Wednesday, July 25, 2018   
 
Markets Punish Behavior That Reflects A CEO's Lack Of Integrity
If you're a CEO, you face lots of oversight from boards and regulators. If you mismanage money or make a bad business decision, there are consequences. But what about ethical lapses in your personal life? Does the market care about how you treat your spouse, for example? A recent study finds companies whose CEOs committed a personal indiscretion -- such as infidelity, substance abuse and dishonesty -- experienced a decline in shareholder value. NPR's Shankar Vedantam talks to Brandon Cline, an associate professor in the College of Business at Mississippi State University, for more. "Over the long run, these firms experienced decline in value of 10-15 percent. So this suggests that, yes, the market does care. In essence, if you're willing to lie, cheat and steal in your personal life, then as a shareholder, maybe I should beware because you may be willing to lie, cheat and steal in the corporate life, as well," Cline said.
 
Slim Chickens to open in August
Slim Chickens will open for business August 13 in Abner's former location at 518 South Montgomery St. Franchisee David Bagwell said the casual eatery's menu focuses on chicken featuring chicken tenders, chicken wings and sides including french fries and potato salad. The restaurant also has healthy options including wraps and salads. Bagwell said the nearly 4,000-squarefoot building can seat 200 people in the dining room and patio, and the business also features a drive through that has been modified to make it more user-friendly for customers. Slim Chickens was found 15 years ago in Fayetteville, Arkansas, near the University of Arkansas, and Bagwell said Slim Chickens fits the demographic of Starkville well and the chain performs well in college towns. "We saw that the college kids had started a petition for a similar restaurant to come to Starkville around the same time we started looking for a location," Bagwell said. "So we found the building and bought it."
 
Michael Harvey takes the helm as division manager of Mississippi Power in Meridian
The new manager of Mississippi Power Company's Northern Division hopes to build on the success of his predecessor while also bringing his experience in economic development to East Mississippi. Michael Harvey, formerly the division manager in Hattiesburg, was welcomed to Meridian during a reception Tuesday at The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience. He succeeds Eddie Kelly, who is retiring after more than 35 years with Mississippi Power's parent company, Southern Company. In his five years here, Kelly, The Meridian Star's Citizen of the Year for 2018, was known for his work with numerous community and civic organizations. A native of Moss Point, Harvey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Biology and Chemistry and a Master of Public Health degree, both from the University of Southern Mississippi.
 
Luxury hotel to open in downtown Cleveland
The Cotton House. Is there better name for a luxury hotel in the Delta? Tradition with a wink. The 95-room hotel that will open early next year in downtown Cleveland, dead center in the region known for the richest soil and earthiest music in the world. "It'll be a very high-end product," said Luke Chamblee, president of Oxford-based LRC2 Properties, whose portfolio contains The Graduate hotel in that town and other properties. Chamblee confirmed Tuesday that the Cotton House will carry the Marriott Tribute brand, one of about 40 under that flag in the world. LRC2 Properties is also an investor in the Hotel Indigo, which is to open Thursday in Hattiesburg. The 100-room hotel is located at 103 S. 30th Ave. near the main University of Southern Mississippi entrance, according to Chief Financial Officer Seth Miles. It will include a full-service restaurant and bar.
 
Senator Brice Wiggins says state attorney general is 'overstepping' on road
A letter from State Senator Brice Wiggins is the latest development in a controversial road project in Jackson. Wiggins wrote to Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, stating his belief that Hood is "overstepping in an investigation into the project." Hood began looking into a road project in Flowood amid questions about whether Lt. Governor Tate Reeves used political influence in the project. In this letter, Wiggins says while he supports investigation into possible public corruption, he wants to protect the relationships he has with constituents.
 
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith gets funds from near and far
Prominent Las Vegas businessmen, industry associations and out-of-state political committees have poured cash into U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith's campaign, and her hometown supporters have sweetened the pot with nearly $50,000 in individual contributions. According to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, the Brookhaven Republican has collected $1,654,032 as of June 30 and has, so far, spent only $264,232, leaving plenty of money in the bank for the critical few weeks preceding the Nov. 6 special election. "Sen. Hyde-Smith is extremely pleased and grateful for the outpouring of support from so many Mississippians and conservatives across America," Cindy Hyde-Smith for U.S. Senate Communications Director Melissa Scallan said in a statement Tuesday. "This report shows the broad support she has received for the work she is doing, such as securing our borders, strengthening our military, reducing the debt and confirming conservative judges." Brookhavenites have contributed $46,949.71 to Hyde-Smith's campaign.
 
Commissioner Andy Gipson Elected to be Vice President of Southern U.S. Trade Promotion Organization
Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson was elected vice president of the Southern U.S. Trade Association at the organization's annual board of directors' meeting this week. The meeting was held in connection with the annual business meeting of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture. SUSTA is made up of the Departments of Agriculture in 15 Southern states and is chartered to facilitate exports of U.S. food and high value agricultural products by small to medium-sized companies in the region. SUSTA's Board of Directors, comprised of the Secretaries and Commissioners of Agriculture in their member states, chose Gipson to be the organization's vice president for the coming term. Gipson and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce hosted the SUSTA meeting in Biloxi July 16-18.
 
Surprising link between Mississippi seafood, timber, U.S. national security and how Thad Cochran led the way
There are plenty of areas of debate over exactly how and where the U.S. should spend its foreign aid dollars. But for Mississippian's in particular -- and the entire Gulf Coast region more broadly -- the international assistance that flows into cracking down on illegal wildlife trafficking is paying massive dividends, both economically and, perhaps more surprisingly, in terms of national security. First, foreign aid dollars fund multi-nation efforts to combat illegal trade in timber and fish. These illicit practices cost U.S. foresters and fishers billions of dollars in lost revenue every single year by flooding the market and driving down prices. According to Mississippi State University Extension Service forest products are ranked as the state's second highest agricultural commodity. The value of forest products in 2017 was $1.4 billion with over 19.7 million forest acres and about 125,000 forest landowners. The Mississippi seafood industry also contributes $239.7 million in annual value to the state economy. By cracking down on the black-market trading of timber and fish, our foreign aid dollars are protecting Mississippi jobs.
 
White House readies plan for $12B in emergency aid to farmers caught in Trump's escalating trade war
The Trump administration on Tuesday announced up to $12 billion in emergency aid to farmers caught in an escalating trade war, seeking to temper growing Republican dissent over President Trump's trade policies. The aid is designed to help farmers facing tariffs in China, Mexico and other countries that imposed the levies on U.S. products in response to Trump's new tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. It is the latest sign that growing trade tensions between the United States and other countries are unlikely to end soon. White House officials say farmers will begin seeing payments by September, and they hope the payments will quiet protests by farm groups and lawmakers -- many of them Republicans -- who contend that Trump's confrontational trade policy is harming American farmers months before the 2018 midterm elections.
 
'Like a Soviet-type economy': GOP free traders unload on Trump
President Donald Trump's bailout for the ag industry is driving his many Republican trade critics to exasperation. Pro-free trade Republicans were already furious with Trump's escalation of tariffs against U.S. allies and China -- a multi-front trade war they say is hurting U.S. farmers and manufacturers. But the administration's response Tuesday -- announcing plans to send $12 billion to farmers hurt by retaliatory tariffs to ease the pain -- is the opposite of conservative, free-trade orthodoxy, they said. "This is becoming more and more like a Soviet type of economy here: Commissars deciding who's going to be granted waivers, commissars in the administration figuring out how they're going to sprinkle around benefits," said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). "I'm very exasperated. This is serious." Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said Trump is giving farmers "golden crutches," while Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) said "this bailout compounds bad policy with more bad policy."
 
Mississippi AG Jim Hood Sues Student Loan Processing Company
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is suing the nation's largest student loan processor, saying Delaware-based Navient Corp. has pushed "risky and expensive" loans. Hood announced the lawsuit Tuesday, a week after filing it in Hinds County Chancery Court. The California attorney general filed a similar lawsuit in late June, and Navient president and CEO Jack Remondi said the allegations in the California suit were unfounded. Hood says the suit seeks to stop Navient from targeting Mississippi students. It also seeks to make the corporation change its loan servicing practices and pay damages to the state.
 
Scholars present current research on slavery at the U. of Mississippi
The role of enslaved persons in the lives of University of Mississippi forefathers, as well as the university today, was a hot topic during the second day of the 2018 Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference. This year's theme, "Faulkner and Slavery," has created a venue for scholars from across the country to gather and discuss slavery as it pertains not only to the writings of Oxford's favorite son, but also the foundation of the state's flagship university. A discussion panel titled "Current Research on Slavery at the University of Mississippi" featured members of the university's Slavery Research Group, who read papers about what they had discovered through the university's archives and special collections. The University of Mississippi Slavery Research Group consists of nearly 40 members and spans across 17 different academic disciplines.
 
UM archaeology team 'still searching' at Rowan Oak
The University of Mississippi's archaeology team is still searching for remnants of slave life on the grounds of Rowan Oak. According to Dr. Tony Boudreaux, director of the university's Center for Archaeological Research, no one is giving up just yet. The project began in 2016 as part of research conducted by the University of Mississippi Slavery Research Group after records indicated the home's builder, Robert Sheegog, claimed ownership of eight slaves in 1860. "One of the real strengths of archaeology is that we deal a lot with the residue of everyday life," Boudreaux said. "As far as researching slavery, looking at the humdrum, everyday stuff is very important, because we don't know a lot about the everyday activities of enslaved people here." This fall will see the return of the public archaeology class and a renewed effort to discover and contextualize the role of slavery as it relates to Rowan Oak and ultimately, its most famous resident, William Faulkner.
 
Clarksdale Collegiate, the state's first rural charter school, readies for opening day
When entering through the main door, parents and their children crowd a small registration table, receiving informational pamphlets and meal tickets. Others tour the facility, scanning the beige walls as they walked past the college and university pennants lining the main hallway before greeting teachers in their vibrant classrooms. ore than a dozen more parents cluster into the superhero themed library to watch their children use virtual reality lab equipment. In the cafeteria, families pose for portraits while others grab a table to eat dinner --- a serving of chicken, cole slaw, hush puppies and french fries. The open house is for parents and guardians to help ensure their children are prepped and ready for their first day at rural Mississippi's first charter school. After receiving approval from the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board to operate outside of the Jackson area last year, Clarksdale Collegiate is set to open their doors for students on July 25.
 
U. of Alabama delays new parking plan
The University of Alabama announced plans for a new evening parking pass, but will delay implementation until 2019 after the new requirement "caught some by surprise." "Changes to UA parking rates and services were recently posted, including an "evening/weekend only" parking permit that is a new practice. Since this new permit caught some by surprise, we will delay implementation of the "evening/weekend only" permit until January 2019 to allow ample time for communication with our campus community," the university said in a statement released Friday. The university announced the new permit in June as part of its parking fee schedules for the upcoming academic year. Parking permit prices for students, staff and faculty at the University of Alabama will increase 5-8 percent for the upcoming academic year. The evening parking permit, which is meant for students and employees who do not have another annual permit, will cost $100. The university cited campus safety as the reason for the new permit, which is described on the Parking Service webpage as a pass for those who work or attend class in the afternoon and evening.
 
Auburn University English professor announces city council candidacy
Auburn University English professor Jim Ryan has announced his candidacy for Auburn City Council, Ward 4. Ryan will be running for the seat currently held by councilman Brent Beard, who does not plan to seek re-election. Ryan, who has been a resident of Ward 4 for nearly 20 years, said he is running for city council in order to serve Ward 4 and the larger Auburn community, sustaining its many traditions of excellence and working towards sensible growth for the best city in Alabama. As a senior English professor and researcher, Ryan said he helps train thousands of the state's most talented young people for careers in education, government, ministry, law, business, and advanced research. He said it has been gratifying to see his students take on their own leadership roles in the Auburn City Schools. "All of my work has been aimed at sustaining quality institutions and developing wise leaders for the future of our state and region," he said.
 
Judge temporarily OKs early voting on Florida college campuses
Calling it a "ham-handed" effort to keep young voters from casting ballots, a federal judge Tuesday struck down as unconstitutional an opinion issued by Gov. Rick Scott's administration that barred early-voting sites on college and university campuses. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker found that the Florida Department of State's prohibition against campus early-voting sites "is facially discriminatory on account of age," and that it "imposes significant burdens on plaintiffs' rights weighted against imprecise, insufficiently weighty government interests." In May, the League of Women Voters of Florida and several students from the University of Florida and one from Florida State University sued Secretary of State Ken Detzner to push for early voting on college campuses.
 
Texas A&M research team looks at similarities in autism, addiction
A Texas A&M professor and her research team are exploring how two seemingly unrelated things -- autism and drug addiction -- may, in some cases, share brain function similarities. "Studying shared molecular mechanisms may provide a foot in the door to learning more about each individually, allowing us build toward treatment," says Laura Smith, assistant professor in the department of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at the A&M College of Medicine. Smith said Tuesday that learning and new experiences literally change our brains through the function of synapses, which are the connections, or modes of communication, between neurons. Smith said she initially was interested in learning and memory but came to wonder whether studying the effects of drugs that can be abused might represent a clearer path to understanding how experience is encoded in the brain.
 
There's a New Scholarly Take on Mizzou's Race Crisis, and Its Former Leaders Don't Fare Well
A "perfect constellation of dangerous conditions" at the University of Missouri, particularly the flat-footed response of its leaders, allowed racial unrest to boil over on the flagship campus in 2015, a forthcoming journal article argues. Ben Trachtenberg, a former chairman of the Missouri Faculty Council on University Policy, has written what appears to be the first scholarly account of a tumultuous period at the university when African-American students criticized university leaders for indifference or insensitivity to a deteriorating racial climate. In a draft of his article, Trachtenberg argues that the university's race-related problems, while real, are not unique to higher education or sufficient to explain why Mizzou experienced an uncommonly contentious crisis. The difference, he says, is that an emboldened group of student activists, who were denied meaningful engagement with university leaders, resorted to highly public protest when no reasonable alternatives were presented.
 
How Republican and Democratic Wish Lists on Higher Ed Stack Up
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday introduced their proposal to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, the main legislation governing federal higher-education policy. Their bill, called the Aim Higher Act, presents a stark contrast to the Republican alternative, the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity Through Education Reform Act, or the Prosper Act, which was unveiled last year and currently awaits action on the House floor. Legislators in both parties agree that the higher-education system is flawed. Access to affordable four-year degrees is limited, and students struggle with loan debt. The two bills suggest changes in several of the same programs, including simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, holding colleges accountable to their goals and their students' educational outcomes, and enhancing access for more financially vulnerable students. But how the bills would go about making those changes differs greatly.
 
Dem higher ed bill promises more student aid, tougher accountability for colleges
Just in time for midterm election season, Democrats in the House of Representatives on Tuesday released details of a comprehensive higher education bill they say will ensure every student has the chance to get a postsecondary education without debt. The bill has no chance of passage with Republicans in control of Congress and the White House. But Democrats plan to contrast the proposals in the bill with GOP legislation to overhaul the Higher Education Act. And the bill signals where Democrats might go on higher ed policy if they regain control of the House of Representatives in the fall. The GOP bill, the PROSPER Act, eliminated regulations on for-profit colleges, would have dropped benefits for student borrowers like Public Service Loan Forgiveness and streamlined other student aid programs. The Democrats' bill is almost a point-by-point rejection of PROSPER.
 
Colleges Are Creating 'a Generation of Sanctimonious, Sensitive, Supercilious Snowflakes,' AG Jeff Sessions Says
Attorney General Jeff Sessions thinks college students these days have some growing up to do, and besides the kids themselves, who's to blame? Many of the nation's colleges, which are creating and coddling "a generation of sanctimonious, sensitive, supercilious snowflakes," he said in a speech on Tuesday. Sessions delivered that broadside against higher education at a summit for high-school students sponsored by Turning Point USA, a conservative group that rails against colleges and professors deemed hostile to the right. The education secretary, Betsy DeVos, will speak on Wednesday with the group's founder, Charlie Kirk. In his prepared remarks, Sessions began with the story of how he once was a persecuted conservative student in Alabama, and how he and his fellow students had rallied against "Democrat George Wallace and then his wife Lurleen, who were leaders of the segregationist movement."
 
AG Jeff Sessions laughs along as students chant 'lock her up'
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday chuckled along as a group of high school students he spoke to chanted "lock her up." The chant, a reference among President Trump's supporters to Hillary Clinton, began after Sessions lamented the spread of "trigger warnings" and "safe spaces" on college campuses around the country during remarks at Turning Point USA's High School Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., where hundreds of high school students were in attendance. Sessions reacted with approval after the crowd jeered examples of schools that have offered therapy dogs and coloring books to help students cope with stress. A few calls of "lock her up" then expanded into a room-wide chant, prompting chuckles from Sessions. "Lock her up," he repeated into the microphone. "I heard that a long time over the last campaign."
 
Attorney general again denounces campuses on free expression, but what about Kansas?
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday returned to the issue of free expression on campus. In a speech at Turning Point USA's High School Leadership Summit, he said, "Freedom of thought and speech on the American campus are under attack. Of all places, the college campus should be where debate and discussion should be appreciated and honored. But nowhere has there been more arbitrary and capricious restrictions on free speech than in supposedly educational institutions." He went on to discuss incidents at Middlebury College, the College of William & Mary and others. He said that the First Amendment "is not a partisan issue." The most recent incident involving free expression on campus came this month at the University of Kansas. The university took down a piece of art. The university acted after Governor Jeff Colyer, a Republican, said, "The disrespectful display of a desecrated American flag on the KU campus is absolutely unacceptable. I demand that it be taken down immediately."
 
One Foot in Congress, the Other in Grad School
As orientation kicks off for graduate school programs, staffers who are going part time and keeping their Capitol Hill jobs begin the balancing act. Those higher knowledge-seekers are not alone. It's common for staffers to get degrees on top of work. Claire Viall, a senior legislative assistant for California Democratic Rep. Mark Takano, said it's not easy to juggle two loads, but it's worth it. She graduated in May with a master's in public policy from George Washington University. "There were times I had to miss class due to late votes, but my professors were very understanding, because they themselves are longtime D.C. professionals," she said. "Going part-time made graduate school much more affordable, and I was able to apply what I was learning in class directly to my job and vice versa."
 
After George Mason Dust-Up, Koch Foundation Will Start Putting Its College Deals Online
Along with its transparency push, the foundation is publishing a "refined articulation" of its giving principles. The Charles Koch Foundation plans to make copies of its future university grant deals available online, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. A foundation spokeswoman, Trice Jacobson, confirmed the new policy to The Chronicle. She said it would now apply to all multiyear agreements. The conservative philanthropy's grantmaking has come under increased scrutiny since the recent disclosure of some of its older gift arrangements at George Mason University. Those donations gave the foundation the potential leeway to influence faculty hiring. A George Mason student group has sued ­­-- unsuccessfully, so far -- to gain access to a wider swath of records about donations from the Koch Foundation.
 
For Chris McDaniel, recent FEC report results about far more than low fundraising numbers
Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: The Federal Election Commission second quarter campaign finance reports are in and for State Sen. Chris McDaniel, the reports are everything he's been telling us they would be in his steady drumbeat of fundraising emails called the "Remember Mississippi Moneybomb." Since March, McDaniel has used this email device to raise campaign money from his supporters. The announced goal of the "Moneybomb" gambit was $100,000. But despite the hyperbole about the McDaniel campaign representing a national "movement" and claims that "I'm the establishment's #1 enemy" -- McDaniel's fundraising effort in the 2018 campaign has not performed remotely as well as it did in his 2014 campaign against former Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran.


SPORTS
 
Mississippi State's Tyree Phillips primed to play this season
Tyree Phillips feels fortunate to be playing football at Mississippi State. The truth is, Phillips only played one year of high school football so to go from his senior season to where he is today in the Southeastern Conference is truly remarkable. "I'm not supposed to be here, somebody else is," Phillips said. "I just take it as a blessing from God and am trying to take advantage of it." Phillips' journey took a detour through the junior college ranks where he played two seasons at East Mississippi before arriving in Starkville in January 2017. The 6-foot-5 offensive tackle spent his initial season redshirting for the Bulldogs and also focusing on shedding some pounds. Phillips came in at 388 but will being fall camp next week 51 pounds lighter.
 
Jordan Anderson's amazing opportunity at Mississippi State
Baseball America rated Jordan Anderson as the 34th best high school prospect in the country. But after suffering an injury in track coupled with his college commitment to Mississippi State, Anderson slid all the way to the 40th round of the 2017 MLB Draft where he was taken by the Texas Rangers. "It was tough to turn down because that's always something that you've worked for," Anderson said. "I got drafted and not many high schoolers can say that happened to them." Anderson did not dwell on the decision to pass up playing professionally very long because he knew what an opportunity he had in front of him in Starkville. "It was amazing when that happened but to come here was even more amazing," Anderson said. "It wasn't a downfall to come to college at all," Anderson said. "People say it's a back-up plan but it was basically Plan A for me to come here. I was excited to come to Mississippi State."
 
Meridian Community College signs athletic apparel deal with UnderArmour, BSN Sports
No matter which Meridian Community college athletic team for which you root this coming school year, they'll all wear a uniform that doesn't just feature the same colors, but also the same "UA" logo. Tuesday morning, MCC President Tom Huebner signed a five-year deal with UnderArmour to provide the college's sports teams with athletic apparel. The deal was made through an agreement with BSN Sports, a sporting goods distributor. The agreement will provide MCC's 13 athletic programs with uniforms, shoes, equipment and other supplies. Huebner said the school's various coaches had been working with BSN Sports in the past, and they presented the idea of a "unified front" to Huebner, saying they wanted each team to have one provider of apparel.
 
Ex-Kentucky QB Jared Lorenzen talks about ESPN's 'The Hefty Lefty'
Two days after ESPN E:60's "The Hefty Lefty" aired, former Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen said he'd been overwhelmed by the positive response from people, but still hasn't brought himself to watch it all the way through. In an interview Tuesday morning, Lorenzen said seeing himself as he was when the 10-month shoot started was difficult. "I've seen that side. I saw that Jared and didn't recognize him," Lorenzen said. The show revealed that Lorenzen had topped out at 560 pounds when he stepped on a scale at a doctor's office more than a year ago. His weight loss over the course of the ESPN shoot and his social media "Jared Lorenzen Project" has been 80 pounds. Lorenzen has been using his social media campaign to inspire others with his posts and public workouts around the state. His advice is to make a plan and take it day-by-day.
 
U. of Florida football player arrested, suspended
Florida freshman football player Justin Watkins was booked on four charges Tuesday, including two felony charges, according to Alachua County court records. Watkins was charged with two misdemeanor counts of battery and two third-degree felonies -- false imprisonment of an adult and domestic battery by strangulation, according to court records. Watkins, 19, remained in the Alachua County jail at the time of publication. UF sports information director Steve McClain confirmed UF coach Dan Mullen has suspended Watkins from all team activities. It's the second time in three months Watkins has found himself charged with a crime involving a female victim. Mullen said at last week's SEC Media Days that behavior accountability is something the team talks about every day.
 
AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco promotes strength of 'Power 6' conference
American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco used his opening remarks at AAC Media Day to once again boldly state what the league accomplished in its five years of existence. The AAC is 3-0 in New Year's day bowl games. It had more NFL Draft picks (15) than the Big 12 in 2017. It owns non-conference wins over Oklahoma, Florida State, Auburn, Ole Miss and others. To Aresco, this all bolsters the AAC's argument that it should be recognized as a "Power 6" conference along with the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12. He feels the league's on-field results merits more national respect. "College football is far more democratized than it once was," Aresco said. "Yes, the so-called blueblood programs still tend to dominate from year to year ... but other schools can now emerge and are emerging. Our conference is the prime example of this." The AAC reportedly made just over $20 million from media rights in the 2016-17 fiscal year and just under $75 million in overall revenue. In comparison, the Big 12 reported the lowest revenue of the Power Five conferences with $371 million and the SEC had the most with $650 million.
 
Mississippi College's Mike Jones: Born and raised to coach
Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: Mike Jones' Mississippi College and Co-Lin basketball teams won more championships than he has fingers and won 77 percent of the games they played over 20 seasons. That's why, at age 65, Jones will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Saturday night. But there's more. Before he became a head coach, he helped Southern Miss coaching legend M.K. Turk build a Metro Conference powerhouse program essentially from scratch. And since he retired as basketball coach and became Mississippi College's athletic director, he has steered the Clinton school to great strides in fund-raising, facilities and all phases of athletic competition. Yet, Jones points to none of that when asked what makes him most proud of his long and productive career in coaching and administration.



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