| Tuesday, February 7, 2023 |
| Career Expo returns to MSU this week for spring session | |
 | Mississippi State's bi-annual Career Expo is returning this spring with plenty of opportunities for students to land internships, co-ops and part-time or full-time jobs. Hosted by MSU's Career Center, the free event takes place Feb. 9-10 from noon to 4 p.m. at The Mill at MSU Conference Center. Day one of the event will involve companies seeking engineering and technical majors, while day two will include companies seeking all majors. With major companies including C Spire, PACCAR, Frito-Lay and International Paper attending, students of all backgrounds will be given a chance at future career opportunities. Participants should wear business professional attire and bring copies of their resume. MSU's Career Center helps students prepare for interviews and refine their resumes, along with offering a range of services to provide students and alumni with the tools to succeed after graduation. The Career Center is online at www.career.msstate.edu. |
| U.S. Army awards contract to Mississippi headquartered Camgian to develop AI systems | |
 | The U.S. Army has awarded a $17 million contract to Camgian to develop artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) enabled systems for significantly enhancing situational awareness capabilities of the warfighter. Headquartered in Starkville, Mississippi, the company is an award-winning developer of digital technologies that deliver real-time, actionable intelligence. The latest contract through the Department of Defense will continue Camgian's work to digitally transform today's battlefield and provide the U.S. Army with highly automated capabilities to perceive the battlespace. The purpose is for the AI and ML to rapidly reason on large amounts of heterogeneous data and respond decisively to threats. "We are excited for this opportunity to work with the Army to advance their capabilities and to provide the best tools and information possible in support of the Army's key missions," said Derrick Savage, Camgian's Chief Operating Officer, in a release announcing the contract. Through innovations in data science, AI, and software, Camgian says its technologists have been pioneering the next generation of cognitive computing applications that address critical needs in the national security and industrial markets. Camgian was founded in December 2006 by Dr. Gary Butler. The company later acquired Theseus Logic and Cypress Semiconductor's Mississippi Design Center |
| Mississippi company creates AI battlefield technology. Receives $17 million contract | |
 | A Mississippi company has team with the U.S. government for new contracts through the Department of Defense that will develop artificial intelligence and machine learning systems that will help automate military capabilities on the battlefield. Camgian of Starkville has entered into an agreement with US Army with contracts totaling $17 million for the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning enabled systems for significantly enhancing situational awareness capabilities in warfare. For Camgian's part, it will work to create digital formats to provide the Army with automated capabilities to analyze the battlespace, then rapidly reason on large amounts of data and respond to potential threats. "Through these new programs, we will continue to expand the Army's capabilities to think and act faster than our adversaries," says Dr. Gary Butler, Camgian CEO and Founder. "We are honored to serve our warfighters and provide them with the tools that they need to be successful in the current and future fight." This goes hand in hand with what the Department of Defense announced in the summer of 2022, suggesting "that startups and innovative small industries should be sought out by DOD for their creative solutions and added that DOD needs to work with small and medium industries to help them bolster their cybersecurity needs. " |
| RURAL Study looks to understand southeastern health concerns | |
 | A cardiologist at University of Mississippi Medical Center, Dr. Ervin Fox is well-decorated with 139 journal articles and 35 medical students, residents and cardiology fellows he has mentored at UMMC. But he is also the principal investigator for the Mississippi effort in the Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal (RURAL) Study. For its weekly program on Monday, February 6, the Starkville Rotary Club welcomed Fox to talk about the RURAL Study, which is a national study funded by the National Institutes of Health that aims to address critical gaps in its knowledge of heart and lung disorders in rural counties in the southeastern US. Fox, a Mississippi State graduate, says that some of the very first investigations into the RURAL Study actually took place at MSU, and now it's become a national awareness due to a steady trend. |
| Collins returns as Oktibbeha road manager | |
 | Victor Collins has spent half his life working for the county road department. After a nearly six-year hiatus, he is returning to lead it once again. Supervisors voted 4-0 Monday to rehire Collins as road manager. He retired in May 2017 after serving 30 years with the department, including the last seven at its helm. He will make $45 per hour in the full-time position, which works out to $93,600 annually based on 40-hour work weeks. He will start work "as soon as possible," according to the board vote. "People have been asking me, 'Why wouldn't you?'" he told supervisors during his public interview Monday afternoon. "That's the reason I came back." Collins will replace Hal Baggett, whom supervisors fired Jan. 3 following a string of concerns regarding his leadership skills and ability to manage employees. Baggett was hired in 2017 after Collins retired. The county has operated with an interim road manager for more than a month while advertising for a permanent replacement. Collins and road department equipment operator Tony Dawson were the only applicants, and the board interviewed both Monday before its vote. |
| Mississippi's retired public employees are raising a red flag about a bill pending at the State Capitol | |
| Retired public employees are keeping a close watch on the State Capitol. They're worried a pending bill would insert the legislature into some decision-making for the retirement system. For some background, public employees around the state pay into Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi, known as PERS. Right now, decisions about how much employees' current contributions are made by the PERS board. But pending legislation could put the legislature in the middle of those decisions. House Bill 605 isn't the same as when Rep. Charles Busby first filed it. "I filed House Bill 605 as a bill to allow teachers that have retired, come back and teach in the classroom and still draw their retirement," said Busby during a personal point of privilege on February 1. Busby started getting flooded with calls and messages, and that's when he realized it was "hijacked completely." "I was never told about it," Busby said. The bill went from 30 to 10 pages when it was amended in the appropriations committee. Now its aim? Require the legislature to sign off on any future contribution increases by PERS. It was those changes that spurred the calls to action from the Mississippi Retired Public Employees' Association. "When we retired, we were told what our benefits were gonna be," said retiree and MRPEA board member Sam Valentine. "And we could plan our retirement income around that until, like, the day of our death." |
| Miss. PERS asks local governments to increase contributions; Jackson County leaders react | |
 | Mississippi's Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) is asking local governments to make a staggering increase in its contributions. In an email sent to municipalities, PERS is requesting an increase of 17.4% to 22.4%. That increase will cost anywhere from a couple hundred thousand to more than a million. "Should the legislature pass the requested increase, it would cost the city of Gautier an estimated $306,000," said Gautier Mayor Casey Vaughn. "That would halt future pay increase for all employees and stifle the addition of needed personnel. That also means the citizens of Gautier would have a large tax increase." In Moss Point, the 5% increase would add up to almost $200,000. For a city struggling financially, the repercussions could be serious. The requested increase will cost Pascagoula-Gautier School District $550,000, the City of Ocean Springs $590,000 and Jackson County $1.2 million. Those massive price tags are why some mayors are creating a resolution that asks state lawmakers to intervene and find alternative ways to pay for the increase, instead of putting the financial burden on local governments. "I do not think the PERS board would make such a drastic decision if they knew the repercussions it would cost each government," said Mayor Vaughn. He believes PERS should have more oversight from legislature. |
| Six senators and eight House members in Northeast Mississippi in contested legislative races | |
 | Six incumbent senators and eight House members from Northeast Mississippi will face opponents during their bid for re-election this year. The senators who represent a portion of Lee County -- Democratic Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory and Republican Sen. Chad McMahan of Guntown -- both face challengers who hope to keep the incumbent lawmakers from securing another term in office. In Senate District 6, McMahan, who is completing his second term, will face Lauren Smith in the August Republican primary. No one filed paperwork to run in the Democratic primary, so the winner of the Republican primary will win the overall race. In Senate District 7, Bryan, currently the longest serving senator, will compete against Republican challenger Robert Mitchell. Neither Mitchell nor Bryan have primary opponents, meaning they will compete against one another during the November general election. None of House members representing Lee County face any opposition this year. There are two open House seats in Northeast Mississippi: one in Pontotoc County and one in Calhoun County. Beth Luther Waldo is the only person who filed paperwork to run for House District 15, the seat Rep. Mac Huddleston of Pontotoc currently occupies. Huddleston previously announced he is not running for re-election, so Waldo will represent House District 15 during the next four-year term. |
| Lawmaker seeks fines for Jackson over river pollution, despite ongoing federal enforcement | |
| Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, is hoping to bring more accountability over Jackson's ongoing pollution of the Pearl River through the city's failing wastewater system, despite a federal agency already enforcing the issue through a consent decree. House Bill 1094, which passed through its House committee last Tuesday, would fine the capital city up to $1 million for each "improper disposal" of wastewater or sewage into the river. Currie said a consent decree being enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency and Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality since 2012 is not doing enough to protect the Pearl River from Jackson's pollution. The fines that could result from HB 1094, she explained, would go to help clean up the river in the areas of the state downstream from Jackson. "When you dump raw sewage in (the Pearl River) for other counties to worry about, it's disgusting," said Currie, who's district includes towns, such as Monticello, bordering the river downstream of Jackson. "When you go down the Pearl River, you can see toilet paper hanging off little branches." Currie said that the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality told her that the agency hasn't yet fined Jackson for such discharges, but an MDEQ spokesperson clarified that it hasn't issued a fine since the 2012 federal consent decree. Currie called the Pearl River important for the "way of life" of communities downstream of Jackson, with Mississippians using the river to swim, canoe and catch fish. |
| Bill saying mayors cannot veto no votes gets initial approval, amid Jackson trash fight | |
 | As a battle over who picks up Jackson residents' trash continues to play out in court, the Mississippi Senate gave tentative approval to a bill that would clarify that mayors in the state cannot veto no votes or award contracts without the approval of the city council or board of aldermen. Senate Bill 2735, sponsored by Sen. Angela Hill, R-Picayune, would limit all mayors in the state to a $100 budget when spending money without council approval. "All this basically does is just clarify that a mayor cannot act unilaterally and enter into a contract or adopt an ordinance or expend funds in excess of $100 in one instance without, without the vote of the council or board of aldermen," Hill said. The bill inserts the word "affirmative" to the veto section of state law on mayoral powers. "The mayor, or in his absence the vice mayor, shall as chairman preside at all meetings of the council, and shall have veto power, in writing, giving his reasons therefor, of any affirmative measure passed by the council, although an affirmative measure vetoed may be adopted notwithstanding, if two-thirds (2/3) of the council vote therefor," the bill reads. It seems to be a direct response to the years of fighting that has taken place in Jackson over garbage collection. |
| Mississippi House pushes blueberry and opal as state symbols | |
 | The Mississippi House has voted to recognize two new symbols -- the blueberry as the state fruit and the opal as the state gemstone. Both bills passed Monday, and they will move to the Senate for more work. Republican Rep. Jill Ford of Madison said a fourth grade civics class in Madison County proposed the blueberry legislation after they did research and learned that blueberries are the most-produced fruit in the state. During a brief debate, Democratic Rep. Chris Bell of Jackson asked Ford whether any other types of fruit were considered for official recognition. She said no. "I do not like blueberries," Bell said. The blueberry proposal, House Bill 1027, passed the House 110-1. House Speaker Philip Gunn noted that Bell cast the "one sour nay" vote. The opal proposal is House Bill 772. It passed 115-0. "In Mississippi, we don't have diamonds, we don't have rubies ... but we do have vast supplies of the opal," said Republican Rep. Becky Currie of Brookhaven. |
| Legislators consider bills to require age verification to access pornography on internet | |
| Mississippi legislators are considering a bill that would require websites that host pornographic material or other content that "could be harmful to minors" to require age verification for anyone accessing their websites. On Jan. 26 the Mississippi Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 2346 which is described as: "An act to require any commercial entity that knowingly or intentionally publishes or distributes material harmful to minors on the internet from a website that contains a substantial portion of such material shall be held liable if the entity fails to perform reasonable age-verification methods to verify the age of individuals attempting to access the material; to state legislative intent and findings; to define terms; to provide that this act shall not apply to bona fide news and shall not affect the rights of any news-gathering organizations; to exempt internet service providers from liability under the act; and for related purposes." State Sen. Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford, said the idea of the bill came after Louisiana passed Act 440, which was presented by Louisiana State Rep. Laurie Schlegel, R-Metairie, that requires commercial site users to be 18 years of age or older. |
| Chinese spy balloon tweet from state senator goes viral, leads to accusations of racism | |
| While Americans looked to the skies for a glimpse of the infamous Chinese spy balloon, a Mississippi state senator joined many of the millions who couldn't see it and took to Twitter. He is now facing accusations of racism after his tweet about the now-popped balloon received more than a million views and thousands of replies, some from prominent figures. Sen. Joel R. Carter, R-Gulfport, shared a photo of a weather balloon on Saturday morning, with drawn-on red text that seemed to mock a stereotypical Asian-American accent. The image text on the balloon says, "Weather Barroon" and "Totary NOT For Spying." The replies came in fast, and Carter was quickly "ratioed," a term used by Twitter users when replies to a post get more likes than the post itself, often indicating that the original post was not widely agreed with or well-received. As of 12:30 p.m. Monday, the tweet had 326 likes, but more than 2,600 replies. The balloon that Carter was referencing, which Department of Defense officials said Monday was about 200 feet tall, was shot down by military fighter jets off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday afternoon resulting in a debris field of roughly 15 square football fields. |
| Before spy balloon dropped, trade with China soared | |
 | U.S.-China relations have reached a low point after a Chinese spy balloon was discovered -- and shot down -- over U.S. territory last week, but trade between the world's two leading economies just hit an all-time high. According to numbers released Tuesday by the Commerce Department, two-way trade between the United States and China set a new record in 2022 -- $690 billion -- part of a surge in U.S. trade with partners around the world last year. The U.S. had record imports from 90 countries in 2022, led by Mexico, Canada and Japan. While some of the increase in last year's trade figures may be a result of historic levels of inflation, the figures remain eye opening, particularly considering the years-long U.S. tariff campaign on Chinese imports and new efforts to stop the flow of U.S. tech to Beijing. And they demonstrate just how intertwined the U.S. and China remain, commercially at least, despite efforts to effectively "decouple" their economies. A large share of the U.S. exports to China are agricultural goods, putting farmers on the frontline of any efforts to sever or scale back trade relations. "I think decoupling from China would be a terrible mistake," John Bode, president & CEO of the Corn Refiners Association and a member of the Farmers for Free Trade Coalition, told reporters recently. "What needs to happen is a strategic approach to managing the relationship so that strategically sensitive information is protected." That seems the more likely course at the moment, despite the current diplomatic uproar over a Chinese spy balloon discovered flying over U.S. territory and similar episodes -- former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan in August -- that have strained the relationship. |
| Little-noticed US funding for China tech sector now draws scrutiny | |
 | Even as Washington takes a hard line on keeping U.S. technology and data beyond China's reach, the federal government has thus far been slow to close another channel of technology assistance: potentially billions of dollars in U.S. investment in Chinese tech startup companies. Lawmakers stepped into the issue last year, using the fiscal 2023 omnibus spending bill to direct the Treasury and Commerce departments to find a mechanism to track U.S. capital flows into tech sectors in China and other countries. Lawmakers and administration officials say the move is essential to curbing China's tech ambitions. "There is a fundamental contradiction in our China policy today: the U.S. government is placing increasing scrutiny on technology transfer and tightening export controls in concert with our allies to counter malign CCP-directed companies," said Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party. "At the same time however, our government is providing a de facto green light to the unlimited capitalization of many of these companies and others like them in strategic technology sectors," Gallagher said in an email, adding that those capital flows must be addressed. "The Select Committee will be taking a close look to both determine the extent of the problem and to build consensus around bipartisan solutions." The first task for researchers, lawmakers and executive branch officials is to figure out how to track and separate U.S. capital flows from other pools of capital that go to startups in China. |
| Biden Expected to Discuss Economy, Foreign Policy in State of the Union Address | |
 | President Biden is set Tuesday to deliver his second State of the Union address. Given to a joint session of Congress, the speech will outline the president's legislative agenda and priorities for the coming year. The White House has said that Mr. Biden looks forward to speaking about the economy, competitiveness, security and unity. In comments several days ahead of the address, Mr. Biden pointed to a stronger-than-expected monthly jobs report to say the "state of the economy is strong." In last year's speech, he highlighted the response of the U.S. and allies to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Back in April 2021, Mr. Biden gave an address to a joint session of Congress -- not formally a State of the Union speech -- in which he proposed federal spending on infrastructure, child care and education. Tuesday's speech comes as Mr. Biden is expected soon to announce his bid for re-election, adding to the stakes. Unlike previous years, Mr. Biden will be addressing a divided Congress, after Republicans won back the House in the midterm elections. GOP lawmakers are eager to investigate Mr. Biden's handling of classified documents, as well as his family's business dealings and the administration's Covid-19 and immigration policies. Republicans say his spending and energy policies have contributed to inflation. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican response to Mr. Biden's speech. |
| Education Issues Vault to Top of the G.O.P.'s Presidential Race | |
 | With a presidential primary starting to stir, Republicans are returning with force to the education debates that mobilized their staunchest voters during the pandemic and set off a wave of conservative activism around how schools teach about racism in American history and tolerate gender fluidity. The messaging casts Republicans as defenders of parents who feel that schools have run amok with "wokeness." Its loudest champion has been Gov. Ron DeSantis, who last week scored an apparent victory attacking the College Board's curriculum on African American studies. Former President Donald J. Trump has sought to catch up with even hotter language, recently threatening "severe consequences" for educators who "suggest to a child that they could be trapped in the wrong body." Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor, who has used Twitter to preview her planned presidential campaign announcement this month, recently tweeted "CRT is un-American," referring to critical race theory. Yet, in its appeal to voters, culture-war messaging concerning education has a decidedly mixed track record. While some Republicans believe that the issue can win over independents, especially suburban women, the 2022 midterms showed that attacks on school curriculums -- specifically on critical race theory and so-called gender ideology -- largely were a dud in the general election. While Mr. DeSantis won re-election handily, many other Republican candidates for governor who raised attacks on schools -- against drag queen story hours, for example, or books that examine white privilege -- went down in defeat, including in Kansas, Michigan, Arizona and Wisconsin. |
| The Census of Agriculture: what it's for, why it matters | |
| Monday was the last day for farmers and ranchers to respond to the USDA's 2022 Census of Agriculture. The federal government launched the survey in 1840, when most American citizens tended farms or ranches. Now, the Department of Agriculture sends it out every five years and gets back a snapshot of the industry. In addition to the usual questions about farmer demographics, how much farmland is in use and how much money farmers are making, there are new questions about precision agriculture, hemp production and internet access. The government will use that data to divvy up funding and make policy decisions. "It is the basic source for information about agriculture as an industry," said Daniel Sumner, an agricultural economist at the University of California, Davis. The government uses ag census data to target resources, and just about everyone else connected to the farm economy uses it to make business decisions, he said. The ag census also tells us who is operating American farms. The profession is aging quickly. That's why the ag census tries to identify young and beginning farmers, "so we can get an idea of who's actually entering farming as we get these people who are going to very suddenly start aging out," said Katie Dentzman, a rural sociologist at Iowa State University. |
| Pot is making people sick. Congress is playing catch-up. | |
| When Gallup asked about legalizing weed last year, two-thirds of Americans supported it -- up from 12 percent when the pollster first asked in 1969. Recognition of marijuana's medical benefits, the harms of punitive drug policies, and the prospect of new tax revenue to fund popular services, have driven that change in attitudes and led 21 states to legalize recreational sales. But the policymakers overseeing legalization were flying surprisingly blind about its effect on public health. Only recently has a steady flow of data emerged on health impacts, including emphysema in smokers and learning delays in adolescents. Lawmakers' reaction to the bad news raises the prospect that the loosely regulated marijuana marketplace, worth $13.2 billion last year and growing 15 percent annually, could come under pressure. Despite its history, there hasn't been much health research on pot until recently, said Giselle Revah, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa whose research last year in the journal Radiology linked marijuana smoking to the lung condition emphysema. Before her study, Revah said, "what was in the literature was extremely limited" because "it's very hard to study something that's illegal." But recently, in addition to Revah's work, new scientific studies have uncovered evidence of a rise in children accidentally ingesting edibles, a slight uptick in teenagers getting asthma in states legalizing marijuana, and growing rates of simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana among young adults. |
| Being active on social media is making a difference for businesses | |
 | When trying to decide where to grab a bite to eat, most people go to their phones first. Local business owners know this and are making sure their presence on social media is as lively as inside their restaurants. Hunter Yeatman and Kaleb Webster are both out-of-state students at the W. Being new to the area, Webster said social media has let them know what is available and good around their new home. MUW Communication professor, Barry Smith said the biggest tip for creating a social platform is being active. "Post content. You need content. If you go away for a week, two weeks, or a month or you post something every now and then your audience evaporates and the algorithms all these social media platforms work with, they will downgrade your content," said Smith. It's important to engage your audience so you should be posting at least once a day. |
| Former employees convicted of stealing $750K from Coahoma Community College | |
| Two former Coahoma Community College employees have been convicted of stealing more than $750,000 from the school. State Auditor Shad White announced Monday afternoon that Gwendolyn Jefferson and Stacie Neal were each sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and embezzlement. Neal had previously pleaded guilty to making fraudulent statements. Both women were arrested in June 2019 after making over $750,000 of personal purchases while using Coahoma Community College credit cards and checks. Purchases included gift cards, shoes, watches, and a chandelier. "The work done to hold these individuals accountable sends a message about the seriousness of stealing from the taxpayers," White said. "If you steal from the people of Mississippi, there will be consequences." |
| Corporal punishment was used in schools 4,300 times last year. Here's what districts are doing to change that. | |
| Shortly after moving to Madison, Jamie Bardwell learned that the Madison County School District requires parents to opt out in writing from corporal punishment being used on their children, a fact she discovered from other students talking about it in her son's class. "A kid got paddled, came back and told my son, and my son was terrified," she said. "I explained to him that that would never happen to him, we've written this letter, but it's really scary for kids to have people in their classroom come back with these stories. Even if your kid isn't the one who is subjected to corporal punishment, they're still being impacted by it." The Madison County School District told Mississippi Today that corporal punishment is an option in the district, and that parents are always consulted before it is administered. The U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights tracks corporal punishment data in public schools nationally, which is generally defined as the use of physical force to discipline students. Often called paddling, the term stems from using a wooden paddle to hit a student on the butt. The Mississippi Department of Education has more recent data, also for public schools. Instances of corporal punishment fell by over 23,000 from the 2016-17 school year to the 2021-22 school year. School leaders attributed this to a combined influence of the pandemic and a 2019 state law which banned the use of corporal punishment on a student with a special education classification. Federal data shows that over the last decade, Mississippi had more corporal punishment incidents than any other state for every year data was collected. |
| Despite ban, Auburn is back on TikTok. Can students use the app? | |
 | Auburn University's official TikTok account has come alive again despite a campus-wide ban on connecting to the app through any college or on-campus housing WiFi. The university's main account, @auburnofficial, posted videos in recent days celebrating nice weather on campus and the university's 167th birthday. Other accounts -- like Auburn's popular football account -- still appear dormant since December, when state officials asked schools and universities to add security blocks. On the other hand, Auburn's gymnastics team posted recently from Tuscaloosa -- where the University of Alabama has not announced a ban. And several commenters pointed out that while university accounts are active, staff and students are still blocked from posting on campus WiFi. "Kinda hypocritical," one commenter said on a recent post. Auburn clarified in January that the university has not banned the app, but has blocked its use on the college's WiFi and systems for security reasons. "While students, faculty and staff will not be able to access the app when connected to Auburn University internet services (i.e. AU_WiFi, etc.), TikTok will still be accessible via personal or Auburn-provided devices via cellular services," an email to faculty read. A separate email sent to faculty in the Communication and Journalism Department noted that some faculty may want to use the app for news, to review concepts in class, or to assess student projects. |
| New COSAM associate dean for academic affairs plans to move college in a more modern direction | |
| After arriving at Auburn University in 2007 as a mathematics department professor, Maggie Han is taking on new responsibilities as the College of Sciences and Mathematics associate dean for academic affairs. Han came to Auburn after finishing her Ph.D. in applied mathematics at The State University of New York at Buffalo and has worked at Auburn since. She has worked with and graduated six Ph.D. students since then and is currently mentoring five others. Last school year, Han took on the role of acting deputy associate dean of academic affairs. Now, as she officially moves into her new role, Han has exciting plans for the college that will have an effect on many incoming students. "[In] this position, I will be maintaining or supervising everything really everything related to academic affairs. You can imagine daily activities dealing with students from as small as course substitution to as big as academic dismissal," Han said. Han will be in charge of the academic concerns of mainly undergraduate students in the COSAM, working with academic advisors to give students the foundation they need to be successful in their time at Auburn and beyond. Citing the newly opened Academic Center Lab Complex building as inspiration, Han is making strides in an attempt to bring COSAM professors to 21st century learning standards. She aims to improve the overall quality of teaching and incorporate new technological standards into the department. |
| Career Q&A: UT Knoxville's vice provost for student success | |
 | "Leading through people, priorities and projects -- in that order" is how Amber Williams describes her approach to work on LinkedIn. While building a 15-year foundation in admissions and enrollment management, Williams found herself engaging with students long after they had enrolled, which naturally expanded to helping them successfully navigate campus. Since arriving at University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2020, a few months before the pandemic hit, Williams's campus collaborations have included launching Vol Success Teams to help students set and achieve their goals, a first-year experience program that involves learning to identify and then enhance individuals' strengths, and the UT Success Academy, aimed at maximizing the success of Black and Latino men on campus. Her main responsibility is broad: to serve undergraduate student scholars and their unique academic goals. Williams spoke to Inside Higher Ed about her career journey, managing her own professional development, the value of the student success offices housed within the provost's office, and how others can position themselves as student success champions. |
| UF students, faculty welcome new President Ben Sasse to campus with protest, demands | |
 | A series of pounding fists at Ben Sasse's office door welcomed the new president to campus Monday as he began his tenure as president of the University of Florida. Bryn Taylor, co-president of graduate assistant organization Graduate Assistants United, rattled the wood in hopes of delivering a list of demands to Sasse after an hour of protest. But much to the frustration of her and around 100 people on the other side, there was no answer from the man of the hour. Around 100 protesters crowded Tigert Hall, the university's administration building, to protest Sasse's first day as UF's 13th president before marching inside to his office door. The group -- a coalition of students, faculty, staff and organizations like Graduate Assistants United and Young Democratic Socialists of America -- hosted speakers and chanted outside the building before occupying the hallway in hopes of delivering the list of demands directly to Sasse's office. Protestors waited for an hour before taping copies of their list on the walls, doors and ceilings of the administration building and leaving without speaking to Sasse or a secretary. Police and representatives from UF communications agreed to let three people into the office, but protesters waited in hopes that they would allow the full group to deliver the demands. In an email sent out Monday morning, Sasse promised he would use his time at UF to champion viewpoint diversity, harness the power of AI, "make Florida the Silicon Valley of agriculture technology" and more. |
| DeSantis appoints home developer Patrick Zalupski as new UF trustee | |
| Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed businessperson and Republican Party donor Patrick Zalupski to the UF Board of Trustees Thursday. Zalupski is the co-founder and president of the real estate company Dream Finders Homes LLC and a member of the Northeast Florida Builders Association. Dream Finders Homes LLC donated $150,000 to the Friends of Ron DeSantis political committee since Nov. 2021, according to the Florida Department of State Division of Elections. The company also donated nearly $200,000 to other conservative political committees, according to Transparency USA. Zalupski personally donated more than $3,000 to former president Donald Trump's campaigns from 2016 to 2019, according to the Federal Election Commission. UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan referred The Alligator to the governor's Thursday press release. Zalupski didn't respond to a phone call as of Sunday. The board comprises 13 trustees who act as the governing body of the university. Trustees set policy for the university and allocate its resources. Of the trustees, six are appointed by the governor and five are appointed by the Board of Governors; the student body president and the faculty senate chair are also members. |
| DeSantis debuts a new conservative playbook for ending DEI | |
| When Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, announced plans last week to defund diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the state, he was joined on stage by political activist Chris Rufo, who has made a career out of questioning the purpose of DEI programs. Among other things, Rufo helped craft new model legislation recently released by the Manhattan Institute to guide states seeking to defund DEI initiatives at their public universities -- a playbook that DeSantis appears to be largely following. Florida's proposed legislation is expected to be considered in March when state lawmakers convene. At a press conference last Tuesday, DeSantis said that defunding DEI programs -- which he called "hostile to academic freedom" -- will make them "wither on the vine." While proponents of DEI programs see them as necessary to counteract bias against underrepresented students and employees, many in conservative circles subscribe to DeSantis's belief that DEI initiatives serve as a liberal smokescreen designed to shame whites and conservatives while imposing a radical left-wing orthodoxy. The new model legislation has four stated proposals: to abolish DEI bureaucracies; to end mandatory diversity training; to curtail "political coercion"; and to eliminate identity-based preferences. |
| U. of South Carolina re-adopted 'USC' after 3 years as 'UofSC.' How much did it cost? | |
 | The University of South Carolina announced that it would once again be referred to as "USC" in October and officially adopted the rebranding earlier in January. Widespread celebration of the return of the nickname came after three years after the university experimented with "UofSC," in hopes of differentiating the university from the University of Southern California. Changing back to "USC" has cost roughly $100,000 so far. University spokesman Jeff Stensland said this money has gone toward changing signage, sidewalk graphics and t-shirt giveaways sporting USC's new logo. "Some of the expenses would have likely been included in any brand update we would have done, but we were encouraged by the positive response our community had," Stensland said. The university previously spent about $238,000 on the research and design that went into the 2019 rebrand. |
| Bill: Cut college degree requirements for Georgia state jobs | |
| A Georgia Senate committee is advancing a bill that would instruct an agency to examine qualifications for state government jobs and not require a college degree unless truly necessary. The Senate Government Oversight Committee on Monday voted for Senate Bill 3, sending it to the full Senate for more debate. The bill calls for the state Department of Administrative Services to try to reduce training, experience and educational requirements for jobs and reduce jobs that require a four-year college degree. Sen. John Albers, a Roswell Republican sponsoring the measure, said that the reexamination is needed. "Where we used to mandate a college degree for almost everything, now we're looking at that differently, either through technical school or certifications," Albers said. Georgia would be one of a number of states to make the move. Others who have done so include Maryland under Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and Colorado among Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. |
| University of Texas at Austin students will hold referendum on 'Eyes of Texas' | |
| Student government leaders of the University of Texas at Austin are planning to hold a referendum at the end of the month to gauge student opinion on the university's divisive alma mater, "The Eyes of Texas." According to a press release sent Sunday, Student Government Assembly leaders have been working with UT-Austin's Office of the Dean of Students for over a year to get approval to add the nonbinding referendum to the ballot for next year's student leadership election. Student leaders said the desire to include the poll stems from a 2021 university report that documented the song's origins and history after students demanded the school get rid of it over concerns about its connections to minstrel shows. Ultimately, the report authors concluded the song was "not overtly racist." The referendum, which will be held Feb. 27-28, will not force any immediate changes to the school song, which UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell has stated will remain the university alma mater and will continue to be sung at the end of sporting events. UT-Austin student leaders have debated whether the school should replace "The Eyes of Texas" for years, largely because it debuted at a student minstrel show where students likely wore blackface. But the referendum is likely to rekindle conversations on campus about whether the song should be replaced, even as many groups of students and alumni view it as a unifying force. |
| Mizzou students push for overdose-reversing Narcan on campus | |
 | The Missouri Students Association is continuing its efforts to expand Narcan availability at MU, moving its lobbying efforts to Washington, D.C. The annual "SEC in DC" event will bring together student government associations from schools in the Southeastern Conference. Ahead of its trip in March, MSA is working with these student governments to formulate a list of priorities to share with federal lawmakers. In past trips, MSA had been the only university group to bring up Narcan -- a drug used to reverse overdoses -- as an area of interest. However, MSA Senate Speaker Lane Cargile said that he has seen increased interest in the subject from other SEC schools in the lead-up to the 2023 conference. Cargile said that during informal conversations with U.S. Congressional staff in recent years, staff were surprised to see Narcan as one of the organization's priorities. These staff members questioned why MSA believed Narcan to be a "need." In response, Cargile and other MSA leaders emphasized their interest in being proactive on the issue given the ongoing opioid epidemic. "We want to be ahead of this," Cargile said, noting concerns about a rise in opioid abuse and fentanyl-laced drugs across the country. |
| An online surge at Virginia Tech. But what about outcomes? | |
| The first time Stefan Duma offered his in-person Concussion Perspectives course at Virginia Tech, 50 students enrolled. The next time, 100 students enrolled, followed by 250 and later 500. When demand did not abate, he offered the course online by way of lectures in an asynchronous format with in-person visits to the Helmet Lab, where students may see, for example, how helmets are tested. More than 1,000 students signed up. "Every time I taught it, it kind of doubled," said Duma, professor of engineering and director of the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science. "We tend to think, 'Oh, we have to do everything in person.' That's not what students think ... They really like having the flexibility of some in-person classes and some online." Before the pandemic, 3 percent of undergraduate classes at Virginia Tech were taught online. That proportion more than doubled -- to 8 percent -- by the fall of 2022, and some of the new online courses are quite large. In a news release, the university celebrated the online courses for offering students access and flexibility. But some experts question whether the quality also scaled, particularly given the scant attention the institution has paid to understanding outcomes. "Are massive courses best practice in online?" Justin Ortagus, associate professor of higher education administration and policy and director of the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Florida, asked. "Absolutely not. But it's important to think about what's being replaced. That's where this is a little bit more complicated." |
| What the hidden STEM economy reveals about diversity in the workforce | |
| A new federal report describes a hidden economy of science and engineering jobs in the U.S. -- and reveals persistent inequities within it. There's been heavy investment -- in the U.S. and other countries -- in developing a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce to fuel economies, improve quality of life and protect national security. The National Science Foundation's biennial "Diversity and STEM" report released this week expands the definition of a STEM job. Previous analyses limited it to "white lab coat" jobs --- engineers and scientists in the fields of math, computer science, biology, physics and social scientists --- that typically require at least a bachelor's degree and earn an average of $90,000 per year. But the new report includes science- and engineering-related (S&E) jobs that draw on STEM skills and expertise. These are health care workers, technologists, technicians, K-12 science teachers and others whose typical salary is $67,000 per year. It also includes middle-skill STEM occupations --- construction and maintenance jobs in areas like solar infrastructure and scientific instrumentation that require scientific or technical knowledge but not typically a bachelor's degree. The average salary for these jobs is $50,000. When the authors re-analyzed 2011 data using the expanded definition, STEM workers as a percentage of the total workforce increased from 21% in that year to 24% in 2021. |
| PERS: A Legislative Math Problem | |
| Communications and public policy consultant Rebekah Staples writes for the Magnolia Tribune: Last week, members of the Mississippi Senate Finance Committee convened to hear an update from the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) executive director regarding the funded status of the plan. I listened with great interest as Ray Higgins, the executive director, told lawmakers the system's status is "really an accumulation of everything that has happened since [PERS] was created" some 70 years ago. That's a great long-term perspective when evaluating the economic health of PERS. In general, state pension systems are large, complex institutions responsible for managing millions (or billions!) of dollars on behalf of current and future government retirees. At this scale, it takes more than a single year of poor investment returns to significantly impact a system's condition. Yet, as Higgins noted, that is precisely what's happening in Mississippi. Over the past few decades, PERS has been seriously affected by several factors, including a declining active member-to-retiree ratio, market downturns such as the Great Recession and a global pandemic, and even community changes in the actuarial, bond rating, and investment fields. (The industry has embraced a more conservative approach to public pension valuation in recent years.) These challenges have and may continue to impact pensions nationally. What sets Mississippi's system apart, however, is structural changes to PERS that occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s. ... The cost of PERS was increased exponentially without a funding mechanism. |
| Incumbent protection act slims field | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: The Mississippi incumbent protection act worked like a charm. The bill authored by Rep. Jody Steverson of Ripley and adopted in 2021 moved the qualifying date for most state, district, and county elections to Feb. 1. "Early filing deadlines benefit incumbents; so do brief filing seasons," stated the Bigger Pie Forum in its 2021 article entitled "Incumbent Protection Proposal Making Its Way Through MS Legislature." "Since no candidate is allowed to file before January 1, the new February 1 deadline will only allow one month for candidates to file. It is likely that many who would consider running for office would not make that decision so early in the year." Consider the 2023 statewide elections. All eight incumbents are seeking reelection -- Tate Reeves for governor, Delbert Hosemann for lieutenant governor, Lynn Fitch for attorney general, Michael Watson for secretary of state, David McRae for treasurer, Shad White for auditor, Mike Chaney for insurance commissioner, and Andy Gipson for commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce. There are a number of largely unknown candidates on the ballots, but only Reeves and Hosemann attracted well-known, serious opponents. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State women's basketball grinds out double-overtime win against Rickea Jackson, Tennessee | |
| A signature win in prime time at Humphrey Coliseum is the kind of thing head coach Sam Purcell would have dreamed about since he first took the job at Mississippi State, and tonight his team got just that. The Bulldogs (16-7, 5-5 Southeastern Conference) picked up a dramatic double-overtime victory over Tennessee (17-9, 9-2 SEC), delivering a clutch offensive performance to remedy the doubts from their last two games. "Magical. It really was," Purcell said of the 91-90 double overtime win. "I mean, what a game for women's basketball. Double overtime, I mean I grew up and I sit at the bars, or I go out to eat, and when those games come on, it's like news alert, news alert!" The win ends a short but frustrating two-game losing streak after two blowout losses on the road. It's quite the pick-me-up, and it serves as a strong reminder of what Mississippi State is capable of. The Bulldogs set the tone on offense and overcame arguably both Tennessee and the officiating to pick up a Quadrant 1 win, which they will hope is the first of many as they navigate the final stretch of their SEC schedule. "My kids were hurting. We all were," Purcell said, reflecting on the Bulldogs' losses to Ole Miss and Georgia. "We came here with big dreams and big goals, and we've been fighting. Unfortunately I come in here and I keep on saying, 'Oh, we're just a little short,' you know. We talk about the same things, but like I told them, you've got to look in the mirror, and you can't be denied." |
| Mississippi State women's basketball prevails in double overtime thriller vs. Tennessee | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball coach Sam Purcell, who is as energetic as any of his counterparts, was as animated as ever from the start of Monday's matchup with Tennessee. From the rafters of Humphrey Coliseum, his shouting could be heard and the red on his face could be seen. He understood the magnitude of the matchup. The Bulldogs hadn't had a Quadrant 1 win to their resume. He needed to exude the energy he wanted from his players. Though it was almost costly with a late technical foul, the approach proved worthwhile. Behind 24 points from JerKaila Jordan, clutch defensive plays from Anastasia Hayes, who began her career with the Lady Vols, in the first overtime, smart decision-making by Hayes in the second overtime and an abundance of contributions from role players, Purcell took down Tennessee (17-9, 9-2 SEC) for the biggest win of his first season at Mississippi State (16-7 5-5). Bulldogs 91, Lady Vols 90. "Tennessee is a great team, and that was a big win for us," Purcell said. "This is why I took this job. This is why these young ladies came here. There's something special about The Hump." |
| What Kellie Harper said about Lady Vols basketball's double OT loss at Mississippi State | |
 | Monday's game started and ended with Rickea Jackson. Jackson hit the first jump shot of Lady Vols basketball's game at Mississippi State -- and she also made the last shot. She knocked down a 3-pointer with a second left in a second overtime, but it wasn't enough. Tennessee fell 91-90 to MSU at Humphrey Coliseum despite Jackson's 28 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. "She's obviously really competitive," Lady Vols coach Kellie Harper said. "She's going to play hard, and she's going to do everything she can. I think we've got to continue to work to help her, put her in positions to be able to continue to make those plays. "We were trying to do that, we were doing a lot of substituting trying to figure out what combinations were going to allow us to have great execution on the offensive and with our spacing, and obviously trying to find five players that could defend as well." The loss began with the Bulldogs exploiting Tennessee's perimeter defense. MSU (16-7, 5-5 SEC) shot 46.7% from behind the arc on seven made 3-pointers in regulation, which stretched the Lady Vols (17-9, 9-2). They gave up too many easy layups and got destroyed in the paint -- MSU outscored them 40-26 in paint points. It also didn't help that MSU forced turnovers at key moments all game. Tennessee had 23 turnovers, which led to 21 points for the Bulldogs. |
| Mississippi State basketball vs. LSU: Scouting report, score prediction | |
| Mississippi State basketball coach Chris Jans shook his head and reached for his coffee when asked Monday if he needs to remind his players to not overlook opponents. The Bulldogs (15-8, 3-7 SEC) have won three straight, earned five Quadrant 1 or 2 wins, and are hoping to build an NCAA Tournament resume this month. However, Jans doesn't think that's what LSU (12-11, 1-9) will see when it comes to Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday (8 p.m., SEC Network). Jans believes the Tigers will glance at MSU's 3-7 record in SEC play and see an opportunity to snap a 10-game losing skid. For MSU, overlooking foes is a fantasy. "We're guaranteed nine more games in a marathon basketball season, I don't think that word will ever come out of my mouth the rest of the season," Jans said. "We're not in any sort of position to be overlooking anybody. We still know where we sit in the standings and what our record is in league play. I'm sure LSU is frothing at the mouth to play someone that has a 3-7 record instead of some of the team's they've played recently." Jans used a similar approach with his team in the nonconference when facing teams such as Akron. Coming from a mid-major in New Mexico State, Jans knows the mentality smaller schools have when facing a Power Five foe. He implemented that same mentality into Mississippi State by reminding his team that their program hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2019. |
| Mississippi State forward/center Tolu Smith named SEC player of the week | |
| Mississippi State forward/center Tolu Smith was named the Southeastern Conference men's basketball player of the week Monday. Smith has been a key part of the Bulldogs' (15-8, 3-7 SEC) three-game winning streak, including victories Tuesday at South Carolina and Saturday against Missouri. The redshirt senior scored 25 points in the 63-52 win over the Tigers after a 15-point performance against the Gamecocks. Smith pulled down 20 rebounds and dished out four assists between the two games. "It doesn't surprise me," coach Chris Jans said of the honor Monday. "Certainly, we're excited about how he's playing. Happy for him and the team to receive accolades like that in the middle of the season." Smith also hit 1,000 career points while at Mississippi State during Saturday's game. He began his collegiate career at Western Kentucky. |
| Bold predictions for Mississippi State softball: Is CWS trip looming? | |
| Mississippi State softball is looking to turn its first super regional appearance last season into a trip to the College World Series this year. The journey begins Thursday (5 p.m., CUSA.tv) against Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, Florida. The Bulldogs take on the Owls as part of the Paradise Classic. Loyola Chicago, Bethune-Cookman, Iowa and Stony Brook round out MSU's schedule through the weekend. It kicks off a loaded nonconference schedule that includes reigning champion Oklahoma, Arizona and South Florida. Coach Samantha Ricketts is in her fourth season at the helm for Mississippi State. MSU's win total has increased each season. |
| Mississippi State football spring game time, Super Bulldog Weekend headliner announced | |
| From the diamond at Dudy Noble Field to the gridiron at Davis Wade Stadium, Super Bulldog Weekend will look different in Starkville this year. Mississippi State is hosting the annual event April 14-16 which centers around a baseball series against rival and reigning national champion Ole Miss. However, this year's festivities will have new touches which were announced by the university Monday. At noon on April 15, Mississippi State football will host its spring game. In previous seasons, former coach Mike Leach implemented a format resembling an organized scrimmage as opposed to the traditional spring game. First-year coach Zach Arnett is returning to the typical format of maroon vs. white. The baseball matchup following the spring football game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. Following the game, country music artist Brett Eldredge will perform at Dudy Noble Field. Other events around campus that weekend include a softball series against Alabama, a pair of women's tennis SEC matchups and a volleyball exhibition against Ole Miss. |
| From State To Sundays: Bulldogs in the Super Bowl Billboards on Display | |
| Mississippi State's nationally recognized #FromStateToSundays billboard campaign returns this week ahead of Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Mississippi State Athletics is paying tribute to its four NFL Bulldogs still vying for this year's Lombardi Trophy. All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. are with the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs. Meanwhile, cornerback Darius Slay, and All-Pro defensive tackle Fletcher Cox will oppose Jones and Gay as members of the NFC's Philadelphia Eagles. Mississippi State is tied for the SEC lead with the most former players participating in this year's Super Bowl. Only one other school in the entire country has more than the four guys MSU boasts. Additionally, the Bulldogs lead the nation with four defensive players in "The Big Game." "We're not talking about mere participants," Bulldogs head football coach Zach Arnett said. "We're talking about four game wreckers. These guys are going to directly influence the outcome of that game -- the biggest game of the year." MSU's #FromStateToSundays billboards will be featured throughout the week. |
| Auburn Board of Trustees gives final approval for $30 million in Plainsman Park upgrades | |
 | Upgrades to Plainsman Park took a crucial step late last week, as the Auburn University Board of Trustees gave final project approval to approximately $30 million in stadium improvements Friday. The project, which is set to add enhanced club seating and additional general seating along right field and atop the left field wall, has been in motion since September 2021, with the board approving project initiation on Sept. 10, 2021. An architect -- Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons, of Jackson, Miss. -- was chosen during a Nov. 12, 2021, meeting, but a special meeting was called on July 26 to expand "the scope of the project to include additional improvements to the baseball stadium." These renovations are set to include a three-story expansion along Plainsman Park's first base line that will add enhanced premium seating, club spaces, concessions, and improved accessibility for the south entrance to Plainsman Park and right field terrace. t will also include enhancements to the right field terrace, with seating over the Player Performance Development Center and new concessions. Perhaps the most notable addition is seating atop the park's left field wall, titled the "Green Monster Terrance" in the resolution's executive summary. It's described as "a new, 4,200 square foot unique viewing area over the Green Monster, including improved concessions and restrooms to support left field patrons." The resolution also said the project is expected to be financed by a combination of gifts, athletic department funds and university bonds. |
| The Power of Pink: UA gymnasts pay tribute to breast cancer survivors | |
 | The University of Alabama athletics program's Power of Pink breast cancer awareness initiative marked its 19th year Feb. 3 during UA's gymnastics meet against Auburn at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. Ashley Johnston, UA's gymnastics coach, said the hard-fought win over Auburn served as a symbol of the meaning behind the Power of Pink initiative. "I think it says a lot about who they are as people that they don't give up," Johnston said of her team. "That's what this night was all about with it being Power of Pink, continuing to put in the work and to fight even when the going gets tough." Before the meet, UA introduced a group of breast cancer survivors on coliseum floor, a tradition that started 13 years ago. The Power of Pink initiative, started by then-UA gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson in 2005 and expanded to include all Alabama women's sports in 2009, has helped raise more than $2.1 million for the DCH Breast Cancer Fund in conjunction with the DCH Foundation. According to UA's athletics department website, Patterson picked the Alabama vs. Auburn meet on Feb. 4, 2005, as the first Power of Pink meet and asked everyone to mark the date and to "Think Pink, Wear Pink." |
| NCAA permanently ends SAT, ACT eligibility requirement for Division I, II student-athletes | |
| The NCAA last month permanently removed a requirement that first-year Divisions I and II athletes earn a qualifying SAT or ACT score to participate in sports. The shift stems from an NCAA plan to advance racial equity, which entailed studying athletes' eligibility requirements like admissions testing. NCAA officials had waived these testing mandates starting in 2020, when COVID-19 began to spread and shut down typical exam sites. Because some colleges have stepped away from admissions testing, NCAA officials felt the same standards should apply to athlete eligibility, Lynda Tealer, executive associate athletics director at the University of Florida and chair of the Division I Council, said in a statement. The Division I Council, one of the NCAA's governing bodies, voted to end standardized testing requirements at the association's annual meeting in January. Division II representatives separately did the same at the meeting. Athletes may still need to take the SAT or ACT for colleges that have not dropped their own testing requirements for general admissions. Some athletics scholarships also require test scores. |
| Philly and Kansas City make an artful Super Bowl wager | |
| The Philadelphia Museum of Art has entered into a Super Bowl wager with its counterpart in Kansas City, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The museum of the losing city will send one of its masterworks, as a loan, to the museum of the winning city. Both are major encyclopedic museums located in the heart of their respective cities. Neither director identified the piece of art they will put on the table, but both are absolutely certain the other will be the one who will travel with a loaned gift in hand. The director from Kansas City, Julián Zugazagoitia, said he will offer visiting Philly representatives "something they'll long remember after the Chiefs make short work of the Eagles." The director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Sasha Suda, said the artwork from Kansas City will be displayed in a prominent place and with Philly pride "when the Eagles soar to victory." The two museums will play up their rivalry beforehand on social media. |
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