| Tuesday, January 4, 2022 |
| The top 100 colleges and universities that spent on R&D in 2020 | |
 | Though total research and development spending at higher education institutions grew more slowly than in any period since 2015 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, spending still increased by $2.7 billion in fiscal year 2020. Of the $86.4 billion total noted in the National Science Foundation's Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey, nearly half went toward health sciences and biomedical sciences, far outpacing most other initiatives. The total was triple what was spent on engineering, for example. Far and away the biggest recipient and spender of R&D funds was Johns Hopkins University, which had more than $3.1 billion in expenditures, including its Applied Physics Lab ($1.9 billion). Twenty other institutions spent more than $1 billion, including these others in the top five: the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ($1.67B), the University of California at San Francisco ($1.65B), the University of Pennsylvania ($1.58B) and the University of Washington at Seattle ($1.46B). "The latest HERD data demonstrate the robustness and continual growth of our research enterprise, despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic that took hold in early 2020," said Elizabeth Cantwell, senior vice president for research and innovation. "At the heart of this success are our faculty and researchers, whose creativity and determination drive discovery and innovation, creating positive real-world impacts and knowledge for a more resilient future." The rest of the top 100 includes No. 88 Mississippi State University at $280 million. |
| Not all calories are equal -- a dietitian explains the different ways the kinds of foods you eat matter to your body | |
| Mississippi State University Associate Professor Terezie Tolar-Peterson writes for The Conversation: A calorie is a calorie is a calorie, at least from a thermodynamic standpoint. It's defined as the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius (2.2 pounds by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit). But when it comes to health and your body's energy balance, not all calories are equal. For example, some studies have reported that diets that are high-protein, low-carbohydrate or a combination of the two do yield greater weight loss than diets with other levels of fat, protein and carbs. If every calorie in food were the same, you wouldn't expect to see weight-loss differences among people who eat the same number of calories that are doled out in different types of food. Dietitians like me know there are many factors that influence what a calorie means for your body. Here's what we understand about calories and nutrition so far. |
| Mississippi COVID-19 hospitalizations rise as cases spread | |
 | Hospitalizations for COVID-19 continue rising rapidly in Mississippi as new cases proliferate. The state Health Department reported Monday that 695 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were hospitalized Sunday. That is up from 265 hospitalized two weeks earlier, on Dec. 19. The department also reported Monday that 17,525 new cases of the virus were confirmed in the state from Thursday through Sunday. These are some of the highest numbers in months. The state epidemiologist, Dr. Paul Byers, had said Wednesday that Mississippi is headed into "a fifth wave of COVID." Cases in the state rose rapidly with the spread of the delta variant of the virus in July and August, overwhelming the staffing and resources of some hospitals. The Health Department said last week that cases of the highly contagious omicron variant of COVID-19 had surpassed new cases of the delta variant. |
| One-on-one interview with Gov. Tate Reeves ahead of 2022 Legislative session | |
 | Governor Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) talked to WJTV 12 News in a one-on-one interview ahead of the 2022 Legislative session. The topics included COVID-19, teacher pay raises, and medical marijuana. A medical marijuana plan is likely to be put into law during the regular session, with or without the governor's blessing. Reeves recently said he will try to persuade some Republicans to stand with him if he vetoes a bill. "Well, we're continuing to work with the members of the Legislature. You know, the question is always asked about how do you feel about medical marijuana? We'll, I'm 100% for medical marijuana. The question is, how do you define medical marijuana?" Reeves questioned. He continued, "There's some 30 states that have various versions. You have states like Oklahoma that we're trying to avoid, and then you have states like our neighbor to the east, Alabama, which passed true medical marijuana that is regulated and is limited to only those who really need it." When it comes to teacher pay, a pay raise was not included in the initial budget recommendations made by legislative leaders. "I'm a big proponent of raising teacher salaries in Mississippi. I've proposed $4,300 increase over the four-year period. The Legislature enacted the first $1,000 last year. I hope we can see a significant move forward with respect to that," said Reeves. |
| 2022 will be far from a 'do nothing' session for Mississippi Legislature | |
| There's an old saying around the Mississippi Capitol: When the state has no money, lawmakers fuss and fight. When the state has lots of extra money, lawmakers really fuss and fight. If that holds true, the 2022 legislative session that starts Tuesday should be a donnybrook. The state has an extra $4.2 billion to spend, between federal largesse from COVID-19 stimulus and increased state tax revenue -- largely also a result of previous federal stimulus spending over the last two years. For perspective, the state general budget is usually around $6 billion a year. Reaching agreement on the extra spending would be a heavy lift for the 174-member, part-time citizen Legislature. But it also faces another half-dozen or so major issues or chores -- redistricting, income tax cuts or elimination, medical marijuana, reinstating the citizen ballot initiative, teacher pay, banning some things about race that are not being taught in Mississippi schools -- any one of which could create epic political wrangling. And the current legislative leadership that took office in 2020, despite being all Republican, has had trouble agreeing on major issues. Gov. Tate Reeves has often been at odds with the legislative leadership even when those leaders have reached agreements. They've even squared off in court. |
| Proposed legislation would limit medical marijuana to 'non-combustibles' only | |
| While many state lawmakers are grappling with the amount that patients would be allowed under proposed medical marijuana is legalized, one South Mississippi senator wants to prohibit joints altogether. Sen. Angela Hill is introducing what she says is a legitimate medical marijuana bill that would ban combustible products and make non-combustible products harder to obtain. "My bill is safer and is more of a true medicinal program," she said. "It protects children because it requires a pharmacist to be involved." The bill would also place restrictions on how much marijuana a patient could receive, as well as require a pharmacist to dole out amounts based on doctors' recommendations. "The doctor will enter (the amount) into a system where it can be tracked and kept up with," she said. "When a patient gets their card, they will be also be registered with the health department. They can go to a specialty pharmacy, and the pharmacist can go under that person's name and see what kind of dosage is recommended." Hill, who represents Pearl River County and Marion counties, said she is introducing the bill, in part, based on discussions she's had with voters. "When they voted for this, they didn't realize for people to go in and get a bag of weed," she said. "They thought they were voting for some kind of medicinal form of marijuana." |
| Governor and Lt. Governor detail legislative priorities ahead of 2022 session | |
 | Lawmakers will return to the State Capitol Tuesday. The 2022 legislative session is slated to begin at noon. Medical marijuana will finally have its time in front of lawmakers, likely at the start of the session after all the rally cries and protests through the second half of last year. But the Governor isn't ready to sign it yet. "The bill is, as it's most recently been drafted, would allow for up to 11 joints a day," said Governor Tate Reeves. "And I just think that's too many. I think we ought to put limits on that to begin with. We've been talking to the legislative leadership about that. And hopefully, we'll be successful at convincing them that we ought to start conservatively; we ought to start small." Lt. Governor Hosemann says folks shouldn't jump to any conclusions. "Well, the Governor said as currently drafted," noted Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann. "Last time I looked, which is about two weeks ago, we were on the 26th draft. So I'm not really sure which draft he's looking at. I've seen about four or five of those as they've come through here when different times, and there'll be some other changes today." A point of agreement is the need for a teacher pay raise. "My proposal at the beginning of this four-year period was a $4,300 increase in total teacher pay. The legislature was able to do $1,000 of it last year," said Reeves. "I propose the other $3,300 in my executive budget recommendation for this year. " Hosemann also wants to see legislation that will help with frontline worker retention. "I think our nurses and doctors had their finest hour ever," noted Hosemann. "And we're struggling with traveling nurses and others. So we've got that problem." |
| Airport's future in hands of Fifth Circuit | |
| The outcome of the Jackson airport takeover case is in the hands of the U.S. Fifth Circuit. This month, the court heard oral arguments that centered around whether members of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority have standing to file suit. City and state leaders are waiting on a ruling from the court. Josh Harkins, R-Flowood, believes governance of the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport should be determined by more than just the city of Jackson. Harkins, a senator who represents District 20 was among authors of Senate Bill 2162, which amended the Mississippi Code to do away with the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority and replace it with a regional board known as the Jackson Metropolitan Area Airport Authority. The airport sits in the middle of Rankin County and is important to the entire metro area and should have more representatives than just those determined by the city of Jackson, Harkins said. "I still think the concept is solid," he said earlier this year about the bill he wrote along with Dean Kirby (R-30), Philip Moran (R-46), Chris Caughman (R-35) and former Sen. Nickey Browning (R-3). "Nothing has changed my mind." Members of the Jackson delegation tried to stop the state's attempted takeover of the airport through legislation. |
| Hyde-Smith, Wicker, Kelly join to ask SCOTUS stop Biden vaccine mandates | |
| U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Monday joined 45 Senators and 136 Representatives in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States urging the court to stay the Biden Administration's order requiring COVID vaccines or weekly testing for all employees of private businesses with 100 or more employees. Mississippi U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly (R) is also among the lawmakers signing the brief to the Supreme Court. In the brief, the legislators argue that Congress did not give the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which will be implementing the order, the authority to impose a vaccine mandate. The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in the case on January 7. If it is not blocked, the order will take effect on January 10 and authorize punitive action toward private businesses that do not comply starting February 9. "Congressional members have an interest in the powers they delegate to agencies not being abused -- the legislative authority vested in the federal government belongs to Congress, not the Executive branch," the members wrote. The members also asserted the rights of states and localities in overseeing the public interest for their citizens, such as through the oversight of vaccinations and public health. |
| U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly qualifies for reelection to U.S. House seat | |
 | Incumbent U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly is seeking another two years representing Northeast Mississippi in the House of Representatives. On Monday, Kelly officially qualified for reelection. He first won a special election in 2015 for the 1st Congressional seat after the death of former U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee. He subsequently won reelection in 2016, 2018 and 2020. "It is an honor to serve the citizens of Mississippi's First Congressional District," Kelly told the Daily Journal in a statement. "I will continue to fight for conservative, pro-family, fiscally sound policies that strengthen our national defense and grow our economy." Kelly is a Republican of Saltillo and was a district attorney for the state's first judicial district in Northeast Mississippi. He is one of the highest ranking military officials in the Congress, having reached the rank of major general in the Mississippi Army National Guard. Kelly serves on the House Armed Services committee, and he is the ranking member of the subcommittee on intelligence and special operations. The four-term Republican also serves on the Intelligence Committee, the Agriculture Committee and the Budget Committee. The qualifying period for Congressional races began Monday and will end on March 1. Party primaries will take place on June 7; the general election is set for Nov. 8. |
| Congress' doctor recommends telework, better masks as COVID-19 rates in Capitol increase | |
 | Congress' doctor said his office is expanding Capitol testing and called for wearing more robust masks as "dozens" of daily samples from the Capitol testing site are coming back positive for COVID-19. The Office of the Attending Physician announced the Capitol COVID-19 testing center's seven-day positivity "rate went from less than 1 percent to greater than 13 percent." Positive tests at the Capitol reflect what is happening in the Washington area, as the city in the last week has posted its highest infection rates of the pandemic. In internal Dear Colleague letters to the Capitol community Monday, Attending Physician Brian P. Monahan said House and Senate offices should adopt "maximal telework" to reduce in-person contact, and that blue surgical masks, cloth face masks and gaiter masks "must be replaced by the more protective KN95 or N95 masks." He also said the Capitol Visitor Center test center's space and personnel are in the process of being expanded. At least a dozen lawmakers have announced they tested positive since late December, but it is possible the number could be even higher -- members of Congress are under no obligation to publicly say they have tested positive. Inches of snow fell on Washington Monday morning, scuttling plans for an evening vote in the Senate and causing closures across the city. The chamber briefly met at noon to convene the second session of the 117th Congress and delayed a 5:30 p.m. vote until noon Tuesday, before party lunches. Unlike the House, the Senate side of the Capitol has not imposed mask mandates. Past guidance to Senate-dwellers has been to strongly encourage mask-wearing, but not go as far as a mandate. |
| Biden Promotes Plan Aimed at Tackling Meat Prices | |
 | The Biden administration on Monday outlined tighter regulations for U.S. meatpackers, accusing the industry of inflating Americans' food bills, as meat companies say they are experiencing persistent supply chain problems and labor shortages as the economy recovers from the pandemic. President Biden's push to tackle meat prices comes as his administration seeks to ease inflation, which hit a nearly four-decade high in November. Inflation has emerged as a pressing concern for American voters, a Wall Street Journal poll released last month found, and Republicans have been criticizing Mr. Biden over high prices for months. The White House's efforts to bring down meat prices aim to foster competition and bolster U.S. farmers in a roughly $213 billion industry in which the four largest companies control 85% of beef production and 54% in poultry, according to the administration. The steps range from funds for regional meat processors to help them better compete with big companies, to stricter rules for livestock purchasing and meat labeling, which are aimed at supporting U.S. farmers. Mr. Biden has alleged that the biggest U.S. meat companies use their scale to pay farmers less while lifting meat prices. Meat industry officials have pushed back, attributing higher price tags in meat cases to deepening labor challenges in meatpacking plants and rising costs for transport, packaging and animal feed. Big meatpackers are the latest industry to come under scrutiny from the Biden administration for high prices. |
| Democrats differ over how Biden should handle Jan. 6 anniversary | |
 | President Biden will engage in a delicate dance Thursday when he delivers remarks addressing the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Biden's challenge lies in not overly politicizing the anniversary while at the same time forcibly taking on former President Trump, who is set to hold a news conference later in the day. The split-screen moment on cable news foreshadows what many think could be a 2024 rematch between Biden and Trump, who has been widely blamed for instigating the Jan. 6 attack when a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol to stop Congress from certifying the results of the Electoral College. The anniversary is a big moment for Biden, who ran in 2020 to end the Trump presidency and hoped to help unite the country after his election. Polls suggest that he has had at best mixed success at doing so, as many Americans remain deeply divided over what happened on Jan. 6 and who is to blame. The White House has been mum on specifics surrounding when Biden and Harris are slated to deliver remarks to mark one year since the insurrection. Trump, who will speak from Mar-a-Lago, Fla., is widely expected to continue to criticize the results of the 2020 presidential election. Despite the lack of evidence that widespread voting fraud led to Biden's victory, Trump has repeatedly argued the real insurrection was the election and not Jan. 6. Doug Heye, a GOP strategist and former communications director of the Republican National Committee, argued Biden should not focus on Trump in his own remarks. He said it would be better for the president to deliver a nonpartisan speech. |
| A year after Jan. 6, Americans say democracy is in peril but disagree on why: USA TODAY/Suffolk poll | |
 | Americans by overwhelming margins see the nation's democracy as in peril, a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll finds, but that chilling consensus is based on starkly conflicting assessments of the assault on the U.S. Capitol one year ago. The clash over what happened and why last Jan. 6 underscores how unsettled the political landscape remains, even as prayer vigils and news conferences commemorate the anniversary of the violent protest that failed to prevent the official certification of the 2020 presidential election. Across partisan lines, more than 8 in 10 Republicans, Democrats and independents say they are worried about the future of America's democracy. They disagree on whether the Jan. 6 mob represented an effort to undermine democracy or to fix it. Eighty-five percent of Democrats call the rioters "criminals." Two-thirds of Republicans say, "They went too far, but they had a point." A majority of Republicans, 58%, say Joe Biden wasn't legitimately elected to the White House, even though audits and investigations in a half-dozen states debunked former President Donald Trump's claims of voter fraud. The special House committee investigating Jan. 6 plans to hold public hearings within the next few months to lay out its findings on how the rally near the White House on Jan. 6 was organized and financed and how the attack on the Capitol unfolded. An interim report will be released this summer and a final report before the end of the year, chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said. Americans are divided about the value of the committee's work. A 53% majority say its investigation is "important for the future of democracy"; 42% call it "a waste of time away from other important issues." |
| Schumer: Senate to vote on filibuster change on voting bill | |
| Days before the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the Senate will vote soon on easing filibuster rules in an effort to advance stalled voting legislation that Democrats say is needed to protect America's democracy. In a letter Monday to colleagues, Schumer, D-N.Y., said the Senate "must evolve" and will "debate and consider" the rule changes by Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as the Democrats seek to overcome Republican opposition to their elections law package. "Let me be clear: January 6th was a symptom of a broader illness -- an effort to delegitimize our election process," Schumer wrote, "and the Senate must advance systemic democracy reforms to repair our republic or else the events of that day will not be an aberration -- they will be the new norm." The election and voting rights package has been stalled in the evenly split 50-50 Senate, blocked by a Republican-led filibuster with Democrats unable to mount the 60 votes needed to advance it toward passage. So far Democrats have been unable to agree among themselves over potential changes to the Senate rules to reduce the 60-vote hurdle, despite months of private negotiations. Two holdout Democrats, Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have tried to warn their party off changes to the Senate rules, arguing that if and when Republicans take majority control of the chamber they can then use the lower voting threshold to advance bills Democrats strongly oppose. |
| New Hampshire's longtime guardian of its early presidential primary is stepping down | |
 | New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner, who earned a national reputation as gatekeeper of the state's first-in-the-nation presidential primary, announced Monday that he will retire in the coming days. Gardner has held the office since December 1976, when he was elected at the age of 28. He's the longest-serving secretary of state in the nation. As the state's chief election official, Gardner is responsible for enforcing laws and regulations around voting in New Hampshire. But it's as chief defender of the state's presidential primary that Gardner has earned his loudest praise -- and criticism. At a press conference in his cramped State House office Monday, Gardner waved away a suggestion that he was stepping down for health reasons. He said Dave Scanlan, his current deputy, will serve as the interim secretary of state. Gardner's departure from office comes as the nominating calendar for the 2024 presidential election remains unsettled, with some states looking to knock New Hampshire and Iowa from their traditional spots at the front of the process. His retirement also bookends one of the longest and most influential careers in New Hampshire politics. Gardner, who grew up and lived most of his life in Manchester, got his political start as a class president at the University of New Hampshire. In his early 20s, he was elected to the New Hampshire House as part of a wave that ushered in a crew of young, idealistic lawmakers looking to make a mark in state politics. From early on, Gardner focused on election reform, rallying behind proposals to make it easier to vote and easier for young people to serve in the state Senate. When the secretary of state's job opened up in his third term, Gardner saw an opportunity to have an even bigger impact. Over the decades, Gardner defended the first-in-the-nation primary from many criticisms: that it was unfair to other states; that New Hampshire's relative lack of racial and ethnic diversity skewed the process. |
| School districts, universities monitoring COVID-19 cases | |
| The Mississippi State Department of Health reported over 17,500 new COVID-19 cases Monday and five additional deaths from a four-day period of Dec. 30, 2021, to Jan. 2. The sky-high COVID-19 numbers are causing a number of school districts and universities to alter how they are returning to the classrooms. The high COVID-19 numbers are likely to climb higher over the coming days after the holiday festivities. Some educators are trying to limit the chances of kids bringing back the virus into the classroom. Jackson State University announced that students will start online for the first two weeks of the spring semester. Anyone coming onto campus will have to show proof of vaccination or a clear COVID-19 test. JSU plans to use a synchronized online format until students are set to return to their in-person learning on Jan. 24. |
| Teachers at culture war front lines with Jan. 6 education | |
| What students are learning about the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 may depend on where they live. In a Boston suburb in heavily Democratic Massachusetts, history teacher Justin Voldman said his students will spend the day journaling about what happened and talking about the fragility of democracy. "I feel really strongly that this needs to be talked about," said Voldman, who teaches history at Natick High School, 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Boston. As the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, he said "it is fair to draw parallels between what happened on Jan. 6 and the rise of fascism." Voldman said he feels fortunate: "There are other parts of the country where ... I would be scared to be a teacher." Liz Wagner, an eighth and ninth grade social studies teacher in a Des Moines suburb of increasingly Republican Iowa, got an email from an administrator last year, warning teachers to be careful in how they framed the discussion. "I guess I was so, I don't know if naïve is the appropriate word, perhaps exhausted from the pandemic teaching year last year, to understand how controversial this was going to be," she said. With crowds shouting at school board meetings and political action committees investing millions of dollars in races to elect conservative candidates across the country, talking to students about what happened on Jan. 6 is increasingly fraught. |
| Covid-19's turbulent new year for American schools | |
 | American schools are ringing in another year of anxiety and uncertainty, as Covid-19's fast-spreading Omicron variant forces campuses to redeploy their pandemic playbooks just as students return from winter break. Waves of higher education institutions are setting out plans for remote learning, adding back-to-campus testing or vaccine booster requirements --- or outright delaying the start of the spring semester. Other colleges are resisting longer breaks or virtual classes, however, insisting campus life can maintain a sense of normalcy thanks to hard lessons learned throughout 2020 and 2021. "It is now clear that Covid-19, in various forms, will be with us for the foreseeable future," Northeastern University Chancellor Ken Henderson said in a recent message to his Boston campus. "As we move into this endemic phase of the pandemic, our job is to continue to control Covid effectively, not let Covid control us." Northeastern's remain-open plan, by the way, won plaudits from Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. Yet Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown and Morehouse College rank among the institutions that will delay in-person classes and turn to virtual learning this month because of the virus' rapid case growth. Now consider the situation facing millions of potentially unvaccinated students returning to the nation's K-12 schools. President Joe Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona are making a push for vaccines and Covid-19 testing to help keep elementary, middle and high schools open for business. Some major school systems pushed tests before resuming classes this week. But rising caseloads, and concerns about testing supplies and logistics, are challenging the White House. Buckle up for a turbulent start to 2022. |
| U. of Alabama reinstates mask mandate for spring semester | |
 | When the University of Alabama resumes operations Tuesday, people will be required to wear masks in most campus settings regardless of their coronavirus vaccination status. UA had lifted its mask mandate in November 2021, but since then a surge in coronavirus cases linked to the fast-spreading omicron variant has been reported. "As national and local coronavirus transmission rates have increased, some updates to existing protocols are necessary and now in effect," states an update posted Monday afternoon on UA's health information website. This means that when the nearly 38,320 UA students return to Tuscaloosa on Jan. 12 for the start of the spring semester, masks will be required in classrooms, on buses and inside most campus buildings. People who are unvaccinated will be required to wear a mask indoors and while outdoors in crowds, according to UA. Also, UA said that faculty, staff and students who feel sick or symptomatic are urged to call the University COVID Support Program at 205-348-3819. Those who test positive are required to call the number and follow instructions for testing, quarantine and isolation. UA said that Dr. Ricky Friend, dean of the College of Community Health Sciences, emphasizes the effectiveness of vaccinations, boosters and wearing well-fitting masks in all public locations. |
| Federal judge refuses to toss U. of Florida professors' First Amendment lawsuit | |
 | A federal judge on Monday refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by University of Florida professors challenging a policy that gives the school discretion in blocking faculty members from testifying against the state in legal cases. Political science professors Sharon Austin, Michael McDonald and Daniel Smith filed the lawsuit after university officials denied their requests to serve as plaintiffs' witnesses in a legal battle about a new state elections law (SB 90) that will, in part, make it harder for Floridians to vote by mail. The professors turned to the court after university officials told them that going against the executive branch of the government was "adverse" to the school's interests. Three additional professors later joined as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The professors contend that the university's conflict-of-interest policy violates First Amendment speech rights and discriminates based on viewpoint and content. Amid a national spotlight on the policy, University of Florida President Kent Fuchs walked back the decision on the professors' testimony in the elections case, saying they would be allowed to be paid as plaintiffs' experts if they did so on their own time and did not use school resources. Fuchs also quickly assembled a task force to review the conflict-of-interest issue and signed off on recommended changes to the policy. The revised policy says there is a "strong presumption" that the university will approve faculty or staff requests to testify as expert witnesses. |
| Inside Vanderbilt University's new 20-story West End Avenue tower | |
| Nicholas S. Zeppos Residential College, on the corner of West End Avenue and 25th Avenue South, sets itself apart from the rest of the city's new developments by mimicking traditional Nashville construction. The project, which includes a 20-story tower, features gothic design elements and a red brick façade. Making a new building in an old style presented a challenge, architect Sara Atherton, who led the project for Hastings Architecture said. "The trickiest part was the exterior. It's meant to look old but 150 years ago they built with brick and stone because that's what held it up. The way we do it now, it's basically all hanging on a steel frame so you have design challenges -- you want to have expansion joints whereas old buildings didn't need them," Atherton said. "Now we have HVAC, so your floor-to-floor heights want to be taller so you can get duct work above the ceiling. They didn't have to do that 150 years ago." The 242,400-square foot building houses 335 upper-class students in a mix of double and single rooms as well as four-person suites. The campus also features numerous common spaces for studying, socializing and eating. In addition, the tower includes a mix of temporary housing for visiting lecturers and meeting rooms. Atherton said the project was designed to make the campus feel like an Ivy League school, where students can live and learn all in the same place. Zeppos College is the second of four planned residential colleges Hastings Architecture has designed for Vanderbilt University. |
| U. of Missouri not planning to revise classes due to omicron variant | |
 | The University of Missouri System is not planning to delay the start of the spring semester or move to online classes, despite a nationwide surge of COVID-19 cases fed by the spread of the omicron variant of the virus. At MU, spokesperson Christian Basi said the university is currently not anticipating any scheduling changes. Classes at the MU campus in Columbia will begin as planned Jan. 18. "We would communicate any of those changes to our campus community," Basi said. The mask and vaccine policy at MU will also remain the same, Basi said. Most students, regardless of vaccination status, will not be required to wear masks indoors. The university continues to strongly recommend wearing masks and getting vaccinated. More than 70 colleges nationwide had announced by Jan. 1 that they will be switching to online learning or delaying the start of the spring semester, according to The Associated Press. Among them are Harvard and Stanford universities. Harvard is moving classes online for the first three weeks of the new term and Stanford for two, according to the publication Inside Higher Education The University of Chicago is delaying the beginning of spring classes and is scheduling the first two weeks of instruction online. |
| U. of Memphis offers faculty $3K for 'infusing' equity, social justice into curriculum: report | |
 | The University of Memphis in Tennessee has offered professors $3,000 to infuse their courses with diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice, according to a report Monday. An all-faculty email obtained by the Free Beacon shows the university offering a $1,500 stipend after professors redesign their curricula, with another $1,500 after teaching the redesigned course. According to the email, 15-20 faculty members will be selected for the program, which begins in the spring of 2022. "This announcement offers a competitive grant opportunity designed to support faculty who are interested in redesigning and aligning existing course syllabi with the goals established by the workgroup entitled, Infusing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice into Existing Courses/Curriculum," the email reads. That working group links to a report emphasizing the need for anti-racism, a term popularized by controversial author Ibram Kendi. It includes a call to "[e]stablish funding to incentivize faculty and instructors to enroll in cultural competency workshops focused on race and racism, designing anti-racist syllabi, and developing skills and appropriate dispositions for facilitating anti-racist classroom discussion." An unnamed professor criticized the move in comments to the Beacon. "We've had a hard time retaining good faculty at our salary levels, so anytime you see money being spent on non-student or non-faculty causes, it makes you scratch your head," the professor reportedly said. |
| Who Wants to Be a College President? | |
 | When Charles Ambrose was interviewing for his third college-president job last year, it felt different. Ambrose, who became chancellor of Henderson State University, in Arkansas, two months ago, had left higher education in 2018 to lead a nonprofit, after two stints as a university leader. But he returned to a search process so different, he felt like he was experiencing it for the first time. "It's not the same job they would have hired me for in 2018," Ambrose said. The past few years have brought on a growing list of challenges for even the wealthiest and most selective institutions: a pandemic, widespread political backlash, enrollment declines, and the public's questions about the value of college. At some colleges, choosing a new president could be an existential decision. "Even at very established institutions, the stakes are higher," said Robin Mamlet, a senior partner with the search firm WittKieffer. As a result, some boards have changed their search criteria. Today, they're often looking for someone risk-tolerant who is willing to push through major changes. At the same time, board members, who typically come to their jobs with business experience and political ties, may also feel they're better equipped to pick a president without input from faculty, staff, and students. Candidates for president, too, are becoming pickier about the kinds of colleges they want to work at, said several new campus leaders, by requiring a clear picture of the institution's finances and the board's expectations. "In a moment where the landscape is shifting, I wanted to be at an institution where the board had its eyes wide open with respect to the challenges," said Susan Wente, who became the president of Wake Forest University in July 2021. |
| 7 higher education trends to watch in 2022 | |
| Colleges are entering a third calendar year defined by the pandemic. They had some reason for optimism in 2021, with federal aid and the wide availability of the coronavirus vaccine helping to steady the sector. But the omicron variant threatens their budding stability, meaning some of the operational shifts that emerged early in the pandemic will remain, like campus coronavirus mandates and new admissions policies. Change is on the horizon, however, including possible increases in state support and the Biden administration racing on its regulatory agenda. We've identified several trends to watch for 2022, and we'll be keeping you updated on them throughout the year: Efforts to reverse slumping enrollment; Can colleges avoid being drawn into a partisan fray?; Where federal aid and state budgets go; Biden administration plans; How much will campuses need to scramble because of COVID-19?; Can ed tech providers build on their momentum?; and, Testing in admissions. |
| New data on how race and gender shape science | |
 | A new study of millions of academic papers and the scholars who wrote them finds a connection between lead authors' racial and gender identities and their research topics -- and that underrepresented groups are overrepresented in topics with relatively low citation counts. The study's authors say these trends limit both individual and scientific advancement. They urge more access to science for nonwhite scholars and women, plus more funding for the research they pursue. Co-author Thema Monroe-White, an assistant professor of management information systems at Berry College, in Georgia, said her and her colleagues' data push back on persistent, "idealized notions of meritocracy in science." If science really was a meritocracy, Monroe-White said, "there would not be a relationship between race and gender, research topic and impact. That there is one demonstrates that advances in scientific knowledge are shaped by socially constructed, nonmeritocratic factors." As the study notes, "The compound effect of different citation rates of topics and unequal distribution on topics by race and gender leads to negative effects for marginalized groups and for science itself, as some topics become systematically less studied ... The diversification of the scientific workforce is necessary to create a scientific system whose results benefit all of society." Demonstrating how these dynamics hurt science in the long run, the study offers what it calls a "coarse" but striking counterfactual: if the demographics of scientists across fields more closely resembled those of the U.S. population, the last 40 years would have yielded 29 percent more articles in public health, 26 percent more on gender-based violence, 25 percent more on gynecology and gerontology, 20 percent more on immigrants and minorities, and 18 percent more on mental health. |
| As Omicron Rages On, So Does The Pandemic's Unequal Toll on Faculty | |
| With the Omicron variant spreading rapidly and the fall semester now over, many faculty are reflecting on the ongoing, disparate impact of the pandemic on their careers while bracing themselves for what comes next. The pandemic already compounded inequalities for many women, particularly women of color, and nonbinary faculty in tenure-track roles. Several say they are stretched thin, again. "I think everyone is just so exhausted," said Dr. Leslie D. Gonzales, an associate professor in the higher, adult, and lifelong learning unit at Michigan State University in the College of Education. "I have been in academia since 2010, and I have never been more tired. I definitely am not alone. I know women of color especially have experienced loss after loss. And the university just keeps plugging along." Gonzales stressed that as COVID-19 disproportionately hit communities of color hardest beginning in March 2020, faculty of color are often more likely to know family members or friends who have passed away from the coronavirus. "What happened in the first 18 months or so of the pandemic cannot be forgotten," said Gonzales. "People are still coping with those losses." In addition, Gonzales highlighted the ongoing childcare challenges facing faculty who are caregivers, particularly women and nonbinary people. For years long before the pandemic, research already outlined how female faculty and faculty of color in tenure-track roles often do more mentoring and university service work than their white male colleagues. Yet this workload does not advance their careers given the tenure review process prioritizes research and publications over service, teaching, and mentoring labor. |
| Growing 'maze' of education credentials is confusing consumers, employers | |
 | When Nate Tsang gets a resume from a job applicant to his company, WallStreetZen, he often sees credentials he's never heard of. So these days, as part of the hiring process, he gets straight to the sometimes uncomfortable point: "I'm going to ask them what they learned." Tsang, whose company provides stock research for investors, is among the many employers weighing the quality of a bewildering proliferation of education credentials on applicants' resumes and transcripts -- and whether they're even real. "There certainly are more and more certification programs every year," he said. "Unless it's an actual degree, I can't accept the certification at face value." There is, in fact, a "maze" of nearly a million unique education credentials in the United States, the nonprofit Credential Engine reports, including not only degrees but also badges, certificates, licenses, apprenticeships and industry certifications. More have popped up during the pandemic as career-switchers seek education and training. The result is confusion among employers scrambling for workers -- and growing concern that unsavory players may be taking advantage to sell fraudulent credentials. "What folks are struggling with is whether or not that credential means what it says it means," said Julie Uranis, vice president for online and strategic initiatives at the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. |
| Student loan payments keep getting delayed. Will the debt ever be forgiven? | |
| When Scott Heins heard that the Biden administration was giving student loan borrowers another three months before they'll have to start making their payments again, he had mixed feelings. On one hand, the freelance photographer in Brooklyn, New York, doesn't know how the fast-spreading omicron variant of Covid-19 will impact his work, and so getting a little more time is a relief. More than a decade after graduating college, he still owes more than $20,000. Yet the repeated extensions are just a kind of spot treatment on a national crisis, Heins said. A year into Joe Biden's presidency, Heins is disappointed the chief executive hasn't moved to forgive student debt. On the campaign trail, Biden promised to cancel at least $10,000 per borrower. "I don't see student loan debt as something that there's a way out of, or a way around," Heins, 33, said. "My sights are set on what our political leadership is going to do." "Why restart payments at all?" Katrina vanden Heuvel, a columnist for The Washington Post, recently asked. She went on to say that much of Biden's agenda is in jeopardy, including the derailment of the Build Back Better spending bill, and that loan forgiveness is something he could do without Congress. "Biden should act now," vanden Heuvel said. "Canceling student debt is as strategically smart as it is morally urgent." Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Democrats have also recently repeated their call on the president to wipe out the debt. |
| Why Student Debt Keeps Growing -- Even When Borrowers Keep Paying | |
| How does a graduate student loan balance get out of control, despite years of dutiful payments? A series of Wall Street Journal articles has explored how some private colleges are charging six-figure sums for graduate degrees that lead to low pay, and how federal lending programs without limits result in extremely high debt loads. After graduation, a significant and growing percentage of graduate students enter repayment plans that tie monthly payments to their salaries, according to the Congressional Budget Office. But often these payments aren't enough to even cover interest, meaning the overall debt continues to grow. We put you in the shoes of a graduate who begins a two-year master's program in 2021 that costs $100,000. In this scenario, you earn an adjusted gross income of $65,000 after graduation. Your student loan will cover two-year tuition of $100,000, and two-year living expenses of about $50,000, plus other less-familiar costs. Loan origination fees tack about $5,000 on to the $150,000 you need. And loans for graduate students collect interest while you are in school. You can currently borrow $41,000 in one type of federal loan at a 5.28% interest rate; you must borrow the rest in Grad Plus, which now charges 6.28%. This adds up to nearly $15,000 in interest by the time you enter repayment six months after graduation. Federal student loan interest capitalizes when you enter repayment---meaning interest is tacked on to your principal, raising it to about $170,000, and you start paying interest on that higher amount. |
| Will Congress deliver big funding boosts for science? Here's your guide | |
| Congress came very close to giving U.S. researchers a funding windfall in 2021. But the Democrats' narrow majority in both houses and a united Republican opposition doomed efforts to pass three major pieces of legislation, each one containing billions of dollars for research. However, science advocates are cautiously optimistic that lawmakers, who return to work this week, could approve all three measures early this year. Here's the scorecard: Build Back Better (BBB), President Joe Biden's signature social welfare legislation, which also includes money to better understand and confront climate change; The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), aimed at keeping the United States ahead of China in the global race for technological preeminence; and The set of 12 annual spending bills that set budgets for every federal agency. These bills would replace a current agreement to largely freeze spending levels at 2021 levels. Lobbyists for universities and science groups are generally pleased that these proposals call for hefty---and sometimes historic---investments in research. But they worry Congress may not be able to finish the delicate negotiations needed within the next few months. |
| Federal prosecutor James Tucker stood tall challenging Mississippi's corruption | |
 | Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: When retired federal prosecutor James B. Tucker died on Dec. 28 at the age of 82, the cause of justice and the rule of law in Mississippi lost a mighty warrior. Tucker was a trusted, impeccable source for me in the 1980s when I covered a copious number of public corruption trials in the U.S. District Court of Southern Mississippi. Tucker was a man of impeccable personal and professional integrity and battled corruption with courage, vigor, and a sense of moral outrage. For Mississippi public officials who thought it appropriate to dip into the public till Tucker was a worthy and pine knot-tough adversary. But as we came to trust each other, I gained a fascinating look into the complex undercover investigation that came to be called "the Pretense Scandal" in Mississippi -- which unearthed pervasive kickbacks and bribery in county government in the state. We rarely talked other than off-the-record conversation. He demanded confidentiality. "If you burn me, we'll never talk again," was something Tucker said early and often in our conversations. What I learned was their there existed in that day a sense of entitlement among local officials to solicit and accept bribes and kickbacks in the conduct of the public's business. |
SPORTS
| Basketball 'Dawg Talk' Schedule Set | |
| Mississippi State basketball's "Dawg Talk" radio show returns with coach Ben Howland on Monday, Jan. 3, from 7-8 p.m. on the affiliates of the MSU Sports Radio Network presented by Learfield IMG College. "Dawg Talk" presented by C Spire is hosted by the "Voice of the Bulldogs" Neil Price for the men and Jason Crowder on the women's side. The 60-minute program also can be watched online at www.Facebook.com/HailState and is streamed online courtesy of www.HailState.com/plus and The Varsity Network App. Howland is scheduled to make five additional appearances on Jan. 17, Jan. 31, Feb. 14 and Feb. 21, whereas women's interim coach Doug Novak is slated to appear four times on Jan. 10, Jan. 24, Feb. 7 and Feb. 28. Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's and women's basketball programs. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching "HailStateMBK" and "HailStateWBK" on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. |
| For NCAA, year of upheaval leads to need for transformation | |
| From court losses to political pressure to questions about how -- and if -- athletes should be compensated, the NCAA and college sports have faced all sorts of potential existential threats for more than 100 years. The difference in 2021 was volume. It was as if a century's worth of issues fell on college sports all at once. Lawmakers took aim at the NCAA, undercutting its ability to govern. The Supreme Court issued a scathing rebuke of the so-called collegiate model. Internally, a new era of athlete empowerment was clumsily ushered in with all sorts of unintended consequences. Another wave of conference realignment swept through college sports, causing disruptions and distrust among its leaders. "I think it is unquestionably an unprecedented potential crisis the NCAA is facing today," said Gabe Feldman, the director of Tulane University's sports law program. If 2021 was about upheaval in college sports, 2022 will be largely defined by reform. College sports leaders will attempt to redefine the NCAA. The goal is to s hift power away from the national governing body to conferences and schools, while still maintaining the association; To be more accommodating to the wide-ranging goals and needs of a wildly diverse membership, while still remaining tethered through competition. "I see value in the national association," Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said. "I see value in the big tent. But we're challenged in new ways." |
| Lack of clear NCAA rules creates confusion around NIL | |
| When name, image and likeness reforms swept through the NCAA in June, it ushered in a new era for college sports and student athletes alike, one that some observers have likened to the Wild West, with little in the way of guidance as schools and players navigate new terrain. But if policies allowing athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness are akin to the Wild West, the NCAA is the sheriff tasked with overseeing law and order in this uncharted territory. And that's a tough job -- NIL laws are a patchwork across states. Some states have no NIL laws, forcing colleges located within their borders to rely on the loose guidelines the NCAA provided at the last minute as a court opinion opened the door for NIL last summer. The lack of clear-cut NCAA policies has created a host of confusion around many aspects of NIL, including whole-team deals, experts say. "There's not really any guidance from the NCAA," said Erin E. Butcher, a higher education attorney at Bricker & Eckler in Ohio. "Where does a group deal cross the line from a permissible NIL deal to being some sort of improper recruiting inducement or pay for play?" Now it appears the NCAA is taking a look at programs that have potentially crossed the murky lines of NIL. NCAA president Mark Emmert, without going into specifics, announced in December that the organization was investigating "a number" of schools for possible NIL violations. |
| The transfer portal's chaotic QB shuffle is the new normal | |
| On Christmas Eve, Wyoming coach Craig Bohl posted a message on Twitter that many found flatly bizarre. In the tweet, Bohl revealed that his program needed a quarterback -- for starters, an unusual approach -- and that he planned to acquire that quarterback through the transfer portal or a junior college. It was a loud and public cry to the dozens of quarterbacks in the portal. HELP WANTED. In its fourth year of existence, the transfer portal is impacting the sport more than ever before. It is resulting in curious public statements such as Bohl's tweet, an outcry from frustrated coaches, new positions on coaching staffs and player movement like college football has never witnessed. The last two months have seen more than 3,000 NCAA DI, D2 and D3 football players enter the portal, the highest number of entrants in the history of the operation. The portal has become such a driving force that college officials this fall increased school signing limits as a way for coaches to replace their players who left for the portal. The portal has gained enough traction among college football's fanbase that Dr. Pepper incorporated it into its "Fansville" ad campaign. The "transfer portal" appears in one commercial not as a glorified database with transferring players' names but as a true portal, a mythical gateway that transmits players across space and time. |
| Brad Davis is 'so proud' to be LSU's first Black head football coach, even if for one day | |
 | One Sunday last month, Brad Davis went to his parents' house just off Winbourne Avenue in north Baton Rouge. He had attended church with his mother, and once they returned, she cooked a pot of white beans. His father, a longtime butcher, prepared barbecue. While Davis looked forward to a rare relaxing afternoon with his family, he got a phone call. As LSU's interim coach, he had to conduct a news conference that evening. He told his parents he was going to appear on television. "They went crazy," Davis said. Davis soon drove to the football operations building with his wife and two sons. LSU had named him the interim coach after Ed Orgeron's last game, asking him to carry the program through a period of tumultuous transition and making him the first Black head coach in team history Tuesday night during the Texas Bowl. Though later retained as the offensive line coach, Davis had to take over without initially knowing if he had a job next season. He embraced the opportunity. A proud native of the 70805 zip code who graduated from Belaire High School, Davis had prepared his whole life for this moment. He didn't want to waste his chance. Davis considered his temporary position an "honor," especially because of deep racial divides historically in Louisiana. But over the last year, LSU named William F. Tate IV the first Black president of a Southeastern Conference school and made Davis the interim coach. He thought their roles showed the state's flagship university had made progress. |
| UConn's Geno Auriemma fires back at Muffet McGraw, says any 'bias' derives from Huskies' 11 national titles vs. Notre Dame's 2 | |
| UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma fired back at Muffet McGraw on Monday following the former Notre Dame coach's recent comments alleging "complete bias" when it comes to the Huskies and Connecticut-based ESPN. "I think the bias has something to do -- if there is any -- with the 11 national championships, which is a lot more than two," Auriemma said on the "UConn WBB Coaches Show." "At least I remember that on 'Sesame Street.'" McGraw's remarks came during a Dec. 22 appearance on the "Off the Looking Glass" podcast by Kate Fagan and Jessica Smetana, who asked her if UConn has an "outsized" influence on women's basketball. "Absolutely," said McGraw, who retired after the 2020 season and now works as an analyst with the ACC Network. Auriemma, contacted by ESPN at the time, said he had no comment on McGraw's remarks. But he didn't hold back when addressing McGraw's claims on Monday. "I guess Muffet's bored," Auriemma told show host Bob Joyce. "I guess she doesn't have a whole lot to talk about. Usually when she was coaching, when she did talk, nobody listened anyway. I guess she figures she's got a platform now." |
| Andrew Maraniss writing a book on the 50th anniversary of Title IX | |
 | One of New York Times bestselling author and Nashville resident Andrew Maraniss' earliest sports memories was watching the U.S. women's basketball team in the 1976 Olympics and the evolution that took place afterward. The rise came about during the women's rights movement and after the Title IX gender equity law had been passed and resulted in women's sports making strides in catching up with men. With 2022 marking the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Maraniss, 51, decided the time was right to tell the story of the 1976 U.S. women's Olympic basketball team and the indelible mark it left on history in his latest book: "Inaugural Ballers: The True Story of the First U.S. Women's Olympics Basketball Team." "It's not the anniversary of that historic team, but that team came along a couple of years after Title IX was signed and Title IX was starting to be implemented finally," Maraniss said. "The hook of the book is that this is a team that really sort of put women's team sports on the map. Before there was a Women's World Cup in soccer or women's soccer in the Olympics there was basketball." The 1976 U.S. women's basketball team included Pat Summitt as a player, even though she was in her second season as the basketball coach at Tennessee. The team also included Ann Meyers from UCLA, Nancy Lieberman, who was still in high school, and Lucy Harris, the first Black player at Delta State who was drafted in 1977 by the NBA's New Orleans Jazz. |
| The Tipping Point Between Being an Engaged Worker or Workaholic within College Athletics | |
| Working in college athletics is the ultimate dream for many folks, motivated by: a direct connection to sports, status with an important part of our social zeitgeist, opportunities for travel, rubbing shoulders with local celebrities, or an opportunity to extend your aspirations of being an athlete by working with them. These motivations for work can often translate into motivations to work. College sport organizations are fortunate to have a passionate workforce that's willing to do whatever is necessary to maintain their position within the profession, in addition to an eager supply of prospective employees if a replacement is needed. These characteristics can lead to a highly engaged workforce that is enthusiastic about their work, committed to the organization and its goals, and motivated to be successful as an individual and on behalf of the organization. Work engagement has been defined as, "a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption." This commitment and motivation are beneficial for the organization, as its engaged employees are in lockstep with organizational goals and willing to adjust their responsibilities as needed. It also provides a number of benefits for the employees. Highly engaged employees have shown to report greater job satisfaction, increased organizational commitment, decreased intentions to leave the organization, and a more trusting relationship between employee and employer. Some workers can take these work motivations too far and become "over-engaged". They can start to exhibit characteristics of those defined as workaholics. |
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