105 Eckford Drive in February. After less than six months of operation, Spencer announced online that the restaurant would temporarily close with intentions to return. "We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. We'll be back serving up your favorite breakfast dishes and Southern hospitality as soon as possible," he posted online. "Please continue to follow our page for updates on our reopening. Thank you for your continued support -- we look forward to welcoming you back soon!" While Spencer continues searching for a new location to revive the concept, building owner Eric Hallberg confirmed Jive Turkey has permanently closed. |
| CREATE launches regional disaster recovery council | |
| Stacey Parvin, a board member for the Starkville Community Foundation, still remembers when a Christmas Eve fire in 2024 on Central Avenue left four families stranded. While Parvin and the foundation coordinated with the local emergency management agency and collected donations to help the families stay in a hotel while they searched for new housing, it was a hectic, uncoordinated endeavor. That's why Parvin is excited to get the ball rolling on developing more strategic emergency response plans with the help of the CREATE Foundation's new Northeast Mississippi Disaster Recovery Council. "It was a month (before they found permanent housing), and Starkville is a hard place to find affordable housing, and it was a vulnerable population. So we reached out to all of our partners (and it was difficult)," Parvin said. "... So we're really grateful that we're starting to do this in a blue sky time, so that we know that we can do it better the next time a disaster hits." The CREATE Foundation held a press conference Wednesday to announce the creation of the group's new council, which will help to work with the CREATE's 17-county service area -- including Lowndes, Oktibbeha and Clay -- to develop local emergency response plans for disasters ranging from ice storms to flooding to large-scale fires. The council has already begun working to help form committees for each county-based affiliate to develop emergency response plans after the impact of Winter Storm Fern in January. |
| CREATE, TVA announce new disaster response initiative | |
| In partnership with Tennessee Valley Authority, the CREATE Foundation announced on Wednesday that it has launched a regional council to help Northeast Mississippi recover from natural disasters. Inspired by recovery efforts following the devastation wrought by a massive ice storm that struck the region at the beginning of the year, TVA and CREATE have formed the Northeast Mississippi Disaster Recovery Council, which will help guide regional and local actors in sharing information and strengthening long-term disaster recovery coordination. In a Wednesday press conference at the Community Development Foundation in Downtown Tupelo, CREATE Foundation President Mike Clayborne announced that both the foundation and TVA have committed $100,000 each to the initiative, which will be led by the foundation's Commission on the Future of Northeast Mississippi. "This is just the start," Clayborne said. "We know the things we are talking about need a lot more resources." TVA Vice President of Government and Community Relations Amy Tate said TVA's goal with the Disaster Recovery Council is to strengthen the lines of communication among disaster response organizations and to put the necessary funding to ensure the area recovers from disasters quickly in the right hands. |
| U.S. mortgage rates climb above 7% in another blow to housing market | |
| Mortgage rates hit a two-year high last week: The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage sat at 7.12% for the week that ended Sep. 18, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, and reached 7.26% as of this Wednesday afternoon. Meanwhile, mortgage applications have declined again for the third week in a row. Potential buyers aren't thrilled about buying when mortgages are this high, so demand is down, which makes sense. But something else a little weirder is happening too. "We're also seeing more homeowners deciding to list their homes," said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. "Either these sellers are just tired of waiting because it's been so long that mortgage rates have been high, and if they're waiting for a better market, maybe they realize that that better market isn't coming, or they are getting nervous that prices might fall." More sellers means more supply. Add in sluggish demand, and home prices have slowed, rising just 2% yearly, which is slower than overall inflation and slower than wage growth. All that would be great, except for the high mortgage rates. |
| The AI Build-Out Is Becoming the Biggest Economic Bet in U.S. History | |
 | The AI build-out is on track to become the biggest economic bet in U.S. history, dwarfing the investments made to fund other huge U.S. infrastructure projects such as the railroads, the highway system and the plumbing for the internet. Total investment in data centers and related artificial-intelligence infrastructure is projected to total $10.3 trillion from 2025 to 2032, according to new estimates by economist Stijn van Nieuwerburgh published by the Brookings Institution. That is a staggering 3.6% of gross domestic product a year, on average. Never before has the U.S. economy been so dependent on the build-out of a single industry. The investment is transforming every corner of the economy, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and minting new billionaires. It is also creating significant risk, as much of it is built on debt. An abrupt slowdown could ignite shock waves throughout the U.S. economy. AI investment in the U.S. is projected to hit 1.9% of GDP in 2026, according to new estimates from Goldman Sachs. The railroad boom of the late 19th century marked the last time the build-out of one new industry accounted for a larger share of the economy. |
| Kelle Barfield launches campaign for State Senate | |
| Warren County Board of Supervisors President Kelle Barfield announced her candidacy for Mississippi State Senate District 23 in the 2027 Republican primary Wednesday. Barfield has spent her career building stronger communities in the private sector, through civic leadership and in public office. She has represented District 5 on the Warren County Board of Supervisors since 2020, and her fellow supervisors have selected her to serve as board president every year since 2022. The seat is currently held by Sen. Briggs Hopson III, who announced that he will not seek re-election in 2027. Barfield has also played an active role in improving educational and career opportunities for local students. "Every Mississippi student deserves an education that prepares them for what comes next, whether that is college, technical training, military service or a career," Barfield said. "Our local employers and community members must work closely with schools so students can graduate with the skills they need to build successful lives here at home." |
| Guest heavily favored to win re-election in Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District over Democrat, Libertarian challengers | |
| Mississippi's 3rd District Congressman Michael Guest (R) is seeking a fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives this year after first being elected in 2018. Guest is the chairman of the House Ethics Committee, chairman of the Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee of the Committee on Homeland Security, and serves on the House Appropriations Committee. He is being challenged by Democrat nominee Michael Chiaradio, a former independent professional baseball league player turned regenerative farmer, and Libertarian nominee Erik Kiehle, a businessman. Backed by Speaker Mike Johnson, the White House, and his fellow Republicans representing Mississippi in Washington D.C., Guest is currently the heavy favorite to win his re-election bid. The Cook Political Report rates the race as "Solid R." The incumbent also has a substantial financial advantage, reporting approximately $963,000 cash on hand as of his June 30 filing with the Federal Election Commission. Meanwhile, first-time candidate Chiaradio reported just over $23,000 cash on hand. FEC records also show that Kiehle has not filed a campaign finance report. |
| Trump officials weigh rolling back beef import plan as GOP midterm panic spreads | |
 | A small group of White House officials is exploring whether to cut back President Donald Trump's decision to increase foreign beef imports, as GOP panic rises ahead of the midterms. The proposal to reduce the amount of imports is being discussed within the Domestic Policy Council headed by Vince Haley, a longtime Trump speechwriter and former campaign official, and a few other officials at the White House, according to two people with direct knowledge of the conversations, who were granted anonymity to share private details. Trump officials are unsure if anything will come of the talks. The two people said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative disagrees with cutting back the imports, since it aims to lower high consumer beef prices in the short term and since USTR helped implement the move. But their conversations about partly rolling back the beef policy -- which Trump instituted in August -- is a clear sign the White House is trying to stem the alarm from battleground and farm-state Republicans as high prices and Trump's tariffs roil their election campaigns. |
| China hawks seethe as Trump rolls out red carpet for Xi | |
 | China hawks on both sides of the aisle in the U.S. are seething as President Trump prepares to welcome the country's President Xi Jinping for what is expected to be a lavish three-day state visit to Washington. Unlike with other world leaders, Trump is pulling out all the stops for his Chinese counterpart. Trump took the unusual step of welcoming Xi at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday evening and will greet him again Thursday on the South Lawn for an elaborate arrival ceremony complete with B-2 Spirit and F-22 Raptor flyovers. Critics are questioning why Trump, who has a storied history of slamming China, is rolling out the red carpet for the U.S. adversary. "Had the White House asked me for advice, I would have suggested the president not invite Xi Jinping to Washington for such a lavish welcome here in the United States, based on all of the troubling issues we have with President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party," Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chair of the Senate Arms Services Committee, said on the upper chamber floor Tuesday evening. Despite the criticism over the state visit, many China critics say they are not as concerned about the optics of the state visit as much as they are about the policy developments that come out of the event. |
| What to know about Trump's meeting with China's Xi and the economic stakes | |
 | President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet in Washington on Thursday and Friday for the Chinese leader's first visit to the United States since 2023. This time last year, the world's two largest economic powers were locked in an escalating tariff war that increased the price of goods for consumers in both countries and created headaches for international businesses. On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that the U.S. and China will extend a temporary economic truce, negotiated with China last October, until Jan. 10. That may be the most significant economic outcome for the U.S. coming out of this week's meetings, analysts say, noting that a serene diplomatic meeting is still valuable given the not-so-distant trade hostilities. "This is going to be very heavy on optics and symbolism," said Edgard Kagan, the Freeman chair in China studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who formerly served as the ambassador to Malaysia under both Trump and President Joe Biden. "Both leaders are pretty invested in the idea that there needs to be a more stable, predictable relationship," he added. While there may be little outward change this week, there is plenty at stake economically. |
| Judge orders Trump administration to restore journalists' access to White House | |
 | A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Thursday to temporarily restore access to the three media organizations banned from covering White House events last week by President Trump.I n a ruling issued shortly after midnight, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly for the District of Columbia granted a 14-day temporary restraining order to CNN, MS NOW and Politico, which had press credentials of their journalists covering the White House revoked on Saturday. Yet the news outlets said some of their journalists were denied entry to the White House early Thursday morning. CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a joint lawsuit against Trump to challenge that decision on Monday, on the grounds that their constitutional rights had been violated. They sought a temporary restraining order on the ban that would allow them to report from the White House as the proceedings in the case continue. Kelly, a Trump appointee, wrote that news outlets were "likely to succeed in showing that their hard passes were revoked without constitutionally adequate due process," and on the grounds that "'individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the Government deprives them' of a constitutionally protected interest." |
| Young men are swinging away hard from Republicans, pessimistic about economy, new poll finds | |
| Republicans' 2024 gains among young men have evaporated -- and that could have instant ramifications this November, according to a new Cygnal poll. President Donald Trump narrowly carried young men in 2024, according to exit polls, a big swing toward the GOP from past elections. But Democrats' generic ballot lead among male likely voters ages 18-30 now sits at 57%-40%, according to the new survey. Trump's favorability is underwater at just 38%-55%, and Republicans' net favorability among the demographic now sits at -9 points, with 40% viewing the party favorably and 49% unfavorably. One silver lining for the GOP: Among all registered voters sampled, including those least likely to turn out in November, the Democratic generic ballot lead is much smaller, 44% to 41%. Young men alone likely won't determine control of Congress; they make up a fraction of the electorate, and they are less likely to vote than women of the same age or their older counterparts. But that lack of enthusiasm itself is a warning sign for Republicans, who will need to motivate their base ahead of November if they wish to maintain control of Congress. The young men sampled are overwhelmingly concerned about cost-of-living issues -- the same reason that many swung toward the GOP two years ago. |
| 'They're all scared': Grief and unanswered questions surround deaths of two U. of Mississippi students | |
 | The University of Mississippi confirmed the deaths of two students in an email to the campus community on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The causes of death are currently under investigation by law enforcement. The university declined to confirm or deny the names of the two students who died. The university did not comment on why it had not released the students' names or further information pertaining to student safety by the time of publication. Friends of the students identified them as 18-year-old Aidan Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colo., and 20-year-old Robert Strang, a junior from Atlanta. Both students died on Monday, Sept. 21. Law enforcement dispatched to Stewart Hall on the University of Mississippi campus at 1:39 p.m., where they attempted CPR on Hamilton, according to dispatch records. Strang was found dead at an off-campus house on Van Buren Avenue, per individuals familiar with the situation. Across the University of Mississippi, students are widely concerned about the lack of information provided by the university regarding the deaths and potential danger of substances like kratom. Students made hundreds of posts on social media platforms expressing opinions, largely disparaging, of the university's response to the students' deaths. Many students took to Yik Yak to share their thoughts -- a social media platform on which enrolled University of Mississippi students can make anonymous remarks. |
| Mississippi colleges open food pantries to help students meet basic needs | |
| When University of Mississippi Medical Center administrators heard that some students were struggling to afford food and other necessities, they stepped up to help. They held a food drive in August to collect items for a pantry to benefit medical and nursing students. Then UMMC opened a food pantry on Sept. 1, offering groceries and personal care products such as shampoo, laundry detergent pods and toothpaste. "Every student's financial situation is different," said Jonathan Nutt, director of student services at UMMC. "The hope is to serve any student who needs it." Some students have little family financial support, and the demands of their academic programs can make it difficult to work enough hours to cover living expenses, Nutt said. Students across the state -- and the nation -- are facing similar challenges as costs for housing, groceries, transportation and other living expenses increase. A 2023 Hope Center for Basic Needs survey found that 59% of college students lack access to at least one basic need such as housing and transportation. Of students surveyed, 41% reported experiencing food insecurity. |
| Mississippi using $8.5 million grant to strengthen workforce through community colleges | |
| The state of Mississippi will use a federal grant to mobilize its community colleges to help strengthen the workforce. Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday that $8.5 million from the U.S. Department of Labor's Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants program will go toward immediate training initiatives and building the state's Workforce Pell program. Reeves added that the state will utilize its community colleges to help Mississippians gain skills needed to be part of the workforce. "Mississippi is at its best -- and moves fastest -- when we work together toward a common goal," Reeves said. "By bringing all 15 of our community colleges together, this investment will help create new training programs and funding opportunities for Mississippians to gain the skills they need to get good jobs while expanding how we meet the needs of our employers. This is how we connect more people to good-paying careers, support economic growth and keep Mississippi competitive." Northwest Mississippi Community College will serve as the lead for this project, with AccelerateMS partnering to assist in coordinating implementation statewide. |
| MGCCC celebrates new training hub for future healthcare professionals | |
 | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) held a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday for the Health Professions Building at the Jackson County Campus in Gautier. Officials say the new facility will benefit both students and the community. Dr. Cedric Bradley, Vice President of the Jackson County Campus, said the building is a win for Jackson County. "I think this is such a huge win for Jackson County itself because now our students, our community, they can come right here to the Jackson County campus, have a state-of-the-art facility to train in, and when students are able to come, and they're able to see a state-of-the-art facility like this, it makes being able to pursue an education more realistic for them," Bradley said. |
| AU's Kelli Shomaker to retire after 10 years, Woodard and Elmore to act as interims | |
| Kelli Shomaker, senior vice president for business and administration and chief financial officer, is set to retire on Oct. 31, according to a statement from Auburn University. Dr. Bobby Woodard, senior vice president for student affairs, and Bryan Elmore, associate vice president for budgets and business operations, will serve in interim roles following Shomaker's retirement. Shomaker, who served the University for 10 years, will join Southern Methodist University in Dallas on Nov. 1 as senior vice president for business and finance and chief financial officer. In her role, Shomaker oversees financial reporting, budgets, procurement and payments, cash management, debt management, facilities, real estate, trademark and licensing, human resources and various administrative units on campus. President Christopher B. Roberts issued a statement on Shomaker's retirement, commending the impact she made on the University. "Auburn is a better university because of Kelli's leadership," Roberts said. "Her sound stewardship and steady judgment have strengthened our institution and positioned us well for the future. I am grateful for her service and friendship, and I wish her every success at SMU." |
| Louisiana breaks record for educational attainment | |
 | More Louisiana students than ever are getting college degrees or other credentials after high school, which state leaders say is the result of a yearslong push to expand dual enrollment, accelerated degrees and other programs. In 2026, 54% of adults in the state had a "credential of value," meaning they had completed some kind of education beyond high school, according to a Board of Regents report released Wednesday. That number has climbed steadily since Louisiana identified educational attainment as a priority in 2019, when 44.2% of the population held a credential higher than a high school diploma. The state also graduated 85,000 students with credentials or degrees in 2026. That hits a target the Regents had set for 2030, the board said. Louisiana does not rank highly compared to other states for education, Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed said. But she called the Bayou State a "state on the move." |
| LSU Light and Safety Walk gives students opportunity to observe, share concerns on campus safety | |
| LSU Student Government hosted its annual Light and Safety Walk on Tuesday in an effort to promote a safer, more accessible campus for students, staff and Baton Rouge residents. SG collaborated with LSU Administration, Facility Services, Parking & Transportation, the Office of Emergency Preparedness and LSU Police Department. Ben Barousse, student body president, said that safety and accessibility are an integral part of his administration "We ran on LSU feeling like home for every student, and the goal is to feel safe at home," he said. Students met at the Student Union then dispersed to survey the campus. Attendees went in one of four directions -- southeast toward University Recreation Center, southwest toward the South Quad Drive area, northeast toward Dalrymple Drive and northwest campus toward Nicholson Drive and Aster Street. After the walk, students answered a survey provided by SG on their observations. LSU Chancellor Jim Dalton attended and walked with students around the campus so they could bring issues of light and safety directly to his attention. |
| The Frank Lloyd Wright of the South Whose Homes Are Fetching Millions | |
| The Bentonville, Ark., house where billionaire Alice Walton grew up was constructed over a creek, with high ceilings and extended views of its surroundings. The 1959 building, designed by architect E. Fay Jones, helped inspire Moshe Safdie's vision for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which Walton founded in Bentonville. The museum, too, is built over water. Jones was an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright and a close friend of Fayetteville, Ark., native Edward Durell Stone, who designed the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Best known for his expressive tweaks of Wright's Usonian style, Jones built over 130 houses and a handful of chapels before his death in 2004, many of them in Northwest Arkansas. In recent years, the visibility of Jones houses in the region has risen and they can now fetch over $1 million -- far above Fayetteville's median listing price of $425,000 in August, according to Realtor.com. Born in Pine Bluff, Ark., Jones was one of the first graduates of the University of Arkansas School of Architecture in 1950. In 1953, he spent the summer at Wright's Taliesin home and school in Spring Green, Wis. He then moved to Fayetteville and resumed his architectural practice while teaching at the University of Arkansas. Professors there became some of his earliest clients. |
| Austin-area universities see enrollment gains across the board | |
| Almost all Austin-area universities are serving more students this fall than they did last year. That's according to early fall enrollment figures from nine local universities and community colleges from Georgetown to San Marcos. The student number increases align with the state's goal of expanding higher education access and degree completion. By 2030, the state wants 60% of working-age Texans to have a credential of value -- a post-secondary degree or certificate that gives families a positive return on investment. The University of Texas welcomed a record 55,172 students to campus this fall -- up from 55,000 students last year. That figure includes 44,675 undergraduates and 9,487 freshmen, UT officials said in a news release. Nearly 99,000 people applied to UT this year, a 9% increase from last year. More students are graduating, too: the university recorded its highest-ever four-year graduation rate at 77.7% this year with 16,801 degrees awarded at the end of the 2025-26 academic year. |
| Texas A&M drag ban cases before federal judges after conflicting rulings | |
| Judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals pressed Texas A&M's lawyer Wednesday on a central tension in the university system's defense of its drag-show bans: how officials can compare such performances to blackface while also arguing the shows are not expressive enough to trigger First Amendment protection. University administrators were targeting conduct, not a message, said William "Billy" F. Cole, the principal deputy solicitor general in the Texas Attorney General's office who is defending the system. But when a judge asked about the regents' concern that drag could promote "gender ideology," Cole acknowledged to the court that rationale, standing alone, could create a viewpoint-discrimination problem. He argued the judges should consider the regents' other stated reasons for the ban, including concerns about discrimination against women. When a judge asked whether any women complained that the shows objectified or harassed them, Cole said no. However, he argued that universities do not have to wait for actual complaints before enforcing anti-discrimination policies. Judges pressed the lawyer representing the students groups suing the over the ban just as hard on how far First Amendment protections would extend under his argument. |
| Faculty Advisers Resign After Call for 'Reset' of Iowa Civics Center | |
 | The power struggle over the civics center at the University of Iowa appears to have reached an inflection point. Nearly half the center's 26-member Advisory Council resigned this week, all of them faculty from institutions out of state. Prominent current or former Iowans remain. The 11 resignations come after Robert Cramer, who chairs the Board of Regents that oversees Iowa's public universities and selected the Advisory Council, called for a "reset" of the center---and after Republican state Rep. Taylor Collins, who chairs the House higher education committee, sided with Cramer in an email dispute focusing on the process for hiring the center's permanent director. "The board covets and appreciates the input from the advisory council," Cramer wrote last week to Richard Lowery, a University of Texas at Austin associate professor and now former Advisory Council member who chaired the search. "But CIF [the Center for Intellectual Freedom] is the responsibility of the Board, and the Board will make the final decisions regarding CIF," Cramer wrote. "I respectfully ask that you get on board and work with Regent [Christine] Hensley collaboratively or step down and allow someone else to chair the hiring process. Please let us know what you decide." |
| Companies Are Skeptical of New Graduates. Cornell Has Ideas to Fix That. | |
 | The authors of Cornell University's new report on "The Future of the American University" asked employers what they thought of America's new graduates, and the results were not flattering. Companies have a "jarring" skepticism of higher ed, the authors found, thanks to a new generation of degree holders who lack key skills like handling uncertainty, compromising, and absorbing feedback. The sprawling, 238-page report -- the latest in a series of self-interrogations by elite universities -- lays out a plan to once again instill essential skills by the time students walk across the commencement stage. The report recommends a series of pedagogical "principles" that Cornell should implement or re-implement. "Sound judgment develops through practice, not transmission," the report says. That is, it's not just important what discipline-specific knowledge students learn, but how they learn it. For the report's authors, the road to "essential capacities needed to thrive in the professional, adult world" runs through the liberal arts. |
| As the coding boom fades, computer science grads focus on AI skills in choppy job market | |
 | Computer science student Jack Zemke was getting nowhere despite sending out hundreds of job applications that mostly disappeared into the void -- ignored. With his graduation from Tulane University just days away, he was considering moving back in with his parents when he got a break thanks to a group project he had worked on involving an AI-powered search tool. As he touted it at an engineering conference, an employee at a civil engineering firm approached. "We're not like the most on top of trends, but we know that AI is becoming a big thing," he recalled the man saying. "We need somebody to be essentially an evangelist." Zemke responded: "I'm your man." It has been a difficult job market for new graduates, especially in fields like software development where artificial intelligence is shouldering more of the work. While college students majoring in computer science during the recent coding boom were getting job offers without even applying, graduates today in philosophy, art history and ethnic studies majors all have higher employment rates. But as the job market evolves with AI and entry-level jobs become harder to find, students and schools are adapting. |
| Dartmouth's Provost Quietly Used AI in His Published Work. It's Touched Off a Campus Firestorm. | |
| Santiago Schnell, Dartmouth College's provost, has spent the past year positioning himself as a leading public thinker on artificial intelligence and its place in higher education. In a Washington Post column last month, he urged colleges to move beyond the race to catch students using AI to cheat, and instead redesign assessments to distinguish what students can do independently from what they can accomplish with the technology. "Generative AI makes polished work easy to produce," Schnell wrote. "Universities must now devise credible ways to observe the capacities behind it. The value of a degree will depend increasingly on whether they succeed." So it came as a shock to some on the Hanover, N.H., campus earlier this week when The Dartmouth, the college's student newspaper, reported that Schnell himself had used AI in producing a range of published work, including that very Washington Post essay. Most of that use went publicly undisclosed until Schnell was approached by reporters. The Dartmouth's report on Monday touched off a firestorm among some faculty members and students, who argue his piecemeal, after-the-fact disclosures of AI usage amount to hypocrisy. |
| Did college boost your income? A federal test puts pressure on schools | |
 | Bailey Pennington worked as an assistant during her first six months out of cosmetology school, learning the business before opening her own shop styling hair outside Detroit. She spent much of her first two years trying to build up her client list. While Ms. Pennington now has a successful business, she knows earnings in her profession can fluctuate, especially early on. So she worries that the federal measure implemented this year requiring colleges and professional schools to show that their graduates earn more than people without degrees, or risk losing the federal student loan support that allowed her to graduate, will make it more difficult for others. According to Department of Education data, more than 800,000 students are in danger of failing the earnings test, and more than half of them are in for-profit programs like the one Ms. Pennington graduated from. The earnings test applies to thousands of programs at schools ranging from professional certificates to arts programs at elite universities and seminaries. The requirement, which was part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in 2025, says that undergraduate programs whose graduates and certificate-holders don't earn more money than median earnings of a high school graduate in the state four years past graduation, will be penalized. |
| American Bar Association Fights to Keep Power to Vet Law Schools | |
 | The American Bar Association is on the precipice of losing its power to accredit law schools as a federal panel weighs whether to recommend the punitive measure to the Education Department. The vote was scheduled for Wednesday, but the deadlocked panel -- known as the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity -- delayed its decision until Thursday. It was unclear how the panel would resolve its differences. The panel's longtime members and staff said they could not recall when the group had failed to reach a majority decision on a recommendation. The panel's 18 members are appointed by the secretary of education, the Senate president and the House speaker, with several appointees recommended by minority party lawmakers. "Hopefully we can find a creative solution," said Jay P. Greene, the chairman of the advisory panel and research director at Do No Harm, a group that campaigns against diversity, equity and inclusion programs and youth gender-affirming care in medicine. A report earlier this month by staff of the Education Department urged the panel to recommend stripping the accreditation role from the bar association, the nation's largest organization of lawyers. Such a move would strike a blow to a group that has battled the Trump administration over its attacks on law firms and also open a front in the administration's pressure campaign on higher education. |
| White House drops executive order for tighter NIH purview | |
 | The White House is scrapping plans for an executive order that would give the Trump administration more control over grantmaking at the National Institutes of Health, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday. The White House had reportedly held a meeting earlier this week discussing plans for the potential order that would've given the Office of Management and Budget discretion over grantmaking at the NIH, which quickly drew backlash from key Senate appropriators. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, welcomed the news in a statement Wednesday. "It shouldn't take public outcry to prevent President Trump and [Office of Management and Budget director] Russ Vought from laying waste to the NIH and defunding lifesaving research because they think it's 'woke' or want to extort a university," she said. "This president is on a mission to shred patients and families' hopes for new treatments and cures." Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, had penned a letter to the White House on Tuesday warning the administration to not move forward, saying the grantmaking process should not become politicized. |
| Flora mayor caught between two worlds | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: Flora Mayor Leslie Childress is caught between two worlds: small town Mississippi and booming suburban sprawl. He is mayor of a small rural Mississippi town that was founded in 1886 as a railroad stop for cotton, cattle, mules and wagons. Yet today Flora sits on the doorstep of some of the wealthiest residential developments in Mississippi. Drive a few miles east and you encounter Annandale, Reunion, Lake Caroline and other upscale Madison County developments. Million-dollar houses, golf courses and five-acre estates are increasingly part of the greater Flora economy. Meanwhile, Childress still gets on a tractor and mows the town right-of-way. Welcome to Flora. Childress recently spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson. His talk illustrated the fascinating crossroads facing this little town. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State aims to reclaim cowbell world record at home football game | |
| Mississippi State fans will have a chance to make history on Saturday. Bulldog fans attending Mississippi State's SEC home opener against Missouri and former Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons are encouraged to bring one or multiple cowbells to help the school reclaim the cowbell world record. In 2015, Mississippi State claimed the official Guinness World Record for most people ringing cowbells simultaneously with 5,748 people. While the Bulldogs still currently possess the record, it was recently unofficially broken in Wisconsin. On Sept. 26, the Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 SEC) will host the Missouri Tigers (3-0) at Davis Wade Stadium for a 6:45 p.m. kickoff. The night game will also be the Bulldogs' annual "white-out" game. While it will be the first SEC matchup of the year held in Starkville, it won't be the only big event happening that day. "We still actually hold the Guinness World Record, but recently, a hockey team in Milwaukee set the unofficial world record, so we decided we couldn't have that; so we were going to beat the elite world record," Mississippi State University Association President Keegan Figueroa said on Good Things with Rebecca Turner. "So if this goes how we hope it does, then we'll hold every cowbell world record." |
| Mississippi State wants to set a cowbell world record. How is Mizzou preparing for all the noise? | |
| There are two big events going on in Starkville, Miss. this Saturday night. The First: a hugely-important SEC football game, between No. 19 Missouri (3-0 overall, 0-0 SEC) and No. 24 Mississippi State (3-0, 1-0). Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. CT at Davis Wade Stadium, and the game will air on SEC Network. The Second: Mississippi State is attempting to set a world record ... for the most people ringing cowbells simultaneously -- and this will take place during the game. "They have a tremendous fanbase," Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said this week. "It's going to be a tough place to play. I anticipate it being sold-out." Davis Wade Stadium's official capacity is 61,337. That's, potentially, a lot of cowbells. The official counting process will run from when the gates open up until kickoff, with a licensed CPA on hand to audit the results and certify the count. The official attempt at the world record will take place at the two-minute timeout before halftime. Nick Rodriguez, the Tigers' starting weakside linebacker and team captain, revealed that basically everybody on Mizzou's football staff has been walking around practice all week ringing cowbells to get the team prepared as best they can for Saturday. |
| Why Mississippi State football field is 1 of 2 in SEC without sponsor logo | |
| Mississippi State football is one of only two SEC teams without an advertisement logo on its football field. Texas A&M is the other one. The NCAA began allowing corporate advertisements on football fields before the 2024 season. Simply put, it's a new revenue opportunity for athletic departments. And it's only become more important in the last year with schools now sharing revenue with athletes, a multi-million-dollar annual expense. MSU (3-0, 1-0 SEC) is hosting No. 21 Missouri (3-0, 0-0) at Davis Wade Stadium on Sept. 26 (6:45 p.m., SEC Network). Why don't the Bulldogs have an advertisement logo on the field? Athletic director Zac Selmon explained the situation in a recent interview with the Clarion Ledger. "I think you look at it as these are new centerpiece offerings that have come in college athletics over the last year or so," Selmon told the Clarion Ledger. "And I think for us, we always want to be aggressive in our approach but also intentional in our approach of who we partner with and making sure that it stays consistent with the mission of what we're doing at Mississippi State as an institution but also fits and aligns with the fabric of who we are within athletics. Those are conversations that we're actively having with potential partners." |
| Mississippi State AD: 'We're going to be as competitive as we need to be' to keep QB Kamario Taylor | |
| Zac Selmon has seen the quotes. He's seen the tweets. The Mississippi State athletic director is aware that much of the college football-watching public outside Starkville assumes that if Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor continues on his blistering pace that he'll be playing some big-spending blueblood next season. Selmon understands the basis for the assumption. But anyone who believes it also probably doesn't have all the relevant background information. Selmon does. That's why he's just enjoying watching Taylor lift up a program that went 2-10 during Taylor's senior year of high school in 2024. But make no mistake. Mississippi State intends to keep its star. "I'm never surprised by the craziness that goes on," Selmon said. "We're going to be as competitive as we need to be." The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Taylor has burst into the national college football consciousness this season after torching Minnesota for 227 passing yards and three touchdowns. He followed that last week at South Carolina by shaking off an opening-possession interception and throwing for 251 yards and four touchdowns. |
| Amaree Williams starting to assert himself for Mississippi State | |
| Strength, speed and physicality. That's what edge player Amaree Williams felt he brought from Florida State to Mississippi State. All three were sorely needed for a defense that had trouble playing to the level it wanted to more often than not. This included, but was not limited to, flying to the ball consistently. Against South Carolina, he brought it. In MSU's win over the Gamecocks, Williams led the team with 10 tackles, all of which were solo stops. His efforts made him the SEC's Defensive Lineman of the Week. "It's just a blessing," Williams said. "I'm glad it's working out for me." Williams is now tied for the team lead in solo tackles and tackles-for-loss (2.5). In just three games, he is beginning to look like what State's coaching staff was searching for when it signed him. |
| Mizzou football looking to improve pass coverage as SEC play approaches | |
 | Mizzou football's pass defense has been a major strength under defensive coordinator Corey Batoon, with the Tigers allowing fewer than 200 yards passing per game, on average, in each of his first two seasons. In 2025, the Tigers allowed 173.5 yards per game through the air, putting them in second in the Southeastern Conference. But that success seemed less certain heading into 2026, with six of the top seven players from last year's secondary exiting, including all four cornerbacks who played 400-plus snaps. The Tigers revamped the cornerback room with five transfers: Elijah Dotson, Jahlil Florence, Chris Graves Jr., Sione Laulea and Kensley Louidor-Faustin. All five have been considered starters by the program, with Dotson and Louidor-Faustin sharing reps at the STAR position and Florence, Graves and Laulea serving as the primary cornerbacks on the depth chart. So far, they've upheld Batoon's reputation for stingy pass defense, averaging 171 passing yards allowed, which ranks fourth in the SEC. But several cracks have started to show heading into conference play. |
| Soccer: Bulldogs Begin Road Trip With Top-10 Tennessee | |
| A pair of the SEC's highest-scoring offenses will go head-to-head on Thursday night when Mississippi State travels to No. 9/6 Tennessee. The match will be televised nationally on ESPNU beginning at 7 p.m. CT, and the 8 p.m. local time start will be State's latest kickoff of the season. The teams are tied for fifth in the SEC standings on four points each, but the Lady Vols have yet to play a home conference match. Defensively, Tennessee is allowing the second-fewest goals per match in the conference. Once again, Tennessee will meet the Bulldogs as a top-10 team, but MSU has won four of its last five top-10 meetings over the past two seasons. In fact, MSU has downed a top-10 Lady Vols team twice in program history and the Bulldogs have won or tied in all but one meeting since 2019. The Bulldogs will not return home on Thursday night. Instead on Friday morning, the team drives across the state line to Kentucky to prepare for a noon kickoff on Sunday on SEC Network+. |
| Southern Miss athletics announces jersey patch sponsor for football | |
| Southern Miss athletics and Forrest, the regional health system formerly known as Forrest Health, announced an expanded partnership on Sept. 23. As a part of the expansion, Southern Miss football will wear a jersey patch sponsored by Forrest. Forrest became the first jersey patch partner for Southern Miss football when the Golden Eagles debuted the patches in their season opener against Alcorn State on Sept. 5. "Forrest and Southern Miss have both been part of this community for generations, and we're proud to continue building on a partnership that has grown for more than 25 years," said Jeff Cook, President and CEO of Forrest, in the school release. "The 'for life' patch is a visible reminder of our commitment to South Mississippi and the people who call it home. We're excited to stand alongside Southern Miss to support a stronger, healthier Mississippi." This announcement makes Southern Miss the first FBS football program in the state of Mississippi to wear a sponsored jersey patch. |
| Attempts to cap athlete and coach pay strike at the heart of the current college athletics mess | |
| This week, lawmakers filed more than 35 amendments to the Protect College Sports Act. Most of them will be rejected (or already have been). Some may get a vote on the U.S. Senate floor through a compromise agreement (they'd be unlikely to pass). But there are two amendments, whether they fail or not, that strike at the heart of the current predicament facing college athletics. Each of them limits compensation. One, authored by Republicans, caps athlete NIL and revenue-share payments; and the other, authored by Democrats, caps coaches' pay. Why should we care about these amendments if they have little to no chance in advancing? Because the proposals represent a long-festering argument that's now found its way to the U.S. Capitol: If the player compensation is capped, shouldn't coach compensation be capped too? |
| Capitol agenda: Democrats fracture over college sports | |
| An ugly fight is brewing among Democrats about an unlikely issue: college sports regulation. Senate passage of a White House-endorsed bill to overhaul college athletic rules could happen as soon as Thursday. But despite the bill's bipartisan backing, Black Democratic lawmakers are warning their own party that supporting the measure risks exploiting Black athletes. The debate spotlights a painful party divide that could also alienate a key demographic in Democrats' voter base just weeks before the midterms. "It is stunning to me," Sen. Cory Booker told POLITICO Wednesday, pointing out about half of Senate Democrats have voted to advance the measure thus far. "I am disappointed in a way I've never felt before in the United States Senate with my own caucus," he said, referring to Democrats. "My caucus, some members of my caucus, are about to take away the rights for athletes to sue." |
| 'We Blew It.' Key Dem Hill Staffer Laments Party's Role in PCSA Passage | |
| There is a long line of people who harbor frustrations -- if not outward contempt -- for the Protect College Sports Act. But perhaps no one feels its expected passage in the Senate as acutely, or as personally, as Peter Mills. "What has happened in the Senate says so much about what burned me out there," said Mills, who worked from 2018 to 2025 as a legislative assistant for Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), one of the earliest and most vociferous voices in Congress to take up the cause of college athletes. Mills, whose portfolio included education, ran point on college sports in Murphy's office, holding hundreds of meetings on the subject with lobbyists and various stakeholders. Over the course of seven years, he became a go-to resource for other congressional offices on both sides of the aisle -- and a key background source for journalists covering the issue. As a staffer, however, Mills kept his own views about the process largely to himself. Now, more than a year removed from his time in the Senate, he is ready to speak his piece. In a two-hour phone interview this week with Sportico, Mills detailed his disappointment that members of the party he served have lined up in droves behind legislation that would provide antitrust protections to the NCAA while codifying and extending a cap on institutional compensation for athletes. |
| President Donald Trump to attend Tennessee-Texas football game Saturday, White House confirms | |
| President Donald Trump is planning to attend this Saturday's marquee game between No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., the White House Press Office confirmed to The Athletic. The visit will place Trump at the center of one of the biggest games of the college football season, with the Longhorns and Volunteers both 3-0 entering their SEC opener, which kicks off at noon ET. ESPN's "College GameDay" will also be in Knoxville, with the final hour of Saturday's show originating from inside Neyland Stadium before kickoff. Campus police said fans should arrive early because enhanced U.S. Secret Service screening and increased security will likely cause longer entry times. All stadium gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday will mark the first regular-season meeting between two programs that share the "UT" shorthand but have rarely shared a football field. Their three previous meetings all came in the Cotton Bowl, most recently in 1969, with Texas holding a 2-1 series advantage. Tennessee has designated the matchup as its annual "Checker Neyland" game, turning sections of the 101,915-seat stadium orange and white. |
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