| Monday, November 27, 2017 |
| President Ulysses S. Grant, a former Union Army general, gets a library in the Deep South | |
 | A former president and general who helped defeat the Confederate south during the Civil War will soon get a presidential homecoming in Mississippi. President Ulysses S. Grant, who is perhaps best known for leading Union troops during the siege of Vicksburg, Miss., will soon have a presidential library in his honor. The Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library will open to the public on the campus of Mississippi State University in Starkville later this week. Grant, who was born in Ohio and lived in Illinois and New York, spent most of his time at war in Mississippi, according to the library's executive director John Marszalek. "As a part of the museum [we've] developed several different interactive [screens] that students will be able to use as they're coming through the museum," said Stephen Cunetto, the associate dean for university libraries at MSU. "It really gives them the history [and] the background of Grant and it's actually narrated by James Earl Jones." |
| Public invited to Grant, Lincoln events at Mississippi State | |
 | The Mississippi State University community is invited to three public events next week that will mark the opening of the new home of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library and the Frank J. and Virginia Williams Collection of Linolniana. The first event, taking place from 4:30-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29 in the atrium of MSU's Old Main Academic Center, is a book signing featuring Ron Chernow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Grant" and "Alexander Hamilton." The Nov. 29 book signing will also include former Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams; Harold Holzer, a leading authority on Abraham Lincoln; as well as MSU's John F. Marszalek, David Nolen and Louis Gallo, Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library historians and authors of "The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant: The Complete Annotated Edition." Mississippi State is one of six universities to house a presidential library. |
| Pulitzer-prize winning author Chernow to hold signing at Mississippi State | |
 | Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow and other renowned scholars will hold a public book signing Wednesday at Mississippi State University's Old Main Academic Center. Chernow recently released a bestselling biography of Ulysses S. Grant, a project that brought him to MSU multiple times for research on the 18th president. Chernow's "Grant" comes after his biography of Alexander Hamilton also was a bestseller and later adapted into a hit Broadway musical. Lionsgate and Appian Way have acquired the movie rights to "Grant," Chernow recently announced on his Facebook page. In the acknowledgments section of "Grant," Chernow thanks the staff of the Grant Presidential Library at MSU for their assistance with the 1,104-page biography. |
| Habitat for Humanity dedicates home to Gillon family | |
| For Kareema Gillon, there couldn't be a better time for the dedication of her Habitat for Humanity Maroon Edition home. Gillon, 27, is moving into the home with her family, Korrine and Dorione, after dedicating on Tuesday -- two days before Thanksgiving. She said the timing isn't lost on her. Joel Downey, executive director for the Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity, said Gillon's home is the ninth Maroon Edition home, which are built in annual collaborations with Mississippi State University. Three hundred-fifty student volunteers helped work on the home, which is 1,200 square feet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum, citing scripture, said the home is a work of love from volunteers to Gillon. |
| Mississippi State's Carl Small Town Center honored for 'Marking the Mule' | |
 | Mississippi State University's Carl Small Town Center is receiving two statewide awards for its "Marking the Mule" project focused on advancing citizen engagement in the Marks community. Using a $25,000 Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the center created a trail and an interpretive center that tells the story of a 1968 Mule Train, a program of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Poor People's Campaign." It received the 2017 Public Outreach Award from the Mississippi chapter of the American Planning Association. The award recognizes an individual or program that uses information and education to raise awareness about the value of planning among communities and locales. "In the form of multimodal trails, we were able to address tourism and health and wellness, promote historical significance, and provide entryway signage for the Marks community," Leah F. Kemp, director of the Carl Small Town Center, said. |
| MSU-Meridian taps technology to prepare blended classes | |
 | Blended classes are emerging at Mississippi State University-Meridian, allowing students who cannot attend every physical class to participate remotely when they can't make it to campus. A classroom on the College Park Campus is equipped with a video camera that can home in on the instructor's face and a Smartboard that can transmit writing -- along with other equipment that allows students from remote locations to participate in the class. The room also harbors four workstations that allow students to connect their own devices and make their writing visible to the class, including to students participating off-campus. The newly wired classroom, called "The Collaboratory," will be fully functional for the spring semester, and right now students are beginning to use the room as the final pieces are put into place. |
| Four from Mississippi State among latest SEC Fellows group | |
 | Four Mississippi State administrators are new Fellows of the Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program: Kari Babski-Reeves, L. Wes Burger Jr., Will Evans Jr. and Leslie Hossfeld. Now in its 10th year, ALDP was created to help prepare and advance academic administrators within the SEC's 14 member universities -- and beyond. In addition to individual campus development programs, the initiative involves two conference-wide workshops and a competitive fellowship program. |
| Getting back to normal: One of MSU's most recognizable faces opens up about his fight with cancer | |
| Last Saturday, Sid Salter placed flowers on his parents' graves at a cemetery in his native Neshoba County. Beside their plots is his own, one that remains empty since Salter is still "on the right side of the grass." He reflected on that fact a bit longer this time than in past visits, he said, and for good reason. After the last six months, being alive is something he's unlikely to ever take for granted again. Salter, 58, talks a little softer than he once did. He walks a little slower, too, using a cane when he's changing elevations because he still has trouble with balance. He's 65 pounds lighter than he was in May, though he's starting to regain both weight and strength. His hair is gone. But Salter, as he learned last week, is cancer free -- news that effectively ended a six-month battle where he kept telling himself losing "wasn't on the agenda." |
| Christmas tree farmers expect to sell more this year | |
 | According to a recent crop report, Christmas tree farmers in Mississippi are expecting a seven percent increase in sales this year versus the last two years. Dr. Stephen Dicke is with Mississippi State University. He says some weather conditions were unfavorable, but overall it was a good year for Christmas tree farmers. "Christmas trees are kind of unusual because its a four to five-year crop. The inventory you're looking at is five years of inventory. You could lose some trees but you have a year or two to make it up before you began selling those trees," said Dicke. |
| Runoffs for two countywide races set for Tuesday | |
 | Runoff candidates competing for two different countywide offices will appear on the ballot Tuesday for the final round of voting in the special election. The races on the ballot will include runoffs for Oktibbeha County Chancery Clerk and Oktibbeha County Circuit Clerk. The chancery clerk race will feature contracts and grants specialist Martesa Bishop Flowers and interim Chancery Clerk Sharon Livingston. In the Nov. 7 special election, Livingston finished with 37 percent of the vote (3,396 votes), while Flowers came in with 31 percent (2,885 votes). The circuit clerk race will feature Mississippi State University Receiving Services Coordinator Teresa Davis and Starkville Municipal Court Administrator Tony Rook. Davis received the highest vote total on Nov. 7 with 38.06 percent of the vote (3,577 votes) and Rook pulled in 36.67 percent (3,447 votes). |
| Starkville renews effort to eliminate billboards | |
| The city of Starkville is taking aim at billboards through a new ordinance that, if approved, may lead to the eventual elimination of the signs within the city. Aldermen held the first public hearing for a proposed change to the city's billboard ordinance during their regular meeting Tuesday. Should the change be approved, the city will classify billboards into two categories -- Class 1, which are located along highways; and Class 2, which are not. Regardless of their class, the ordinance defines all existing billboards within the city as non-conforming, with the stated goal of removing them. Ward 3 Alderman David Little, who called for a moratorium on billboards late last year, said the city is looking to improve aesthetically. Starkville has had two moratoriums on new billboards -- one in January that lasted six months and another that was established in the summer after the first ended. |
| City approves complete streets policy | |
| The Starkville Board of Aldermen approved a complete streets policy during its meeting on Nov. 21 The motion passed with a 7-0 vote following a short discussion among the board. "It's an aspirational policy that says wherever possible we will make our community pedestrian friendly, mass transit friendly and disabled friendly," Mayor Lynn Spruill said. Spruill said the policy reinforces what the board is already working to accomplish and will continue to look at overlays, sidewalks repairs, and construction of new sidewalks. |
| Bollard plan moves forward | |
| The Starkville Board of Aldermen approved a bollard plan to help create safer event environments for the city during their meeting on Nov. 21. The board placed the plan on the consent agenda, which was unanimously passed. Bollards are small metal poles, which are used to block off streets for vehicles. The current plan has streets listed in the Cotton District, Midtown and Main Street areas. Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker said Mayor Lynn Spruill has pushed for Starkville to become a tourism destination and this planwill help create a safer environment in the high traffic areas for events. "Being able to bollard off and make those environments as safe as we can to eliminate vehicular and pedestrian conflict is really what that's going to do," Walker said. "As many guests as we host here in our downtown and Cotton District, we need to make those areas as safe as possible." |
| Lowndes, Oktibbeha unemployment lowest since 2001 | |
| If having a job is something to be thankful for, Golden Triangle residents have much to celebrate Thursday, based on the latest jobless figures released Tuesday by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. Unemployment rates in Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties in September are the lowest they have been since April 2001, while Noxubee County's jobless rate is the lowest monthly rate recorded dating to 1990. Unemployment rates in Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties in September were 1.1 percent lower than in September 2016, while those rates dropped by 1.5 percent over the same period of time in Clay and Noxubee counties. |
| Trade Mart construction to start in the spring | |
| Construction of the Mississippi Trade Mart will start in the spring, with expected completion about two years later, Cindy Hyde-Smith, commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce said Tuesday. The 105,000-square-foot building will replace the 67,000-square-foot free-standing structure erected in 1975 that has become outmoded and has a leaky roof. The new mart will be attached to the east end of the Mississippi Coliseum, Hyde-Smith said. "The current trade mart will continue to operate until the new trade mart is open," she said. By attaching the Trade Mart to the Coliseum, the new structure will be able to use the floor of the coliseum, adding another 25,000 square feet, Hyde-Smith said. |
| Tax breaks drive dealerships from Jackson into Ridgeland | |
| Jackson is losing another high-end automobile dealership to Ridgeland, following that city's Board of Aldermen's approval of another round of tax incentives. Ridgeland aldermen voted 4-3 Tuesday in favor of a resolution to approve a $2.3 million, 15-year tax increment finance agreement, also known as a TIF, to accommodate the relocation of an automobile dealership into the city. The money will fund infrastructure at a new lot to be developed by The Ritchie Group, located between Wilson Premier Hyundai and Patty Peck Honda on I-55 frontage road. The site is a couple miles directly north of the dealership's former location in Jackson. It is expected to open in about a year. The vote came one day after Mercedes-Benz of Jackson opened its two-story, 70,000-square-foot at 5397 N. Frontage Road, also in Ridgeland. The dealership's opening is the result of a separate $3.3 million TIF agreement that aldermen approved last year. |
| Internet sales tax collections get a green light; challenges likely await | |
 | After the dust settled on the implosion of the dot-com bubble in the early 2000s, bookstore owner Richard Howorth remembers one of his elected representatives singing the praises of one of the of the companies that emerged after the collapse: Amazon.com. When asked whether Congress should require online retailers to charge tax, U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, then the majority leader, said his wife had recently done her Christmas shopping online: "It came the next day already wrapped, the next day to Pascagoula, Mississippi. That's pretty incredible, I think. And I like the fact that it was cheaper because it wasn't taxed," he said at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event. That could be changing soon in Mississippi if current plans to charge an online sales tax moves forward as planned. The Department of Revenue proposed the change after years of hand-wringing, political debate and pressure from Mississippi's business community, including local independent businesses. |
| Analysis: Chairmen tamp down talk of big jump in tobacco tax | |
 | It's been nearly a decade since a former tobacco lobbyist signed a law that increased the Mississippi's state cigarette tax from 18 cents to 68 cents a pack. Now, about 20 health advocacy groups are starting to push for a tax increase of $1.50 a pack, plus "parallel" increases on chewing tobacco, during the 2018 legislative session. They say the plan could generate about $200 million a year for the state budget and make smoking and dipping more expensive to deter young people from starting a tobacco habit that could cause addiction and long-term health problems. However, the chairmen of the tax-writing committees are tamping down expectations. |
| Justices reject appeal over Mississippi Confederate emblem | |
| The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from an African-American attorney who called the Confederate battle emblem on the Mississippi flag "an official endorsement of white supremacy." The justices did not comment Monday in ending a lawsuit by lawyer Carlos Moore that sought to have the flag declared an unconstitutional relic of slavery. Mississippi has used the same flag since 1894. It is the last state banner featuring the Confederate symbol, a red field topped by a blue tilted cross dotted by 13 white stars. Critics say the symbol is racist. Supporters say it represents history. |
| Allain portrait finally will hang in state Capitol | |
| A gap between the portraits of William Winter and Ray Mabus is noticeable in the hall of governors on the first floor of the Mississippi Capitol. That gap has long been there – reserved for a portrait of the enigmatic Bill Allain, a Natchez native, who served as the state's 59th governor from 1984 until 1988. Allain is Mississippi's only past governor whose portrait does not hang in the hall of governors, according to Brenda Davis, architectural historian for the Capitol. That is set to change thanks in large part to the efforts of two Northeast Mississippians, Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley of Nettleton and artist Robbie Boyd of Pontotoc. |
| Double-barreled Bannon: He targets both Mississippi GOP senators | |
 | One Senate seat here may not be enough for Steve Bannon. If the former White House strategist gets his way, Mississippi's two long-serving establishment Republican senators won't be in office by the start of the next Congress. In regular phone calls over the past several months, Bannon has urged state Sen. Chris McDaniel to challenge Sen. Roger Wicker in a primary next year, and he also wants Gov. Phil Bryant to send himself to Washington if Sen. Thad Cochran, who is 79 and in poor health, retires before his term ends in 2020, according to people familiar with Bannon's plans. The prospect of both Senate seats changing hands -- and moving from establishment side of the GOP to the Tea Party column -- makes Mississippi a key battlefield in the intensifying Republican civil war. |
| Senate's defense spending bill shows need for budget deal | |
 | The Senate Appropriations Committee's decision to release the four remaining fiscal 2018 spending bills last week -- including a cap-busting defense measure -- underscores the urgency to get a deal on the bigger picture. The Senate's spending plan for defense includes $17.7 billion to buy goods and services, mostly weapons, that were not part of the president's budget request but that generals and admirals had sought as unmet needs. Within that total, the biggest monetary boosts to the president's request includes an additional $1.4 billion to buy 19 ships instead of the 13 requested. Most of the unrequested ships are relatively small and inexpensive. The lion's share of the shipbuilding windfall is $1 billion set aside to start constructing a massive new amphibious ship out of Mississippi, home to Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran. |
| Mississippi's trade mission to Cuba stymied by Trump orders | |
| With some exceptions, American travelers won't be able to stay in famed writer Ernest Hemingway's favorite Havana hotel. The Hotel Ambos Mundo is on the state Department's restricted list issued earlier this month. One hundred and eighty government-owned businesses, including 83 hotels, are on the Cuba Restrictions List imposed on Nov. 9. What do the hotel restrictions have to do with the Mississippi economy? Nothing directly, but when Cubans get hungry, they go for protein, said John Patchoski of Koch Foods in Pascagoula, a chicken processor. The Mississippi Development Authority, which says it does not take a position on federal policy, had been enthusiastic about possible increased trade with the nation of 11 million people. |
| Tax reform hangs in balance in critical week for GOP | |
 | It's do-or-die time for Senate Republicans on tax reform. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) doesn't appear to have locked down 50 votes for his party's tax overhaul, with at least half a dozen GOP senators showing varying levels of concern about the legislation released earlier this month. Yet the GOP leadership has a narrow window to push through its tax bill in the Senate before lawmakers become consumed with spending fights that could trigger a shutdown, not to mention a special election in Alabama that could flip a reliable Republican vote to a not-so-reliable one -- or even a Democrat. There is private optimism about the legislation's prospects for now, but the GOP tax bill's fate will become much clearer once senators return to Washington on Monday. |
| Mississippi's Complete to Complete targets adults who left college | |
 | Hundreds of thousands of Mississippi residents have attended a community college or public university in the past 15 years, but left without obtaining their degree. Now a statewide program is reaching out to those Mississippians, urging them to return to school and graduate. "There is no greater avenue in life to open doors than to pursue higher education," said Glenn Boyce, the state's Commissioner of Higher Education. Boyce is pushing Complete to Compete -- an effort to encourage 300,000 residents who have attended community college or university, but did not graduate, to go back and get their degree. "A lot of these adults had more than enough hours to get a degree, they just didn't satisfy degree requirements," Boyce said. Boyce estimates 100,000 of those 300,000 could get across the finish line within a semester. Even better, 10,000 former students age 25 or over have enough credits to earn a bachelor's degree with no additional coursework, and almost 60,000 have enough credits to earn an associate's degree with no additional work. |
| Body found at Lake Lowndes identified as MUW student from Nepal | |
| A body found Thanksgiving afternoon at Lake Lowndes State Park has been identified as an international student at the Mississippi University for Women. Shakar Humagain, 21, was a biology major from Nepal. His body was discovered at about 1:45 p.m. near the lake behind a multi-purpose gym, Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant said. His death will most likely be ruled a suicide, Merchant said, though Lowndes County Sheriff's Office is still investigating. A spokesperson for Mississippi University for Women confirmed Humagain was a student there. |
| Southern Miss uses grad's CapWay app to help students with finances | |
| Student loan debt at the University of Southern Mississippi has increased to about $25,000 for four years of college from $18,000-$20,000 just a couple years ago. David Williamson, director of financial aid at the school, blames the increase on the rising cost of tuition and fees and a shortage of scholarships and grants. He is concerned some students may not know what they're getting into when they take on those big government loans. Financial aid officials will meet with students if they come into the office and all are required to participate in online counseling, but Williamson said that may not be enough. "We have first-generation college students who see this money they're eligible for, but they don't understand the consequences of it," he said. The university wants to make sure students understand the burden of student loans, how they're paid back, what the interest rates are and other important facts about college finances, so they're turning to an app. |
| U. of Alabama's Crimson White named newspaper of year | |
 | The University of Alabama's student newspaper has earned top honors from a national group. The College Media Association named the Crimson White the national Four-Year Weekly Newspaper of the Year at its recent Pinnacle Awards competition in Dallas. The Pinnacle Awards honors the best college media organizations and individual work in the country, according to its website. Elizabeth Elkin, editor-in-chief of the Crimson White, said she knew they were finalists for the award, and was ecstatic when they won. "The reason the Crimson White is such an incredible college newspaper is because we have the best journalists in the nation," she said. "We have fantastic designers, fantastic editorial staff. Everyone on staff is really dedicated." The paper employs 75 to 100 students, both paid and unpaid. |
| UGA engineering facilities slated for $11 million in renovations | |
 | The University of Georgia will spend more than $11 million to upgrade facilities for its growing College of Engineering. According to documents filed with the state Board of Regents, about a fourth of the space in the Driftmier Engineering Center will be renovated as the first phase in a makeover of the 81,600-square-foot building that houses the engineering school. Since it was established five years ago, the College of Engineering has been one of UGA's fastest-growing academic units. Engineering enrollment reached nearly 2,000 last fall, five times what it had been before engineering was elevated from a department within the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences to its own college. |
| Proposed tax bill might hurt UGA grad students, athletics | |
| Cash-strapped University of Georgia graduate students and the school's athletics department might face a hard hit from tax reform legislation working its way through Congress. Under a proposed reform agenda passed by the House of Representatives last week, graduate students would have to count tuition waivers as taxable income, which they don't now. Graduate students who are working as research or teaching assistants often get tuition waivers as part of the aid package a college offers. That could add up to thousands of dollars in taxes owed, UGA graduate student Johnita Daniel told the UGA University Council executive committee recently as committee members discussed whether the council should go on record as opposing some of the sweeping changes called for in the bill. |
| U. of Florida students face financial uncertainty in tax bills | |
 | University of Florida graduate students are uncertain how the U.S. Congress tax bills will impact their financial futures. "Everything is up in the air," said Josh Papacek, a fifth-year Soil and Water Sciences Ph.D. candidate at the university. Papacek, communications chairman for the Graduate Assistants United union at UF, said the organization is urging members and other graduate students to call their congressmen to complain about proposed tax plans. The U.S. House of Representatives' tax bill, which was passed by the House on Nov. 16, would end a deduction for individuals who pay student loans and would count graduate students' tuition waivers as taxable income. The Senate's tax bill, also passed Nov. 16, leaves those benefits untouched. "There is a lot of uncertainty," Papacek said. |
| Push for higher-education certificates over college degrees gets mixed grades at UF | |
| The University of Florida made its mission becoming a national top 10, pre-eminent public university in 2013. Since then, it's hired 92 faculty members and set an $800 million fundraising goal to attract high-performing scholars. But while the university has churned out 14,000 degrees in the 2015-2016 academic year, employers are having a difficult time finding qualified and certified employees. "I think there's been an overselling in our youth that everybody needs to go to college," said Jim Painter, the executive director of the Florida Concrete Masonry Education Council. "Not everybody needs to go to college. UF was ranked a top 10 public school in this year's U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings in September. And, according to the Florida Legislature, it's one of two pre-eminent universities in the state. Florida State University is the other. In August, the Chronicle of Higher Education published a report arguing that certificates can be more beneficial to students and employers than college degrees. UF Provost Joe Glover doesn't believe certificates are more helpful than degrees. |
| U. of Kentucky professor resigns amid investigation of alleged improper relationships with students | |
 | A University of Kentucky professor has resigned in the midst of an investigation of alleged inappropriate relationships with two students. Jeffrey Bewley was hired in 2007 as an extension professor in the department of animal and food science, with expertise in dairy science. According to documents obtained under the state open records law, Bewley stepped down Nov. 8, a week after he met with officials from the UK Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity to announce an investigation into potential policy violations. According to a Nov. 3 letter from Martha Alexander, UK's interim Title IX director, her office received a report that Bewley had "engaged in a sexual relationship with a student and did not report that relationship to the chair of your department or to the dean of your college," the letter said. "We additionally received allegations that you persistently contacted the reporting individual after being asked to stop." The described behavior, Alexander said, could constitute sexual harassment, sexual assault or stalking. |
| After fatal DUI moped collision, U. of South Carolina pulls in grieving family | |
 | Gamecocks are mourning this week after a former student was arrested and charged with killing another in a DUI crash. On Tuesday, former University of South Carolina student Charles Davenport, 24, was formally charged with fatal DUI involving death. Prosecutors say Davenport was driving drunk when he struck and killed 22-year-old David Newell, who was riding his moped down Rosewood Drive, on his way home from taking an exam. Davenport had enrolled at USC this semester, but had left school before Wednesday's fatal collision. "High risk behavior has resulted in the tragic death of one Gamecock and a life-altering scenario for another," USC President Harris Pastides said in a statement to the campus. "Two families are irrevocably changed." |
| Tuition waivers for U. of Missouri employees imperiled by tax plan | |
 | During the 2016-17 academic year, the University of Missouri System provided $5.5 million in tuition discounts to employees and their dependents, a tax-free benefit that is common across higher education. In the future, however, those benefits would be taxed the same as other income under some versions of the tax overhaul plan being debated in Congress. At an average of $1,400 per semester for employees and $1,750 per semester for dependents, a change in the status could cost individuals several hundred dollars in additional taxes. The tax exemption is eliminated in the House plan approved last Thursday by a 227-205 vote that had the support of Fourth District U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, who represents Boone County. And while it is retained in the Senate version that will be debated after Thanksgiving, its future is uncertain as the two bills are merged into a final product. The exemption is in the same section of tax law that allows colleges and universities to grant tuition waivers to graduate assistants. Like the waiver for employees and dependents, the House plan would eliminate the benefit for graduate assistants while the Senate proposal retains it. |
| With Stokes' departure looming, nominations sought for U. of Missouri interim provost | |
 | Chancellor Alexander Cartwright said that because he's been at MU such a short time, he needs help selecting an interim provost and has named a committee to do so. The interim provost is expected to be named before Dec. 20, according to an email Cartwright sent to the campus community Wednesday seeking nominations for the position. The deadline for nominations is noon Nov. 30. Provost Garnett Stokes is leaving to become president of the University of New Mexico starting March 1. Members of the chancellor's advisory group are Kathryn Chval, dean of the College of Education; Rhonda Gibler, chief financial officer; Mark McIntosh, vice chancellor for research, graduate studies and economic development; Pelema Morrice, vice provost for enrollment management; Marshall Stewart, vice chancellor for extension and engagement; and Bill Weibold, professor of plant sciences and chair of the MU Faculty Council. |
| Study: Texas A&M tops public universities in students learning abroad | |
 | Texas A&M University is receiving national recognition for its study-abroad program, ranking first among public universities according to a recent study. Jane Flaherty, study abroad director for Texas A&M, said when she first began in the position a decade ago, a much larger percentage of her time was dedicated to convincing students, faculty and parents of benefits and value in taking time to study abroad. Today, however, she said she and her colleagues "don't have to do that as much any longer." "A&M has always emphasized excellence and, of course, life-long learning for students," she said. "I think people at all levels of the university have come to see international opportunities as part of that formula." University officials said the number of A&M students studying abroad has been rising steadily over the past few years, increasing by more than 650 since the 2013-2014 academic year. |
| Texas higher ed commissioner says outnumbered men feel uncomfortable on some campuses | |
 | Should outnumbered men feel uncomfortable on college campuses? That's a highly charged question hanging over Texas after remarks last week by the state's commissioner of higher education. The commissioner, Raymund Paredes, commented before Thanksgiving on the fact that some campuses in Texas have student bodies that are 60 percent women and 40 percent men. "We've been told by some presidents that we're getting to the point where males feel uncomfortable on college campuses, on some college campuses," Paredes said. To many, the comments, made at a University of Houston Board of Regents meeting and first reported in the Houston Chronicle, came off as tone-deaf in light of the broader discussion currently taking place about gender, abuse and power dynamics in higher education and society. Paredes says, however, that his comments have merit when taken in context. |
| Voting at black colleges has tumbled: Can Dems fix the apathy in time for 2018? | |
| Once prized fighters in the battle for voting rights, students at America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities dropped their guard in the 2016 elections. Voter turnout among the estimated 300,000 students at HBCUs fell nearly 11 percent from 2012 to 2016, according to a national survey by the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University. The decline, while consistent with a fall off among black voters of all ages in 2016, was a sharp departure. Turnout among millennials, ages 18 to 34, could fall 35 percent next year, for a loss of 25.4 million voters, the report found. Declines of this magnitude among overlapping groups who largely support Democrats could dash the party's hopes of re-taking Congress in next year's mid-term elections when turnout typically falters and Republicans usually vote in higher numbers. |
| Study of internal grant proposal review processes demonstrates major return on investment | |
| The stakes for research grant applications are high in today's competitive funding environment. Yet applications are often submitted to external funding agencies before they pass any kind of internal review process. A new study from Columbia University's School of Nursing suggests that institutions benefit from helping researchers write better grants. Specifically, it found that pilot grant applications that underwent an internal review were twice as likely as nonreviewed applications to receive funding. "Over a five-year time frame, our school's intramural pilot grant program produced peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and subsequent external grant funding that likely would not have otherwise been generated," the study says. "Given the resources required to prepare grant applications, internal finding and reviews can enhance return on investment." |
| U. of Memphis alerts students following sexual assault on campus | |
| University of Memphis warned students about a sexual assault that happened on campus. The University Police Department said in a campus-wide safety alert that it's working with Memphis Police Department to investigate the assault. The assault happened Sunday night in the Carpenter Complex. The victim said she knew her attacker. |
| Understanding the teen brain | |
| Angela Farmer, an assistant professor of educational leadership at Mississippi State, writes: "Teenagers are often encouraged to make good choices, to think before they act, and to consider the consequences before they embark on a path. While these are sound recommendations, there is also a disconnect between this sage advice the its implementation within the teen brain. Unpacking the adolescent processing, Dr. Frances Jensen, a neurosurgeon and author of The Teenage Brain, explains how teens are not as competent as adults at using their frontal lobes to evaluate anticipated outcomes and, potentially, avoid negative impacts. Highlighting how neurons are protected by a natural insulation called myelin, which acts to facilitate neural transmission, she details how the last neural area to be fully myelinated is the front of the brain. Given that this area is responsible for "'mpathy, insight and executive function skills like impulse control and risky behavior,' one can readily see how teens struggle with these higher order processes." |
| Christmas gifts coming for corporations, pranks for taxpayers | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "Turkey time is not over, folks. Oh, you may be stuffed with Thanksgiving turkey, but you've still got a big Christmas turkey to swallow. That's the wonderful turkey Congressional Republicans hope to cook up for you in time for Christmas called the 'Tax Cut and Jobs Act.' Why do you suppose Republicans in the House will start taxing grad students who get tuition waivers? Put a new 1.4 percent excise tax on large private college endowments? Or eliminate the tax exempt status of private activity municipal bonds used to finance hospitals, airports and museums? Why would House Republicans eliminate the deduction for medical expenses altogether? And deductions for state taxes and personal property taxes? And all personal and dependent exemptions? You get a hint as to why when you look at the turkey getting basted by Senate Republicans. It's a slightly different bird from the House bill. It blatantly makes its individual tax cuts temporary while making corporate cuts permanent." |
| Statewide vote on raising taxes for transportation risky | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Bobby Harrison writes: "Supporters of more funds to deal with transportation needs should be leery of a proposed statewide referendum on a package of tax and fee increases to generate that money. If such a proposal is placed on the ballot and defeated by voters, it would be almost impossible to convince legislators to then pass it. Imagine the likelihood of legislators voting to increase the tax on gasoline or a fee increase on a car title after the voters already had rejected such a proposal. It is not happening -- not in Mississippi in this anti tax climate." |
SPORTS
| Return to Florida follows nine seasons of program-building | |
| The Dan Mullen era has ended at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs lost their ninth-year head coach Sunday afternoon as he returned to the University of Florida to lead the Gators' program after serving as offensive coordinator there under Urban Meyer 2005-08 prior to his arrival at MSU. Mullen departs six wins shy of tying Jackie Sherrill for the most in MSU history. "We've built a football program at Mississippi State that has enjoyed unprecedented success over the last nine seasons," said MSU president Mark Keenum. "Dan Mullen has been the catalyst of that success and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors." Running backs coach Greg Knox was named State's interim head coach for the Bulldogs' pending bowl game. |
| Gators hire Dan Mullen as football coach | |
| In his quest to put the fun back in Florida football, UF athletic director Scott Stricklin has turned to someone he and the school are very familiar with -- Mississippi State's Dan Mullen. Mullen, who helped lead UF to national titles in 2006 and 2008 as Urban Meyer's offensive coordinator, has been hired as the Gators' new head coach, the school announced Sunday night. Mullen will be formally announced as UF's 27th football coach at a 3 p.m. news conference Monday. Mullen, 45, emerged as Stricklin's No. 1 target over the past few days and an agreement was reached Sunday afternoon. Mullen and Stricklin worked together at MSU, where Stricklin was the athletic director from 2010-16 and the senior associate AD from 2008-10. |
| Dan Mullen's Mississippi State tenure set a replacement up for success | |
| The best way to contextualize Dan Mullen's successful run of nine seasons as Mississippi State's coach while understanding the Bulldogs' current situation without him is with a before-and-after comparison. Mississippi State won nine games in a season three times under Mullen. Before his arrival, the Bulldogs won nine games in a season four times in 100-plus years. Mississippi State achieved bowl-eligible status for eight straight seasons under Mullen. Before his arrival, the Bulldogs' previous record was three consecutive seasons. Mississippi State is 69-46 and was once ranked No. 1 under Mullen. In the eight seasons before his arrival MSU was 32-65, and was never ranked higher than No. 7 in the program's history. And now, the most important before-and-after highlight as far as Mississippi State's immediate future is concerned... That is Mullen's parting gift. |
| Mississippi State dedicates Dowsing-Bell Plaza | |
| A new plaza at Mississippi State University's Davis Wade Stadium commemorates the legacy of MSU's first African-American student-athletes, Frank Dowsing Jr. of Tupelo and Robert Bell of Meridian. MSU officials held a dedication ceremony Thursday to dedicate Dowsing-Bell Plaza, located on the north side of Davis Wade Stadium. The plaza includes a plaque detailing the on- and off-field legacies of Bell and Dowsing, both of whom played football at MSU from 1969-1972. "They came here and exemplified great courage of being the very first two African-American student-athletes in the history of this great university," MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. "Robert Bell and Frank Dowsing will forever be remembered as great teammates, scholar athletes and pioneers who changed the course of MSU history with their incredible courage," MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen said. |
| Mississippi State dedicates plaza to school's first African-American athletes | |
 | A new plaza at Mississippi State University's Davis Wade Stadium now commemorates the legacy of MSU's first African-American student-athletes, Frank Dowsing Jr. and Robert Bell. MSU officials held a dedication ceremony Thursday to dedicate Dowsing-Bell Plaza, located on the north side of Davis Wade Stadium. The plaza includes a plaque detailing the on- and off-field legacies of Bell and Dowsing, both of whom played football at MSU from 1969-1972. "They came here and exemplified great courage of being the very first two African-American student-athletes in the history of this great university," MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. "Not only were they on the team, they were stars on the team and helped our program go to great heights during their tenure." |
| Plaza named for Mississippi State's 1st black athletes | |
| A new plaza at Mississippi State University commemorates the legacy of the school's first African-American student-athletes, Frank Dowsing Jr. and Robert Bell. A university news release says a dedication ceremony was held Thursday for Dowsing-Bell Plaza, on the north side of Davis Wade Stadium. A plaque tells about the on- and off-field legacies of both men, who played football at MSU from 1969 to 1972. |
| Mississippi State's First African-American Athletes Honored Before Egg Bowl | |
 | Before Thursday's Egg Bowl kickoff two former Mississippi State University players were honored with the dedication of the Dowsing-Bell Plaza. Frank Dowsing Jr. and Robert Bell were the first African American athletes who played for state. The Dowsing-Bell Plaza was dedicated on the north end of Davis Wade Stadium in their honor. MSU President Mark Keenum says they paved the way for athletics at state. "It took their courage, leadership and conviction to come and set the example," said Keenum. Athletics Director John Cohen says Dowsing and Bell will never be forgotten. |
| Weatherspoon's late 3 lifts Mississippi State | |
| Quinndary Weatherspoon made a 3 pointer with 0.3 seconds left to lift Mississippi State to a 59-56 win over Jacksonville State on Sunday. Weatherspoon's jumper with 2:25 remaining gave the Bulldogs a 56-54 lead before Jason Burnell's jumper tied it at 56 with 1:05 left. Both teams missed a 3-pointer before Weatherspoon's winner. "Basically, I was just trying to get the shot off," Weatherspoon said. "We held it for 15-16 seconds and I threw the ball to Tyson (Carter) after I got trapped. I got it back and just wanted to get a clean look and I did." Mississippi State won its fifth straight to start a season for the first time since 2014-15. Jacksonville State (4-2) is 0-5 all-time against the Bulldogs. |
| No. 7 Mississippi State women go 3-0 in Mexico | |
| The No. 7 Mississippi State women's basketball team shook off fatigue with some great defense to beat Green Bay 67-46 on Saturday at the Cancun Challenge. The Bulldogs went 3-0 at three-day event at Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya to improve to 6-0. Victoria Vivians led four Bulldogs in double figures with 17 points. Roshunda Johnson (14), Blair Schaefer (13), and Morgan William (10) also reached double figures. Teaira McCowan barely missed her third double-double in the tournament with nine points and a team-high 13 rebounds. William had five assists, while Johnson had three steals and McCowan had three blocked shots. MSU will play Louisiana at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. On the eve of the game, the Central Chapter of the MSU Alumni Association will host a free event and team meet and greet at 6 p.m. at the Westin in Jackson. |
| Ole Miss taking gamble on Matt Luke as permanent coach | |
| Ross Bjork had a head start on his search for Ole Miss' next football coach. He was afforded that when Hugh Freeze got caught up in a female escort scandal and had to shockingly resign after five seasons as the Rebels' coach in July. Ole Miss also hired a firm, Turnkey Search, to assist during that time, paying thousands of dollars for outside help to conduct what Ole Miss' athletic director said would be a national search to find Freeze's replacement. So naturally Bjork's search for the coach that would pick up where interim coach Matt Luke left off ended Sunday night with... Matt Luke. Maybe Bjork knows something nobody else does. Otherwise, the decision to replace Luke's interim tag with a permanent one seems like an emotional one. It's certainly a risky one. |
| Ole Miss' DK Metcalf, Breeland Speaks issue apologies for Egg Bowl behavior | |
| Ole Miss' DK Metcalf and Breeland Speaks have apologized for incidents during the Egg Bowl that resulted in personal fouls and an ejection. After scoring a 77-yard touchdown in the third quarter, Metcalf celebrated by lifting his leg to imitate a dog urinating, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the process. The redshirt freshman wideout, an Oxford native, also planted an Ole Miss flag at midfield once the final second ticked off the clock of the Rebels' 31-28 upset win at Davis Wade Stadium on Thursday. Speaks drew two personal fouls, the latter coming on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the fourth quarter after shoving Mississippi State's Josiah Phillips in the facemask. The junior defensive end was ejected and waved at Mississippi State fans while being escorted to the locker room. |
| Some in media support Greg Schiano, blame UT Vols on Twitter | |
 | It just wasn't Tennessee fans, former players and politicians giving their opinions on social media throughout the day after news broke Sunday afternoon that the Vols had zeroed in on Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano as its new football coach. After the dust had cleared with reports that the Vols and Schiano backed out of the deal as a result of a huge backlash, prominent members of the media showed support for Schiano, others said it it would create issues for the next candidate and that the meltdown was a bad look for the program. Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN had a series of tweets about how the process failed while radio host and UT critic Clay Travis was happy to take UT to task for another PR nightmare by the Vols. |
| Texas A&M fires football coach Sumlin amid 7-5 season, reportedly pursuing Jimbo Fisher | |
| The Kevin Sumlin era of Texas A&M football may be remembered for surprising successes during the university's inaugural year in the SEC, as well as for producing the school's first Heisman Trophy winner since the 1950s. But that was so five years ago. Sumlin was fired Sunday afternoon after six seasons with the Aggies. His reign ended with a 45-21 loss to LSU on Saturday night in Baton Rouge. That made Sumlin 0-6 against the Tigers, and 16-20 against the SEC West, including 2-4 in each of the last four years. His start in College Station coincided with the university's move to the Southeastern Conference as he went 20-6 in his first two seasons. The 53-year-old, who could not be reached Sunday for comment, had two years left on a six-year contract that paid him $5 million a year. A release from the university's athletic department said A&M would honor that agreement. |
| Beyond Bielema: The search for Arkansas' next football coach | |
| Washington State Coach Mike Leach endeared himself to Arkansas Razorbacks' fans -- especially those in central Arkansas -- when he was asked earlier this season about the loudest visiting stadiums he's experienced. "Little Rock, Arkansas," said Leach, referring to War Memorial Stadium. "That's the loudest place I ever played." Leach was Kentucky's offensive coordinator in 1998 when the Razorbacks rallied to beat the Wildcats and star quarterback Tim Couch 27-20 in War Memorial Stadium. Could Leach hear the War Memorial Stadium crowd cheer for his team when the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville plays Ole Miss next season in Little Rock? Leach has been among the coaches many Razorbacks fans have been talking about since the early part of this season. |
| Exciting end of an era: Memories linger in storied Jordan-Hare Stadium press box | |
 | It was much simpler in the old days. Someone would push the right buttons, and an electric impulse would shoot through the wires to "light up the scoreboard." Veteran sportswriters, hardened from sweltering, late-summer practices or frigid cold late-autumn game days, stood on the sidelines with pen over ear and note pad under arm before rushing to their typewriters and in search of a phone line. From the robust sanctuary known as the press box of Jordan-Hare Stadium, they crafted their stories of blood and sweat, victory and defeat. Saturday, however, echoes from the thundering crowd and breezes of passionate spirit swirled through Jordan-Hare's storied but aging press box for the last time, as one era of reporting Auburn football gave way to another. "I have a lot of good memories in that place," former Auburn athletic director David Housel said of the press box retired Saturday. He should, since he managed it during its lifespan longer than anyone else. |
| Auburn fined for field violation after Iron Bowl win | |
| The Southeastern Conference announced that Auburn University will be fined for a violation of the league's access to competition area policy, due to fans entering the field following a 26-14 win over Alabama on Saturday. Auburn will incur a fine of $250,000 for its third offense under the Conference's policy prohibiting fan access to competition area, which went into effect on December 1, 2004. Auburn was last fined for a violation following its men's basketball game against Kentucky in 2016 and was also fined following its football game against Alabama in 2013. "The Conference has unanimously approved a policy requiring fines be applied when spectators enter the playing field after a game," said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. Institutional penalties range from $50,000 for a first offense to fines of up to $100,000 for a second offense and up to $250,000 for a third and subsequent offenses. |
| Will Supreme Court open a 'dam burst' of legalized sports betting? | |
 | Twelve television screens in Jay Kornegay's office just off the casino floor are filled with NFL action. His cellphone is blowing up. His inbox blinks with new emails. Twitter won't stop chirping. But only one thing can prompt him to stop what he's doing and look up: a loud cheer from the throng of bettors gathered at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, which houses the largest sports betting operation in the world. Despite the sign that the bettors might be (temporarily) winning, business is good for the casinos. So good, in fact, that other states desperate for tax revenue want the Supreme Court to break Nevada's monopoly on the sports betting industry. Early next month, the court will consider an attack by New Jersey on the federal law prohibiting additional states from getting into the business. A decision that strikes down the law would "be a dam burst," said Kevin P. Braig, an Ohio lawyer who specializes in sports law. |
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