| Tuesday, January 16, 2024 |
| MSU announces remote operations for Jan. 16 | |
 | Mississippi State University's Starkville and MSU-Meridian campuses are being impacted by winter weather and will begin the spring semester Tuesday [Jan. 16] with remote operations. Students can login to Canvas for course information from instructors. Severe winter weather has made driving conditions hazardous in Central and North Mississippi and are expected to continue to impact transportation Tuesday [Jan. 16]. Employees who can work remotely should do so. Designated employees who are instructed by their supervisors are required to work in person on campus. MSU's Operational Guidance may be viewed at www.emergency.msstate.edu/guidelines/op-guidance. Faculty, staff and students are urged to use caution to ensure personal safety. The university will make an announcement Tuesday [Jan. 16] by 5 p.m. about the status of the institution for Wednesday [Jan. 17]. Monitor the MSU website and social media for updates. Monitor local news outlets for changing conditions and advisories. Due to the possibility of icy roadway conditions, SMART service will be suspended Tuesday [Jan. 16]. Updates can be found at www.smart.msstate.edu and through SMART social media outlets. |
| Meridian residents bundle up for cold temps | |
 | With snow already blanketing the northern part of the state, Meridian area residents had better bundle up. It's about to get cold. An Arctic air mass will bring dangerously cold temperatures to the Meridian area through Wednesday morning with a chance of a wintry mix moving in later Monday evening, according to the U.S. National Weather Service in Jackson. Mississippi State University Meridian Campus is being impacted by winter weather and will begin the spring semester on Tuesday with remote operations, according to a release from MSU. Students can login to Canvas for course information from instructors. Employees who can work remotely are encouraged to do so. Highs on Tuesday will be right around freezing throughout the day with temperatures expected to reach 32 to 34 degrees in the Meridian area before starting to drop in the late afternoon. Clouds will be lingering around for most of the day. Over night on Tuesday, the low in the Meridian area is expected to fall to around 11 degrees before Wednesday morning. |
| Winter storm brings dangerous cold to the Magnolia State | |
 | Mississippians are bundling up as cold temperatures and a wintry mix are making their way through the Southern U.S. Some areas of the state could see temperatures as low as 8 degrees with wind chills below zero. On Sunday, Governor Tate Reeves issued a State of Emergency in anticipation of winter weather. "The state of Mississippi is proactively taking steps to prepare for freezing temperatures and severe winter weather," said Governor Reeves. "By declaring this State of Emergency, we can mobilize state assets, and better support response and recovery efforts. All Mississippians in the impacted areas are encouraged to take precautions over the next few days. Prepare your homes now for below-freezing temperatures, bring pets inside, and check in with your loved ones who are most susceptible during this frigid weather." The National Weather Services has forecasted freezing rain, sleet, and snow for a significant portion of Mississippi, along with dangerous cold for the week. The State of Emergency allows the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to move assets throughout the state to support local governments in preparation for, response to, and recovery from the impending weather. Local municipalities are warning their citizens to stay off of the roads if at all possible. |
| 30th MLK Unity Breakfast: Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | |
 | Mississippi State University was honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The university hosted its 30th annual MLK Unity Breakfast. This year's keynote speaker was MSU alumna Camille Scales Young. She is the principal and director of Cornerstone Government Affairs in Jackson. The program also featured opening remarks from MSU president, Dr. Mark Keenum, and music by the university's Black Voices Gospel Choir. Following the program, volunteers from various organizations in Starkville participated in the "MLK Day of Service" activities. MSU's Maroon Volunteer Center coordinated the service projects. "It's incredibly important that everyone observe Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day because he's a man who broke trends. He broke the mold and he left us a legacy and he left us a charge, right? He was very clear that the work we needed to do was not finished. The work did not end with his death. And it's incredibly important that we listen to the message he had for us and that we follow up on that legacy because there is still so much more to be done to fulfill his dream," said Delaney Vampran-Foster, MSU Office of Inclusive Excellence. |
| MSU professor emeritus educates garden club on sustainability | |
 | Pete Melby, professor emeritus of landscape architecture at Mississippi State University spoke about sustainability at the Jan. 4 meeting of the Starkville Town and Country Garden Club held at the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum. Melby defined sustainability as "respecting and living in concert with nature." "Churches and clubs like the Starkville Town and Country Garden Club are the heartbeat of America because you have impact on what gets done," Melby said. "Each of us can have impact by recycling and keeping things out of the landfill, such as paper, cardboard, leaves, and pine straw. The decomposition of these items produces methane gas, which is 85% more effective than CO2 at holding on to the earth's heat." "The topic of sustainability fit nicely with the challenge we gave to our club members to go green," said Kathryn Davis, president of Starkville Town and Country Garden Club. "We have a Conservation and Environmental Committee that is focused on recycling, conservation, and addressing the litter issue in Starkville and the surrounding area." Melby's wife and garden club member, Cindy, also shared about their work with Garden Love, an outreach ministry in Starkville's Brookville Gardens area that now has 41 raised garden beds and a core group of kids and teenagers that grow and sell produce at the local farmer's market. |
| New ordinance could require businesses to have cameras | |
| Mayor Lynn Spruill is proposing an ordinance requiring Starkville businesses and retail centers of a certain size to install security cameras in parking lots, entries and exit areas. At Friday's board of aldermen work session, Spruill said the board will consider calling for the first of two required public hearings on the ordinance at Tuesday's scheduled board meeting. If approved, the first public hearing would be held Feb. 6 and the second Feb. 20. The board would then consider adopting the ordinance. If passed, it would go in effect 30 days afterward. Spruill told The Dispatch Friday after the meeting that the idea was hers, born out of a concern for security and a desire to solve or deter crime. "We have had reports of scammers who are taking advantage of the elderly in parking lots," she said. "We've had instances that made us think that this is one of those things that we should stay ahead of." The proposal applies to businesses and retail centers with greater than 25 parking spaces. She said other elements would also be considered, such as if the store is a liquor store or hemp store. Spruill said the ordinance is based on similar measures passed in Madison and Vicksburg. None of the aldermen present at Friday's work session -- including Ward 2 Alderwoman Sandra Sistrunk, Ward 3 Alderman Jeffrey Rupp, Ward 5 Alderman Hamp Beatty and Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn -- voiced objections to Spruil's proposal. Rupp told The Dispatch that the topic of security cameras "is a conversation worth having" and is neither for nor against the idea at this time. |
| Episcopal bishop candidates to meet church members | |
 | The process for selecting a new Episcopal Bishop of Mississippi is nearing an end as the diocese readies to introduce five candidates for consideration. What amounts to a road show around Mississippi will help members of Episcopal churches throughout the state better understand the process. The candidates will be answering questions submitted by the laity and clergy of the diocese, along with having more informal time to visit with attendees after the room rotations. All of the meetings will be live-streamed in an exercise that is completely open. Brian Seage, the current Episcopal Bishop of Mississippi who led the diocese through the COVID-19 pandemic and Jackson water crisis, will be leaving the state once a replacement is elected. A new Bishop will be elected Feb. 3 during the Diocese's Annual Conference. The new Bishop will be ordained on July 20. Here are the candidates: The Rev. Canon Jason Alexander has served as Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas since 2009. The Very Rev. Jennifer Andrews-Weckerly is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and was raised there and in Western North Carolina. The Very Rev. Rob Courtney is a South Louisiana native, born and raised in Crowley. The Very Rev. Walton Jones grew up in Grenada. He has served several churches in Mississippi, including his current Church of the Resurrection in Starkville since 2016. The Rev. Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells is Rector of St. George's Episcopal Church in Germantown, Tennessee and is chaplain of the church's preschool. |
| King cakes: A Mardi Gras favorite baked with tradition and symbolism | |
 | Mardi Gras and king cakes are a part of the culture in much of Mississippi, but how much do you know about king cakes? They may be considered just a seasonal treat for some people, but they are steeped in history, tradition and symbolism. "The king cake is related to Kings Day or Epiphany, which in the Christian religion is when the wise men found the baby Jesus," said Anna Harris, executive director of the Coastal Mississippi Mardi Gras Museum in Biloxi. "There are different cakes around the world that are eaten on Epiphany, the 12th night of Christmas, when Christmas is over and Carnival begins." The traditional king cake as we know it has roots reaching back to Europe. "The one we have in America is from the French," Harris said. King cakes in America have evolved as bakeries have become creative. "It's just a vibrant, culinary tradition in the Gulf South," Harris said. And it's a tradition that is spreading in Mississippi. "The love of Mardi Gras is spreading across the South," Harris said. "A lot of these traditions are going to get bigger or fade away. I think it's only going to get bigger." |
| Lawmakers looking to change state retirement system in 2024 | |
| When Toby Barker, mayor of Hattiesburg and president of the Mississippi Municipal League, came to Jackson Wednesday with a group of mayors, he wanted to voice his hope to work with the Legislature on the state's retirement system. That work, he hopes, will save public employers, such as cities, counties and state agencies from future contribution increases into the Public Employment Retirement System of Mississippi, which currently sit at a 17.4% match of employee's yearly salaries, while worker's themselves pitch in 9%. "The PERS Executive Director Ray Higgins said the employer contribution will likely go up to 27%," Barker said. "For us, that'd be three million new dollars from where we are right now that we have to come up with every year to pay for existing employees. Other towns that maybe don't have the same sales tax growth that we have, that would be a disastrous prospect." Fortunately for Barker, while no bills have been submitted for review, legislators in the House and Senate are planning to bring retirement reforms to the floor this year to address a growing number of retirees and a shortage of public sector employees to help fund PERS, several lawmakers told the Clarion Ledger. Sen. David Blount, a Democrat representing Hinds County, said active members would not be effected by any changes in law, but the Legislature could look at changing benefits and contributions for future hires. "It's absolutely essential that we protect the long-term sustainability of PERS, and that means that all the employers in the system such as the state, counties, cities and school districts all have to meet their financial obligations," Blount said. |
| Mississippi House leadership team reflects new speaker's openness to Medicaid expansion | |
 | The new speaker of the Mississippi House on Friday announced his leadership team for this four-year term, making a significant change by choosing a new chairman who supports his wish to consider Medicaid expansion. Speaker Jason White appointed fellow Republican Sam Creekmore of New Albany to lead the House Public Health and Human Services Committee. Creekmore, whose father is a physician, told The Associated Press that he has been willing for years to consider Medicaid expansion as a way to bring more federal money to Mississippi. The state has long been one of the poorest in the nation. "I'm close to our hospital administrators in New Albany, in Tupelo," Creekmore said Friday. "I see the struggles they go through. So I'm hoping to put it all on the table." White appointed Republican Missy McGee of Hattiesburg as the new chairwoman of the House Medicaid Committee, also giving her a role in considering broader coverage by the program. She was one of the leaders last year in changing a state law to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from two months to a full year. The House chose White as the new speaker on Jan. 2. With some Mississippi hospitals struggling to remain open, White says he wants legislators to consider Medicaid expansion as a way to bring up to $1 billion of federal money to the state each year. |
| House health care committee leadership changes signal Medicaid expansion debate | |
| Speaker Jason White on Friday appointed new people to lead the two House committees with jurisdiction over health policy, signaling a desire to shift the focus of health care debate in a state plagued by dire health outcomes. "The selections for chairs and vice chairs directly reflect our desire and drive to elevate Mississippi," White said in a statement. "I am enthusiastic to work with these Republican, Democrat, and independent chairs and vice chairs as we address our state's challenges and opportunities through a conservative lens to build a better, brighter Mississippi." The new speaker appointed Sam Creekmore IV, a Republican from New Albany, to chair the Public Health and Human Services Committee and Missy McGee, a Republican of Hattiesburg, to chair the Medicaid Committee, a notable shift from more conservative respective chairs of the previous four-year term. Both Creekmore and McGee come from the more moderate wing of the state GOP and have been involved in previous efforts to reform aspects of health care. Both have told Mississippi Today they support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. When asked about possible priorities as chair of Public Health, Creekmore said he wanted to put Medicaid expansion "on the table." "Let's have a conversation," he said. "I know that is what the speaker wants to do, too. We have not discussed it other than just in passing. But whatever we do has to be what is best for the hospitals, the people and the state." Similarly, McGee also said she plans to examine ways to help the number of uninsured working people because "Medicaid can be a tool in helping people and families." |
| Lawmakers plan challenge to jail as 'default place' for people awaiting psychiatric treatment | |
| For years, Mississippians have been jailed without criminal charges while they await mental health treatment. This session, lawmakers will propose bills aiming to significantly curtail that practice, legislators said in interviews last week. And in the House, the measures will be sponsored by the chair and vice chair of the Public Health and Human Services Committee, to which at least some of the proposals may be referred. "We can't send people with mental illness to jail because the county doesn't want to pay" for an alternative, said Rep. Kevin Felsher, R-Biloxi, vice chair of that committee. No legislation has been filed so far. But Felsher and Rep. Sam Creekmore, R-New Albany, the new public health chairman, said they plan to introduce a slate of bills that together would address multiple aspects of the civil commitment process and impose new limits on the jailing of people without criminal charges. The Department of Mental Health supports those efforts, Director Wendy Bailey said in an email. In some counties, Creekmore said, jail is "the default place to put them." Bailey has emphasized that she opposes jailing people without criminal charges while they await treatment. |
| In Mississippi, MLK Day is also Robert E. Lee Day. This lawmaker wants to change that. | |
| Many Mississippians are celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday as both a federal and state holiday. But in Mississippi, Monday is also a holiday honoring someone else: Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general. Mississippi is one of just two states -- along with neighboring Alabama -- that officially honors Lee on the shared holiday. State Rep. Kabir Karriem, a Democrat from Columbus, said he will again offer legislation this session, as he has in the past, to make MLK Day a standalone holiday. "This juxtaposition of two figures who stand at opposite ends of the spectrum of American history and values is not only incongruous but also deeply disrespectful to the legacy of Dr. King and all that he stood for," Karriem said in a statement. After a national holiday was established in the 1980s to honor King, numerous Southern states combined a day for King and Lee, who was already honored with a holiday. Mississippi lawmakers viewed it as a compromise to combine a holiday for King and Lee. "It is essential to recognize the stark differences between the two men being celebrated on this shared day," Karriem said. |
| Mississippi ranks as one of the least healthy states in the nation | |
| According to a recent report by Forbes Advisor, Mississippi is ranked as one of the least healthy states in the nation, only following West Virginia as the overall least healthy state. The report compared all 50 states with 21 key metrics. Mississippians are reported to have the highest rate of hypertension and shortest life expectancy at 73.63 years. The report says the state also has the highest rate of deaths caused by cancer, hypertension, kidney disease and stroke. Roughly 242 of every 100,000 Mississippians die of heart disease, per the report, and 13.7% of the state's population have diabetes. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that chronic disease will increase in the U.S. over the next few decades. According to the report, between 2025 and 2060, officials say the number of Americans with diabetes is expected to increase by 39.9%, hypertension by 27.2% and obesity by 18.3%. Dr. Victor Sutton, Chief of Community Health and Clinical Services, said the Mississippi State Health Department is committed to helping Mississippians live healthier lives. "We have programs dedicated to addressing chronic illnesses and encouraging healthy lifestyles. We offer free workshops on managing diabetes and long-term health conditions like arthritis, asthma, cancer, diabetes, depression, heart disease, high blood pressure and chronic pain," said Dr. Sutton. "We also have programs that focus on helping people make good choices for a healthy lifestyle." Dr. Sutton said those programs specifically help to educate communities in areas such as healthy aging, tobacco cessation, heart disease and stroke presentation. |
| Red Paden, Juke Joint 'King' Who Kept the Blues Alive, Dies at 67 | |
 | Red Paden, who as the self-proclaimed "king of the juke joint runners" spent four decades as the owner of Red's, an unassuming music spot in downtown Clarksdale, Miss., and one of the last places in the United States to offer authentic Delta blues in its natural setting, died on Dec. 30 in Jackson, Miss. He was 67. His son, Orlando, said the death, in a hospital, was from complications of heart surgery. Juke joints, once commonplace across the Deep South, were the loam out of which blues music grew -- a vast network of shacks, old shops and converted homes where traveling musicians would play a night for a share of the cover charge, then move on to the next gig. Mr. Paden opened Red's in the early 1980s, taking over a derelict music store called LaVene's that was once popular with Delta musicians. Over the years, Red's became an institution celebrated for its authenticity, right down to its gravelly-voiced owner. In 2018, he founded Red's Old-Timer's Blues Festival, held every Labor Day weekend. The criteria for playing the event were loose: You have to be over 60, have at least a passing relationship to Mississippi and, most important, be in good standing with Mr. Paden. Orlando Paden, a Mississippi state representative, said that his father was already well along in planning the next festival when he died, and that he and other organizers would go forward without him and even expand it. They plan to line up additional acts, and to introduce a barbecue competition as well. "It'll be the biggest yet," Mr. Paden said. "That's what my dad would have wanted." |
| Trump notches a commanding win in the Iowa caucuses as DeSantis edges Haley for second place | |
| Former President Donald Trump scored a record-setting win in the Iowa caucuses on Monday with his rivals languishing far behind, a victory that affirmed his grip on the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. In what was the lowest-turnout caucus in a quarter-century, participants endured life-threatening cold and dangerous driving conditions to meet in hundreds of schools, churches and community centers across the state. But those who ventured out delivered a roughly 30-point win for Trump that smashed the record for a contested Iowa Republican caucus with a margin of victory exceeding Bob Dole's nearly 13-percentage-point victory in 1988. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished a distant second, just ahead of former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. The results left Trump with a tighter grip on the GOP nomination, though it could take several more months for anyone to formally become the party's standard bearer. Having repeatedly vowed vengeance against his political opponents in recent months, Trump offered a message of unity in his victory speech. "We want to come together, whether it's Republican or Democrat or liberal or conservative," he said. "We're going to come together. It's going to happen soon." The GOP contest moves swiftly to New Hampshire, which will hold the first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23. |
| John Deere, Meet Elon Musk: SpaceX Satellites to Link Farm Giant's Equipment | |
 | Deere said it would tap SpaceX's satellite fleet to propel the tractor maker's digital farming push and help automate planting and harvesting in remote locations. The world's largest farm machinery manufacturer signed a deal with SpaceX's Starlink business to connect tractors, seed planters, crop sprayers and other equipment in areas that lack adequate internet service, allowing them to use Deere's digital products. "This takes us a step closer to ubiquitous connectivity anywhere in the world," said Jahmy Hindman, Deere's chief technology officer. "The biggest opportunity for us is to expose existing technologies to more customers." Illinois-based Deere has been investing billions of dollars in building out computer-assisted services for farmers, including software that allows herbicide sprayers to distinguish crops from weeds and driverless tractors to plow fields. Deere, which sells around 60% of high-horsepower tractors used in the U.S. and Canada, wants to generate 10% of its annual revenue by the end of the decade from software service fees. The company reported $55.6 billion in equipment sales in its most recent fiscal year. Deere's digital farming offerings enable farmers to monitor equipment remotely in their fields, troubleshoot problems without hauling tractors to repair shops and receive real-time data on soil, seeds and planting. Many farmers rely on wireless signals from land-based towers to use these digital services. But about 30% of the acres farmed in the U.S. lack sufficient Wi-Fi service, according to Deere. |
| USM continues the dream at 18th annual MLK Prayer Breakfast | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi's Thad Cochran Center was a full house as hundreds gathered for the breakfast, hosted by the Mu Xi and Mu Gamma Lambda chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. The breakfast is held each year in honor of the life and legacy of late civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., recognizing several trailblazers within the community. "Each year, we try to come together to focus on his life and that he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, but also the outreach of his efforts throughout the country and perhaps even the world," said Dr. Eddie Holloway, chair of the MLK Jr. breakfast program committee and dean of students emeritus at USM. Ten book scholarships were also awarded to high school seniors across the Pine Belt. Holloway said he hopes the breakfast will inspire those in Hattiesburg and beyond to learn about Dr. King and his ideas on bringing forth change. |
| USM hosts tribute concert in honor of late singer Jimmy Buffett | |
| Spirit Park was turned into "Margaritaville" as dozens came out to a concert held to honor the late Jimmy Buffett. The concert was headlined by Lloyd "Hurricane" Munn and The Forecasters and also included a tribute to Buffett's harmonica player, Greg "Fingers" Taylor. Both Buffett and Taylor passed away in 2023. Buffett died from cancer last September, at the age of 76. As a classmate and frat brother of Buffett's, Munn said the concert was only fitting for a man who went far but never forgot where he came from. "It just seemed like the right thing to do, and everybody knows this is where Jimmy started from, so it's just thrilling to see all these people here showing their respects," said Munn. "Jimmy has done so much for the university. "He just never made a real big deal of it." On Monday, the band will be performing another tribute concert, this one for Taylor," at Hal and Mal's restaurant in Jackson. |
| Longtime USM Dixie Darlings Director Smith retires | |
 | After 20 years of service, Tracy Smith announced her decision to retire from her position as director of the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Dixie Darlings. "It has been an honor to direct the University of Southern Mississippi Dixie Darlings for the past 20 years," said Smith. "The memories made at USM as a student, alumnus, and employee are dear to my heart." Smith remembers going to USM games as a youth and being in awe of The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band and Dixie Darlings. In 1985, earned a spot on the team. After graduation, Smith remained a loyal alum and once the Dixie Darlings Alumnae Association was formed, she became a member of that organization, performing with the group at every opportunity. In 2003, when the Director of the Dixie Darlings position opened, she applied and was selected. As director, Smith has been with the team not only at home and away games, but also in the London New Year's Day Parade, a Green Bay Packers football game, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Ireland St. Patrick's Day parade, and various appearances in bowl games and exhibitions across the south. |
| East Central, others to close Tuesday due to weather | |
| East Central Community College Campus will close on Tuesday, Jan. 16, due to weather conditions, it was announced. "Due to the winter weather threat in our area tomorrow, Tuesday, January 16th, all East Central Community College campuses and offices will be closed," the school said in a statement. "However, classes will be virtual. Students, please check your Canvas accounts for announcements/coursework from your instructors." For students currently on campus, Mabry Cafeteria will have adjusted hours on Tuesday, with meals available from 11 a.m. to Noon and 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Please use caution when moving through campus to the cafeteria, officials said. Additionally, Neshoba County School District announced they would be closed on Tuesday and have a delayed start of 10 a.m. on Wednesday. |
| What makes a snow day? School officials consider multiple variables when deciding | |
 | Northeast Mississippi is turning into a winter wonderland, but that's not so wonderful for the school administrators who have to decide whether kids should attend school in the frosty weather. Superintendents for the Corinth School District, Lee County School District, New Albany School District, Oxford School District and Tupelo Public School District on Monday told the Daily Journal that they'll be evaluating whether students within their districts will attend school this week on a day-to-day basis. Those decisions rely on a number of variables. Lee County, New Albany, Tupelo schools will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 16, said LCSD superintendent Coke Magee, NASD superintendent Lance Evans and TPSD superintendent Rob Picou. Evans was recently named as the incoming Mississippi education superintendent -- he'll assume that position in July. Since the Mississippi governor declared a state of emergency yesterday because of the winter weather, the TPSD won't need to make up the snow day later in the year, Picou said. All five superintendents agreed schools will likely remain closed past Tuesday. The biggest factor in deciding if schools will close for winter weather is transportation -- whether the roads are safe for school buses, as well as for teachers driving in to work. Administrators also have to consider whether it's too cold for children to stand outside waiting for the bus. The difficulty of getting diesel school buses to run in the cold can also be a determining factor, Childress said. |
| U. of Florida strategic funding to help improve industrialized construction engineering | |
 | The University of Florida will use $2.5 million in strategic funding to help advance the field of industrialized construction engineering. The money comes from the $130 million in funding that Florida Legislature awarded UF in 2023. President Ben Sasse established that the majority of those funds would be put towards toward strategic initiatives that will advance interdisciplinary scholarship and enhance the student experience. The university said the College of Design, Construction and Planning (DCP), and the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering will work together and seek to revolutionize how the world conceptualizes, designs and builds affordable and resilient buildings and civil infrastructure. "The construction and engineering industries are rapidly changing with advances in technology, and we need to adapt and evolve to keep up with that pace," said Sasse in a news release. "The Industrialized Construction Engineering (ICE) project will help UF's experts use tools like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic automation to transform the way we design and build." Using a not-yet-built, 50,000-square-foot facility -- to be named the Bruno E. and Maritza F. Ramos Collaboratory -- the College of Design, Construction and Planning will work with AI, design automation and robotic construction in order to improve productivity, safety and quality in both residential and commercial construction. |
| U. of Tennessee's first chief wellness officer: Mental health should be 'almost boring' | |
 | University of Tennessee System leaders want to prioritize mental health care for students and faculty with the creation of the new chief wellness officer position. Dr. Jessica "Jessi" Gold will oversee mental health and wellness resources and culture across the system when she steps into the role Feb. 1. She plans to use 20 years of learning and experience to create a thriving mental health ecosystem at UT. Gold, who will work out of Memphis' UT Health Science Center, also will teach and serve clinical hours as a psychiatrist. The youngest of four, Gold grew up in Florida and has master's degree in anthropology with a focus in medical anthropology, an medical doctorate with a residency in adult psychiatry. She has worked for the World Health Organization and as the director of wellness, engagement and outreach at the Washington University School of Medicine. What can you tell us about this inaugural chief wellness officer role? What are your duties? "The fact that it exists is part of the really important part of it. It means that the university really is trying to think about mental health in a central, focused, systematic way. That does not happen very often, and it is really, really important." |
| U. of Arkansas report finds flaw in giveaways | |
| A study led by researchers at the University of Arkansas suggests the Little Food Pantry program, which began in Fayetteville in 2016 to help feed the hungry, may do more to help some people feel good than it does to help those in need. But some local activists with personal knowledge of the program have challenged that conclusion. According to an article detailing the study, "Although the individuals who establish these pantries are likely well intentioned, the shortcomings of many of the pantries suggest they may fall more into the category of 'symbolic gesture' rather than a practical solution to alleviating food insecurity." Several of those who support the Little Food Pantry acknowledged the limitations of the program while also believing its benefits outweigh its shortcomings. Grace Cleghorn is the parish chef for St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville. The church allows a Little Free Pantry to operate on its property and has supplemented the pantry with a "Little Free Fridge" to make perishable items available. Cleghorn said the Little Free Pantry at the church is, like the others, community-driven and managed with little church involvement. "It's got something new in it almost every day," she said. "And it's not just food. People sometimes leave bags of dog food at the base of the pantry. We get baby items and diapers, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products. Really almost anything people think someone might need." |
| UGA, Augusta University presidents support new UGA medical school | |
 | In the wake of Gov. Brian's Kemp's announcement on last week to spend $50 million to create a separate medical school at the University of Georgia, top officials connected to both medical schools in the state issued statements supporting the measure. Currently, the UGA medical school located on Prince Avenue is in a working partnership with the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. UGA President Jere Morehead on Thursday issued a statement that the two universities have "successfully worked together for nearly 15 years." "The governor's proposal is a natural evolution of this fruitful partnership, one that will produce even more doctors for our state," he said. "We appreciate the governor's announcement of his support for a new medical school" at UGA. Brooks A. Keel, president of Augusta University, also described Kemp's proposal as "a natural progression" of the current partnership between the two universities. Keel also noted Kemp's proposal to create a new dental school at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, which he said would create an extension of Augusta's University's Dental College. University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue joined the two university presidents in supporting Kemp's proposal. "As this state continues to grow, these recommendations build on the critical work already being done" by Augusta's medical and dental colleges, Perdue said. |
| How Money and Liberty U.'s Leadership Culture Led It Astray | |
 | Liberty University's student honor code, "the Liberty Way," extends far beyond the usual prohibitions on cheating and plagiarism. To enforce its standards for "life in a Christian educational community," Liberty has banned alcohol consumption (including for those over 21). Attending dances is a big no-no. And students sunbathing at the pool must wear a one-piece -- no bikinis allowed. Premarital sex is another serious infraction. And if sex leads to an unplanned pregnancy, Liberty will punish students for "procuring, financing, facilitating, or obtaining an abortion." Liberty says its rules promote high moral conduct, but those same strict standards don't always appear to apply to those at the top. In particular, Jerry Falwell Jr., whose conservative televangelist father founded the university in 1971, came to symbolize Liberty's excesses during a 13-year presidency that came to a lurid conclusion in 2020. Time and again, the Christian evangelical university's leaders have been embroiled in scandal, and often, those transgressions went unpunished. The alleged ethical lapses by Liberty's administration include steering university contracts to well-connected insiders, having extramarital affairs, sexually harassing other staff members or students, and punishing students for reporting accusations of sexual assault. The alleged punishment of rape victims is an accusation that appears repeatedly in a copy of a preliminary report prepared by the U.S. Department of Education and obtained by The Chronicle and other members of the media. |
| Colleges Can't Keep Up With Students' Mental-Health Needs. Teletherapy Companies Are Filling the Gaps. | |
| For years, college counseling centers were overrun, unable to keep up with students' demand for mental-health services. Getting them help fast became increasingly urgent. One by one, colleges started contracting third-party, higher-ed-focused teletherapy providers to assist their in-house counselors. Now hundreds of colleges use these companies. New Jersey recently purchased teletherapy access for every college student in the state; on Wednesday, the state extended that partnership through the spring of 2025. Colleges still often struggle to meet students' needs; waitlists for in-person treatment persist. But with 24/7 and virtual availability, many counseling-center leaders report that teletherapy has changed their campuses for the better, offering flexibility for students and allowing administrators peace of mind. The most widely used teletherapy providers -- BetterMynd, Mantra Health, TimelyCare, and Uwill -- started popping up in 2017 and have grown exponentially since the pandemic hit, when colleges began relying more on online mental-health resources. Today, according to client data from the providers, these services are available to a combined 4.8 million students at more than 700 campuses. These figures are approximate; a handful of colleges contract with more than one company and may be counted twice. Campus officials who spoke with The Chronicle said the investment -- which, in some cases, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars each year -- has been worth it. |
| The M.B.A.s Who Can't Find Jobs | |
| Jenna Starr stuck a blue Post-it Note to her monitor a few months after getting her M.B.A. from Yale University last May. "Get yourself the job," it read. It wasn't until last week -- when she received a long-awaited offer -- that she could finally take it down. For months, Starr has been one of a large number of 2023 M.B.A. graduates whose job searches have collided with a slowdown in hiring for well-paid, white-collar positions. Her search for a job in sustainability began before graduation, and she applied for more than 100 openings since, including in the field she used to work in -- nonprofit fundraising. "There are people in the same position as me, for sure," the 30-year-old said. An M.B.A. can cost more than $200,000 at a top school but typically pays off as a launchpad for a new, more lucrative career or the corporate leadership fast track. Many in the spring class of 2023 say they are still awaiting that payoff. These M.B.A.s entered the job market just as three sectors that heavily recruit them -- consulting, tech and finance -- hit downturns and put the brakes on hiring. Some graduates with consulting jobs have had their start dates pushed to later this year. Meanwhile, the number of openings in software development, marketing, banking and other professional fields has fallen from a year ago. |
| Higher Education in Political Crosshairs as 2024 Election Heats Up | |
 | The fight for control of the White House and Congress in 2024 has already seen calls from candidates to fire "radical left" accreditors, end the tax-exempt status of elite universities and defund some colleges. It's one sign among many that higher education policy, typically a back-burner issue in federal campaigns, could play an unusual role in this year's elections. Higher education has found itself increasingly in the headlines -- and the political crosshairs -- in recent years, as public confidence in the value of colleges and universities has plummeted. While younger progressives have agitated for student loan cancellation and boycotting Israel, Florida's Republican governor, presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, who finished second in Monday's Iowa presidential caucus, has sought to significantly reform colleges and universities in his state to end the "woke activism" that plagues it in the view of the right. Last year's controversies over President Biden's attempts to cancel student debt, the Supreme Court's conservative majority striking down that effort along with race-conscious admissions policies, and the tumult on campuses over the Israel-Hamas war have only turned up the heat on colleges and universities. Seeing an opening to make more sweeping changes to higher education, Republicans have recently latched on to the issue of campus antisemitism as a way to address their other concerns about the system, which they argue is out of touch and not meeting the needs of everyday Americans. |
| MUW proposes enlightened name change | |
| Columnist Bill Crawford writes: Soon, "the W" -- the Mississippi University for Women -- may no longer have a W word in its name. It began as the Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls by proclamation of the Mississippi Legislature on March 12, 1894, the first public women's college in the U.S. Its enlightened dual purpose back then was to provide a liberal arts education for white women and to prepare them for employment. In 1920, White Girls went away when the Legislature agreed to change the name to Mississippi State College for Women. However, it wasn't until 1966 that the college admitted its first Black students. In 1974, when all Mississippi public colleges were renamed as universities, MSCW became the Mississippi University for Women. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1982 that the college could no longer be a single-sex institution, MUW began admitting men. That led to efforts to remove women from the name. However, powerful alumnae wanted to continue the emphasis on women's education and to sustain the popular sobriquet "the W." By 2009, efforts to remove gender from the name gained momentum. A university naming committee considered three names: Waverly University, Welty-Reneau University, and Reneau University. Then-President Claudia Limbert chose to put forward Reneau University. Prominent alumnae derailed that one. In 2022, current President Nora Miller appointed another committee to come up with a new name following input from faculty. Last week, she announced that on July 1, 2024, MUW will become Mississippi Brightwell University -- upon approval by the IHL Board and the Legislature. If approved, the university's name will finally become as inclusive as its student body. |
| DEI in Mississippi: Promise and Peril | |
| Trey Dellinger, who previously served as Chief of Staff for former Speaker of the House Philip Gunn and in private law practice handling complex litigation, writes for MagnoliaTribune.com: This week we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. I first read his "I Have a Dream" speech in my 9th grade English textbook, waiting for a haircut. Such profound words leave a lasting impression of time and place: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." America imperfectly yet increasingly embraced that ideal. We honored diversity that penetrates surface stereotypes to reveal individual dignity. We advanced equal rights and meritocratic inclusiveness. Let the best person and best ideas win. We pursued a common identity, honored common holidays, and shared a literary canon. Most cherished a common faith yet counted religious tolerance as our first enumerated right. One nation, under God, indivisible. We did not have or want unanimity but had unity where it mattered. What we shared deep down mattered more than surface differences. We had not fully realized the dream but were turning a corner. Universities were key to that progress, embracing traditional concepts of diversity, equal opportunity, and inclusiveness. ... Now many of our nation's universities have lost their way. Leading universities turned conventional concepts of diversity, equal rights, and inclusiveness upside down through "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion" (DEI). |
| Despite Tate Reeves' win, Medicaid expansion sure is on the table | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: A time-honored political adage is that "elections have consequences." Tate Reeves was reelected governor in 2023 as a long-time opponent of Medicaid expansion. Hence, the consequence is that there is no likelihood that Medicaid will be expanded to provide health care coverage for primarily the working poor -- an estimated 200,000 Mississippians. Even with two-thirds super majorities of Reeves' fellow Republicans in both the state House and Senate, Mississippi may be closer than the gubernatorial election results would indicate to joining the nation's other 40 states that have expanded Medicaid. For instance, new House Speaker Jason White, R-West, pronounced that expanding Medicaid would be on the table for discussion during his tenure. White made his comments even before he was selected as the unanimous pick of his fellow House Republicans to replace outgoing Speaker Philip Gunn, who like Reeves was staunchly anti-expansion. There is no reason to think Speaker White will not honor that commitment. And over in the Senate, one of the worst-kept secrets in the Capitol for the past four years has been that its presiding officer Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has believed that expanding Medicaid to provide health insurance for the working poor should at least be adequately studied. Hosemann knew with both Reeves and Gunn in opposition that any efforts to pass Medicaid expansion in the Senate would be futile. Gunn is gone. During a recent appearance before the Mississippi State University Stennis Institute/Capitol Press Corps luncheon, Hosemann indicated that Medicaid expansion was still on his political radar. |
SPORTS
| Women's Basketball: Paint dominance, fourth-quarter surge carry Bulldogs past Ole Miss | |
| For more than 37 minutes, Sunday's rivalry game was played entirely within a nine-point margin as neither Mississippi State nor Ole Miss could take control. The Bulldogs never led by more than five; the Rebels could never go ahead by more than four. MSU had done well in the fourth quarter to control the paint and pull ahead down the stretch, but with two and a half minutes to go, point guard Lauren Park-Lane drove to the basket and kicked the ball out to Debreasha Powe in the left corner. Powe, the only player from Mississippi on the Bulldogs' roster, drained a 3-pointer to finally give the hosts a comfortable lead. Ole Miss, which made just one of 12 field goals in the final period, never scored again as MSU picked up a 69-57 victory. "It means a lot to be able to pull off this win," Powe said. "We wanted it, and I know I wanted it. I wanted to beat them bad. It's a rivalry game, I'm from Mississippi, this is what we've always known. I've been a big Mississippi State fan, so for us to pull it off today, it's a great feeling." Next up is another tough test at home with Tennessee visiting Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday night. "Our kids are motivated," MSU head coach Sam Purcell said. "This is a great win for our fans, it's a great SEC win, but this can't define the rest of our season. We have to remain hungry. We'll celebrate tonight, but back to work tomorrow." |
| Why beating Ole Miss is signature win for Mississippi State women's basketball, Sam Purcell | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball coach Sam Purcell remembers when the Bulldogs hosted South Carolina at a packed Humphrey Coliseum during the height of Vic Schaefer's tenure. He has seen the photos of the immense crowds watching the game. He knows about the success achieved at MSU, highlighted by national championship appearances in 2017 and 2018. He's dreamed about getting the Bulldogs back to the point. "It might be crazy, but your boy is crazy," Purcell said Sunday. "I believe it can happen." Purcell took a small step toward reaching those aspirations when MSU secured a 69-57 win against Ole Miss -- Purcell's first win against the in-state rival since arriving to Starkville in March 2022. The victory came in front of an announced crowd of 7,101 fans at Humphrey Coliseum. It's the biggest home crowd since Feb. 27, 2020, against Arkansas (7,256). That was the last home game under Schaefer. "This is one of the best jobs in the country," Purcell said. "Our fanbase is special." Reaching the success of Schaefer will take much more than one win against Ole Miss (12-5, 2-2 SEC) in three attempts. But it's not an accomplishment taken lightly. Schaefer did two things at Mississippi State (15-4, 2-2) that separated him from many coaches, across all sports, in Starkville. He won big in the postseason, and he dominated Ole Miss. |
| Guard rotation continuing to take shape | |
| At the very least, Mississippi State has more depth in the backcourt than it did a year ago, even if the Bulldogs don't currently have quite as many options as they anticipated when the season began. Dashawn Davis held down one of MSU's starting spots last year, with Eric Reed Jr. giving way to Shakeel Moore at the other. Head coach Chris Jans brought in reinforcements over the offseason, adding the state of Mississippi's all-time leading high school scorer in Josh Hubbard as well as transfers Trey Fort and Andrew Taylor. But with Taylor having missed the last six games due to a personal matter, the Bulldogs (12-4, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) have employed a four-guard rotation so far in SEC play. The Wildcats, now in their 15th season under John Calipari, had a down year by their standards last season, finishing third in the SEC and falling in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. But Kentucky (12-3, 2-1) is again a force to be reckoned with this year, ranking third nationally with 90.8 points per game. Calipari's team leads the SEC in field goal percentage (.493), turns the ball over at the lowest rate in the conference (9.7 per game) and is second in 3-point percentage and assists. Antonio Reeves, last season's SEC Sixth Man of the Year, has become a starter and averages 18.9 points per game, shooting 42.7 percent from beyond the arc. |
| Mississippi State men's, women's tennis teams both start season 2-0 | |
| The 17th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team emphatically dispatched Northern Illinois and Chattanooga on Sunday to open the 2024 season, earning 7-0 victories against both the Huskies and Mocs. The Bulldogs' new top doubles team of Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez started things off against Northern Illinois with a 6-1 win, and the No. 3 pairing of Nemanja Malesevic and freshman Marshall Landry secured the doubles point for MSU with a 6-3 triumph. Malesevic, Carles Hernandez and Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes quickly disposed of their singles opponents to clinch the match for the Bulldogs. Radomir Tomic closed out his match in straight sets after dropping three straight potential clinching games, Dusan Milanovic needed a decisive third set but won it 6-0, and Jovanovic won a pair of tight sets to finish the shutout. "Today was a very good match for us to practice on focusing and having discipline from the first point until the end," MSU head coach Matt Roberts said. "The guys did a good job of not relaxing and staying locked in." ... MSU gave new head coach Chris Hooshyar his first two wins Saturday with a 4-2 victory over Middle Tennessee and a 4-1 triumph over Jacksonville State. Against the Blue Raiders, the No. 3 doubles team of Dharani Niroshan and Alessia Tagliente picked up a 6-4 win, and the No. 2 pairing of Chloé Cirotte and Jayna Clemens won 7-5 to secure the opening point. Cirotte and Alexandra Mikhailuk each won their singles matches handily, and Clemens, after needing a first-set tiebreak, dominated the second set to clinch the match. "It was a lot of fun to get out there," Hooshyar said. "What surprised me the most today was how many people showed up. It's a true testament to the Starkville and Mississippi State community. I couldn't be more grateful. The girls needed it too because they were nervous in the doubles in the first match." |
| Sources: Ohio State targeting Ross Bjork for athletic director | |
| Ohio State is targeting Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork to become the school's next athletic director, sources told ESPN. The hiring process is in the final stages, per the sources, with a conclusion expected in the coming days. Sources told ESPN in recent days that officials had reached out to other finalists and told them they were no longer in the running. Bjork's expected hiring brings a paradigm shift for Ohio State athletics in the wake of the retirement of longtime athletic director Gene Smith, signaling a change in direction under new president Ted Carter, who began his tenure in recent weeks. For years, the parlor game at athletic director conventions had been: Which one of Smith's successful Ohio State proteges would replace him at Ohio State? There were always plenty of potential candidates who had worked under Smith, including Washington State's Pat Chun, Pitt's Heather Lyke, Utah State's Diana Sabau and UCLA's Martin Jarmond. Carter's targeting of Bjork indicates a preference for a fresh start over institutional knowledge. Bjork brings more than a decade of SEC experience. He worked at Ole Miss as the athletic director from 2012 to 2019 before being hired at Texas A&M. Prior to Ole Miss, he was the athletic director at Western Kentucky and before that, an associate or assistant AD at schools including UCLA, Miami and Missouri. |
| Alabama Picks Nick Saban's Successor | |
| At the beginning of the week, Nick Saban was the football coach of Alabama and Kalen DeBoer was getting his Washington team ready to play for the national championship on Monday night. By Friday afternoon, Saban was a retiree planning a life of golf at his new home in Florida, and DeBoer had a new home of his own in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Alabama hired DeBoer on Friday as its next head football coach. It leaves him with perhaps the tallest task in college football: following in the footsteps of the sport's greatest coach. Details of DeBoer's new contract weren't immediately made public. DeBoer didn't respond to a request for comment. The coach was under contract with the university until 2028, meaning Alabama will be on the hook for a $12 million buyout, according to the Seattle Times. Just a few months ago, the idea that DeBoer would be Alabama's next head coach would have been completely unthinkable. He has spent more time coaching Division II football in South Dakota than as the head coach in a major conference. The majority of his 27-year career has played out in northern states. It's unclear if he could find Tuscaloosa without consulting an atlas. But DeBoer rocketed to the top of Alabama's wish list after leading a Washington team that won just four games in 2021 to this season's national championship game -- and after several other reported targets reaffirmed their commitments to their current teams. Still, it remains a surprise that Alabama didn't choose Saban's successor from one of the branches of his extensive coaching tree. |
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