| Friday, October 30, 2026 |
| MSU revives College View expansion to add 527 upperclassmen beds |
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| Mississippi State plans to add 527 more beds at College View to house upperclassmen after the Board of Trustees of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning approved a second phase of the development on Monday. While it was included in the original plans for the apartment-style living development on the northwest edge of campus, Phase 2 of the project stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Monday's approval allows the university to revive the expansion plans in an effort to meet the housing demand on campus. "I think we continue to have a growing enrollment, and we continue to have students that want to retain their proximity to campus or very close to campus," said Regina Hyatt, vice president of student affairs for MSU. "And so we have a lot of students that want to stay with us, which is good." | |
| USPOULTRY Foundation awards nearly $400,000 in student recruiting grants |
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| The USPOULTRY Foundation, established by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), has awarded US$399,803 in student recruiting grants to 21 colleges and universities nationwide, including six universities with poultry science departments and 15 additional institutions offering poultry industry-related programs. Awarded annually, these grants support recruitment and retention efforts aimed at attracting students to poultry-related academic programs, increasing awareness of career opportunities and strengthening the industry's future workforce. The six poultry science departments receiving the grants include Mississippi State University. | |
| Initiative addresses rural childcare needs |
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| The Mississippi State University Extension Service has received funding through congressional appropriations for a three-year initiative to expand access to licensed childcare. Childcare as a Business: Growth and Entrepreneurship will serve rural Mississippi communities with populations of 20,000 or fewer. Building on MSU Extension's Nurturing Homes Initiative, the project will help unlicensed childcare providers work toward licensure and support existing providers who want to strengthen or expand their businesses. MSU Extension will recruit providers from rural communities with limited access, prioritizing areas with the greatest childcare shortages. The project aims to help up to 25 childcare businesses obtain licenses or expand services, creating an estimated 400 new childcare slots. It will run through July 31, 2029. | |
| Wood Magic fair teaches Marshall Elementary students about forest products |
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| Photos: Third-grade teachers Holly Crowell, Jamese Wiggins and Tracie Hudson from Marshall Elementary in Carrollton brought their classes to Mississippi State University's Wood Magic Science Fair on Monday, Oct. 26, to explore the science of forestry and forest products. Hosted by MSU's Department of Sustainable Bioproducts in the College of Forest Resources, the event teaches students that wood is renewable, recyclable, biodegradable and durable. Sponsors included the Mississippi Lumber Manufacturers Association, the Mississippi Forestry Association, MSU's Forest and Wildlife Research Center and the College of Forest Resources. | |
| Flu's Back Way Sooner Than Normal. Here's What to Know. |
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| A mutated strain of influenza is helping fuel an early start to the flu season, prompting experts to urge Americans to get their shots ASAP. Positive flu tests for this time of year have hit highs not seen in a decade, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. "We're seeing January-level transmissions currently," Dr. Alex Greninger, a microbiologist at the University of Washington, referring to the West Coast specifically. This year's flu season started unusually early, particularly on the West Coast where cases popped up in late August, some two months earlier than usual. So far, the flu season is dominated by a strain of H1N1, the type that caused the 2009 flu pandemic. But the latest strain has a specific mutation, called G155E, that is likely playing a role in the season's early spread. Even those who have been exposed to H1N1 might not have as much natural immunity to this mutation. "We're seeing seasonality go out the window, specifically for H1N1," Greninger said. "If there is a big enough immunological gap that opens it up, it doesn't really need the help of winter." | |
| A midterm crossroads for both parties eyeing the beginning of the end of the Trump era |
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| The nation's major political parties are at a crossroads. A decade after he began to remake the Republican Party in his image, President Donald Trump is facing the prospect of a voter rebellion Tuesday that could force conservatives to rethink their undying allegiance to the 80-year-old lame-duck leader and his "Make America Great Again" movement. Already, some Republican candidates have begun to distance themselves from him. And Democrats, who remain unpopular despite midterm momentum, are speeding toward a tug-of-war between establishment leaders and emboldened progressives demanding nothing less than transformative change. Whether either party wins or loses Tuesday, the end of the 2026 midterms marks the beginning of a high-stakes fight over the country's political future in the twilight of the Trump era -- a fight that will swiftly surge to the forefront of American politics as new members of Congress descend upon Washington and the 2028 presidential contest takes off. | |
| GOP starts coming to terms with a lame-duck Donald Trump |
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| Donald Trump will have his ironclad grip on congressional Republicans tested like never before if the party loses one or both chambers Tuesday. Trump already appears to be gearing up to blame others if Democrats retake the House or the Senate. But within the halls of the Capitol, GOP lawmakers are contemplating whether the president's ability to bend them to his whims will diminish if the party is swept out of power. "We'll see," Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) said when asked how much influence the president will have after the midterms, before praising Trump's record and willingness to hit the campaign trail on behalf of Republican candidates. Granted anonymity to speak frankly before the election, many of the 15 GOP lawmakers interviewed about the future of Trump's influence said they believe his days of dictating outcomes with Truth Social posts and late-night phone calls could be coming to an end. "It's not like his persuasion is growing," said a Republican senator. "Political capital is earned and lost the same way." | |
| Mississippi has 23 public colleges and universities. Can the state sustain them? |
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| When Rep. Trey Lamar, a Republican from Senatobia, introduced House Bill 1284 in January to merge six community college districts, college leaders and students quickly launched a petition to shut it down. The bill died in committee, but the question behind it did not: Does Mississippi still need 23 public colleges and universities? "I wanted to start a conversation," said Lamar, who is also a member of the House Select Committee on Consolidation. "What worked for our colleges decades ago doesn't always work today." Lamar's bill intensified discussions about college mergers, said Rep. Donnie Scoggin, a Republican from Ellisville who co-chairs the House consolidation committee. Scoggin also chairs the House Colleges and Universities Committee, which he said allowed the bill to die because there wasn't enough time to study the issue. "We didn't want to do anything that was rushed and just start closing colleges," Scoggin said. "But now we're taking time to examine all factors to make informed and better decisions." Sen. Nicole Boyd, a Republican from Oxford, is pushing trustees overseeing the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning to tie state funding to graduation rates, job placement and earnings. The conversations around university funding are about more than finances, Boyd said. It's about centering students. | |
| New Pennington leader has big plans to expand LSU research center, broaden focus in GLP-1 era |
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| In naming a new leader Thursday, Pennington Biomedical Research Center also unveiled a broader vision for its role in obesity and nutrition research. In the age of weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, Petter Bjornstad sees the renowned LSU research center, with its over 550 employees and yearly budget of around $100 million, broadening its scope beyond obesity to explore downstream effects on the body. To help accomplish that goal, he plans to bring on 30 new faculty members at the direction of Chancellor Jim Dalton, he said. "I think the future is going to be multiorgan and also multitechnology," said Bjornstad said. "Connecting all those dots to better understand the impact of obesity and diabetes on our whole body is going to be really critical to make sure people live long, healthy lives." Pennington announced the selection of Bjornstad on Thursday as the new senior vice chancellor and executive director of the research center, replacing interim leader Jennifer Rood. His appointment is subject to approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors. | |
| He Didn't Want to Use AI for Work -- So He Got a Religious Exemption From His College |
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| In the debate over artificial intelligence's proper place on campuses, the technology has its share of evangelists. But for David Durman, a research administrator at the University of Kentucky, the use of AI at work is quite literally a question of religion: He identifies as a humanist and says that outsourcing his thinking to AI would violate his moral code. Durman, who has been a humanist for about 30 years, told The Chronicle his belief centers around "the promotion of human well-being and flourishing, both for the individual and for people as a whole." It's a worldview that made him concerned when his university began suggesting employees incorporate AI into their workflows. Durman submitted his religious-exemption request this fall with the help of the American Humanist Association. He assumed it was going to be a "bureaucratic process" to gain university approval, but it only ended up taking about a month, and it was "very straightforward." The way the University of Kentucky handled the request is encouraging, said Alexandria Huiskens, a lawyer at the American Humanist Association. | |
| Iowa lawmakers call for board of regents policy barring DEI in all required courses |
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| State lawmakers are once again calling upon the Iowa Board of Regents to tighten its restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion content in required courses after a University of Iowa official was secretly recorded discussing the topic. Rep. Taylor Collins, chair of the Iowa House Committee on Higher Education, and Sen. Lynn Evans, chair of the Senate Committee on Education, have sent a letter to the Iowa Board of Regents requesting the governing body develop a policy barring any "DEI content and related ideological frameworks" from all required courses, whether through core curriculum or major-specific courses. The letter comes after Accuracy in Media, a conservative media company with a history of recording university officials and posting the videos online, published an edited video appearing to include UI Senior Academic Advisor of Elementary Education Carter Burks. | |
| As the influencer economy expands, colleges are offering instruction |
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| Zachary Glatt hosts a monthly podcast called "The Business Leaders of America," where people watch his interviews with entrepreneurs, CEOs, and education leaders across various social media platforms. Mr. Glatt films at Syracuse University in New York, where he is a sophomore journalism major with a minor in content creation. After Syracuse launched the Center for the Creator Economy last year, Mr. Glatt transferred from another university. He was looking for more support for his budding online endeavor. Syracuse's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management combined resources to provide space for creators, including a state-of-the-art studio, and multidisciplinary course offerings that this year became an 18-credit minor. Programs for influencers reflect shifting interests and resources – at Syracuse, Arizona State, St. Bonaventure in New York, and elsewhere. As colleges face a shrinking pool of applicants, known in higher ed circles as the "demographic cliff," as well as financial pressures caused by the loss of foreign students and curtailed federal research funding, they are retooling their offerings to attract students such as Mr. Glatt. | |
| Students' Subject Choices 'Not Matching Up to Workforce Needs' |
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| Employer demand in key areas of the economy is not matching up with the degrees students are pursuing, a report analyzing trends in the U.K., U.S., Canada and Australia has found. In particular, appetite for business and engineering graduates outstrips the popularity of these degree courses in all four territories, according to findings by course-mapper StudyPortals and management consultancy Nous Group. The analysis suggests universities in the "Big Four" study destinations need better partnerships with employers and "more deliberate demand generation" when it comes to encouraging learners into such areas. Institutions must also accommodate the ability of artificial intelligence to "change skills within disciplines," the report says, calling for universities to embed AI as a matter of priority in everything from marketing to health, rather than treating it as a narrow technological specialization. The report urges universities to encourage students into fields necessary for national progress and to create "more credible employment pathways" in areas where student interest is high but employer demand is weak. | |
| Alleged 'ghost' students accused of stealing millions in financial aid |
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| The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to identify scammers who have posed as college students to steal tens of millions in federal student loan and grant dollars over the past five years. On Thursday, the Justice Department indicted five Kenyan nationals on charges they illegally collected $2 million in federal student aid. They allegedly stole the identities of U.S. citizens, enrolled in colleges and applied for federal student loans and grants, authorities said. After the colleges received a portion of the loans intended for tuition and fees, the balance went directly to the accused, who then distributed the money to a network of associates in Kenya, according to the department. The charges are part of a broader effort to crack down on so-called ghost students -- fraudsters who use stolen identities to enroll in online classes, apply for federal financial aid and then disappear once they get the money. The scam robs the federal government and leaves the victims of identity theft on the hook for debt fraudulently taken out in their names. | |
| Trump Finalizes Accreditation Overhaul, Raising Concerns of Politicized Oversight |
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| President Trump's long-standing promise to overhaul college accreditation was fulfilled Thursday as the Education Department finalized regulations that include new standards for intellectual diversity and how accreditors police civil rights law. Some argue that the changes politicize the determination of which colleges get aid and puts Trump closer to his larger goal of reclaiming institutions from the "radical left." The Education Department's chief higher ed official, Nicholas Kent, said that the rule will instead shift focus of accreditors away from ideological and procedural requirements and toward student success. "For too long, accreditors have effectively served as a cartel to protect their interests, rather than the educational value that institutions of higher education are expected to deliver for students," Kent said in a statement Thursday. "The final rule creates a more competitive and transparent accreditation system while ensuring that institutions remain accountable for delivering meaningful outcomes for American students and families." | |
| Final accreditation rule sets the stage for system overhaul |
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| The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday released final regulations designed to revamp the college accreditation system based on Trump administration policy priorities. Under the new rule, which takes effect July 1, accreditors must consider a college's policies and practices related to academic freedom and intellectual diversity. Accrediting agencies are barred from enforcing "illegal diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements" as defined by the Trump administration. It will also be easier for new accreditors to gain federal approval. Instead of having to be active for at least two years before seeking recognition from the Education Department, they can meet alternative criteria such as establishing accreditation standards and operating procedures and receiving at least one application for college or program accreditation. On Thursday, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation expressed disappointment with the final rule. "Many of the central concerns raised by CHEA and the higher education community remain largely unresolved," Nasser Paydar, the organization's president, said. Paydar also highlighted concerns around possible impacts on institutional academic freedom, as well as the potential for increased regulatory burdens and costs. | |
| How the US mid-term elections could shake up science |
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| As tens of millions of voters head to the polls on 3 November to cast ballots in the US mid-term elections, a political shake-up could be coming to Washington DC -- with substantial consequences for the country's scientific landscape. Republicans currently hold more seats than do Democrats in both chambers of the US Congress, which has given the party and administration of President Donald Trump unified control of the federal government. But polling data favour Democrats to win back the House of Representatives and suggest that they have a chance of taking control of the Senate, too. Since Trump took office last year, his administration has terminated thousands of research grants, slashed the federal scientific workforce and sought unprecedented political oversight of science agencies such as the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF). Many researchers and science advocates hope that a new Congress will stand up to the Trump administration to protect science funding and investigate its actions. "The Republican Congress has basically ceded their role in oversight for the last almost two years," says Shaughnessy Naughton, president of 314 Action, a political fundraising group in Washington DC, which recruits and backs Democratic scientists, engineers and health-care specialists running for office. | |
SPORTS
| Scouts to honor O'Connor at Nov. 25 benefit luncheon |
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| The Pushmataha District of the Natchez Trace Council, Scouting America, will honor MSU baseball head coach Brian O'Connor with the John Robert Arnold Champion for Scouting Award during a "Thankful for Scouting" luncheon and reception at The Mill at Mississippi State University at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 25. The event gives sponsors a chance to meet Coach O'Connor and take a souvenir photo. It serves as a fundraiser for the Natchez Trace Council, supporting Scouting in 23 northeast Mississippi counties, including Clay, Lowndes and Oktibbeha. "Coach Brian O'Connor is an outstanding individual who has invested his life in leadership development for young people at the very highest level. Mississippi and MSU benefit daily from his commitment to building a baseball program that reflects discipline, service, and character, and we are grateful to him for taking time to lead this fundraising effort for the Scouting program in northeast Mississippi," said Natchez Trace Council president Sid Salter in a release. "We are particularly proud that this event is being held here in the Golden Triangle to benefit local Scouts and Cubs." | |
| Manning and No. 11 Texas want to keep momentum going against a Mississippi State team missing Taylor |
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| Texas quarterback Arch Manning rediscovered his edge and the smiles have returned for the Longhorns as the season passes the midway point and churns toward the College Football Playoff. The same cannot be said for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Quarterback Kamario Taylor was ruled out for the rest of the season with a toe injury that will require surgery. The No. 11 Longhorns (5-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) and Bulldogs (4-3, 2-3) play Saturday night on two different trajectories. Texas is feeling good again, while Mississippi State is trying to hold things together. Manning shook off two weeks of white-hot criticism after consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Florida raised questions over whether he would be benched. A 24-3 first-half lead in an eventual 34-27 win over Mississippi ended that. That victory kept Texas firmly in the hunt in an SEC where every team already has at least one loss. Mississippi State started 4-0 and rose to No. 16 when Taylor was one of the most exciting players in the country. He was injured in a win over Missouri and the Bulldogs have been on a slide ever since. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said he doesn't expect Mississippi State to try to slow down its quick-tempo offense with him out. The Bulldogs may not play at "warp speed ... but they're the fastest team we've faced," Sarkisian said. | |
| Mississippi State OL DJ Chester sidelined Saturday vs. Texas |
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| An already short-handed Mississippi State team, which announced the loss of star quarterback Kamario Taylor to a season-ending injury this week, will now be without starting left guard DJ Chester against Texas on Saturday. Chester, a former transfer who has started all seven games for the Bulldogs this season, was ruled out on Thursday's SEC availability report. He has allowed three quarterback pressures and two sacks. Starting linebacker Tyler Lockhart was added to the report as questionable. Mississippi State has already absorbed the loss of starting linebacker Jalen Smith to a season-ending injury. Safety Isaac Smith is also questionable. He did not play in the previous game against Oklahoma. Texas downgraded star edge rusher Colin Simmons from questionable to doubtful Thursday. The FBS leader in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (16.5) injured an ankle two weeks ago and did not play in the previous game against Ole Miss. | |
| Josh Hubbard named consensus preseason SEC first-teamer |
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| Josh Hubbard of Mississippi State was named a consensus preseason first-team all-SEC by coaches and media on Thursday morning. Hubbard joins Alabama's Amari Allen, Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner and both Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu of Florida. The senior led MSU and was second in the SEC with 22.1 points per game last season. He did so while averaging 3 treys a game. His 311 career 3-pointers are already a program record and are tied for the ninth most in conference history. His 1,947 career points are also the fourth most in Mississippi State history. This is the second-straight season that Hubbard has received this honor. | |
| CFB ghost stories: Death Valley to Tennessee's 'Body Farm' |
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| Welcome to college football's scary season. Week 9 on All Hallows' Eve. When jack-o'-lanterns shall look like big, leathery orange footballs. When a waning moon shall rise over stadiums filled with students all hopped up on pumpkin spice lattes and marinated in cinnamon whisky, dressed in right-out-of-the-bag costumes bought off the rack of the Spirit Halloween that has already gone up in the vacated offices of their already fired head coach. Whenever the most frightening day on the calendar falls on the same perilous semi-late autumn Saturday when entire seasons, postseason hopes and, yes, gainful employment all hang in the balance like a janky skeleton dangling from the ceiling of a dorm room, it's enough to make you go "Boo!" As in the even dozen players named Boo who have played FBS football, from a pair of Boo Smiths (Southern Miss '76 and Troy '06) to current Colorado DB Boo Carter. The history of college football is mobbed with the macabre. | |
| Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark stepping down for opportunity outside college sports |
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| Big 12 Conference commissioner Brett Yormark is stepping down after more than four years on the job, marking the end of a transformational era for the Big 12 that saw an expansion of members and business initiatives. It also brings uncertainty to the conference amid major changes across college sports and growing power for the Big Ten and SEC. Yormark approached Big 12 leaders about a departure in recent weeks, according to people briefed on the decision but not permitted to speak on a move that was not yet public. They cited multiple reasons for Yormark's decision to leave now, from conference power dynamics to family reasons to new opportunities. One person briefed on the decision but not permitted to speak on a move that was not yet public told The Athletic that Yormark's next steps will be outside of college athletics. He will depart Jan. 31, 2027. "When I accepted this job, my goal was to put this conference on an upward trajectory and truly believe the future of the conference could not be in better shape," Yormark said in a release Friday. | |
| 4 in 10 Students Flag Digital Wagering Risks |
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| Digital wagering -- from online sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings to prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, where users trade on much more than sports -- has exploded in recent years. So has the marketing on social and other media, including sports broadcasts. But data on student digital wagering and how institutions are responding to its rise has been scant. Now, findings from two parallel surveys by Inside Higher Ed, one of undergraduates and one of student success administrators, offer insight. The upshot? Most institutions aren't tracking the issue on their campus, but 15 percent of student survey respondents say they've participated in online sports betting, general prediction-market trading or other digital wagering since enrolling at their college. For men, it's 25 percent. They're not just 18- to 24-year-olds: Twelve percent of undergraduates 25 and older have wagered online. And while 11 percent of student success administrators surveyed say their institution considers digital wagering via sportsbooks and prediction markets to be an escalating student mental health or financial safety crisis, much larger shares of students say the issue merits more attention than it's currently getting. | |
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