| Monday, October 19, 2026 |
| Dr. Richard Holmes, student who integrated Mississippi State University, dies at 82 | |
 | Mississippi State University's first Black student, Dr. Richard Holmes, has passed away at age 82. Holmes, a native of Starkville, integrated Mississippi State when he enrolled on July 15, 1965. He went on to earn an undergraduate degree in liberal arts and a master's degree in microbiology at the university. "My wife and my four children, all now MSU students, join me in mourning the death of a man who profoundly and positively influenced our university," Mississippi State President Dr. Mark Keenum said. "Dr. Richard Holmes was a man of courage, vision, and patience who enrolled at this university on July 19, 1965. Later, he earned the honor of being our first Black National Alumnus of the Year." Holmes continued his academic career at Michigan State University, where he earned his medical degree. He went on to serve as an emergency room physician in Birmingham, Ala. Holmes moved back to Mississippi and joined his alma mater's Longest Student Health Center in 2003 as a staff physician. |
| Richard E. Holmes, first Black student at Mississippi State University, dies at 82 | |
| Richard E. Holmes, the first Black student to enroll at Mississippi State University, died Friday. He was 82. Holmes enrolled at the previously segregated university in Starkville on July 19, 1965, three years after James Meredith integrated the University of Mississippi amid violent opposition. MSU president Mark Keenum, remembered Holmes as a man of courage, vision and patience who left a lasting impact on the university. "Dr. Holmes cast a long, productive and impactful shadow over this institution, a shadow that also leaned forward," Keenum said in a statement. "I will miss his company and his counsel." For generations of Black alumni, Holmes' legacy extended beyond the university honors he received. Edward Sanders, co-founder of Mississippi State University Black Alumni Weekend, recalled bringing Holmes and James Meredith together during the event's inaugural gala in 2016. Hearing the two men reflect on their experiences integrating Mississippi's universities left a lasting impression, he said. "Both were full of wisdom and advice and it was one of the few times we got to see them interact together," Sanders, a 2006 MSU graduate, said. |
| Mississippi State's first African American student dies at 82 | |
| Dr. Richard E. Holmes, Mississippi State University's first African American student, died on Friday, October 16, according to the university. He was 82 years old. "My wife and my four children, all now MSU students, join me in mourning the death of a man who profoundly and positively influenced our university. Dr. Richard Holmes was a man of courage, vision, and patience who enrolled at this university on July 19, 1965," MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. Holmes, a Starkville native, graduated with two MSU degrees, a liberal arts degree in 1969 and a master's degree in microbiology in 1973. In 1991, Mississippi State recognized Holmes' campus achievements and medical career by naming the university's cultural diversity center in his honor. Holmes and his wife Judie later endowed a minority scholarship fund that also carries his name. |
| Beloved alumnus and legend Dr. Richard E. Holmes, first MSU African American student dies at 82 | |
| Dr. Richard E. Holmes, Mississippi State University's first African American student, died Oct. 16 at age 82. A Starkville native, Holmes graduated with two MSU degrees, a liberal arts degree in 1969 and a master's degree in microbiology in 1973. In 1977, he earned his medical degree from Michigan State University and later served as an emergency room physician in Birmingham, Alabama. He moved back to Mississippi and joined MSU's Longest Student Health Center in 2003 as a staff physician and later earned an honorary Doctor of Science degree. Holmes's storied relationship and love for MSU didn't begin in 1965. Rather, it was in 1957 when he was 13 years old. He stood on the corner of Main Street and Washington Street in Starkville and watched the MSU homecoming celebration parade through the streets of his hometown. "As I witnessed the pomp and ceremony of the parade, I heard the exuberance of the crowd and the melody and lyrics of the Mississippi State fight song," he recalled during the 2005 speech. "At that moment, destiny was set in motion. I did not know when. I did not know how, but I knew at that very moment that I someday would be a Mississippi State Bulldog." |
| Sounding like a candidate for Governor, Duff talks vision and opportunities for Mississippi with Lamar County Republicans | |
| Businessman Tommy Duff raised further speculation that he would run for Governor of Mississippi this week when he spoke at the Lamar County Republican meeting on Tuesday. Duff told attendees that over the past year he has traveled across the Magnolia State to listen and learn more about the communities, saying he has become "more and more impressed with the state, our citizens and the opportunities that we have." He opened his keynote remarks by telling the Republicans gathered that it was important for them to go to the polls November 3 to re-elect U.S. Cindy Hyde-Smith and the GOP congressional delegation. "Frankly, the only reason they will not be elected is if we don't show up," he said. "If we're going to continue to advance the agenda of President Trump, we need these elected officials." Duff went on to talk about the future of Mississippi and how he views what is on the horizon. |
| Opposed conduct, rules policy resurfaces in PAAC meeting, university source says | |
| Auburn University senior officials are revisiting a previously opposed policy that would expand faculty disciplinary grounds, according to a source on the Presidential Academic Advisory Council. Faculty previously came to a 47-7 decision to oppose the policy and emphasize the importance of shared governance in a March 3, 2021, meeting of the now-dissolved University Senate. The Plainsman has granted anonymity to this source due to their current employment at the University and the sensitive nature of the information. The policy also calls into question who has control over the Faculty Handbook following the dissolution of the University Senate. The Faculty Handbook Review Committee, which existed under previous governing bodies, is no longer referenced on the PAAC website. A source on the PAAC said those present at the Oct. 13 PAAC meeting were instructed to not discuss the policy with faculty. The policy will be considered by deans, presented to the PAAC, staff council, vice presidents and "other groups," and that the one group most "profoundly affected" is not to see the policy before it is implemented. |
| LSU student removed from Board of Supervisors meeting after protesting handling of sexual assault cases | |
| An LSU student was ejected from a board of supervisors meeting after attempting to speak during the public comment period about reorganization of university cultural centers and LSU's handling of an allegation of rape against football player Damien Shanklin. Ziad Eissa, listed as a member of LSU's chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, attempted to speak on these issues during the public comment period. At the time, the board was discussing Will Wade's employment agreement. Eissa opened his comments saying that students sat in meetings with Chancellor James Dalton and other LSU leaders, who "made it seem like they have no power to fulfill our demands." Among those demands were to expel Shanklin and to restore the Title IX Office of Engagement. Board chair Lee Mallett called Eissa "out of order" and said that his comments did not pertain to the meeting. "For the record, I invited him to come see me any Thursday he wanted... It's not that we don't want to listen to him, but there's a time and place, and right now is not the place," Mallett said. "This kind of stuff is not going to be tolerated, not as long as I'm chair." |
SPORTS
| Jared Benko named director of athletics | |
| President David Cook has selected Jared Benko as the next director of athletics at Iowa State University. Benko, who has spent the past two years as the executive deputy athletic director at Auburn University, will start on Oct. 30, pending approval by the Iowa Board of Regents. "Athletics is vital to the strength of our university," Cook said. "Jared Benko brings the leadership experience and strategic vision to build on our success, support our student-athletes as students first and ensure Iowa State is well positioned for the future of college athletics." Benko brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in athletics, including serving as athletic director at Georgia Southern, deputy director of athletics and chief financial officer at Mississippi State University, and leading day-to-day operations of a $228 million department at Auburn. Benko, from Watkinsville, Georgia, earned a bachelor of science in sports studies from Georgia in 2005 and then a master of public administration in Athens in 2007. He and his wife, Sarah, have two sons, Hudson and Cooper. |
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