| Thursday, January 25, 2024 |
| Dr. Mimmo Parisi, professor of Sociology and data science expert speaks to Starkville Rotarians | |
 | In the Starkville Rotary Club meeting on Monday, members welcomed guest speaker Dr. Mimmo Parisi, a Sociology Professor and Executive Director of Data Science at Mississippi State University. Dr. Parisi shed light on the groundbreaking work underway at the University and how they are pushing the boundaries of research in this rapidly evolving field. In a world increasingly dominated by data, the importance of understanding and harnessing its power has never been more critical. Dr. Parisi's presentation proved to be both insightful and accessible, breaking down complex concepts. "One of the biggest misconceptions is that many people think that data science is equal to the analytics," explained Parisi, "and analytics is not data science...Data science is all about data. Data are digital records, and in a world of digitally operated systems, we have a good zillians of large volumes of data...They come in a very complex way, and more than anything else they come interconnected...So data today, unlike the past is considered one of the most -- if not the most -- valuable resource in our current, working time. It has somehow impacted the way we live, work, and learn." Parisi explained how evolving businesses use data science and how it is growing and allowing the exponential growth of companies around the world daily, fueling an ever-growing demand for experts in the field. |
| Did syphilis originate in the Americas? Ancient DNA offers some insight | |
 | The English, Germans and Italians called it the French disease. Polish people dubbed it the German disease, while Russians blamed it on Poles. In France, it was named the "Neapolitan disease" after the French army got infected during its invasion of Naples, Italy, in the first documented syphilis epidemic. The origins of syphilis -- a sexually transmitted infection that devastated 15th century Europe and is still prevalent today -- have remained murky, difficult to study and the subject of some debate. Research published Wednesday in the journal Nature used paleopathology techniques on 2,000-year-old bones unearthed in Brazil in an attempt to shed more light on when and where syphilis originated. The study resulted in scientists recovering the earliest known genomic evidence of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis and two other related diseases, which is reliably dated to long before the first trans-Atlantic contacts. It's particularly complex to study both the disease and the pathogen responsible for it, said Molly Zuckerman, a professor and codirector of the Bioarchaeology Laboratories, New and Old World, at Mississippi State University, who wasn't involved in the research. "It was only in 2017 that researchers were able to culture T. p pallidum for the first time, even though we've known it's the cause of syphilis for over one hundred years," Zuckerman said in an email. "It's still costly and cumbersome to study in the lab. There are many reasons that, despite our best efforts, it's one of the least well understood common bacterial infections." |
| Mardi Gras 2024 marks 2 big anniversaries, especially for Mississippi | |
 | Mardi Gras reaches a milestone this year as it marks a notable anniversary of Fat Tuesday being observed in what is now the US, but this year is even more special as it falls on another historic date. "So, this year is a very special year for Mardi Gras," said Anna Harris, executive director of the Coastal Mississippi Mardi Gras Museum in Biloxi. "It's the 325th anniversary of the first celebration of Mardi Gras in the Americas. "D'Iberville wrote in his log on March 4th, 1699, that it was Mardi Gras day. It was certainly a small celebration, but he acknowledged the holiday." Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville was a French explorer, and Harris said he was in a bayou on a ship near the mouth of the Mississippi River that day. Not only did he note the observance in his log, he named the bayou in honor of it. "Obviously, it was important enough to them that he acknowledged the day and named the bayou there Mardi Gras," Harris said. D'Iberville was on a journey along the Gulf Coast in search of the mouth of the Mississippi River. As he made his way to the river, he stopped at Ship Island on Feb. 10, 1699. On Feb. 13, he made it to the mainland and founded Biloxi. Not only was Biloxi founded on Feb. 13, that is also the date of Mardi Gras this year. That makes the day even more significant and more so if you're from Mississippi. D'Iberville left some of his men to construct Fort Maurepas in what became Ocean Springs, and the French influence on the Mississippi Coast is still alive and well today |
| Omega Motion to shut down Saltillo plant as part of restructuring | |
 | The Omega Motion plant will be closing in the next few months, affecting about 130 workers. Omega Motion provides components -- including gliders, ottomans, flippers, recliner mechanisms, headrests and lumbar support -- to its customers worldwide. It opened in the Turner Industrial Park in 1997. The move comes on the heels of parent company Leggett and Platt announcing last week a restructuring plan in response to "evolving markets" that will close 15-20 of the company's bedding products division. L&P also said it would consolidate a number of its furniture and flooring facilities. The company in an SEC filing earlier this month said it anticipates 900 to 1,100 workers to be affected company wide. Omega Motion is expected to be shuttered by May. Leggett and Platt has not said what it intends to do with the facility, which it owns. David Rumbarger, president and CEO of the Community Development Foundation, said the closing was unfortunate, but said that the area's low unemployment rate meant that there are companies hiring. "We have a diverse set of industries which should be able to absorb new people," he said. "Change is never easy, but we've got a number of employers looking for people who are looking to get hired. The diversity is important because in the past, it would have been more difficult to absorb those jobs." |
| What Recession? Growth Ended Up Accelerating in 2023 | |
 | The U.S. economy grew 3.1% over the last year, defying projections of a recession as a resilient labor market supported strong consumer spending. The year was capped by a fourth quarter in which the economy grew at a 3.3% seasonally and inflation-adjusted annualized pace, as household outlays and government spending rose, the Commerce Department said Thursday. The quarterly reading was a slowdown from the summer's torrid 4.9% pace but in line with prepandemic trends. The 2023 figures stand in contrast to what economists expected a year ago, when they saw a recession as very likely and expected anemic 0.2% growth for the year, measured fourth quarter to fourth quarter. Last year's gain was a sharp pickup from a comparable 0.7% advance in 2022. "It's been a really strong year for economic growth," said James Knightley, chief international economist at ING. "The consumer was meant to roll over -- and they didn't." The expansion is expected to continue in 2024, albeit at a significantly slower pace. The highly anticipated pivot from the Federal Reserve toward interest rate cuts should support the economy this year, economists say. Moderating inflation and a still-tight labor market have boosted consumer confidence levels, according to some surveys. But that buoyancy could be challenged by slower hiring and increased strain on Americans who have spent down pandemic-era savings. |
| Mississippi governor pushes state incentives to finalize deal for 2 data processing centers | |
 | A tech company will invest $10 billion to build two data processing centers that will create 1,000 jobs in central Mississippi, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday. Reeves said it will be the state's largest-ever private corporate investment -- four times larger than the previous record. He is asking the Republican-controlled Legislature to meet in a special session Thursday to approve $44 million in state incentives. "This is truly a monumental day for the state of Mississippi," Reeves said during a news conference, where he was surrounded by legislators. He said the company is one of the 20 largest in the world, and he will release its name after legislators finish the special session. The governor said the data centers could be at least partially open by 2027. Most of the state money -- $32 million -- will go toward job training programs, Reeves said. The two sites are in Madison County, north of the capital city of Jackson, he said. One is a short drive from the Jackson city limit and the other is close to a Nissan automotive manufacturing plant near Canton. Mississippi legislators met in special session last week and approved incentives for a factory that will manufacture batteries for electric vehicles. It will be in Marshall County, which is in the far northern end of the state near the Tennessee state line. |
| Reeves calls another special session, this time to lure $10 billion project to Madison County | |
 | The Mississippi Legislature will go into special session called by Gov. Tate Reeves for the second time in eight days to consider the approval of a major economic development project. Reeves is asking legislators in a Thursday special session to approve an incentive package to lure a major company to build two "hyperscale data centers" in Madison County just north of the city of Jackson. Reeves said the sites will be seven miles and 20 miles from downtown Jackson. The governor said he could not announce the company until after the incentive package is passed. But online behemoth Amazon has been opening similar data centers in other regions of the country, and SuperTalk reported Tuesday that the company was Amazon Web Services. Reeves indicated the company chose Mississippi for this particular project that was planned for a location in the southeastern United States. At a Wednesday news conference in his state office, Reeves was flanked by Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, House Speaker Jason White and other legislators as he announced that the special session will begin Thursday at 9:30 a.m. |
| $10 billion economic development project coming to Madison County | |
| A $10 billion economic development project that will generate 1,000 new jobs is coming to Madison County at two sites, Gov. Tate Reeves announced this week. Reeves called a special session of the Legislature for today (Thursday) to pass an incentive package that includes $44 million from the state and a $215 million loan from the state to Madison County. Speaker of the House Jason White said it was exciting to be a part of the project. "No doubt Mississippi is open for diverse, dynamic, and dedicated businesses," he said. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said the project wasn't a result of getting lucky, but a result of all the work the state has done in recent years such as cutting taxes, investing in infrastructure, and raising graduation rates. The first site will be in the Madison County Mega Site located off Highway 22 and Nissan Parkway. The second location is known as the Costas property, which is 334 acres located along the southern boundary of Madison County near Tougaloo College on the corner of Highland Colony Parkway and West County Line Road. "We are excited that Mississippi has been selected for this massive, world-class technology project," state Rep. Jill Ford said. "This is further evidence that Mississippi is open for business and can compete on a global scale. I'm ecstatic that Madison County will serve as the anchor for this transformational investment." |
| Mississippi ballot initiative proposal would not allow changes to abortion laws | |
| After repeated failed attempts, Mississippi lawmakers will try again to revive a ballot initiative process, but their latest proposal would not allow changes to the state's abortion laws through a statewide election. The Republican-dominated House approved the resolution in an 80-39 vote Wednesday hours after an all-male group of Republican lawmakers advanced the resolution in a committee. House Republicans said the state's abortion restrictions should be off-limits because of the Mississippi House's role in laying the groundwork for the U.S. Supreme Court to upend abortion rights nationwide. "The abortion issue has been an issue that the majority of the House has championed for the past decade," said Republican Rep. Fred Shanks of Brandon. "The House was the force that overturned Roe vs. Wade. It was no one else. It was us. And I just don't think we want to be messing with it." Democratic Rep. Cheikh Taylor of Starkville said the proposal deprives people of their right to weigh in on a critical issue, and direct democracy "shouldn't include terms and conditions." "Don't let anyone tell you this is just about abortion," Taylor said. "This is about a Republican Party who thinks they know what's best for you better than you know what's best for you. This is about control. So much for liberty and limited government." |
| House passes ballot initiative proposal that would prevent voters from using it to change abortion ban | |
| Mississippians would be prevented from placing an initiative on the ballot to change the state's strict anti-abortion laws under a proposal passed Wednesday by the House of Representatives. House Concurrent Resolution 11, which is still several legislative steps from becoming law, would give citizens the ability to gather signatures to propose new state laws or change existing laws, but it bans them from placing an issue on a statewide ballot about abortion. The proposal barely passed the House. The measure required two-thirds of the chamber to support it, and 119 members participated in the vote, meaning 80 yea votes were required for it to pass. "That unborn child, that's who we're trying to protect," said House Constitution Chairman Price Wallace, a Republican from Mendenhall. Rep. Cheikh Taylor, a Democrat from Starkville and the Mississippi Democratic Party chairman, said limiting the scope of what types of initiatives can be proposed was undemocratic and muting the voice of voters. The House's proposal now heads to the Senate for consideration, where its fate remains uncertain. Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, the leader of the Senate, said on Jan. 9 at a Stennis Institute and Capitol Press Corps event that he believes there should be few restrictions on what topics citizens can propose. |
| Brett Favre Denied Building Volleyball Stadium For Daughter In Sworn Deposition | |
| Brett Favre, the retired NFL quarterback who is now a civil defendant in the State of Mississippi's lawsuit to clawback millions in misspent welfare funds, denied during a sworn deposition with investigators in December that he sought funding to build a volleyball stadium for his daughter's benefit. A state welfare official and a nonprofit operator directed millions in Temporary Assistance For Needy Families Millions to build the stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi after repeated overtures from Favre between 2017 and 2019. (Favre has repeatedly denied knowing the money came from TANF funds). His daughter, Breleigh Favre, was a Southern Miss student who was on the women's indoor volleyball team at the time he began seeking help to build the facility at his alma mater. "Did I want her to play in there? It would have been nice," Favre told state attorneys in Hattiesburg, Miss., during the deposition on Dec. 11, 2023. "Is that the reason I built it, or we built it? Absolutely not." The quote comes from five pages of the deposition transcript that Favre's attorneys selected to release in public court filings; the rest of the over 300-page deposition transcript remains sealed from public view. Front Office Sports' A.J. Perez first reported on the available pages Tuesday. By the time the USM volleyball stadium was completed in 2020, Breleigh Favre had switched from the indoor volleyball team to the university's new beach volleyball team, as her father pointed out to investigators. |
| The farm bill is caught up in gridlock ... again | |
| At its annual meeting in Salt Lake City this week, the American Farm Bureau Federation is calling on Congress to pass a new farm bill, fast. The current bill, which funds everything from crop insurance to nutrition programs, was set to expire back in September. Congress gave itself a yearlong extension to negotiate an update. Programs will stay funded based on formulas set in the last bill. But stakeholders looking for big changes aren't happy with the delay. The farm bill is supposed to be renewed every five years. But the current one was passed a few months after deadline, and the one before that -- the 2014 bill -- came two years late. So, does this thing ever show up on time? "Good question," said Daniel Sumner with a chuckle. "You know, occasionally." Sumner, an agricultural economist at UC Davis, says right now is an especially tough time to negotiate this massive spending package. Congress has been tied up just trying to fund the government. "So if you've got your wrinkle that you'd like to see changed, then it's disappointing to see it not go forward," he said. Like funding for rural childcare or mental health care access -- just a few issues likely to get attention in the next bill. "We're hoping, you know, and it seems like this farm bill is going to be a climate bill," said Sumner. |
| Budget is roadblock for farm bill, says Farm Bureau leader | |
| Agricultural leaders in the House and Senate are negotiating quietly over elements for the new farm bill, already four months overdue, said the president of the largest U.S. farm group on Tuesday. "We feel they are putting pen to paper now," said Zippy Duvall of the American Farm Bureau Federation, although the legislation must wait for a congressional resolution of the prolonged struggle over funding the government. During an interview, Duvall called for the passage this spring of a modernized farm bill with commodity supports that reflect the increased cost of production. "It's urgent we get it done," he said. "We think it's possible." The AFBF launched a postcard drive at its annual convention in Salt Lake City this week for speedy action on a "unified" farm bill that combines nutrition and farm safety nets. "We think they are married together for many reasons," said Duvall. The farm group is in regular contact with the so-called four corners of farm policy, the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate and House Agriculture committees. "They are talking to each other, trying to negotiate opportunities," besides sharpening ideas individually, said Duvall. But federal funding is the paramount issue. The latest iteration of stopgap spending bills expires in early March, which could preclude action on a farm bill. For months, farm bill discussions have deadlocked over demands from farm groups for higher reference prices. |
| Lobbying spending by top interest groups dipped amid 2023 gridlock | |
 | A year of gridlock amid divided government and Republican infighting on Capitol Hill drove down spending by the biggest interest groups by about 13 percent in 2023 from the previous year. In a year in which the House was without a speaker for nearly a month and Congress punted action on many of its obligations into 2024, the top 10 interest groups representing companies across business, technology, real estate and health care sectors spent $283.1 million, down from $326.6 million in 2022. Tax policy, artificial intelligence and China, along with perennial issues like health care and defense, drove interest and revenue on K Street last year, lobbyists said. Those trends are expected to hold this year. And with a bipartisan tax deal in the works and key tax provisions from the 2017 tax law set to expire at the end of 2025, tax is expected to take on greater prominence this year. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce regained the top spending spot after falling to second place in 2022. The 2023 list of top 10 spenders was nearly identical to 2022, with the exception of the addition of CTIA, a trade association representing the wireless communications industry, that took the ninth spot with $17.2 million in lobbying expenditures, according to disclosures. CTIA knocked out the American Chemistry Council, which fell to the 11th position. Half of the 10 biggest spenders laid out more on lobbying in 2023 than the year before: the American Hospital Association; American Medical Association; Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook; CTIA; and AARP. |
| 'Not a good night for Donald Trump': Why never-Trumpers think he's really losing | |
 | Donald Trump thumped Nikki Haley in New Hampshire -- but anti-Trump Republicans are hardly upset about it. Even after Trump went two-for-two in the early nominating contests, the non-Trump movement sees increasingly positive signs that the former president can be beat in November. Polls and exit surveys from Iowa and New Hampshire show swaths of the Republican electorate cast ballots specifically against Trump -- and would refuse to vote for him in November. Independents who helped hand Trump a general election loss in 2020 helped fuel record turnout in New Hampshire's GOP primary. And Trump didn't make major strides in either state in the highly educated areas where he was weakest in 2016. Trump's detractors point to data from Iowa and New Hampshire that show some warning signs for Trump, particularly among independents and more moderate Republicans. In New Hampshire, 64 percent of undeclared voters sided with Haley, according to exit polls. Still, Trump has defied political gravity before, and many Trump critics after he left office once believed he was unlikely to win renomination. Cullen said Trump "does have some ability to find new voters and expand the electorate." Even though Biden and Trump have declared the general election effectively underway, Haley has not. The former South Carolina governor has vowed to continue through Super Tuesday, where her campaign argues a slate of open and semi-open primaries will give her a fighting chance. |
| Nikki Haley rallies in South Carolina, looks to reset race against Trump in home state | |
 | Paul Godwin was torn. Some 10 months ago, he sat inside a ballroom at the Charleston Area Convention Center and weighed whether to support Nikki Haley, Tim Scott or Donald Trump for president. Haley returned to this same ballroom for a rally on Jan. 24, with one month to go until South Carolina's Republican presidential primary. So did Godwin. This time, he stood outside -- waving a red Trump flag. "She's a fighter," Godwin told The Post and Courier. "And she's from a small town in South Carolina. She's got an awfully good work ethic, and this demonstrates that she's a fighter." Asked how firm his support was for the former president, Godwin did not hesitate. "100 percent." So illustrates the political reality Haley faces as she brings her presidential campaign home after her double-digit losses in New Hampshire and Iowa. Inside the ballroom, Haley was met with hundreds of sign-waving supporters. She spun her latest loss in New Hampshire as a win, saying it showed how far her campaign has come. "We were thrilled," Haley said of her Jan. 23 second-place finish. "We got out there, and we did our thing and we said what we had to say, and then Donald Trump got out there and just threw a temper tantrum. He pitched a fit." The crowd of about 800 people laughed as she referenced Trump's remarks following his primary win in the Granite State, where he repeatedly insulted Haley, his former ambassador to the United Nations. "But I know that's what he does when he's insecure," Haley said. "I know that's what he does when he is threatened -- and he should feel threatened." |
| Young voters focus more on issues than candidates in 2024 presidential election | |
 | Voters under 30 tend to lean left of center overall and could make a major difference for Democratic candidates. But it's unclear if they will turn out in strong enough numbers to help President Biden win reelection, according to Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, which has conducted in-depth research on what's driving young voters. Dozens of youths shared their biggest concerns at the ballot box with NPR. As campaign season for the 2024 election gets into full swing, many young voters -- meaning people under 30 -- say they're disillusioned with politics and plan to sit out. However, it remains to be seen whether that will happen. "What we know from research is that it is really too early to tell exactly how young people would respond, whether by not voting, voting in certain directions and parties or opposing certain parties and candidates," Kawashima-Ginsberg told NPR's Leila Fadel. |
| Alabama governor rips effort to unionize Tuscaloosa Mercedes' plant | |
 | Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has strongly criticized efforts to organize a union for workers at the Mercedes-Benz factory in Tuscaloosa County. The state's success in automotive manufacturing has been achieved "the Alabama way," without a unionized workforce, Ivey said in an opinion column posted earlier this month on the Alabama Department of Commerce website. "Unfortunately, the Alabama model for economic success is under attack," Ivey said. "A national labor union, the United Automotive Workers, is ramping up efforts to target non-union automakers throughout the United States, including ours here in Alabama." According to the Associated Press, after reaching contract agreements with Detroit automakers in late 2023, the UAW said it planned to organize nearly 150,000 workers at more than a dozen nonunion auto factories, largely in the South, where the union has had little success in recruiting new members. On Jan. 10, the UAW said in a news release that more than 30% of the Tuscaloosa Mercedes-Benz plant's workforce had signed union authorization cards, a significant step toward forming a union. Ivey called the UAW an out-of-state special interest group that doesn't represent the best interests of Alabama's automotive workers. "Alabamians work harder than anyone, we make the best automobiles in the world, and we must not let UAW tell us differently," she said. |
| Religious 'Nones' Now Outnumber All Individual Religious Cohorts, Outpacing Catholics and Evangelicals | |
| The share of American adults who identify as religiously unaffiliated, known as "Nones, is now larger than any individual religious cohort, according to a new study. Over one quarter (28 percent) of American adults now identify as religiously unaffiliated compared to just 16 percent back in 2007, outpacing Catholics (23 percent) and evangelical Protestants (24 percent), according to a Pew Research study released Wednesday. Notably, over half of all Nones polled by Pew believe in one form or another in a higher power. While barely over a tenth (13 percent) have faith in "God as described in the Bible," over half (56 percent) believe in some "other high power" altogether. Just 31 percent of Nones do not subscribe to either belief or refused to answer the question. The emergence of young, well-educated, Nones in recent decades continues to shape the social fabric and contours of the United States, particularly given the religiously unaffiliated's low levels of civic engagement, volunteerism, and voting compared with their religious peers. "We know politically, for example," the study's lead researcher told NPR on Wednesday, "that religious Nones are very distinctive. They are among the most strongly and consistently liberal and Democratic constituencies in the United States." In 2022, a Pew survey found that most American adults saw the rise of religious disaffiliation negatively, with almost half (45 percent) affirming that the United States should remain a "Christian Nation." |
| How a Group of Israel-Linked Hackers Has Pushed the Limits of Cyberwar | |
 | About eight minutes after 3 am on June 27, 2022, inside the Khouzestan steel mill near Iran's western coastline on the Persian Gulf, a massive lid lowered onto a vat of glowing, molten metal. Based on footage from a surveillance camera inside the plant, the giant vessel was several times taller than the two workers in gray uniforms and hardhats standing nearby, likely large enough to carry well over a hundred tons of liquid steel heated to several thousand degrees Fahrenheit. In the video, the two workers walk out of frame. The clip jump-cuts forward 10 minutes. Then suddenly, the giant ladle is moving, swinging steadily toward the camera. A fraction of a second later, burning embers fly in all directions, fire and smoke fill the factory, and incandescent, liquid steel can be seen pouring freely out of the bottom of the vat onto the plant floor. Written across the bottom of the video is a kind of disclaimer from Predatory Sparrow, the group of hackers who took credit for this cyber-induced mayhem and posted the video clip to their channel on the messaging service Telegram: "As you can see in this video," it reads, "this cyberattack has been carried out carefully so to protect innocent individuals." The Khouzestan steel mill sabotage represents one of only a handful of examples in history of a cyberattack with physically destructive effects. But for Predatory Sparrow, it was just a part of a years-long career of digital intrusions that includes several of the most aggressive offensive hacking incidents ever documented. |
| UM expands mental health services | |
 | The University of Mississippi is reevaluating how to help students that are struggling with their mental health. "Supporting the health and well-being of our students -- and our faculty and staff -- is critically important, and we are striving to create a campus environment where students have access to all the resources and tools necessary to thrive academically, socially and emotionally," UM's Director of News and Media Relations Jacob Batte said. In early October, the university launched The Chancellor's G.R.O.V.E Well-being Initiative, which aims to assess the practices and policies in place on campus to support students' mental health. It also sets out to educate members of the community on how to help those needing mental health assistance. G.R.O.V.E stands for growth, resilience, outreach, validation and empowerment, which are the key themes of the initiative. "Well-being and good mental health is a comprehensive effort for our entire campus community," Co-chair and Director of the University Counseling Center Juawice McCormick said. "With great support and encouragement from our chancellor, we asked campus partners and students to join us in the work of The Chancellor's G.R.O.V.E. Well-being Initiative." UM Interfraternity Council President Ashton William Heath believes that the university is taking tangible steps to make mental health a priority on campus. "In meetings I have been involved in this past semester, mental health and wellness has been a main topic of focus -- to try and come up with new ways to help students on our campus," Heath said. "I think the university is making great strides to support our students in these efforts." |
| Rotarians hear about UMMC's impact of medical research | |
 | Meridian Rotarians on Wednesday learned about the outsized impact the University of Mississippi Medical Center has on medical research as they hosted Dr. Caroline Compretta, assistant vice chancellor for research, at their weekly meeting. UMMC researchers, Compretta said, bring in about $100 million in research each year, which is small compared to institutions like the Mayo Clinic and John Hopkins. That funding, however, goes much further at UMMC than it does elsewhere. At UMMC, researchers produce about 10 peer-reviewed articles for every $1 million in funding, where the top medical schools in the nation produce on average five or six papers for the same amount, Compretta said. "So we are truly contributing massively to the literature and science," she said. UMMC is a "translational research center," Compretta said, meaning it takes research that has been developed and tested in laboratory settings and works to implement it in real life. That translation, she said, is extremely difficult because laboratories can control for many variables, while that is not possible in real life. "It's so complex," she said. "There's mistrust in science, there's active disinformation around it, all of those things." Researchers also need the community's help understanding what local residents view as health priorities, Compretta said. Knowing what issues are of most concern to Mississippi residents is also critical to identifying sources of funding and making sure that the research being done at UMMC is a benefit to the community, she said. |
| FAFSA deadline pushed back to June 30 | |
 | Financial aid for students seems to be a major headache as leaders from the state financial aid office work out the issues with the online service. The traditional way of filling out financial aid application will be slightly different than usual after changes were made for the next school year. "There are some pretty major delays happening in the financial aid industry right now," said Dean Pace, William Carey University Financial Aid director. Pace said the office is about three months behind where they usually are because applications now are opening in January instead of October. "It was available Jan. 1 to students," said Pace. "(But) it's still currently not available to our financial aid offices, so students (who) call, there's not going to be a lot of information offices can provide." Pace said offices still don't know when the application will be available to them. However, they are encouraging students to go ahead and fill out the Mississippi Aid Application while they wait for the FAFSA. On the upside, students will have more time to fill out the form with fewer questions to contend with. "There's going to be shorter questions," Pace said "It's going down from about 108 questions to 36 questions." |
| Students' reading and math scores are abysmal. So why is only one getting attention? | |
 | U.S. students' math scores lag behind also dreary reading ones and have struggled even before the pandemic, but changes to the math curriculum to combat the problem have been slow moving. Over the past few years, reading curricula have seen changes in dozens of states as lawmakers and experts have united around the "science of reading" to improve literacy and fight learning loss. But similar efforts have not manifested for math despite lower scores in national assessments, and some experts say that's because this is one problem that can't be fixed with new state laws. "There are places where this science of reading has been legislated, right? But it's a frightening thing to think that the same thing could happen for mathematics because there isn't, like I said, one clean answer here," said Ted Coe, a mathematics expert with the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), an education research organization. "But so much of the mathematics that we teach and learn depends on so many factors, and it would be a frightening thing if somebody tried to legislate how to teach mathematics," Coe added. Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results showed U.S. students hit an all-time low in their math scores last year while reading scores appear to have plateaued. Out of 81 countries, the U.S. was sixth in reading and 26th in math. |
| Flagships Are Enrolling More and More Freshmen From Out of State | |
 | Nearly every public flagship enrolled a smaller share of freshmen from within their states in 2022 than they did two decades earlier, according to a Chronicle analysis of new data from the U.S. Department of Education. The trend played out at 45 flagships between 2002 and 2022, with the decline at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa leading the group. In 2002, about 77 percent of Alabama's freshman class was made up of in-state residents; in 2022, that share shrank to 35 percent -- a 42-point difference. The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville saw a similar slide. In 2002, eight in 10 members of the freshman class were from Arkansas. By 2022, the share was 39 percent. Percentage-point declines of 15 or more surfaced at flagships that included the Universities of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mississippi, Oregon, and Wisconsin at Madison. Those four institutions were among the dozen that had freshman classes where fewer than half of the students in 2022 were in-state residents. To put it another way, it's still far more common for flagships to enroll the majority of their freshman classes from within their states -- about 75 percent of states still do so. It's just that the share of students attending flagships in their home state is declining. |
| Alabama colleges report $16 million spent on DEI. What does that mean? | |
 | As more Republican states clamp down on college diversity efforts, the Alabama legislature is asking state universities to disclose their DEI budgets. Alabama public four-year colleges spent a total of $16.2 million on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training, staffing and programming in 2022, according to responses to a legislative request obtained by AL.com. "It is important that we understand the role of these programs, ensure that they have measurable goals and objectives, and are not being duplicated throughout institutions," education chairmen Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, and Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, wrote in a letter to college presidents in February 2023. But it's unclear exactly how colleges are expected to define their diversity and inclusion efforts, and to what extent programs may be affected by possible legislation. The bulk of reported funds supported salaries for about 140 full- and part-time staff working not only in newly formed diversity offices, but across various college departments, as well as federally-mandated disability and anti-discrimination programs, AL.com found. And while some colleges appeared to overreport their spending, others didn't report anything. Auburn University and the University of Alabama's Tuscaloosa and Birmingham campuses reported the highest DEI budgets, totaling more than $3 million each on personnel, special programs and other general expenses. |
| DEI discussion: Tate talks engagement, moving away from 'inclusion' as LSU faculty question decision | |
 | In front of dozens of faculty members on Wednesday, LSU President William Tate IV talked at length about the university's move away from the term "inclusion" and toward a new term: engagement. Earlier this month, LSU removed some diversity messages from its website and replaced the word "Inclusion" with "Engagement" in the newly named Division of Engagement, Civil Rights and Title IX. Some LSU faculty members questioned the recent decisions and, at Wednesday's faculty senate meeting, Tate met with them to explain the changes. He spoke about national media attention on the word "inclusion" and the "negativity" that has been ascribed to it despite most departments having "nothing but good intentions and want to help students." Tate argued that "engagement" is an easier word to define and better explains the goals LSU aspires to reach in the face of social connotations surrounding inclusivity in higher education. "Since that exists and since it's the goal of my administration, in collaboration with all of you all, to make sure that students are graduating and things are going well, we picked the word 'engagement' to substitute for the word 'inclusivity,'" he said. "We believe that it is a word that we can define." Todd Manuel, vice president of the Division of Engagement, Civil Rights, Title IX at LSU, said conversations about the move toward engagement began as soon as he took over the role in summer 2022. |
| U. of Tennessee staff slept in cots and hand-shoveled snow to clear half of campus for students' return | |
 | When snow began accumulating Jan. 15, University of Tennessee at Knoxville students were not due back for a week. But with a basketball game scheduled the following night, campus crews began working on their plan to clear areas around Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in 12-hour shifts. They had already started pre-treating surfaces in the days prior. The hard work has continued, with roughly 400 acres of the 920-acre campus being cleared as of 3 p.m. Jan. 21. That includes roadways, sidewalks, parking lots and the sorority village, Vice Chancellor for Facilities Services Mike Brady told Knox News. "A couple hundred employees" were involved in the effort, he said, from those operating the university's two snow plows and 15 skid-steer loaders to maintenance workers ensuring pipes would not freeze and planning for maintaining power in case of any outages. Some maintenance workers were reassigned to hand-shoveling snow near entrances, illustrating the true team mindset behind the effort. Some even slept in cots at university facilities to more efficiently clear campus, while meals were provided by UT food vendor Aramark. In return for clearing the areas around the arena, workers were offered free tickets to Tennessee's game against Florida on Jan. 16 courtesy of UT's athletics department. While it wasn't a top priority, the city of Knoxville − understanding the importance of a basketball game − helped clear Neyland Drive to provide safer access to the arena for fans, Brady said. |
| Florida makes it official: Universities to drop sociology as a core course | |
| Officials overseeing Florida's public universities voted Wednesday to stop offering sociology as a core course, despite strong support for the subject from professors, alumni, students and others. The Board of Governors removed sociology as an option for students when they choose from a menu of introductory courses to fulfill state graduation requirements. The decision followed a vote last week by the State Board of Education to do the same at Florida's 28 state colleges. Sociology will be replaced by an introductory course on American history prior to 1877. Both votes "are indicative of a state that does not want to listen to its communities or experts," said Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association. But the Board of Governors issued a statement calling the replacement an "opportunity to take a factual history course" about "the forces that shaped America." It said the course "teaches students a historically accurate account of America's founding, the horrors of slavery, the resulting Civil War, and the Reconstruction era." In other action, the board approved a rule that prohibits public spending on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Florida's 12 state universities, and on activities involving political or social activism. But it clarified that the restrictions will not apply to student-led organizations. |
| U. of South Carolina documentary screening with The Post and Courier will explore SC's trust in journalism | |
| The University of South Carolina is hosting a documentary screening and subsequent panel discussion featuring two editors of The Post and Courier that will explore today's "growing crisis of trust" in the news media. USC's School of Journalism and Mass Communication will screen "Trustworthy," a documentary chronicling the state of misinformation and divisive discourse, at 7 p.m. Jan 31 at The Nickelodeon theater in downtown Columbia. A panel discussion and question-and-answer period will follow the screening, featuring the documentary's Executive Producer Stephany Zamora, Post and Courier Executive Editor Jeff Taylor and Post and Courier Columbia Interim Editor Zoe Nicholson. It will be moderated by Nina Brook, the journalism sequence head at USC's J-school. "We want local news to stay strong, and we want to engage with the community to see what they think about the state of local news right now," Brook said of USC's journalism program. "Trustworthy" chronicles its creators' 5,300-mile bus trip across the United States to research people's distrust in the media and how to move forward from that distrust. But the nonpartisan film strikes a positive tone about the media landscape, Zamora said, with the goal of finding out "who we are as a country." "I've been in blue states, red states, blue cities in red states," she said. "I'm really finding that we all have a lot of common ground, and I think we're a lot more tolerant of each other than the extremes would have us believe." |
| With possible 'enrollment cliff' on horizon, should SC consolidate smaller colleges? | |
| South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster recently called for a study to consider consolidating colleges ahead of what they are calling an 'enrollment cliff,' something national experts warn will happen due to state and national birth rates dropping over 20% since 2007. The enrollment cliff is said to make it harder for smaller colleges to fill classrooms, which is why McMaster says he is asking legislature to put $3 million in state surplus toward an independent study of the state's higher education landscape. n a statement to News 19, the governor's office said: "Using state and national experts, the study seeks an assessment of the utilization of existing physical space at our colleges and universities, and the certificates and degrees awarded as compared to the projected workforce needs of our state." The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) supports the study, saying: "CHE's mission aligns with Governor McMaster's proposal to assess South Carolina's public higher education system through an external study. It is imperative that we, as a state, adapt to shifting enrollment trends and the increasing demand for a highly-skilled workforce with postsecondary credentials to support our growing economy." Currently, South Carolina is home to 33 public colleges. The governor's study would aim to address the sustainability, accessibility, and affordability of public higher education. |
| U. of Missouri highlights women of the Civil Rights Movement in annual MLK celebration | |
 | In a night honoring the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the University of Missouri invited keynote speaker Joyce Ladner to highlight the often unrecognized women behind the Civil Rights Movement. MU's Division of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity held its annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration Wednesday night, with the theme "Women and the Civil Rights Movement." With a crowd of over 250 attendees, the evening showcased a wide spectrum of Black expression and history. In addition to Ladner's keynote speech, MU invited the acclaimed Lincoln University Dance Troupe, vocal performer Symonne Sparks and hosted an artistic showcase featuring work from Mizzou Black Creatives and Orr Street Studios. Black women were at the forefront of each aspect of the celebration. Attendees were invited to reflect on the role women play, and have played, on shaping America. "Dr. King's entire dream was to create equality," said attendee Cedric Lakes Sr. "With the culture in the country today, Black women are the least protected class. We need to come together and support them." |
| Virginia Tech student imbalance 'simply unsustainable,' Blacksburg mayor says | |
| Blacksburg Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith would like to see Virginia Tech do more to alleviate the pressure its yearly enrollment growth puts on the town. It is not the first time she has made her views known on the issue of housing and Virginia Tech's role -- which for years has been one, if not the most pressing issue facing the town. "The student population in Blacksburg already outnumbers ordinary citizens by more than 2-to-1," Hager-Smith said in her written annual report. "Students pay less in taxes and require more in services than other demographic groups. They require more policing, more mental health services, even more hot water. The imbalance is simply unsustainable." While many universities in Virginia have seen enrollment declines in recent years, such as Radford University and the College of William and Mary, to name a few, Virginia Tech's enrollment has continued to grow. The hope of the university is to see more modest growth in coming years, and Hager-Smith's hope is that the growth can be managed on the university's campuses. "If Virginia Tech wants to build success in retention and recruitment, it must build the infrastructure to sustain its own ambitions," Hager-Smith's report read. "And if the university cannot prosper without adding students, that expansion needs to take place on its other campuses, which number seven and counting. The good people of Blacksburg can no longer subsidize [the university's] growth plans." |
| Data Science Major Takes Off | |
 | The University of Connecticut always allowed flexibility in creating new, unique majors, but the immense student demand for one in particular -- data science -- came as a surprise. "It was almost getting out of hand, in terms of interest from students," said Elizabeth Schifano, UConn's undergraduate program director for the Department of Statistics. That interest is not unique to UConn. The National Center for Education Statistics reported a recent 968 percent jump in data science bachelor's degrees awarded, from 84 in 2020 to 897 in 2022. The job market also shows increasing demand for data science skills, with the Department of Labor projecting 36 percent growth in jobs for data scientists over the next decade, outpacing statisticians, logisticians and research analysts. "There are a lot of jobs -- and very well-compensated jobs -- but it also cuts across different industry sectors," said Frederick Bonato, provost at Saint Peter's University in New Jersey. "You could be a data scientist and specialize in higher ed, or transportation, or commerce. That's attractive, because you can get the degree but also follow what you're particularly interested in." As data science degree programs crop up at colleges and universities across the country, women in particular are pursuing data science in greater numbers compared to other computer-related and STEM fields. |
| Critics Protest Harvard's Choice to Lead Antisemitism Task Force | |
 | A Harvard task force on antisemitism has gotten off to a rocky start, with complaints that the professor chosen to help lead the panel had signed a letter that was critical of Israel, describing it as "a regime of apartheid" for its treatment of Palestinians. Harvard's new interim president, Alan Garber, announced the formation of two "presidential task forces" on Friday, one to combat antisemitism and the other to combat Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias. The move came less than a month after his predecessor, Claudine Gay, was forced to step down over plagiarism accusations and criticism that she had been weak on reining in antisemitism. But the choice for co-chair of the task force, Derek J. Penslar, a professor of Jewish history at Harvard, was met with opposition from Lawrence H. Summers, a former Harvard president, and Bill Ackman, a hedge fund manager whose relentless criticism of Dr. Gay helped bring about her downfall. Dr. Penslar was among nearly 2,900 academics, clergy members and other public figures who signed an open letter in August, before the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, condemning the Israeli government and saying that it was determined to "ethnically cleanse all territories under Israeli rule of their Palestinian population." The dispute over his selection shows that the long-running debate over what constitutes antisemitism still rages, with Dr. Penslar's stance at odds with his critics. |
| Is Cornell Next? School's Wealthy Donors Call for President's Ouster | |
| Wealthy alumni activists enraged at the leadership of their Ivy League alma maters have helped push out the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University. Now, a new group of donors are pulling out the same playbook at Cornell University. Jon Lindseth, a Cornell alumnus, donor and former trustee, asked the school's Board of Trustees to dismiss university President Martha Pollack and provost Michael Kotlikoff for allegedly stifling open debate and rational argument. Alumni who support the call for the pair's ouster also are upset about diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the school as well as what they see as growing antisemitism on campus. "Cornell is no longer concerned with discovering and disseminating knowledge, but rather with adhering to DEI groupthink policies and racialization," wrote Lindseth, 89 years old, a retired mechanical engineer and entrepreneur, in a five-page letter to the board's chair. Trustees for the university in upstate New York are scheduled to meet Friday. In Lindseth's letter, he calls for the school to eliminate DEI staffing and programming and adopt principles of free inquiry and open debate. Concern there is a decline of viewpoint diversity and open debate at Cornell has simmered for several years. Last year, in a free-speech ranking by the nonpartisan Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, Cornell ranked 212 out of 242 schools. A survey conducted last year by the group found that 63% of Cornell students think shouting down a speaker on campus is at least rarely acceptable and 49% of students have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month. |
| Republicans Focus on Affordability, Accountability in Higher Ed Overhaul | |
| House Republicans' ambitious new plan to overhaul higher education would likely have a significant impact on colleges and universities. Should the College Cost Reduction Act pass and be signed into law, colleges would be on the hook for unpaid student loans. Graduates' earnings would play a key role in the evaluation of programs, too, among other changes that its sponsors say would lower the cost of college. While it's focused on affordability and accountability, the bill from Representative Virginia Foxx, the North Carolina Republican who chairs the House education committee, also contains a number of conservative policy priorities -- such as barring accrediting agencies from requiring institutions to adhere to diversity, equity and inclusion standards -- and is unlikely to move forward in a Democratic Party-controlled Senate. Still, the bill represents a meaningful shift in how Republicans view the federal government's role in holding institutions accountable. Historically, they've pushed for more transparency and data while favoring a more hands-off, market-based approach to accountability. Democrats, meanwhile, have sought stronger federal rules holding institutions, particularly for-profits, accountable for their student outcomes. Emmanual Guillory, senior director of government relations at the American Council on Education, which has several concerns about the legislation, said that Republicans are outlining a vision of higher education as nothing more than a set of job-training programs. |
| Republicans call for investigation into 'botched' student aid rollout | |
| Republican lawmakers on Wednesday called for an investigation into the Department of Education's rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) program, calling it a "botched" effort. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), the chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, along with 26 other Republicans, sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office requesting an investigation into the FAFSA rollout. The rollout experienced difficulties for some time after the new program was launched, delaying the period colleges had to make financial aid offers and potential students had to decide which school to attend. The Republicans pointed out the FAFSA Simplification Act was passed in 2020, and the department had three years to implement a new form. When the form was finally launched Dec. 30, it was open to students only for a limited time. Applicants were not able to fully access it at all times until Jan. 6, six days past the deadline Congress set for the department to launch the new FAFSA. The Republicans are seeking information on what challenges students and schools had with the new system, what the department is doing to ensure the issues do not happen next year and how it advised students and schools on how to fill out the forms and apply them to their financial aid processes. |
| Should lawmakers more carefully vet economic development deals before approving them? | |
| Mississippi Today's Taylor Vance writes: Last week's legislative approval of at least $350 million for a green energy plant in north Mississippi was such an orchestrated affair that Gov. Tate Reeves had his celebratory press conference podium set up before the final legislative votes were cast. Reeves, who runs the state's economic development agency, walked into the Capitol last week and asked lawmakers to quickly write him a $350 million check to bring a green energy plant to north Mississippi. He told lawmakers that the plant, which would be built and operated by four unnamed companies, would employ 2,000 people by 2031. Lawmakers engaged in virtually no debate about the merits of the project, asked few questions about the project's details, were not given adequate time to read the 213-page bill, and still nearly unanimously voted to spend the money on the plant. One proposal to mandate that 70% of the plant's jobs be given to Mississippians was quickly rejected by the House. Reeves flexed his statutory special session power and forced lawmakers to consider his proposal, and in a few easy hours, he'd gotten exactly what he asked for. Effectively, the legislative branch tasked with appropriating and providing oversight of state funds merely rubber-stamped an expensive executive branch proposal with little deliberation. That didn't sit well with every lawmaker. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State softball prepares for first ticketed season | |
 | Samantha Ricketts finally saw Mississippi State softball's onboarding potential realized when the Bulldogs unexpectedly hosted an NCAA Super Regional in 2022. MSU lost its opening-round game at the Tallahassee Regional that year but proceeded to win four elimination games to advance, defeating host and No. 2 national seed Florida State twice in the regional final. When No. 15 seed Missouri also lost its regional final at home to Arizona, the Bulldogs suddenly found themselves back in Starkville facing the Wildcats with a trip to the Women's College World Series on the line. Arizona defeated MSU in two games, but the series attracted capacity crowds at Nusz Park of more than 2,200 fans for both contests. The spectacle helped Ricketts see firsthand that Bulldogs fans had an appetite for softball, and this year, for the first time in program history, MSU will be charging admission for all home games. "When it came time to sell tickets (for the Super Regional), we had no season ticket holders to offer out the postseason tickets to first," the Bulldogs' head coach said. "It really created a little bit of a madhouse and a rush for these tickets with no standard for it within the program because we hadn't sold (them)." Mike Richey, the athletic department's executive director of principal giving, oversees softball and helped facilitate the ticketing process ahead of the Super Regional. With the success MSU had attracting fans to buy tickets for the biggest games the program had ever hosted, Ricketts began to think about making softball a ticketed sport. The arrival of Zac Selmon as athletic director in January 2023 only accelerated those conversations. |
| Basketball 'Dawg Talk' With Coach Jans Returns Thursday | |
| Mississippi State basketball's radio show, "Dawg Talk" presented by Learfield, featuring Chris Jans returns Thursday from 7-8 p.m. to Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux. The 60-minute program will air on the affiliates of the MSU Sports Radio Network hosted by Neil Price, "The Voice of the Bulldogs". "Dawg Talk" can be watched online at www.Facebook.com/HailState and is streamed online courtesy of Hail State On-Demand at www.HailState.com/watch and The Varsity Network App. The Jan. 25 show will have Jimmy Bell Jr. and Gai Chol as featured guests. Coach Jans is scheduled to make two additional "Dawg Talk" appearances on Feb. 12 and Feb. 19. Mississippi State is selling single game tickets for the 2023-24 campaign. Visit www.HailState.com/Tickets for more information. Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its official social media accounts by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. |
| Why Florida loss showed Mississippi State basketball, Josh Hubbard need veterans' help | |
| Now that guard Josh Hubbard is 19 games old, Mississippi State basketball coach Chris Jans doesn't consider him a freshman anymore. He posted 25 points in a top-five win against Tennessee. He scored 29 in a crucial neutral court win against Northwestern. On Wednesday, he collected 26 points in a 79-70 loss at Florida -- his career-best mark in a road game. Inexperience is no longer an issue for the all-time leading scorer in Mississippi high school boys basketball history. The problem now is getting help around him that isn't dependent solely on forward Tolu Smith. On a night like Wednesday, when Hubbard is feeling it off the bench but Smith has just 10 points on 5-for-12 shooting, Mississippi State (13-6, 2-4 SEC) needed someone -- likely a veteran -- to step up on the road. That didn't happen, made evident by Hubbard's 25 shot attempts. "We were in a position where him taking a contested 3, maybe, is our best option at times," Jans said postgame at O'Connell Center. "It's no fault of his that he was put in a position where you're trying to get him to get shots and try to give us a chance to get back in the game." Foul trouble was a factor with Smith and senior Cameron Matthews fouling out after combining for just 19 points. Fellow senior forward D.J. Jeffries was in a similar spot, picking up two fouls in the first half before finishing with four while scoring six points and missing all five of his 3-point attempts. |
| Men's Basketball: Mississippi State's road woes continue in loss to Florida | |
| Mississippi State beat Florida at its own game Wednesday night, but the Bulldogs only had the opportunity to do so because they missed so many shots. The Gators, who pull down the second-most offensive rebounds per game in all of men's college basketball, lost that battle as MSU had a 22-15 edge on the offensive glass. A big chunk of that, though, was due to the Bulldogs having far more opportunities for offensive boards than their opponents. MSU finished 8-for-33 from 3-point range and had its second-worst overall shooting percentage of the season in a 79-70 loss. Freshman Josh Hubbard led all scorers with 26 points, but was just 5-for-17 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Florida's size bothered the Bulldogs (13-6, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) in the interior, as MSU missed 12 layups. Tolu Smith and Jimmy Bell Jr. even briefly shared the floor for the first time all year in an attempt to limit the Gators' bigs. "We were in a position where him taking a contested 3, maybe, (was) our best option at times," head coach Chris Jans said. "It's no fault of his that he was put in a position where you're trying to get him to get shots and try to give us a chance to get back in the game." MSU returns to Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday for a key matchup with No. 8 Auburn, which suffered its first SEC loss Wednesday night at rival Alabama. |
| Millsaps hires former defensive coordinator Lechtenberg as new head coach | |
| The coaching carousel has now come to a stop across Mississippi's Division II and III football scene with Millsaps filling its vacancy on Wednesday. Brandon Lechtenberg returns to Jackson after most recently serving as defensive coordinator at the University of Central Oklahoma. Lechtenberg served as the Majors' defensive coordinator from 2011-16 before accepting an assistant position with Division I UT Martin. "My family and I are incredibly excited to return to Millsaps College and Jackson," Lechtenberg said. "Working with the administration, faculty, and alumni, we will build a championship culture within the football program and build upon a proud football tradition." "We are thrilled to welcome Brandon, his wife Dee, and their young family back to Millsaps," Millsaps athletic director Aaron Pelch said. Lechtenberg, who got his coaching start in the high school ranks, is the final hire in what has been a busy offseason for Division II and III coaching changes. Crosstown rival Belhaven recently hired C.J. Nightingale as its head coach while Division II Mississippi College announced Mike Kershaw as head coach last month. |
| SEC fines South Carolina $100,000 for fans on the court after Kentucky win | |
| The Southeastern Conference fined South Carolina $100,000 for its fans storming the court after the top-ranked Gamecocks' 79-62 win over No. 6 Kentucky. The league announced the fine Wednesday, a day after South Carolina posted a win over its highest ranked opponent at home in 14 years. The SEC adopted more stringent fines at its meetings last spring. A first offense brings a fine of $100,000, a second $250,000 with subsequent offenses costing $500,000. The league gave all members a clean slate so this counts as South Carolina's first offense. Fans quickly burst through the yellow rope line when the game ended. Among those celebrating on the court were women's basketball coach Dawn Staley and several members of her team. Also on the floor was former university president Harris Pastides, who posted on social media that he had to pay a fine during his tenure after big wins. "This time it was free for me so I joined the crowd," he posted. |
| Chargers hiring Michigan's Jim Harbaugh as their new coach | |
 | The Chargers made one of the most notable additions in their franchise's 65-year history Wednesday by agreeing to terms with Jim Harbaugh to be their coach, the team announced. Having won a collegiate national title at Michigan this month, Harbaugh now takes over a team fronted by quarterback Justin Herbert but dogged by the organization's history of coming up short. "Jim Harbaugh is football personified, and I can think of no one better to lead the Chargers forward," owner Dean Spanos said in a statement. "The son of a coach, brother of a coach and father of a coach who himself was coached by names like Schembechler and Ditka, for the past two decades Jim has led hundreds of men to success everywhere he's been -- as their coach. And today, Jim Harbaugh returns to the Chargers, this time as our coach. Who has it better than us?" Harbaugh, 60, makes his return to the NFL after spending the last nine years at Michigan, his alma mater and the place where he first rose to prominence as a quarterback. Harbaugh has a track record of turning programs around and establishing winners, having done so during college stops at the University of San Diego and Stanford before jumping to the NFL. But he also is known for clashing with his superiors, something that led to his parting with San Francisco and reportedly resulted in strained relations with some people at Michigan. Possessing a quirky personality and, at times, an over-the-top perspective, Harbaugh's background is that of a coach beloved by his players but belittled by his critics. |
| ACC unveils full 17-team 2024 football schedule | |
| The ACC announced its full 2024 schedule Wednesday, featuring new members Cal, Stanford and SMU as part of the expanded 17-team football league. The league previously unveiled its seven-year scheduling model through 2030, with annual conference opponents for each team. Although teams knew which other teams they would be playing this coming season, on Wednesday they found out their exact dates. Cal and Stanford will open ACC play on the road -- the Cardinal at Syracuse on Friday, Sept. 20, and the Bears the next day at Florida State. SMU opens ACC play the next week, with a home game against the defending ACC champion Seminoles. In creating the schedule with three new members -- including two based on the West Coast -- the conference tried to be strategic with road trips and open dates. Stanford, for example, has an open date before traveling to Syracuse, and then an extra day to prepare for a road game the next week at Clemson on Sept. 28. Cal has an open date after its game at Florida State, then plays its ACC home opener against Miami on Oct. 5. The league will continue to play eight conference games without divisions. Without divisions, the top two teams in the standings at the end of the season will pay in the ACC championship game in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Dec. 7. |
| Board moves ahead with policy that could stop UNC, NC State from leaving ACC | |
| Any UNC System school -- and that includes UNC Chapel Hill and NC State University -- that wants to change athletic conferences will have to get approval from the system president and the board under a policy change approved by a board committee Wednesday. The change must be approved by the full 24-member Board of Governors before it goes into effect. The University Governance committee approved the move Wednesday. The move comes as the North Carolina-based ACC -- which includes UNC and NC State and private schools Duke and Wake Forest -- is falling behind other athletic leagues in media rights revenue. The SEC and Big Ten have stockpiled the biggest brands in college football and some of the ACC's top teams are seeking refuge in one of those leagues. UNC and NC State are charter members of the ACC, which was founded in 1953 in Greensboro. The league is now headquartered in Charlotte and hosts many of its championship events in North Carolina, including its annual football championship game in Charlotte. State lawmakers approved $15 million in incentives for the league in an effort to keep its headquarters in the state. The Tar Heels, in particular, are seen as a top expansion candidate for both the SEC and the Midwest-based Big Ten, which soon will have schools in California, Washington, Oregon as well as New Jersey and Maryland. If UNC were to leave the league --- likely as part of a larger exodus --- it could have huge ramifications on the athletic revenue of NC State. |
| With college sports at a critical juncture, is 'Project DI' the answer? 'Everything is on the table' | |
| On Dec. 5, NCAA president Charlie Baker unveiled a somewhat radical proposal to modernize the college athletics model in an unprecedented way, recommending direct pay to athletes and the creation of a new subdivision. The college athletics world reacted to Project DI in a variety of ways. While a surprise to many, it was mostly met with fanfare for its progressive and bold approach. But some questioned both its rollout -- few knew the intimate details -- and its sustainability as a long-term solution for the industry's primary issue: how to better compensate college athletes. Nearly two months after Project DI's grand reveal, some of the targets at the center of the proposal -- schools in the Power Five or, better yet, Power Two --- are not in support of the plan. There is disagreement on the proposal's implementation; discord about the NCAA's future in general; growing doubts around congressional action, a necessary component to the proposal; and, most notably, further discussion of NCAA secession from schools residing at the highest level of the sport. Amidst it all, in one of the most challenging times in college athletics history, the most powerful executives in the sport -- the Power Five commissioners -- gather this week in the nation's capital. They are scheduled to meet on Thursday. |
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