| Monday, January 8, 2024 |
| MSU author's 'Birddogs and Tough Old Broads' highlights women journalists in Mississippi | |
 | Mississippi State faculty member Pete Smith showcases the experiences of women journalists throughout the course of a century in his new book "Birddogs and Tough Old Broads: Women Journalists of Mississippi and a Century of State Politics, 1880s-1980s." Released this past fall, the book documents the professional experiences and observations of more than a dozen women journalists covering Mississippi state politics from the 1880s, after the end of Reconstruction when newspapers were the primary source of information, to the 1980s, a time marked by steady declines in both news revenue and circulation, and the emergence of corporate journalism. Lexington Books, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, published the work. Smith, an associate professor in MSU's Department of Communication, said the book is a continuation of his research examining 20th century journalism history and the role women journalists, like the late Norma Fields, played in covering issues of importance, political or otherwise. "Fields, the first woman in Mississippi to cover the state capitol as a full-time correspondent -- for the Tupelo-based Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal -- was part of another research project that I completed a few years ago. Her papers are located here in Mitchell Memorial Library's Special Collections, and as I sifted through her material, I wondered if there were others like her -- women who covered the Mississippi political landscape and whose work in political journalism had been overlooked," Smith said. |
| New book by MSU author highlights women journalists in Mississippi | |
 | Mississippi State University faculty member Pete Smith showcases the experiences of women journalists throughout the course of a century in his new book "Birddogs and Tough Old Broads: Women Journalists of Mississippi and a Century of State Politics, 1880s-1980s." Released this past fall, the book documents the professional experiences and observations of more than a dozen women journalists covering Mississippi state politics from the 1880s, after the end of Reconstruction when newspapers were the primary source of information, to the 1980s, a time marked by steady declines in both news revenue and circulation, and the emergence of corporate journalism. Lexington Books, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, published the work. Smith, an associate professor in MSU's Department of Communication, said the book is a continuation of his research examining 20th century journalism history and the role women journalists, like the late Norma Fields, played in covering issues of importance, political or otherwise. In addition to Fields, his work has examined the journalism career of Carolyn Bennett Patterson, a native Mississippian and distinguished editor at National Geographic magazine. He also has studied how local and state media framed the political campaigns of Evelyn Gandy, the first woman to win election to multiple statewide offices, including lieutenant governor. |
| MSU ag education major selected for national ambassador program | |
 | An undergraduate Mississippi State University student is stepping onto the national stage as a national #TeachAg ambassador. Hannah Grace Childress, a senior agricultural education, leadership and communications major from Thorsby, Alabama, joins 12 other students in agricultural education from across the nation for the outreach role. An initiative of the National Association of Agricultural Educators, or NAAE, the National #TeachAg Ambassador Program participants share their individual narratives with prospective students considering agricultural teaching careers. "Agricultural education majors have such diverse backgrounds, and we have so much to learn from each other," Childress said. "I'm really excited to work and serve with the other ambassadors and get to know them and their experiences." Associate Professor OP McCubbins in MSU's School of Human Sciences said ambassadors gain access to a network of professionals and peers, specialized training sessions and chances to interact with diverse audiences. Participation in events like the National FFA Convention also opens doors to meet industry leaders and gain exposure in the field. The agricultural education, leadership and communications major is one of four undergraduate majors offered within the MSU School of Human Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The curriculum equips graduates to engage and inform people about agricultural information and issues. |
| $100 million to out-of-state college tops Texans' biggest 2023 philanthropic gifts | |
| Colleges, museums and a major religious organization were the biggest beneficiaries of wealthy Texans' philanthropy in 2023. Mississippi State, the University of Texas, Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas at Dallas, and the University of Texas at Arlington were among the colleges receiving large donations from Texas business executives. The National Medal of Honor Museum being built in Arlington and the Remember the Alamo museum in San Antonio also took in large gifts. Here are philanthropic gifts of $1 million or more given by Texans or to Texas institutions, based on tracking by the Chronicle of Philanthropy and research by The Dallas Morning News. Texas oil billionaire George Bishop and his wife Kathy pledged $100 million to a scholarship fund the couple established with a $10 million gift in 2018. Bishop, a 1958 graduate of Mississippi State with a petroleum geology degree, founded GeoSouthern Energy, an oil and gas company based in The Woodlands. |
| New signs to guide visitors to local attractions | |
 | Visitors to the Queen City will have an easier time finding local attractions as Visit Meridian looks to add new signage guiding people around town. Lauderdale County Tourism Director Laura Carmichael on Tuesday told the Meridian City Council the new signs will help both pedestrians and those in vehicles find their way to popular destinations around town. "What this will include is signage, vehicular and pedestrian signage, so when you come down 22nd Avenue, Sela Ward Parkway, that you see a Welcome to Meridian sign, and that when you come down that Main Street going into our city, you'll see signage that directs you to places like the Children's Museum, like The MAX, to our points of interest," she said. Signage will also be installed in the city's downtown parking garage to help guide visitors coming from that direction as well, Carmichael said. Carmichael said she is also looking to install a kiosk at Dumont Plaza to provide visitors with even more information about Meridian. The kiosk, she said, will have a map of the downtown. QR codes will also be available for residents to scan, providing them with directions to other points of interest throughout the city such as Merrehope, the Dentzel Carousel and Bonita Lakes. Carmichael said she is looking to make the project a group effort that includes both Lauderdale County and the city of Meridian working to build on the city's growing reputation as a destination. |
| Governor Tate Reeves discusses Mississippi's outlook for the new year | |
 | As Tate Reeves enters his second term as Governor of Mississippi, he goes into the new year optimistic about what he plans to do to lead the state of Mississippi. Entering his second term, Reeves says he has a different mindset than when he was elected Governor in 2019. "You know, I think I probably do have a slightly different mindset because I had spent eight years as Lieutenant Governor," Reeves said. "When you're Lieutenant Governor, literally the entire world from a work standpoint revolves around legislation and what happens in the Mississippi Capitol." "Being Governor is so much more than that, so it's a very important piece of the overall process dealing with the legislature and dealing with the legislation that comes out, but it's a small piece of the overall job of being Governor." The theme of Governor Reeves' second inauguration was "Mississippi's Time," a call-back to a frequent refrain throughout his reelection campaign: "Mississippi has momentum, and this is Mississippi's Time." "I will tell you the theme of the inauguration is going to be exactly that," Reeves said. "I really do believe that it is Mississippi's time. We're beginning to see a lot of progress in a lot of areas that haven't seen much progress in the state for many, many years." |
| AG Lynn Fitch drops Auditor Shad White in defamation suits after reading his welfare scandal book | |
| Attorney General Lynn Fitch no longer represents State Auditor Shad White in two defamation cases after determining his upcoming book about the welfare scandal would cast her office in a negative light. Fitch learned about White's tell-all, "Mississippi Swindle: Brett Favre and the Welfare Scandal that Shocked America," while representing him in two defamation lawsuits brought by Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and James Thomas, a University of Mississippi sociology professor. The book, which is slated to be released in August 2024, became an issue in Favre's defamation suit against White last month. A Dec. 29 filing in Hinds County Circuit Court from Favre's counsel argued that "Mississippi Swindle" is proof White intended to defame Favre when he criticized the quarterback in media appearances. "White's publication of this book -- in which it is apparent he will continue his outrageous defamation campaign against Favre -- provides even further confirmation that, when, as alleged in the complaint, White appeared on national and international media outlets to defame Favre, he was in no way acting within the scope of his official duties but instead to advance his personal political ambitions and, in the case of the book, make money," the filing reads. Fitch's office responded on Jan. 2 and asked the court to grant White's motion to dismiss. But three days later, Fitch's office sent White a letter notifying him of a conflict of interest, which Mississippi Today obtained from the auditor's office. After reading an advanced copy of "Mississippi Swindle" and finding it contained multiple statements that called the integrity of the Attorney General into question, Fitch's office decided it could no longer represent him. |
| MAE calls on legislators to invest more in public schools | |
 | Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE) and community leaders called on the state legislature this week to increase public funding and properly compensate teachers in an effort to "Raise Mississippi." Raise Mississippi, launched in August, is aimed at improving public schools, which accounts for 90% of the state's students. During the Thursday press conference, educators, administrators, parents, community leaders, faith leaders, businesspeople and supportive groups urged state leaders to invest in public education and the future of the state's students. MAE Executive Director Antonio Castanon Luna said he believes there is a direct link between strong schools and a strong healthcare, lower crime rates and diverse opportunities for students. He said "raising Mississippi students" will raise the state's economy. During the news conference, a reoccurring theme MAE and supporters spoke about was ensuring students had access to textbooks, technology and adequate staffed schools to guide students to success. State Sen. Derrick Simmons, another speaker, said when students and schools receive full funding, they have access to a broad range of support services. He said services include school nurses, librarians, counselors, art and music teachers. Classrooms will be equipped with up-to-date technology, books and learning materials. This will also include having nutritious meals and safe, clean buildings that "enhance the whole student wellness." |
| Legislative committee reviews MDOC budget requests, departmental policies | |
| A report issued by the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, or PEER, found that the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) requested more funding than the agency spent during the fiscal years of 2018 to 2023. According to the report, the average appropriation request from the department during those years was $15 million in additional funding, with a total average request of $379,060,017. The lowest budget request was submitted in 2019, totaling $355,426,382. Actual appropriations from the Legislature to MDOC averaged $28 million less than the department requested during those years, or about 7 percent, the report cites. In all of the fiscal years listed, with the exception of 2022, MDOC requested additional appropriations for contractual services in one or more of the categories of medical service, private prison, regional facility, and local facility. Expenditures by the agency did not meet actual appropriations, leading to a fund balance in all years, the largest of which was $6.6 million in 2018. The lowest fund balance was $3.1 million in 2019. The report states the agency's fiscal planning does not have transparency, interdepartmental continuity or foundational models. |
| Mississippi doesn't see births spike from abortion ban, but unwanted pregnancies increase | |
| Mississippi birth numbers are roughly the same as last year, despite the state health department predicting at least 5,000 a year more from a nearly total abortion ban. However, analysis of data shows that unwanted or unplanned pregnancies increased in every ban state -- with Mississippi having the second-highest estimated increase. Mail-order abortion pills and the opening of new abortion clinics aimed at serving those in red states are likely among the reasons Mississippi didn't see the large spike in births state officials expected. Still, diminished accessibility meant that the ban prevented about one-fourth of Mississippi women who might have otherwise sought an abortion from attaining one, according to recent research published in November by the Institute of Labor Economics. Birth numbers vary from year to year based on a variety of factors, and do not, therefore, provide a complete picture on their own of the effects the Dobbs Supreme Court decision had on fertility – the number of children born to women of reproductive age. The study uses a statistical method called Synthetic Difference-in-Differences to compare ban states to selected non-ban states post-Dobbs. "Basically, what it does is it lets us compare changes in births in states enforcing total bans to changes in births in states that are a good set of controls for what would have happened if total bans hadn't been enforced," explained Caitlin Myers, a professor of economics at Middlebury College in Vermont and an author of the study. |
| Senior Biden leaders and Pentagon officials unaware that Defense secretary was hospitalized | |
 | Senior Biden administration leaders, top Pentagon officials and members of Congress were unaware for days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized since Monday, U.S. officials said Saturday, as questions swirled about his condition and the secrecy surrounding it. The Pentagon did not inform the White House National Security Council or top adviser Jake Sullivan of Austin's hospitalization at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, until Thursday, according to two administration officials. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The Pentagon's failure to disclose Austin's hospitalization for days reflects a stunning lack of transparency about his illness, how serious it was and when he may be released. Such secrecy, at a time when the United States is juggling myriad national security crises, runs counter to normal practice with the president and other senior U.S. officials and Cabinet members. "The Department of Defense deliberately withheld the Secretary of Defense's medical condition for days. That is unacceptable," said Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. "We are learning more every hour about the Department's shocking defiance of the law." |
| Pentagon's handling of Austin hospitalization roils Congress | |
 | Lawmakers are demanding answers from the Pentagon after Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III did not swiftly publicly disclose that he was hospitalized due to complications from a recent medical procedure. News of Austin's hospitalization wasn't widely known until days into his stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., with details withheld from the media, Congress, Defense Department leadership and President Joe Biden himself. And as of Monday -- one week after Austin's Jan. 1 admission -- a series of questions remain about who in the Biden administration and Pentagon knew what, when, regarding the top DOD civilian's condition. The episode has elicited strong criticism from the Hill and journalists alike, who decried the lack of transparency as war rages in the Middle East and Ukraine and Houthi militants continue attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea region. House Armed Services Chairman Mike D. Rogers, R-Ala., and ranking member Adam Smith, D-Wash., in a joint statement Sunday said they were "concerned with how the disclosure of the Secretary's condition was handled" and pushed for further details on Austin's initial ailment and treatment, his current health status, the delegation of his responsibilities post-hospitalization and more. Meanwhile, Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., called for an immediate congressional briefing "on a full accounting of the facts." "I am glad to hear Secretary Austin is in improved condition and I wish him a speedy recovery. However, the fact remains that the Department of Defense deliberately withheld the Secretary of Defense's medical condition for days," Wicker said in a Saturday statement. "That is unacceptable." |
| Congressional Negotiators Reach Agreement on $1.6 Trillion Government Spending Level for 2024 | |
 | Congressional leaders reached a bipartisan deal on Sunday setting a roughly $1.6 trillion federal spending level for the year, but the pact drew quick criticism from some conservatives and it remained unclear whether lawmakers would be able to quickly pass legislation averting a government shutdown. The House and Senate now have less than two weeks to craft underlying bills funding the government, with several federal agencies set to run out of money later this month and the rest to follow in February, a tall order in a Congress that has struggled to pass major legislation on time. The deal leaves unresolved some key battles and could open up more friction between House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) and his conservative flank, which has outsize power because of Republicans' narrow majority and has repeatedly derailed bills in the chamber. Among other things, some House Republicans plan to fight for so-called policy riders, which can be used to advance conservative social policies and which Senate Democratic leaders have called nonstarters. Johnson said the deal contains "hard fought concessions" from Democrats, including on the cancellation of unspent pandemic aid. Still, the overall number is above the levels that some conservatives had demanded. "These final spending levels will not satisfy everyone, and they do not cut as much spending as many of us would like," Johnson said. Money runs out after Jan. 19 for agencies such as the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, while the rest of the federal government would lose funding after Feb. 2. A shutdown would stop paychecks for federal workers and the military, and bring nonessential functions to a halt. |
| Can $3 billion persuade Black farmers to trust the Department of Agriculture? | |
 | The Biden administration is spending $3.1 billion to convince farmers and ranchers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon in the ground. It also hopes that the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grants will help make amends for a century of systemic discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) against Black, Native and other "historically underserved" farmers. The program already faces obstacles, though, amid criticism that many projects receiving the most money are run by giant for-profit companies and major agricultural lobbying groups that don't appear to have a clear plan for how they will serve disadvantaged farmers, though every funded project includes an equity goal. Much smaller grants have gone to projects led by historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving organizations. Then there's the central question of trust -- or lack thereof. The USDA's history of discriminating against Black farmers and other ethnic and racial minorities -- by denying them access to low-interest loans, grants and other assistance -- resulted in significant financial losses for those farmers throughout the 20th century and in many cases led to the loss of their land. So there remains a significant lack of trust in the USDA and government programs generally. Some reject anything with the federal government's stamp on it, while others may not even be aware of programs they're eligible for. |
| Biden lands in Charleston, to speak at Emanuel AME Church with emphasis on democracy | |
 | President Joe Biden will deliver a stark message about the fragility of democracy and specter of political violence at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston around noon Jan. 8 as he seeks to cast former President Donald Trump, the undisputed GOP frontrunner, as threat to the nation's fundamental values. Biden will draw a parallel between the church's history of both terrible violence and resilience and what the president sees as a choice between authoritarianism and freedom in 2024 presidential race. "Few places embody these stakes like Mother Emanuel AME -- a church that has witnessed the horrors of hate-fueled political violence and a church that has spoken to the conscience of this nation and shown us the path forward after moments of division and despair," U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, a Columbia Democrat and one of Biden's closest allies, said in a statement. Air Force One broke through a thick layer of clouds just before 11:15 a.m. at Joint Base Charleston. A number of military personnel, White House staffers and Secret Service agents stepped on to the tarmac as the plane taxied. Base Commander Col. Michael Freeman stood at attention as the white and blue plane came to a stop. U.S. Rep. James Clyburn and DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison stood nearby, ready to greet Biden. Biden will be joined at the church by family members of victims and survivors of the 2015 white supremacist massacre of nine parishioners, the Biden campaign said. In Charleston, Biden also will be seeking to show Black voters, who were crucial to his election victory in 2020 that he is not taking them for granted in his reelection bid. |
| Civil rights groups denounce Donald Trump's comment that Civil War 'could have been negotiated' | |
 | Former President Donald Trump at a campaign stop in Iowa said America's Civil War could have been "negotiated," a comment that drew immediate backlash from civil rights groups and historians alike. On the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, Trump on Saturday called the Civil War, which began in 1861, "fascinating" and "horrible." "So many mistakes were made," Trump said. "See, there was something I think could have been negotiated, to be honest with you. I think you could have negotiated that. All the people died. So many people died." "Abraham Lincoln, of course, if he negotiated it, you probably wouldn't even know who Abraham Lincoln was," he added. Trump's remarks come just weeks after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley failed to mention slavery as a cause of the Civil War in a town hall. At a different rally in Iowa, Trump attacked Haley over the response, saying "I'd say slavery is sort of the obvious answer." But Trump's suggestion that the war could have been avoided sparked immediate criticism. Charles V. Taylor Jr., executive director of the Mississippi NAACP, told USA TODAY that "there is no negotiation with slavery." "Civil rights, human rights should never be negotiable," Taylor Jr. said. "When Trump says things that are racially charged, and he says things that are polarizing, when he says things that are obviously offensive... what he says is just so egregious, but he is absolutely talking to a specific group of people and alienating another." Historians told USA TODAY it's absurd to blame Lincoln for not negotiating a preemption of the war. Harold Holzer, a Lincoln scholar and the author of a forthcoming book titled "Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration," said "no historian and no reader of history believes that a compromise could have reversed secession or averted a civil war over -- yes -- slavery." |
| Nikki Haley avoided creating controversy for months. Not anymore. | |
 | For nearly 11 months, Nikki Haley rarely created controversy in the Republican presidential race, with tightly scripted speeches and carefully calibrated answers to town hall questioners that seldom gained widespread attention or criticism. Over the past 11 days, that's changed. The former U.N. ambassador drew swift rebukes from people in both parties for failing to mention slavery when asked at a town hall about the cause of the Civil War, before acknowledging the next day that the conflict was about slavery. The issue has continued to haunt her, prompting further criticism when she did more damage control at a recent CNN town hall, saying she "had Black friends growing up." After Haley told voters in New Hampshire that their state would "correct" the result of the Iowa caucuses, she faced some disapproval in the Hawkeye State, where her words showed up on local news broadcasts, prompted boos at the CNN town hall and drew repeated attacks from her rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Haley has sought to explain herself in various ways, saying that the comment was lighthearted banter and elaborating on the differences in personality between the two states' voters. And Haley has made other less impactful comments that have also raised some eyebrows, such as mistakenly calling star University of Iowa basketball player Caitlin Clark by the name of CNN news anchor Kaitlan Collins. As she has risen in the polls, she has faced greater scrutiny over her words, along with various attempts to clarify or recast them. This has offered new lines of attack to her rivals at a critical juncture in the race, with a week left until the Iowa caucuses. |
| Trump Is Connecting With a Different Type of Evangelical Voter | |
 | Karen Johnson went to her Lutheran church so regularly as a child that she won a perfect attendance award. As an adult, she taught Sunday school. But these days, Ms. Johnson, a 67-year-old counter attendant at a slot-machine parlor, no longer goes to church. She still identifies as an evangelical Christian, but she doesn't believe going to church is necessary to commune with God. "I have my own little thing with the Lord," she says. Ms. Johnson's thing includes frequent prayer, she said, as well as podcasts and YouTube channels that discuss politics and "what's going on in the world" from a right-wing, and sometimes Christian, worldview. No one plays a more central role in her perspective than Donald J. Trump, the man she believes can defeat the Democrats who, she is certain, are destroying the country and bound for hell. White evangelical Christian voters have lined up behind Republican candidates for decades, driving conservative cultural issues into the heart of the party's politics and making nominees and presidents of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. But no Republican has had a closer -- or more counterintuitive -- relationship with evangelicals than Mr. Trump. The twice-divorced casino magnate made little pretense of being particularly religious before his presidency. But religion scholars, drawing on a growing body of data, suggest another explanation: Evangelicals are not exactly who they used to be. |
| MUW chooses new name, asks lawmakers to approve | |
 | Mississippi University for Women announces its selection for a new name. University President Nora Miller unveiled the name on Monday morning during convocation. Miller says the name "Mississippi Brightwell University" was selected after discussions with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and stakeholders. The university is asking for legislation to be presented by lawmakers and approved this session. MUW wants the name change to take effect July 1. |
| MUW changing its name to Mississippi Brightwell University | |
 | Mississippi University for Women is changing its name to Mississippi Brightwell University effective July 1. The university made the announcement on Monday morning, Jan. 8. Mississippi lawmakers must approve the change before it can take effect. The name "Brightwell" refers to "light" and "wellness," which President Nora Miller said is in the school's DNA. It also references school tradition such as when nursing graduates light lanterns during pinning ceremonies. The university changed its name to be more inclusive, especially to male students. MUW was founded in 1884 as the first public college for women in the United States. It began to admit men in 1982. |
| Mississippi University for Women announces new name | |
| The new name for the school has been announced as Mississippi Brightwell University. President Nora Miller announced the name proposal Monday morning during the university's spring convocation. The university is asking for legislative approval for the name change in this session. If approved, the name would change this summer. Mississippi University for Women began exploring a name change in 2022. Though established as the state's first women's college in the late 1800s, it has accepted male students since the 1980s. During Monday's convocation, Miller said the "Brightwell" name focused more on the school's tradition, rather than region. "We are about brightness, enlightenment and wellness," she said. "We are empowering and enlightening. We started looking at our traditions. We study light to bless with light." |
| Ole Miss journalism dean offers tips for spotting and limiting spread of altered video and images | |
| Have you seen the video where Barack Obama uses a vulgar term to describe another president? Or Tom Cruise's new TikTok account? Or the dental plan that Tom Hanks endorsed? Enter the era of deepfakes, where seeing is no longer believing. Deepfakes are pictures or videos that have been altered using artificial intelligence. Because deepfakes often appear realistic, journalists and their audiences struggle to determine whether photos and videos have been manipulated by technology. "A good deepfake is imperceptible to the human eye," said Andrea Hickerson, dean of the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi. "It looks real. "You can see how this can be very scary, as we are used to thinking (that) seeing is believing, and now, it might not actually be so." The artificial intelligence can change both the images and audio of a video, making it appear that a person said or did things that never happened. With the rapid advance of technology, it is easier than ever for scammers to make deepfakes, Hickerson said. However, there are ways to determine if a video might have been artificially doctored. For the more common, less advanced deepfakes, look for visual flaws, she said. "It comes down to awareness," she said. "We can't assume that if we see a video, it's true." |
| Memory Lane: UM neurology expert shares tips for maintaining mental abilities while aging | |
| Brain function normally lessens with age, but there are ways to slow the decline, a University of Mississippi neurology expert advises. As people grow older, the size of key brain regions -- including the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus -- may start to reduce in volume, said Paul Loprinzi, associate professor of exercise science. "As the brain literally shrinks, the communication among neurons in these regions may also start to be compromised," he said. There are key distinctions between "natural" memory loss and memory loss possibly caused by disease, such as Alzheimer's and schizophrenia. "Natural memory loss with aging may include, for example, forgetting aspects of an event, being able to eventually remember aspects of the event and being generally able to follow verbal/written directions," Loprinzi said. "In contrast, memory loss due to pathological reasons is often characterized as forgetting the entire event, rarely able to remember the event later and a gradual inability to follow verbal/written directions/instructions." Regular exercise is a practical, inexpensive way that people can improve brain function, he said. |
| JSU murder suspect, who was later released, will be returning to Jones College football team | |
| For almost three months now, 19-year-old Jones College student Joshua Brown has had his life completely changed. Brown was arrested October 19 last year in connection to the October 15 murder of 21-year-old Jaylen Burns on the campus of Jackson State University. After a three week stint inside Hinds County's Raymond Detention Center, Brown was released November 10, shortly after WLBT reported alleged evidence that showed he was nowhere near the scene of the crime. "It was three-and-a-half weeks of kids wondering, 'Why?,'" said Jones College head football coach, Steve Buckley. "We knew Josh and we just knew that there was no way that could be a possibility." Following his release, Buckley says not only was Brown's personal life completely altered, but his offer to play football at the University of Tennessee-Martin was taken away. "That offer was given to him probably middle of the season, and, you know, everybody in the country knew what happened," said Buckley. "I mean, it was a national story. So I'm very familiar with UT-Martin, I know their head coach and know them, and they just moved on, which I understand that, we all did." Ever since Brown, and the second suspect in the case, Jamison Kelly, were released from jail, there has still been no official statement from JSU. "I've heard nothing. To my knowledge, Josh's mom, their family, have heard nothing. Nor has our colleagues heard anything," said Buckley. |
| Grant Helps New Mississippi AI Collaborative Jumpstart Digital Equity Programs | |
| A new Mississippi technology organization is using a $250,000 grant as part of its efforts to reduce inequities in artificial intelligence. The Mississippi AI Collaborative's leaders believe AI can be a "democratizing" force that could help bridge economic and technology gaps in the poorest state in the country. "We had the idea of AI Collaborative before the grant. We were trying to figure out, for the programming that we wanted to do, how we were going to fund it," Mississippi Computer Science Teacher Association Krystal Chapman told the Mississippi Free Press. "So (the grant) is helping with the pilot for the AI Collaborative." The Mississippi AI Collaborative is one of five recipients of the Generative AI Skills Challenge grant. The awardees were selected from nearly 600 applications across 93 countries. The group is the only one in the country to receive the grant. Data.org and Microsoft provide funding and technical assistance to awardees. The group that formed the collaborative earlier this year includes Chapman, Jackson State University Assistant Professor of Art History Brittany Myburgh, Mississippi Coding Academies Executive Director Bob Buseck, Microsoft TechSpark leader JJ Townsend, BeanPath creator Nashlie Sephus and BeanPath STEAM Programming Director Anik Kurjian. The group says they are focused on ensuring equitable access to AI education, skills and resources for Mississippians. Their grant proposal was a multipart project spanning from K-12 education to small business assistance. |
| Welsh: Reports A&M at Qatar is compromising national security research data are 'false and irresponsible' | |
 | Recent online reports about Texas A&M at Qatar that questioned A&M's security measures and ties to nuclear engineering research are assumptions based on false information, A&M President Mark A. Welsh III said in a letter to campus community members Sunday. Claims about A&M at Qatar circled social media sites late last week and were picked up by independent, web-based outlets. Welsh said despite what the recent reports stated, A&M at Qatar does not offer a nuclear engineering program or any classes on the subject. He noted A&M follows a high level of security and oversight of all systems, processes and facilities. Welsh added A&M complies with federal laws and agency regulations that governs how the university manages and reports international engagements. "The insinuation that we are somehow leaking or compromising national security research data to anyone is both false and irresponsible," Welsh wrote. Welsh said A&M officials have been monitoring the situation in the region around Qatar since early October. Hamas attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, which resulted in more than 1,200 deaths. Dozens more were taken hostage during the attack. Israel and Palestinian militants have been at war since Oct. 8. According to the Associated Press, Qatar has played a key mediating role throughout the war. A&M at Qatar opened in Fall 2003 in Doha's Education City. A&M is one of six American universities with a presence. The others are Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Georgetown, Northwestern and Virginia Commonwealth. A&M at Qatar has an enrollment of 736 students and around half are women, which Welsh wrote is a significant milestone. Most students are international and represent 40 countries. |
| Watchdog group speaks out about test involving beagles, ticks at U. of Missouri | |
 | Animal rights groups have occasionally had strong criticism of animal research at the University of Missouri. There have been lawsuits. Now comes a group that rejects the label, White Coat Waste Project. "We are not an animal rights group," said Justin Goodman, senior vice president for advocacy and public policy for the organization. "We are a nonpartisan government watchdog group." The organization opposes the use of federal tax dollars on animal experiments, he said. The group outlined its objections in a Dec. 6 letter to Deborah Kearse, director of the division of program integrity at the National Institutes of Health. The letter alleges MU violated a federal spending transparency law, something MU spokesman Christian Basi said is just inaccurate. MU reveals the sources and amounts of research grants in all publications, Basi said. The university failed to list $6.7 million in NIH funding in a specific publication, Goodman said. The document, provided by Basi, lists $6.9 million in grant funding from NIH. The experiments involve strapping capsules containing ticks to the bare skin of beagle puppies, with the organization referring to them as painful experiments. The dogs experience some skin irritation, Basi said. The experiments are to determine the effectiveness of potential vaccines for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Basi said. |
| Gen Z Jobseekers Are Turning up to Interviews With a Parent: Survey | |
| Employers are going to great lengths to avoid hiring fresh college graduates and are instead trying to win over older professionals with more benefits and higher salaries, a survey has found. Intelligent, an online magazine focused on student life, commissioned a Pollfish survey of 800 managers, directors, and executives involved in hiring in the US in December. It found that 39% of the employers said they avoided hiring college graduates for positions they were eligible for in favor of older candidates. The survey suggested employers were favoring older workers partly because young professionals weren't making a great impression on hiring managers during job interviews. More than half of the employers said young recruits struggled to make eye contact during the interview, and 50% said they asked for unreasonable compensation. Almost half said they showed up in inappropriate attire, and nearly 20% said they even brought a parent to the job interview. Young professionals also appear to have a reputation for being difficult to work with. Nearly two-thirds of employers said they thought recent college graduates were entitled and frequently unable to handle their workload. At least 58% said they would get offended too easily and were unprepared for the workforce. The survey suggested that this included an inability to take feedback and poor communication skills. |
| U.S. News Makes Money From Some of Its Biggest Critics: Colleges | |
| Jonathan Henry, a vice president at the University of Maine at Augusta, is hoping that an email will arrive this month. He is also sort of dreading it. The message, if it comes, will tell him that U.S. News & World Report has again ranked his university's online programs among the nation's best. History suggests the email will also prod the university toward paying U.S. News, through a licensing agent, thousands of dollars for the right to advertise its rankings. For more than a year, U.S. News has been embroiled in another caustic dispute about the worthiness of college rankings -- this time with dozens of law and medical schools vowing not to supply data to the publisher, saying that rankings sometimes unduly influence the priorities of universities. But school records and interviews show that colleges nevertheless feed the rankings industry, collectively pouring millions of dollars into it. Many lower-profile colleges are straining to curb enrollment declines and counter shrinking budgets. And any endorsement that might attract students, administrators say, is enticing. Critics believe that the payments, from schools of any size and wealth, enable and incentivize a ranking system they see as harmful. "I still cannot believe that higher education has collectively paid them to skew what we do in higher education," said Heather Gerken, the dean of Yale Law School, who helped lead the uprising among law and medical schools. The money "devoted to this unserious enterprise," she said, could have been used to "transform lives," perhaps through financial aid or the recruitment of low-income students. |
| Colleges under siege over Israel, Hamas and antisemitism, look to PR giants for help | |
 | Some of the nation's top universities are scrambling to hire heavyweight communications firms as their campuses become consumed by cultural and political proxy fights stemming from the Israel-Hamas war. Among the schools that have turned to firms for help in recent months: New York University, Harvard University, Columbia University, The Cooper Union and the University of California. Those academic institutions sought help from trained PR or communications professionals in navigating student protests, unrest from donors or government inquiries borne from how the schools have handled the conflict in the Middle East, according to six people familiar with the arrangements. The decision to do so underscores just how delicate the campus debates have become in recent weeks. Already, two major university presidents, Claudine Gay of Harvard and Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania, have resigned from their posts under immense political pressure following their testimony before Congress, in which they offered lawyerly responses to how they'd treat calls for the genocide of Jews. Their performance, it should be noted, had the help of high-powered outside advisors -- an indication that consultants don't always solve problems but sometimes do create them. |
| MLA Delegates Pass Motion Defending Pro-Palestine Speech | |
 | The Modern Language Association's Delegate Assembly passed an "emergency motion" Saturday defending college and university employees and students who are facing threats, harassment and violence for criticizing Israel's violence against Palestinians. The weekend-long MLA Annual Convention included multiple panels that discussed the war in Gaza. A Friday open hearing ahead of the Delegate Assembly featured heated debate on the motion that ultimately passed, along with a different one that would've broadly supported "academic freedom and free expression" without mentioning either Palestine or Israel. "This motion is a matter of life and death -- and academic freedom," Huda Fakhreddine said in favor of the motion that specifically defended speech that's critical of Israel. But Noam Flinker, an associate professor emeritus at Israel's University of Haifa, said the motion Fakhreddine supported "appalled" him. As he mentioned Hamas terrorists raping Israelis, some attendees of the open hearing made a hissing sound. "I support the second motion because it supports both sides," Flinker said. The victorious statement asks the council to immediately "urge all North American English and language departments and university administrations" to defend "all faculty members, students, and staff." But it then specifies who is "particularly in need of defense." |
| Conservatives see Harvard, Penn takedowns as just the beginning | |
 | The ousters of the presidents of two prestigious universities in the past month have been a cause for celebration among conservatives who think the takedowns could be stepping stones to changes they've long wanted in higher education. Harvard President Claudine Gay and University of Pennsylvania (Penn) President Liz Magill both lost their positions after their controversial congressional testimony at the beginning of December, with Gay also facing substantial allegations of plagiarism. Republicans say their departures are just the beginning of needed reforms at the schools. "This is only among the very first steps on a very long road to recovering or returning to higher education its true and original purposes, which is truth-seeking," said Jay Greene, senior research fellow in the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation. Greene said he is hopeful "additional people are going to have to be removed, both leaders of universities and their underlings, because they're also significant actors in this. It's not just at the top, but it's kind of throughout these institutions." He also specifically called for the dismantling of DEI efforts on campus and disciplines such as gender studies, another popular GOP target. Such efforts have been in motion long before the shake-ups at Penn and Harvard. |
| Wanted: New College Presidents. Mission: Impossible. | |
| Harvard University is looking for a new leader. So is the University of Pennsylvania. And Yale University. And Stanford University. While plenty of college presidents retire or resign every year, it's rare for so many prestigious research universities to be simultaneously hunting for replacements. And leading these schools is not the same job it was a generation ago. Bill Funk, founder of higher-education executive search firm R. William Funk & Associates, likened the position to being a professional fundraiser and public relations executive combined with the mayor of a city. Today, Funk says, university presidents are also "carrying the flag for higher education" at a sensitive moment. Conservative activists and politicians are taking credit for ousting the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania in the past month, and have called for a broader overhaul of colleges nationwide. Elite schools are lambasted for hoarding multibillion-dollar endowments, as well as for fixating on diversity and moving so far to the left that they shut out conservative voices. Meanwhile, many Americans have begun to doubt whether a college degree is still a good investment. Funk said a president of a major public university once tallied up 34 different groups of constituents, and joked that at any given time at least 16 were unhappy with some decision he'd made. "It's such a different milieu in higher education," Funk said. "It's not command and control. It's building consensus, leading people to do things, not dictating to them." |
| Opinion: 2024 will be a great year! | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: I just changed my editorial page template date from 2023 to 2024. It's hard to believe another year has passed. I've been writing this column for 34 years. That's enough to fill 20 250-page books. And now I am 65 -- retirement age! Yet I have no desire to retire. In fact, 2024 may be the most exciting of my career. I'm a plaintiff in three significant lawsuits that could turn things around for my business. One lawsuit is against Google for antitrust. Two are copyright lawsuits against the number two and three news aggregators in the country. This is going to be exciting. There are also two bills before Congress that could get journalism back on its feet. One would force Big Tech to make royalty payments for republishing our news articles. Another bill would give payroll tax credits to journalists. ... I am determined to do everything in my power to save local journalism. It's critical to the future of our nation. We've never had such monopolistic control of news. Meanwhile, we've lost half our journalists over the last 15 years. |
| Wall Street Journal bashes Mississippi | |
| Columnist Bill Crawford writes: The Wall Street Journal bashed Mississippi to open the New Year: "The American South Is Booming. Why Is Mississippi Left Behind?" "Economic and population growth is transforming other Southern states such as neighboring Tennessee," said the article. "But Mississippi essentially missed out." The article cited recent downturns as well as long term trends. It emphasized that Mississippi faces "a shrinking workforce problem – with people of working age on the sidelines and younger people moving away – as it also struggles to attract new residents." It pointed to Mississippi's lowest-in-the-nation labor force participation rate, 53.9%, then noted a declining trend. "Mississippi's civilian labor force had shrunk 1.4% from what it was a decade earlier, even as the South's workforce overall has grown exponentially. For example, neighboring Tennessee's labor force increased almost 11% for the same period." About the same time the article came out, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann announced that improving the labor force participation rate would be one of his top priorities. ... Toward the end of the article a few positives appeared but these were overshadowed by a number of residents' negative comments... But the real negative impact came from the hundreds of comments posted on the Wall Street Journal website. |
| Will legislators continue to relinquish power with restrictive budget rule? | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: The moment in legislative time when rank-and-file Mississippi lawmakers might have the most impact is during the opening weeks of a new four-year term when they adopt the rules that govern the House and Senate. Granted, once the rules are adopted, they can be amended. But changing the rules after they are adopted is a burdensome process and not often undertaken. The time to have an impact is when the rules are first being voted on by the members. Legislators will have an opportunity to have such an impact in the coming days when the rules are adopted by the full House and Senate for the new four-year term. But members almost assuredly will not take advantage of that opportunity and instead meekly approve the rules spoon fed to them by leaders. Sure, discussions of the legislative rules fall into the category of being nerdish or an inside baseball type endeavor, but the joint rules can make a difference -- a difference, for example, in how much money is appropriated to educate Mississippi's children or to provide public health services. In 2012, the Mississippi Legislature approved at the behest of the two new presiding officers, House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, a rule that prevented the rank-and-file legislator from having impact on their most important duty: funding state government. |
| Was the first salvo in the 2027 race for Governor launched late Friday afternoon? | |
| The Magnolia Tribune's Russ Latino writes: The dust on the 2023 campaign for governor has hardly settled. But on a rainy Friday afternoon in Jackson, the first shots in a newly budding political war may have been fired. Late Friday, Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office put out a statement indicating she was withdrawing her office's defense of State Auditor Shad White in two defamation lawsuits filed against White. The first lawsuit, brought by University of Mississippi professor James Thomas, related to statements White made about a "Scholar Strike" Thomas participated in for two days in September of 2020. White contended this protest violated Mississippi law, which prevents public educators from going on strike. He demanded Thomas repay $1,912 in salary and interest. Thomas sued. (Thomas's claim to fame before his "Scholar Strike" was to encourage people to disrupt Republican politicians' meals when out at restaurants. He wrote, "Put your whole damn fingers in their salads. Take their apps and distribute them to the other diners. Bring boxes and take their food home with you on the way out.") The second lawsuit, brought by Brett Favre, relates to White's statements about the NFL Hall of Famer's involvement in the ongoing TANF welfare saga. ... It did not take long for the Auditor to release a statement of his own. |
SPORTS
| Former Mississippi State star Montez Sweat makes NFL history with sack record | |
| Former Mississippi State defensive end Montez Sweat made NFL history on Sunday when he became the first player to lead two different teams in sacks in the same season. Sweat had 6.5 sacks for the Washington Commanders before being traded to the Chicago Bears on Oct. 31. In eight games with Chicago, he had six sacks to make for 12.5 total on the season. Sweat's record-breaking sack came against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 17, and history being made here may say more about the Commanders and the Bears than it does Sweat. Combined, the two organizations had just 69 sacks on the year. Nevertheless, Sweat did have a career season with 57 total tackles and three forced fumbles to go along with the sack number. That was good enough to land the former Bulldog in his first-ever Pro Bowl, which he'll participate in on Feb. 4. |
| Greg Sankey 'disappointed' in backlash to final CFP ranking | |
| SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told ESPN he was "disappointed in the acrimony" that ensued following the College Football Playoff selection committee's controversial final ranking last month, which for the first time excluded an undefeated Power 5 champion in Florida State. The CFP selection committee chose No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama at the expense of the undefeated ACC champion and No. 5 FSU. Both Texas and Alabama had one loss and ended the season with a defeat in their respective CFP semifinal games. Committee members have received significant backlash, including threats, since the group's most debatable decision in a decade of the CFP, and conspiracy theories have run rampant on social media platforms. "I didn't need so many incoming emails I received," Sankey said. "I can only imagine hearing from those on the selection committee who are volunteers what they received. I think some of the statements made in the immediacy of selection were disappointing to me as a colleague, and I would maintain that the strength of our league -- sure we lost some games -- but as I look at what were the four best teams, I would maintain that we had two of those four. "But again, the selection committee makes that decision, and we respect the decision." |
| NIL nonprofits can't lose in College Football Playoff championship | |
| No matter who takes home the College Football Playoff championship Monday night in Houston, a rare nonprofit from the murky, still-developing world of Name, Image, Likeness programs is set to come out on top. Numerous NIL organizations, which help college athletes get compensated, have sprung up since a Supreme Court decision in 2021 allowed the National Collegiate Athletic Association to pay student athletes for use of their brands -- with some restrictions. Many are for-profit organizations that funnel donations they receive to college athletes in return for work they do for the organizations, like personal appearances, signing autographs and posting on social media. But both Hail! Impact, an NIL organization for the University of Michigan's Wolverines, and Montlake Futures, which supports athletes at the University of Washington, have philanthropy at their cores. They are both registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits. That's increasingly rare in the NIL world, especially after the Internal Revenue Service issued guidance in May that NIL collectives may not qualify as tax-exempt if their main purpose is paying players rather than supporting charitable works. Andy Johnson, co-founder of Hail! Impact, said his group, which launched in April, worked with the IRS and believes it is the first NIL collective to be designated a charity since the agency issued its guidance about donations. When Hail! Impact receives a donation, 70% of the gift goes to one of its partner charities in its community and 30% goes to the Michigan student athletes who work at events for the charities. |
| College Football Playoff championship game showcases big NIL success stories | |
| In the NIL Era, the market rate varies from school to school. Multiple factors also have to be accounted for with NIL deals. Sometimes a program is offering more so an athlete flips their commitment. Others feel pressured to bring in a top prospect because they're expecting to lose talent at the position. While there is some uncertainty with the market, there are a couple of things certain: There's a handful of players from Michigan and Washington who have developed into NIL success stories. Whether it's through their individual brands or support from Wolverine-focused collectives like Champions Circle or the Husky supporters at Montlake Futures, the College Football Playoff championship game features top NIL success stories. Here's a look at five Michigan or Washington players with impressive On3 NIL Valuations and what's on their NIL resumes. |
| How would college football react to Michigan as champ after sign-stealing scandal? 'It's not good for the game' | |
| On Saturday morning, Michigan's football team paraded into the George R. Brown Convention Center for its turn at the annual College Football Playoff media day. From raised platforms and aluminum benches, the Wolverines spoke to a hoard of reporters for an hour before exiting out of a backdoor, loading onto charter buses and returning to the team hotel where they, invariably, passed a massive structure in downtown Houston: Minute Maid Park. Just steps away from the convention center stands the home of the Houston Astros, a team that in the recent past was at the center of the most infamous sign-stealing scandal in sports history while chasing a championship. There is more than just a puff of irony here. The Wolverines, 14-0 and the No. 1 seed in the CFP, meet No. 2 Washington (14-0) on Monday night while under NCAA investigation for an alleged sign-stealing scandal that rocked the college football world this season and left many angry, frustrated and even miffed that Michigan is eligible for the title at all. "That's a good football team. They are a very good football team," said one Power Five athletic director, "but this shows my concern with the NCAA process. This is our system and it's unfortunate. The system allows it, which is why we've got to change so much." "It's ridiculous that they are there parading around," said one Power Five head coach. "It's not good for the game." |
| As the College Sports Model Teeters, Michigan Tries to Keep a Balance | |
| Growing up in Hawaii, Roman Wilson didn't realize how much money was in college football until his senior year in high school when he took a weeklong recruiting visit to the mainland. His first stops were Cal-Berkeley and U.C.L.A. "Very nice facilities," he thought. Then he visited Michigan. "Just the building alone that we get to be in every day is millions upon millions of dollars," said Mr. Wilson, a wide receiver. "One of the biggest weight rooms I've ever seen. The training room is outstanding. Even flying planes to games -- that costs a lot of money, too." At Michigan, the money comes flooding in from a variety of sources: ticket sales from college football's biggest stadium that can pack in more than 100,000 fans for every home game; payouts from the richest conference television deal; seat licenses; sponsorships; and donations from some of the more than half-million Michigan graduates who live around the world. It adds up to what the school expects to be $214 million in athletic department revenue for this academic year, making it one of the wealthiest programs in the country. And that doesn't include millions more that are raised by booster-run collectives that funnel money to athletes in exchange for their endorsement rights. Washington, which plays Michigan on Monday night in the College Football Playoff title game, brought in $145 million last year, which was 25th among public universities, according to a USA Today database. Michigan was fourth. The game, which will be played in Houston, comes at a time of dramatic upheaval for the uniquely American model of college athletics. |
| CFP championship game is preview of expanded Big Ten; Pac-12 gets a chance for fantastic finish | |
| The College Football Playoff championship is quite the stage for Washington and Michigan to get reacquainted with each other. The teams play for the national title on Monday night. Starting next season, they'll compete against each other for Big Ten titles. "I imagine all the Big Ten folks in Chicago in the office, they're sitting like a rat in a cheese factory right now for sure," said Washington co-defensive coordinator William Inge, who was a graduate assistant at Iowa and assistant at Indiana for seven years. The Big Ten's coast-to-coast expansion began in the summer of 2022 when it voted in Southern California and UCLA beginning in 2024. The Pac-12's demolition was assured just over a year later when it failed to land a lucrative media rights contract. Oregon and Washington in August accepted invitations from the Big Ten and four other Pac-12 schools bolted to the Big 12. "The Big Ten goes into 2024 with the national championship. We can write that now," Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo said. DiNardo, the head coach at Indiana from 2002-04, said the entry of Washington and the other three schools comes at a fortuitous time. The Huskies are the team of the moment, but Oregon, USC and UCLA traditionally have been the biggest brands on the West Coast. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said he was a fan of the Pac-12 and has mixed feelings about its breakdown. "How fitting that they've had a heck of a run as a conference this year and then one of their teams get to the championship," he said. "There are a lot of people from the Pac-12 excited to see how they go out. And then for the Big Ten to look into their future ... It's just weird to think this will be a conference game next year." |
| Michigan's President on Harbaugh, Higher Education and the Unifying Power of College Sports | |
| At the last two universities where he served as school president -- Cincinnati and British Columbia -- Santa Ono crowd-surfed at football games. When Ono took over as president of the University of Michigan in October 2022, however, he encountered a problem. Michigan Stadium holds about 110,000 people -- more than any other college stadium -- and employees at the school's division of public safety expressed concern about the president launching himself atop that throng. "They have yet to give me the OK," Ono said. While other university presidents ignore or tolerate the frenzy that college sports bring to a campus, Ono embraces it. The tumult surrounding Michigan's football team and its embattled coach, Jim Harbaugh, this season has made Ono's full-throated endorsement of athletics all the more notable. The day before the Wolverines faced the University of Washington in the national championship game Monday, Ono spoke with The Wall Street Journal about Harbaugh, criticism of higher education, universities' role in government and why he's all-in on college sports. Americans increasingly sort themselves into states, cities and even places of worship that align with their political orientations. College football, however, remains popular among people of all stripes. It can unite universities like Michigan, Ono said, which sprawls across cities, undergraduate and postgraduate programs. "I haven't seen anything other than intercollegiate sports that can knit that kind of a university together," he said. |
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