| Friday, August 3, 2018 |
| MSU Foundation raises $100 million for fifth year | |
 | Mississippi State University alumni continue to give back to their alma mater. On Tuesday, the MSU Foundation announced its fundraising had surpassed $100 million for the fifth year in a row. The total donations for the 2018 fiscal year amounted to $102.5 million. More than 20,000 alumni and friends donated to MSU during the last year, with 16 large gifts making up $30 million of the donations. The donations bring the foundation's Infinite Impact campaign to $855 million. Infinite Impact is the foundation's campaign to reach $1 billion in fundraising for the university by 2020. "It's a great opportunity for the foundation to help the university in its mission of not only educating the young men and women who are students here at the university, but also continuing to provide services to our state, whether that be through extension or economic development efforts that we do," said MSU Foundation President and CEO and MSU Vice President for Development and Alumni John Rush. |
| MSU Riley Center announces Fall/Winter Performing Arts Series | |
 | The MSU Riley Center's 2018-2019 Fall/Winter Performing Arts Series will feature country, folk, soul, funk, rock, and pop music as well as children's theater, Christmas songs, an imaginative staging of a classic horror/science fiction story and electrifying Latin dance. "We're really excited about this upcoming series because it shows how committed we are to 'entertain and enrich' all of the people of Mississippi and West Alabama," said Dennis Sankovich, executive director of the Riley Center. "That phrase comes from our mission statement, and we take it to heart." The series of 12 musical, theatrical and dance presentations begins with a concert on Sept. 27, featuring three big names in country music. It ends on March 29, 2019, with performances by a collection of emerging young jazz artists. |
| MSU Riley Center announces 2018 Fall/Winter Series | |
 | The MSU Riley Center has announced its lineup for its 2018-2019 Fall/Winter Performing Arts Series. Tickets go on sale soon. Here is a list of important dates: Current Season-Ticket Holders: Renew by Friday, August 17, 2018. New Season-Ticket Buyers: On-Sale Date: Monday, August 27, 2018. Build Your Own Package: On-Sale Date: Tuesday, September 4, 2018. Individual Tickets: On-Sale Date: Monday, September 10, 2018. |
| Engineering six of 10 best paying careers in the country | |
 | Six of the top ten best paying professions that require a college degree are in engineering, according to a survey of 1.2 million Reddit users, a summary of which has been published by www.visualcapitalist.com. When you average starting median salaries with salaries after working for ten years, the top four are chemical engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, and aerospace engineering. Industrial engineering comes in eighth on the list, mechanical engineering is ninth and civil engineering is twelfth. "Engineering is one of the best paying careers nationally," said Jason M. Keith, dean and professor, Bagley College of Engineering at Mississippi State University (MSU). "The average starting salary for graduate from the Bagley College of Engineering is more than $60,000, and for some areas, such as oil and gas, it is considerably higher. The highest demand engineering jobs are currently in manufacturing, electrical power, process controls, construction, pulp and paper, and oil and gas." |
| At MSU-Meridian, METP scholars hear from superintendents | |
| Photo: Amy Carter, superintendent of Meridian Public School District, speaking, and John-Mark Cain, superintendent of Lauderdale County School District, bottom left, addressed scholars in the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program on MSU-Meridian's Riley Campus. Funded by the Jackson based Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation, the METP scholarship is valued at approximately $100,000 over four years and is available to students majoring in elementary education, special education or secondary education with a focus on mathematics, science or English. METP is housed in MSU's College of Education and is a collaborative effort with the University of Mississippi. |
| Time to register at MSU-Meridian | |
| Photo: Kaelin Gentry, of Philadelphia, stopped by the Sonny Montgomery Advising and Career Services Center on MSU-Meridian's College Park Campus to register for classes. Fall semester begins Aug. 22. For more information, call (601) 484-0229 or visit meridian.msstate.edu. |
| A dream has been realized for Michael Boerner | |
| On the first day of this August, Michael Boerner is celebrating the ninth anniversary of Wier Boerner Allin Architecture with his two business partners, Jamie Wier and Jack Allin along with a dynamic team of 20 employees. This is a dream realized for Boerner since he began imagining of starting a firm of his own one day while working at architectural firms throughout the Southeast. His story begins in Brookhaven, Mississippi, or actually on Hog Chain Drive in Bogue Chitto where he attended Brookhaven public schools until 1994 when he went to Millsaps on an art scholarship. "...There was always a love and appreciation for artwork," said Boerner, "but it wasn't until after Millsaps that I fell in love with architecture." While at Mississippi State and then at architectural firms in Dallas, Birmingham, and New Orleans, Boerner dreamed of starting his own architectural firm. |
| State Auditor's exception report includes updates on area cases | |
 | The Office of the State Auditor provided updates on three local embezzlement cases in an annual exceptions report on Wednesday -- including a former area airport manager and ex-employees with Mississippi State University. Exceptions, according to the report, are violations of the law or accounting errors that result in a misappropriation or incorrect expenditure of public funds. The OSA issues formal demands for repayment when exceptions are discovered and investigated. Former Mississippi State University employee Susan Holder was arrested in September 2016 for embezzlement, and accused of embezzling $35,495.98 between September 2007 and October 2011. For Fiscal Year 2018, $50,000 of Holder's formal demand has been paid, leaving a balance of $31,946.47. The report also includes an update on the 2003 case of Lisa Lindsey, a former MSU employee. Lindsey was issued a formal demand of $59,428.71 in Jan. 2003. For Fiscal Year 2018, Lindsey paid $5,875.22, leaving a balance of $9,695.03. |
| Oktibbeha County tries to keep pace with growth | |
| Despite value and fund increases, Oktibbeha County struggles to keep pace with its growth as it prepares for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors convened to discuss the budget for the coming 2018-2019 fiscal year on Thursday. All board members were present. Oktibbeha County Administrator Emily Garrard announced "good" news, followed by "bad" news, to open the meeting. The "good" news: the county's millage value grew $26,250 from last year. The board should see around a $100,000 increase in funds next year. The "bad" news: most departments requested an increase in budget for the next fiscal year. Requests for an increase in budget are not all bad, though. They represent Oktibbeha County's growth. Yet, the board's concern is realistically meeting those requests. |
| Road department overtime dominates county budget talk | |
| Expenses for the county road department are shaping up to be major considerations for supervisors as they begin the budgeting process for the approaching fiscal year. Supervisors began budget considerations for the county's departments during a meeting Monday morning in the chancery courthouse, less than two months before Fiscal Year 2019 begins Oct. 1. One major consideration for supervisors will be a request for an increase of almost $600,000 for the road department. A document County Administrator Emily Garrard presented to supervisors shows a requested increase to $2.9 million for FY 19 from $2.3 million in the current fiscal year for the countywide road budget. Garrard noted Thursday the requested figure just reflects operating costs and does not yet include personnel expenses such as fringe benefits. With those costs included, the road budget for FY 18 was about $3.3 million. |
| 4-County CEO to retire with Mustangs and football on his mind | |
| When CEO and general manager Joe Cade steps away from the helm of 4-County Electric Power Association in September, he'll have much more time on his hands. With that newfound freedom, Cade hopes to concentrate on two things -- Ford Mustangs and New Orleans Saints football. His love for old cars began decades ago when his oldest of three sons became old enough to drive. Now, he keeps an old Mustang "all the time." With his 35-year career that started at 4-County soon to be in his rear-view mirror, Cade plans to travel to New Orleans as much as possible with his boys this fall to see the Saints in action. Eventually, he hopes to pass on his long-held Saints fandom to his grandchildren, too, by taking them to games in the Crescent City. Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins, who leads industrial recruitment efforts in the Golden Triangle, described Cade as "a prince of a man." Higgins said Cade's work was a major reason Yokohama decided to set up shop in West Point. |
| Political speeches come to a close at Neshoba County Fair | |
 | The Neshoba County Fair on Thursday was a treat for political wonks. The gathering marked the first time the presumed front-runners in Mississippi's special Senate election appeared at the same political forum. Supporters of state Sen. Chris McDaniel of Ellisville and U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Brookhaven, both Republicans, and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mike Espy easily filled the pavilion in Founders Square. But incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Tupelo and Democratic challenger state Rep. David Baria of Bay St. Louis made it known there are two Senate races occurring this November. Newly appointed state Agricultural Commissioner Andy Gibson told the crowed there would be time for a true stump speech when he runs office next year Gibson, a former state representative, positioned himself as a farmer fighting for the state's agricultural industry, promising to fight against regulations that "don't make a dab of sense." |
| Road funding clear and present political issue: Neshoba County Fair takeaways | |
| The 129th Neshoba County Fair's old-timey political stumping wrapped on Thursday, after drawing large crowds to hear Mississippi's current statewide officeholders and candidates for this year's federal races. Here are some key takeaways from speeches and political chatter at the fair. |
| Under pressure at Neshoba, Cindy Hyde-Smith hits a wall of Chris McDaniel supporters | |
 | Cindy Hyde-Smith is plenty familiar with delivering political speeches from the main stage on Founder's Square. As Mississippi's agriculture commissioner for more than six years, the fair -- home to livestock shows, pony pulls, 4-H displays and politicking for farmers -- had been among the most comfortable events for the longtime cattle farmer. But Hyde-Smith's appearance this year was anything but comfortable as she, for the first time in her political career, headlined the week's speeches as a U.S. senator. Staring down a crowd of nearly 100 raucous supporters of Chris McDaniel, her anti-establishment challenger in the November special election, Hyde-Smith stumbled at times in her speech, walking right into criticisms McDaniel has lodged for months. While Hyde-Smith spoke, Neshoba County Fair security officers walked inside the pavilion and stood near the McDaniel supporters as they continued hurling insults. |
| Mississippi governor: Hyde-Smith was right choice for Senate | |
 | Mississippi's Republican governor said he's satisfied he chose the right person to temporarily fill a U.S. Senate seat, even while acknowledging that some of his own supporters passionately disagree with his decision. Gov. Phil Bryant spoke to hundreds of people Thursday at the Neshoba County Fair, an annual gathering known as "Mississippi's Giant House Party." Bryant appointed Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, the second-term state agriculture commissioner, to succeed longtime Sen. Thad Cochran, who retired in April. |
| Senate candidates draw battle lines to boisterous Neshoba crowds | |
| Chris McDaniel supporters were the most vocal, at times bordering on disruptive Thursday, as their candidate slammed both Democrats and establishment Republicans. All five major party Senate candidates spoke Thursday during the final day of the political speeches. Supporters and onlookers of the candidatures crowded in and around the tin-roofed Founder Square Pavilion. The three candidates running in the special election -- McDaniel, Democrat Mike Espy and Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith -- all had their supporters, in many instances traveling from across the state to be here -- but it was the McDaniel contingent who was the noisiest. The two major candidates in the regularly scheduled senator election, Republican incumbent Roger Wicker of Tupelo and state House Democratic leader David Baria of Bay St. Louis, hit expected themes. |
| What Mississippi's low labor participation says about our economy | |
| Earlier this year, Mississippi recorded the lowest unemployment rate on record for the state, at 4.5 percent. Gov. Phil Bryant echoed the achievement at the Neshoba County Fair on Thursday. "Mississippi has unemployment levels near the lowest recorded rates in state history. I came into office with it over 9 percent and now we are sitting at 4.7 percent," Bryant said via Twitter during his speech. Yet that number doesn't paint the entire picture of the state's economic health. While the amount of people in the workforce are finding work at a high rate, the size of the workforce itself is, and has been, relatively low compared to other states. In June, Mississippi had a labor participation rate of 55.9 percent, the lowest of any state besides West Virginia (54 percent), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Corey Miller, an economic analyst with the University Research Center, a division of the state Institutions of Higher Learning, said that a low labor participation is "a sign that our economy is not performing as well as other states." |
| Columbus city attorney: Cities need flexibility on how to use online sales tax funds | |
| Lawmakers in Jackson don't always know what's best for Columbus, according to City Attorney Jeff Turnage. For instance, if the Legislature enforces sales tax collection on internet retail sales and designates that money only for infrastructure, that would bypass other needs for municipalities across the state for which they normally depend on sales tax revenue. "I think at the local level we know what we need more than they do in Jackson," Turnage told Columbus Exchange Club members Thursday at Lion Hills Center. "Why should we be told by the folks in Jackson to use it for infrastructure? We should at least have the flexibility to use it for other things." Turnage, also president for the Mississippi Municipal Attorneys Association, drafted a resolution for cities that would call on the Legislature to demand sales tax collection from online retailers -- specifically out-of-state companies like Amazon, Wayfair and Zulily -- as well as distribute that revenue to cities for general use at the same rate local sales tax collections already are. |
| U.S. Economy Added 157,000 Jobs In July; Unemployment Dips To 3.9 Percent | |
 | The economy continued to add jobs at a steady pace last month, and the unemployment rate remained low. Analysts have been looking for signs that wage growth might pick up, but it held steady, too. Payrolls grew by a lower-than-expected 157,000 in July, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.9 percent, as projected, the Labor Department said Friday. However, payrolls were revised upward by 59,000 for the prior two months. They grew 248,000 in June, up from the previously reported 213,000, and 268,000 in May, compared with the 244,000 last reported. Over the prior 12 months, payrolls have been growing an average 203,000 per month. Manufacturing jobs grew by 37,000 in July, jobs in professional and business services were up 51,000, and leisure and hospitality jobs rose 40,000. |
| Southern Miss' new Marine Research Center offers unique environment for ocean exploration | |
| The Gulf of Mexico provides the perfect environment for oceanic exploration. Unlike the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, it's warm year-round. It offers waters that stand in for turbid rivers, clear blue oceans and shallow or deep conditions. Its variety of environments is one reason the University of Southern Mississippi decided to base its new Marine Research Center on the Gulf at the Port of Gulfport. Construction on the $10 million structure was completed earlier this summer, and Southern Miss staff took possession of the building in June. The center will be officially opened at a ribbon-cutting Sept. 21. Meanwhile, researchers are already operating there and delighting in the center's high-tech trappings and proximity to the water. "I would define this building as the gateway (to the ocean)," said Monty Graham, director of the Southern Miss School of Ocean Science and Engineering, which is based at the center. |
| MCC's Surgical Technology Program posts 100 percent pass rate | |
| For the first time in the program, Meridian Community College Surgical Technology Program scored a 100 percent pass rate on the first write on their national boards, according to Mecklin Soules, program instructor and coordinator. "These results show that you never gave up," Soules said as she shared the news with students, family, friends and college administrators at the conclusion of the program's pinning ceremony Thursday night on campus. Soules said the eight students are now certified surgical technicians. At his first official public speaking engagement with a group of Meridian Community College students, MCC President Thomas Huebner said, "I know you've worked very hard to get to the place you are today." |
| Year's donations total $292.7M at U. of Arkansas | |
| Gifts totaled $292.7 million to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville for the 12-month period that ended June 30, the university said Thursday. The total is the second-highest ever for the university, boosted by a $120 million gift announced in August 2017 from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation for arts education and a $40 million gift from the Windgate Charitable Foundation. "That was a huge boost to the year," said Mark Power, UA's vice chancellor for university advancement. He noted that of the total, 49 percent, or $144.5 million, is devoted to student scholarships and academic programs. The fundraising total includes some gifts not yet received. UA also reported cash receipts for the time period, which added up to $243.5 million. The $292.7 million total is more than double the $134.2 million in gifts reported by UA for the previous fiscal year. |
| U. of Arkansas Announces Blockchain Center of Excellence | |
 | The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas has announced that its Department of Information Systems has established the Blockchain Center of Excellence. "The mission of the center is three-fold," Walton College Dean Matt Waller said in a news release. "We will develop and establish research partnerships by conducting collaborative industry-university research; we will promote and enable dissemination of knowledge about blockchains; and we will accelerate industry adoption of blockchain technology." Mary C. Lacity, a professor in the department and author of "A Manager's Guide to Blockchain for Business," is the new director of the center. Lacity joined the Walton College faculty this summer from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where she was curators' distinguished professor and an international business fellow. |
| U. of Florida career center emphasizes connections | |
 | After $10 million and more than a year of renovation, the Career Resources Center at the University of Florida is ready for the flux of this year's students. The renovation is more than expanding its spot in the Reitz Union. The office has become the Career Connections Center, a name change leaders say better encompasses its mission. "We knew we wanted to connect with students in a different way," said Dana McPherson, the center's assistant director for marketing and strategic communications. The word "resources" in the title felt outdated, as if a resource center were a place to find only brochures and be on your way. The renovations have been in the works for about five years, from fundraising to designing to constructing. |
| Universities use this Kentucky agency to take millions from debtors without a court order | |
 | The Kentucky Department of Revenue has collected at least $50 million since 2006 from students who owed money to nearly all of Kentucky's public universities, and gotten millions more in fees. Much of that money has come from garnishing paychecks and tax refunds, which the revenue department, unlike a regular collections agency, can do without a court order. A Fayette County judge recently declared illegal UK HealthCare's use of the revenue department to collect unpaid debts from patients, a decision UK appealed directly to the Kentucky Supreme Court. The revenue department, though, also serves as the debt collector for every public university in the state, except the University of Louisville. For its services, the department adds a 25 percent collection fee that debtors must pay. |
| South Carolina among states with highest student debt | |
 | Does South Carolina have the highest amount of student debt in the country, as one study says? Or is it 14th, according to a WalletHub study released Wednesday? Those are among dozens of studies that attempt to determine how the nation's $1.5 trillion in student-loan debt affects individual areas. Though the studies use different methods and reach slightly different results, a clear pattern emerges among them: South Carolina has some of the highest student-loan debt in the country. "As college costs in South Carolina soar, students and families are being forced to borrow more and more to pay for higher education," said Tim Hofferth, the chair of the Commission on Higher Education. "Until we reverse this trend, our fear is that more and more students will be priced out of the invaluable opportunity to achieve their dreams and move our state forward." “The only way to help us freeze tuition or slow tuition growth is through increased funding to higher education,” University of South Carolina spokesman Wes Hickman said when previously asked about tuition increases. |
| Col. Jerry Smith made director of veteran services for Texas A&M System | |
 | The leader of Texas A&M's Veteran Resource and Support Center has accepted the role of director of veteran services for 11 Texas A&M University System universities across the state. Retired Marines Col. Gerald "Jerry" Smith," has led the flagship school's veteran center for six years, and stepped into his new role as the System's veteran services director on Wednesday. He will remain in College Station and continue his duties at the local center. Smith will soon hire an assisting employee to help with the System-wide effort. "Some of what I do here in College Station overlaps with what I'll be doing for the System," Smith said. "... But there will be some new tasks for me." |
| Christian student group sues U. of Iowa, incites debate on religious freedom and LGBTQ rights | |
 | To show that it hasn't discriminated against a Christian student organization, the University of Iowa is withdrawing recognition from dozens of student groups. The move may be a sign of the political and legal times, as religious freedom advocacy groups are challenging public university policies that bar student organizations from discriminating against gay people. And the situation comes in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling that said antireligious bias can't be the motivation for state policies to protect gay rights. To date, the university has withdrawn registration from 30 student organizations after they failed to submit constitutions that adhered to the university's human rights policy. The crackdown came amid a pending court case between the university and a Christian student organization, Business Leaders in Christ, which is suing the university after it withdrew recognition for the group for barring a gay member from assuming a leadership role. |
| Their Students Died at Frat Parties. Now These Presidents Are Trying to Make Sure That Never Happens Again | |
 | In April, three prominent college presidents sat before an audience in Chicago of dozens of campus officials. They were there to talk about their experiences as leaders during one of the most tragic campus crises imaginable: when a student dies at a fraternity party. For Eric Barron of Pennsylvania State University, it was Tim Piazza, who died after becoming intoxicated and falling down stairs in a fraternity house in February 2017. For F. King Alexander of Louisiana State, it was Maxwell Gruver, who died at a hospital following an initiation ritual in September. And for John Thrasher of Florida State, it was Andrew Coffey, a fraternity pledge found unresponsive the morning after a party in November. The trio was pleased to see in attendance so many administrators who felt strongly about making Greek life safer. But none of the three really wanted to be there. Alexander put it this way: "Eric and John and I have kind of become experts in something we never wanted to become an expert in." |
| Associations fear new Trump insurance rules will drive up student health-care costs | |
| Professional associations fear that the Trump administration's new rules on health insurance could raise the cost of plans that institutions offer -- and lead to some college students, particularly graduate students, paying much more for health care. The administration on Wednesday released the rules, which allow Americans to purchase cheaper, shorter-term health-care plans that last up to a year and are renewable for up to three years. While the premiums for these plans -- which were disincentivized under the Affordable Care Act -- are much more inexpensive than those for ACA plans, the plans also don't always provide the same coverage options, such as maternity care or prescription drug coverage. They also could impose annual or lifetime dollar caps that the ACA forbids. The plans that colleges and universities offer to students meet ACA standards. Associations such as the American Council on Education and the American College Health Association have described these as "quality" plans. |
| Hey, Alexa, Should We Bring Virtual Assistants to Campus? These Colleges Gave Them a Shot | |
| Research universities are squeezing an extra roommate into residence halls: Amazon's Alexa. The Georgia Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, and Arizona State University last year provided students with Echo Dots, puck-shaped, voice-activated devices programmed to answer campus-specific questions about meal plans and business hours for campus buildings. Some of these Echo Dots, programmed by n-Powered, a Boston-based start-up, can relay individual students' data, including financial aid and grades. The company's founders installed 60 of the virtual-assistant devices at Northeastern this past spring. Call it a next-level chatbot, a natural extension of existing smartphone apps, or even a way to demonstrate technological prowess in a crowded student-recruitment market. |
| 'All I Did Was Be Black': Police Are Called on College Student Eating Lunch | |
 | Smith College's president apologized this week after a campus employee called the police on a black student who "seemed to be out of place" as she ate lunch and read in a common area. The student, Oumou Kanoute, was on a break from her on-campus job on Tuesday when she was approached by a campus police officer responding to the call, the college said in a statement. The officer found nothing suspicious about her. "I did nothing wrong, I wasn't making any noise or bothering anyone," she wrote on Facebook. "All I did was be black." The encounter was the latest example of a black person encountering unwarranted police scrutiny in recent months. The list already included napping in a dorm lounge, shopping for clothes, leaving an Airbnb, golfing and sitting in a Starbucks. |
| Slimantics: Tate Reeves, Jim Hood show their hand at Neshoba County Fair | |
| The Dispatch's Slim Smith writes: The men who are expected to face off next year in the Mississippi Governor's race shared a stage for the first time Wednesday. The two -- Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Attorney General Jim Hood -- were the main attractions on the first day of political speeches at the Neshoba County Fair and it provided a glimpse of the campaign we'll see unfold over the next year or so. Without question, this was a road game for Hood, the lone Democrat to hold state-wide office. The Neshoba County Fair has been the domain of Conservative Republicans since Ronald Reagan chose the event to kick off his presidential campaign in 1980, a event that signaled the end of the Yellow Dog Democrats in the state as conservatives switched to the GOP en masse. |
SPORTS
| Starkville still reaping the benefits of Dak and the 2014 MSU Bulldogs | |
| When Bob and Susan Hadaway moved back to Mississippi in 2017 from the tundra of Wausau, Wisconsin, they chose to settle in Starkville. Their first purchase wasn't a house. "Football season tickets," Bob says. "The first home game (at Mississippi State), I sat there with a river of sweat rolling down my back and said 'We have made it back home, and I couldn't be happier.' Starkville is just a small nice town --- what we were used to. We bleed maroon. So moving to Starkville was a no-brainer for us. We were lucky because we wouldn't have left Wisconsin for anywhere other than Starkville, and last year a job opened up for my wife (Susan) in West Point, with Southern Ionics." And while the Hadaways were dealing with ice and snow from 2011 through 2016, things were changing in Starkville. The Bulldogs went to six consecutive bowls and won four. In 2014, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 for four weeks. Quarterback Dak Prescott became a household name. Starkville is still reaping the benefits of that successful run. |
| Expectations high as Mississippi State opens fall camp | |
 | Joe Moorhead will hold his initial preseason football practice as head coach of Mississippi State tonight. Moorhead and the Bulldogs open camp at 6 p.m. and will have 29 days to practice before opening the season on Sept. 1 against Stephen F. Austin. "I want to make sure when we get out of the 29 practice opportunities and three scrimmages that we have a very good two-deep in place on offense, defense, and special teams," Moorhead said. MSU will practice four times before donning full pads for the first time on Aug. 8. The Bulldogs will also hold scrimmages on Aug. 11, 18 and 22. All are closed to the public, but portions will be open to the media for select practices. Players reported back to campus on Thursday to go through orientation, a team meeting and to be fitted for equipment. |
| Mississippi State's Joe Moorhead sits down for preseason Q&A | |
| Mississippi State begins fall practices Friday afternoon, and first-year head coach Joe Moorhead is busy preparing for his inaugural training camp with the Bulldogs. Just minutes after the Bulldogs landed at No. 18 in the first Amway Coaches Poll of the year late Thursday morning, Moorhead caught up with the Clarion Ledger inside his office for a preseason Q&A. |
| Coaches pick Bulldogs 18th in preseason poll | |
| Mississippi State came in at No. 18 in the USA Today preseason coaches' poll released on Thursday. It is the Bulldogs' highest preseason ranking in the coaches' poll since being picked 15th to start the 1981 season. It's the fifth time MSU has been ranked in the preseason coaches poll since 1981 (15, 1981; 25, 1993; 19, 2001; 20, 2011). Joining State from the Southeastern Conference in the preseason poll are No. 1 Alabama, No. 4 Georgia, No. 10 Auburn and No. 24 LSU. South Carolina (138), Florida (135), Texas A&M (67) and Kentucky (8) also received votes. |
| Mississippi State's Austin Williams wants to build on spring success | |
| If Mississippi State had it to do over again, Austin Williams may have played right away as a true freshman last season. Williams graduated high school early and impressed during his initial spring and summer with the Bulldogs. But by the time fall camp concluded, the arduous decision was made to redshirt the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder due to the depth at wide receiver. By midseason however, MSU's depth at wideout had dwindled drastically with Donald Gray, Gabe Myles and Malik Dear all dealing with injuries. Coaches contemplated burning Williams' redshirt but ultimately decided not to waste a year of his eligibility for only a half-season of playing time. "I wanted to play but at the same time, I learned so much," Williams said. "I learned how the older guys handle everything and how they do it for a year. It was definitely worth it and all positive." |
| No sweat: Cordavien Suggs settled in at State | |
| It's perfectly natural for football players to be perspiring this time of year with the start of fall practice. But a year ago, there was something else that had Cordavien Suggs sweating it out. The Mississippi State offensive line signee was still awaiting clearance from the NCAA as the Bulldogs began camp in late July. "It was kind of tough sitting at home while everybody else was here," said Suggs, who had planned to attend junior college if things did not work out with the Bulldogs. One week passed, then two but finally on Aug. 16 Suggs was admitted into the university and started practice the next day. Since he was the final member of MSU's 2017 signing class to arrive, he had no shortage of things he needed to get caught up on. "I definitely had to catch up," Suggs said. "When I got here, everybody else was here learning the offense and I was basically at the back of the bus trying to work my way up." |
| Jazzmun Holmes ready for bigger role as Mississippi State prepares to go to Italy | |
| The work started Monday in earnest for Jazzmun Holmes. Victoria Vivians is in the WNBA. Blair Schaefer is getting ready for graduate school. Morgan William and Roshunda Johnson are contemplating the next steps in their lives following the completion of their college basketball careers. For Holmes, the departure of four of the Mississippi State women's basketball team's top five scorers in 2017-18 means more opportunities for her. That's why she worked with assistant coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett on shooting drills in the 20 minutes prior to practice Wednesday. Holmes took a handoff from Jackson-Durrett to simulate a pass off a screen and went between her legs or behind her back to move inside the free-throw line for short jump shots. Those shots as well as passes to senior center Teaira McCowan likely will be more plentiful this season as the Bulldogs begin the countdown to the 2018-19 season. |
| Vanderbilt University administrators undercut football stadium fundraising | |
 | Two years after pondering preliminary plans, Vanderbilt is no closer to building a new football stadium or renovating its current one, and that lack of progress may be self-inflicted. Multiple sources told The Tennessean university administrators undercut efforts to raise funds for a stadium project to focus on building other campus structures. Athletics fundraisers were prohibited from soliciting certain donors already targeted by university fundraisers. Vanderbilt is amid a $600 million capital project, which includes no athletics facilities. The National Commodore Club, the primary fundraiser for Vanderbilt athletics, is moving from McGugin Center to the Loews Vanderbilt Plaza in the development and alumni relations office, the headquarters for fundraising for non-athletics campus projects. McGugin Center houses Vanderbilt athletics. Vanderbilt will be the only SEC school with its primary athletics fundraiser office not located in either an athletics department building or a freestanding building in the athletics area of campus. Sources said it illustrates Vanderbilt's institutional de-emphasis of athletics. |
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