| Tuesday, January 30, 2024 |
| Education: University collaboration receives $6 million in funding for new cyberinfrastructure workforce project | |
 | The National Science Foundation has awarded nearly $6 million to Purdue, Indiana, and Mississippi State Universities to fund a collaborative program aimed at fortifying the cyberinfrastructure (CI) workforce within research communities. The new project, known as CyberInfrastructure Professionals InnoVating and brOadening the adoption of advanced Technologies (CI PIVOT), is funded under the NSF's Strengthening the Cyberinfrastructure Professionals Ecosystem (SCIPE) program. SCIPE's goal is to advance the Cyberinfrastructure Professional (CIP) workforce throughout the nation. CI Pivot will help to accomplish this by recruiting individuals with domain-specific expertise and training them to be CI facilitators, making advanced CI accessible and effective for all. "Mississippi State is excited to partner with IU and Purdue on this initiative that will help empower scientists to fully embrace advanced computational resources to drive innovation in their respective fields," said Mike Navicky, director of MSU's High Performance Computing Collaboratory and co-principal investigator on the project. "This effort aligns well with current research and training activities taking place on our campus as we look to maximize the impact of our extensive computational ability." |
| Starkville Mayor urges caution going under S. Washington St. bridge | |
 | The railroad overpass on South Washington Street in Starkville has been around since the early 1900's. But it still seems to come as a surprise to some drivers, especially those in high-profile vehicles. The bridge's clearance is only nine feet, and some commercial vehicles tend to be taller than that. Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill has seen firsthand, what the bridge has done to drivers, or at least their vehicles. "We got a number of vehicles like this U haul truck that came through recently that is a little over the nine-foot limit, the drivers seem to not pay attention to that, and they have come through and about twice a year, we get a U haul that will come through and the bridge wins every time," said Spruill. Kim Moreland is the owner of Starkville's U Haul franchise; she said the end result can be expensive. Both Spruill and Moreland said they are seeing a pattern in the bridge incidents. "Normally in the summer just because it's so many rentals that go out," said Moreland. "It is kind of January, and I would say July and August too," said Spruill. |
| Despite change in Ring security camera policy, local law enforcement sees little impact on investigations | |
| Neither Columbus nor Starkville police departments are expecting big changes now that a popular doorbell camera company will no longer allow law enforcement to request footage from users using its application. Ring, an Amazon-owned company, announced last week it would close its "request for assistance" tool on its application. The tool allowed law enforcement and other first responders to request and receive doorbell camera footage from users through Ring's service. Law enforcement agencies may still ask citizens directly to share security camera footage, though. Starkville Police Department does not use Ring's application, Officer Lee Upchurch told The Dispatch Monday. Instead, it uses Fusus, which he described as "a big ecosystem for law enforcement where we pull in everything that we have access to into one location." The platform includes a registry for residential camera systems "It's an opt-in platform," he said. "It's something that you actually have to sign up for. We don't do a mass request for people that have not opted in." He said SPD can send a request to the owners of those cameras. Included in that request is usually a description of a crime or incident and whether police are seeking a suspect or vehicle. |
| NAS Meridian hosts second annual State of the Base breakfast | |
 | Elected officials and community leaders joined military personnel from Naval Air Station Meridian on Monday for the second annual State of the Base breakfast. The breakfast is an annual event hosted by NAS Meridian as a way to keep community partners informed of the progress of the installation and what the base is looking forward to in the future. About 75 elected officials and business and community leaders from Meridian, Lauderdale County, Kemper County and the town of Marion were on hand for the event, as well as U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and state Sen. Jeff Tate. Capt. Luke Davis, commanding officer of NAS Meridian, gave civilian leaders and guests an update on accomplishments made at the base over the past year and recognized several individuals and organizations who have contributed to NAS Meridian's success over the past 60 years. Wicker, who spoke during the breakfast, said the nation's military needs to be better prepared for today's challenges. "I think we have shortchanged the military for the last few years," said Wicker, the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. "And we are going to have a quantum leap to change that." "Anybody that comes to us from the top military brass or the retired military brass or people from across the city, they will tell you that we are in the most dangerous times since World War II," he said. Wicker said dictators around the world are becoming more aggressive, which means the nation and Congress needs to be more supportive of the U.S. military to prepare its men and women for the challenges in the years ahead. |
| Iconic Tico's Steakhouse opening new location | |
 | The iconic Tico's Steakhouse in Ridgeland has long been known for it dedication to perfecting the dining experience. Now, another city in Mississippi, Oxford, will get to experience the Tico's way very soon. Jackson-native Parker Guy, who will be the manager of the new location, said he and Jack Hoffman, the son of the legendary owner Tico, will be able to open along Oxford's East Jackson Avenue on the weekend of Valentine's Day. Tico's in Ridgeland has been around for nearly 30 years on County Line Road. It is always packed with lawmakers during the legislative session and die-hard fans year-round. It is also the go-to place for PGA players during the Sanderson Farms Classic every Fall just around the corner at the Country Club of Jackson. Guy said that while there will be cosmetic changes and differences between the Ridgeland Tico's and the Oxford Tico's, there won't be change in the business formula. "There will be changes, a little fresher looking and more modern decor, and definitely things have been done the old-school way that has been a success in Ridgeland for a very, very long time, but we want to modernize a few things," Guy said. "At the same time, we have the same playbook as back home. It is a family atmosphere with great food. You come in for a great steak, a healthy alcohol pour and a great time." |
| Key Coast Economic Development Organizations Announce Strategic Collaboration | |
 | For years, communities and economic development entities on the Mississippi Coast have sought to informally partner in efforts to promote the region. The hope has been that a more unified voice in matters of public policy and large-scale development initiatives would wield better results for all involved. On Friday, those sentiments were formalized with the signing of Strategic Regional Alignment Agreements between the Gulf Coast Business Council (GCBC) and area key economic groups from across the Coast. The regional partners signing on to collaborate with GCBC are Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District, Pascagoula Port Authority, Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission, State Port of Gulfport, Mississippi Enterprise for Technology, Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, Gulf Regional Planning Commission, and Coastal Mississippi. Members of the Coastal legislature delegation are also at the table working with these entities on important economic and community development issues in the area. At a press conference announcing the signed agreements hosted by GCBC, Council President and CEO Jamie Miller said the written acknowledgements of the partnerships between the parties involved shows the importance of working together for the betterment of the Coast as a whole. |
| First vote to legalize online sports wagering in Mississippi could come this week | |
 | Mississippi is closer than it's ever been to allowing fans to place sports bets online. On Monday, House Gaming Committee Chairman Casey Eure introduced House Bill 774, the "Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act." Eure said he will take up the bill in committee Tuesday, and he expects to bring it to the House floor for a vote on Wednesday. If approved, it would then move on to the Senate. With neighboring states Louisiana, Tennessee and Arkansas already operating online sports betting, he said, it's time for Mississippi to approve it. Online sports betting has been legal since January 2022 in Louisiana and now 90% of all sports wagers are made on a mobile app. "The people of Mississippi want it," Eure said. In his 14 years in office, Eure said he's had more people call him from across the state asking for online wagering than for any other legislation. "Mississippi is looked at as a model in the gaming industry," he said, and he's worked four years to craft the legislation for this bill. "My number one goal is to protect our bricks and mortar casinos in Mississippi," Eure said. This bill does a good job of that, he said. Eure estimates Mississippi could see online sports betting becoming a $20-$30 million industry, with profits taxed at 12 percent, instead of the money going illegally offshore or to bookies. |
| Farm bill debate will continue into 'the meat' of 2024 election | |
| The ongoing congressional squabbling over federal spending levels "means that the farm bill debate is going to be pushed into the meat of a general election year," when compromise is difficult to achieve, said Purdue associate professor Roman Keeney. The debate over government funding might touch farm bill programs this spring, as it did in SNAP revisions written into the debt limit agreement of 2023, said Keeney in a quarterly Purdue publication. Without an accord, "we could almost certainly reach October 2024 with no replacement farm bill and face the same questions we did throughout 2023," wrote Keeney. Agricultural leaders in Congress deadlocked over the farm bill last year, forcing lawmakers to extend the life of the 2018 farm law for one year, to Sept. 30. Climate funding, higher crop subsidy rates, and SNAP spending were the major disputes. In an optimistic scenario, lawmakers would seize the farm bill as a last chance to advance bipartisan legislation before the general election. Alternately, "the year could feature continued policy brinksmanship with the only agreements being made when consequences of delay are most severe," wrote Keeney. "The delay in passing federal spending bills for 2024 means that the farm bill debate is going to be pushed into the meat of a general election year where debates in Congress serve proxy for broader agenda items (e.g. immigration or international aid) making compromises more difficult to achieve." |
| Haley Taps Wall Street and Main Street to Keep Anti-Trump Bid Funded | |
 | Fueled by defiant donors, Nikki Haley appears to be putting enough in the bank to finance her long-shot bid to slow Donald Trump from claiming the 2024 Republican presidential nomination through at least the Feb. 24 South Carolina primary and perhaps beyond. The former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador has seen a burst in online fundraising -- more than $4 million -- since more fully framing herself as Trump's nemesis after losing to him in last week's New Hampshire primary. There are also signs that her large-dollar donors, many of whom have harbored a distaste for Trump, are remaining supportive of the last major candidate standing in his way. Haley is scheduled Tuesday to attend a New York City fundraiser where contributions, which are limited by federal law, are expected to range from $3,300 to $16,600 per person. Wall Street billionaires Stanley Druckenmiller, Henry Kravis, Ken Langone and Cliff Asness are among those co-hosting. The gathering is part of a swing through the area that her campaign says will raise more than $1.5 million. Trump's call for those who contribute to Haley to be "permanently barred" from his political movement has angered some Republican and independent donors, while boosting Haley's fundraising. "Attacking Nikki Haley's financial supporters is not about throwing us out of MAGA, as he has already long since driven us out of the Republican Party," said James Hoffmann, a 62-year-old retired investment manager and Haley donor from Massachusetts who said he voted Republican for president through 2016. |
| China sees two 'bowls of poison' in Biden and Trump and ponders who is the lesser of two evils | |
 | As the U.S. presidential campaign moves closer to a Donald Trump-Joe Biden rematch, China is watching uneasily. First, there are concerns about the campaign itself, where candidates are likely to talk tough on China. That could threaten the fragile improvements in U.S.-China relations seen in recent months. Then there's the outcome of the November vote. Neither candidate is particularly appealing to Beijing. While Biden has looked for areas of cooperation with China, Beijing is concerned about his efforts to unite allies in the Indo-Pacific in a coalition against China. It's also nervous about his approach to Taiwan after he has repeatedly said he would have U.S. troops defend it in a conflict with China. Trump, with his isolationist approach to foreign policy, might be more hesitant to defend Taiwan. But nothing can be ruled out given his unpredictability and his tough rhetoric on China, which he blames for the COVID-19 outbreak that dogged the end of his term. He also could deepen a trade war that hasn't eased since his presidency. Even with the slight improvement in relations, tensions remain high, particularly over Taiwan. The question of who is in the White House could have enormous consequences not only for U.S.-China relations but for peace in the Asia-Pacific region. Experts say the Chinese also are unlikely to interfere with the U.S. presidential election this year, partly because they are unwilling and partly because they have yet to build up the capabilities. If Beijing is to interfere, it is more likely to try to discredit U.S. democracy, amplify partisan discord, and undermine faith in the election process, they say. |
| Texas border city on edge as Gov. Abbott dials up battle with Biden | |
 | A century and a half ago, Confederate Gen. Joseph Orville Shelby splashed into the wild waters of the Rio Grande off this border city and fled to Mexico, refusing to surrender to Union soldiers. Now the park named in his honor has become a front line in a feud between the state and the federal government -- a power struggle over who ultimately has the right to control the border and the tide of humanity trying to cross it. Texas National Guard Humvees carry rifle-toting troops and patrol newly erected gates to the municipal park previously used for family cookouts and Independence Day festivities. Tents, military trucks, heavy equipment and portable toilets dot the edge of a browning fairway. Along the riverbank, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has ordered the state National Guard to deploy coils of razor wire, rusting shipping containers and dirt-filled barrels to declare his state's sovereignty. The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered Abbott to allow Border Patrol agents to remove or cut wire to reach the river and aid migrants in distress. Abbott's troops are installing even more wire. Twenty-five Republican governors recently signed a letter expressing their support for Abbott's rebellion, and former president Donald Trump is calling on states to join the standoff. |
| The US pulled resources out of the Middle East. Now it is rethinking that decision. | |
 | In the hours following Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on Israel, American officials rushed to determine if terrorist groups planned to attack troops and diplomats abroad. They immediately struggled. The U.S. had spent years pulling back intelligence and military resources from the Middle East and shifting focus elsewhere, believing Russia and China posed greater threats. That shift was now being felt more acutely than ever. Analysts whose work had been focused on other regions were forced to quickly switch to Hamas and the Middle East. As they did, they strained to sift through and make sense of hundreds of reports of potential threats posed by a wide variety of groups, including those backed by Iran. That effort, and the uncertainty that followed, has forced a reckoning in the highest ranks of the Biden administration's national security establishment about its Middle East strategy. Now, amid intense bombardment from Iran-backed groups, more than a dozen current and former U.S. officials, lawmakers and congressional aides say Washington's deprioritization of the Middle East, and specifically its approach on Iran, has left the U.S. vulnerable. Many were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive national security matters. "Biden has spent much of the last three years ... ignoring the Middle East completely," said one former senior official who worked on Middle East matters during the Trump administration. "I've spent a long time in the Middle East, and part of me wants to forget it, too. That's not the way it is. They ignored it. And now they are paying the price." |
| Mississippi University for Women tries again. See three more names under consideration | |
| Mississippi University for Women is back at the drawing board again searching for a new name for the university. In early January, university officials put out a press release announcing that they were considering changing the school's name to Mississippi Brightwell University. After significant backlash on social media and in general, the 2,000-student public school in Columbus has broadened its effort to include more names for consideration. Whatever name is finally submitted would have to be approved by the state Legislature. Any name would not be effective until July 1, 2024. The Clarion-Ledger conducted a poll of readers almost immediately after the name-change news appeared. It showed overwhelming dissatisfaction for "Brightwell." After the Jan. 9 release of the Brightwell name and subsequent backlash, the university then sent out an email to students and alumni, saying, "the Naming Taskforce has been working hand-in-hand with our communications agency Chernoff Newman to find a name that will allow us to continue to use The W branding. In keeping with our desire to hear from many constituencies, we are asking for feedback and suggestions from alumni, faculty, staff, and students." The university has been in search for a new name for more than 20 years to more accurately reflect the demographics of the school. |
| A Rebrand Gone Awry Prompts a Redo | |
 | Mississippi University for Women, which has been coeducational since 1982, has long been considering a name change. After 15 months of surveys, focus groups and meetings of a task force created to build consensus across the small public institution, university officials believed they had come up with the perfect name: Mississippi Brightwell University. The new name reflected the university's motto, "we study for light to bless with light." The response was less than enthusiastic. Countless alumni and community members were none too pleased and took to social media to voice their indignation after the university announced the new name on its Facebook page. The complaints were persuasive. Nora Miller, the university's president and a member of the Class of 1983, released a statement on Jan. 10 announcing that the naming task force would reconvene and make a second attempt at the rebranding. The task force will meet today to consider three newly proposed names that were sent to students, staff and alumni in an online survey last week, according to a local news report. Although faculty members originally called for a name change that reflected more gender-inclusive branding, the controversy that ensued reflects broader challenges in an increasingly competitive higher ed market. Colleges, particularly small liberal arts institutions, are having to work harder to recruit and keep students and to stand out at a time when the traditional college-age population is shrinking. |
| Sixty-five Ole Miss students show off public speaking skills in the 20th annual Speaker's Edge contest | |
 | After two decades, the annual Speaker's Edge workshop and competition at the University of Mississippi continues to help students gain confidence and skills in public speaking to jump-start their professional careers. The 20th annual competition wrapped up this year's edition of Speaker's Edge on Jan. 11-12 at the Jackson Avenue Center. Master's-level students in business, accountancy and law competed individually by responding to ethical dilemmas and presenting their own marketplace pitches. They also worked with partners to deliver compelling team pitches. Lee Baker, an accountancy and law student from Augusta, Georgia, took the overall award, which included a $1,000 prize. "Before taking this class, I was always anxious to speak in front of people, to the point I dreaded it," Baker said. "Speaker's Edge, through Dr. (Ellie) Moore's unique approach, with its blend of challenging competitions and practical skills training, made me a more confident speaker. I now feel I can speak with more clarity and conviction, even in high-pressure situations. I have no doubt that these skills will serve me well in my business career, and I consider Speaker's Edge one of the most beneficial classes I've taken at Ole Miss." |
| USM RISE program offers unique college experience for the intellectually disabled | |
 | College is now an option for those who are intellectually disabled, and the University of Southern Mississippi's Reaching, Including, Supporting and Educating (RISE) program is making sure they receive the normal college experience. Robert Carley is a student in the program and says it's helped him embrace becoming a Golden Eagle. "Where do I even begin, it's been awesome," said Carley. "I've been coming here during Americorp and worked my way up and I worked my way up to be affiliated with USM on campus." "Being officially a part of campus, being like I am a college student, and I am taking classes...it's been nice and I love it." The RISE program is a four-year, eight-semester, inclusive, non-degree certificate program that incorporates academics and employment preparation. It has existed as a pilot program since 2015 for visiting students, and it now has been approved to move forward as a permanent program for students. The program will be taking its first full load of students in the fall of 2024. |
| U. of Michigan Automotive Research Center Lands $100M in U.S. Army Funding | |
| The U.S. Army has extended its relationship with the University of Michigan's Automotive Research Center (ARC) in Ann Arbor, with a five-year, agreement to provide funding of up to $100 million to boost work on autonomous vehicle technologies. The extension could potentially double the federal government's financial investment in ARC since the last agreement was reached in 2019. Following its 1994 launch, the ARC has served as a source of technology, modeling, and simulation for the Army's fleet of vehicles -- the largest such fleet in the world. The cost and time needed to collect data through physical experimentation is prohibitive, and the amount of data needed to enable autonomous operation in off-road, military, emergency, or disaster relief scenarios is thousands of times larger than that needed for operation in cities. Cutting-edge modeling and simulation approaches such as the ones developed in the ARC can provide a solution to this challenge. The 14-member collection of universities and institutes, led by U-M, features a total of 84 faculty members, 34 industry partners, and four government agencies. It provides a system of research and innovation devoted to transforming ground system technologies. Participating institutions include: the University of Iowa; Wayne State University in Detroit; Clemson University; Oakland University in Rochester; Virginia Tech; Michigan Technological University in Houghton; Mississippi State University; the University of Alabama at Birmingham; the University of California, Irvine; George Mason University; Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant; Michigan State University in East Lansing; and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. |
| Pennsylvania Governor Proposes to Overhaul the State University System | |
 | Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who has complained that his state's higher education "isn't working," proposed on Friday a sweeping overhaul of the state's sprawling college and university system that would reduce tuition for many students and determine funding for individual schools based in part on their performance. The plan would consolidate 10 of Pennsylvania's state universities and all 15 of its community colleges under one governance umbrella, boost state funding for public higher education, and allow students with low to middle incomes to pay only $1,000 a semester in tuition. Most of the plan would not affect Pennsylvania's best-known public universities, including Penn State, Pittsburgh and Temple. "After 30 years of disinvestment, too many of our colleges and universities are running on empty, and not enough students have affordable pathways into good jobs," Mr. Shapiro said in a statement. Plans for the overhaul have been under development for nearly a year by a working group formed by the governor, who complained publicly shortly after taking office in 2023 about problems in the state's higher education system. Competition among state-funded universities, he said last year, was creating a negative effect, with "colleges competing with one another for a limited dollar, duplicating degree programs, driving up costs and actually reducing access." |
| As student loan payments resume, some borrowers aren't spending less | |
 | Most student loan borrowers in a recent survey said they aren't cutting back on their spending habits, even after payments resumed in October for the first time in more than three years. Less than half of the borrowers who responded to a University of Michigan poll said the return to repayment caused them to spend less. Roughly three in 10 said they're now saving less money. "The results show that a relatively small minority of Americans reduced their spending following the resumption of student loan payments," researchers concluded in the survey, which was published last week. The findings are based on a poll of about 550 borrowers with outstanding student loan debt who were surveyed between late September and mid-January. Student loan payments came due for more than 20 million Americans in October -- the first time since March 2020. According to the survey, only about 40% of the respondents whose loan bills came due in October said they'd be reducing their overall spending as a result. The findings, though not representative of all borrowers, buck the expectations of those who'd been bracing for a potential downturn in consumer spending as the unprecedented pandemic-era pause in student loan payments came to a close. |
| PROOF POINTS: Most college kids are taking at least one class online, even long after campuses reopened | |
| The pandemic not only disrupted education temporarily; it also triggered permanent changes. One that is quietly taking place at colleges and universities is a major, expedited shift to online learning. Even after campuses reopened and the health threat diminished, colleges and universities continued to offer more online courses and added more online degrees and programs. Some brick-and-mortar schools even switched to online only. To be sure, far fewer college students are learning online today than during the peak of the pandemic, when online instruction was an emergency response. But there are far more students regularly logging into their computers for their classes now than in 2019, according to the latest federal data. In fact, there are so many more that online enrollment hit a new post-pandemic milestone in the fall of 2022 when a majority -- 54 percent -- of college students took one or more of their classes online, a nearly 50 percent increase from the fall of 2019 when 37 percent of college students took at least one online class. The sheer numbers are staggering: more than 10 million college students were learning online in the fall of 2022. Compared to before the pandemic, an additional 1.5 million students were taking all of their courses online and 1.35 million more students were taking at least one course online - even as the total number of college students fell by more than a million between 2019 and 2022. |
| College Presidents Are Quietly Organizing to Support DEI | |
 | About a year ago, as state legislatures grew interested in dismantling higher ed's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, a small group of college presidents started getting together to discuss what they could do about it. The presidents shared how they were responding to lawmakers and organizations that opposed DEI, a term that critics were increasingly leveraging to condemn colleges' identity-based offices, centers, and programs. The leaders brainstormed ways to improve messaging. They commiserated. Now the group has a name, "Education for All," and has grown to nearly 150 presidents, mostly at community colleges, said Michael H. Gavin, president of Delta College, a two-year institution in Michigan, who has taken on the role of chief facilitator. The group has no formal or legal structure, and "joining" can simply mean signing up for email announcements, Gavin said. That's intentional; college leaders are often reluctant to take positions publicly these days, and want to support diversity without drawing too much attention. Several higher-education associations with overlapping interests have lent their help, by providing virtual or physical meeting space or by offering expertise -- including Achieving the Dream, which helps colleges develop student-success measures, and Campus Compact, a coalition of colleges seeking to improve civic and community engagement. |
| Hate Crimes Reported in Schools Nearly Doubled Between 2018 and 2022 | |
| The number of reported hate crimes in schools and colleges nearly doubled between 2018 and 2022, according to data released Monday by the F.B.I. About 1,300 hate crimes were reported in elementary schools, secondary schools and colleges in 2022, up from 700 in 2018 -- an increase of about 90 percent, according to the report, the first on the subject to be issued by the federal government. Black Americans were the most frequent victims, with a total of 1,690 hate crime offenses against them reported over the five-year period, followed by L.G.B.T.Q. people with 900 offenses; Jewish Americans were third, with 745 reported offenses. The statistics count crimes against students or others inside school buildings and on campuses. Though F.B.I. officials did not offer an explanation for the rising numbers, the nation's education system experienced a high degree of politicization during the period covered by the report. Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, a national movement called attention to racism in every facet of American life, including schools, which could have led to an increase in reporting. There was also a powerful backlash to that movement, which might have motivated some hate crimes. In 2022, at least a third of the nation's historically Black colleges received bomb threats, according to the F.B.I. |
| At colleges, unions fight for equity as well as pay | |
 | Higher education unions have been on the rise in recent years, and experts say this labor movement is different from other sectors: more focused on equity issues, racial justice and academic freedom at a time when many feel schools are under attack. Financial matters, however, are still a primary concern. The most recent labor win came from the California Faculty Association (CFA) on Monday after California State University (CSU) reached a deal with the union less than 24 hours after it declared a strike, securing pay increases and better maternity leave for employees. The CSU system had also faced a strike in 2021 in part over salary discrepancies that largely affected minority educators. Organizers said some lecturers and librarians, who were primarily Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, were paid much less than tenure-tracked full-time faculty. "With diversity and inclusion statements now a part of the landscape at colleges and universities -- thanks to decades of hard work by union activists and others, and partly due to the 'racial reckoning' that followed the murder of George Floyd -- many of those associated with higher education have been hopeful that equity on campus would begin to become a reality," the American Federation of Teachers said at the time. "But faculty, staff and community members are finding that despite grand proclamations, follow-through action is often in short supply and the issues of inequity continue to plague them." |
| 3 state policy trends that will shape higher ed in 2024 | |
| Higher education has become central to conversations about diversity, debt, hiring and the workforce. This year, colleges can expect a flurry of state bills and executive orders that will address these topics and potentially reshape how the sector does business. That spans from policies aiming to boost college attainment to calls to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on college campuses. While some of these moves have traditionally targeted public colleges, political influence in higher education is spreading, and leaders from private institutions now say they are facing similar external pressures. We're rounding up three state policy trends that colleges will be grappling with in 2024: attacks on DEI in higher ed, FAFSA graduation requirements, and rollback of degree requirements for state jobs. In 2023, a wave of states rescinded rules requiring government job candidates to have four-year college degrees. Maryland kicked off the movement the year prior, when then-Gov. Larry Hogan dropped four-year degree requirements from thousands of state jobs. The Republican billed the "first in the nation" move as a way of recruiting qualified candidates who had alternative examples of experience, such as apprenticeships and boot camps. The trend has picked up momentum since and is expected to continue in a tight labor market. The changes came as Americans are increasingly skeptical about the value of a college degree. |
| Do Rising Pension Costs Put University Bond Ratings at Risk? | |
| Bigger Pie Forum says whether it's IHL or the State of Mississippi, rising pension costs affect more than government budgets: A recent column by Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Commissioner Dr. Al Rankins provided an overview of the system's strong bond rating, which Dr. Rankins attributed to good stewardship through debt savings, reduced energy costs, and pooled insurance and other subscriptions. We congratulate Dr. Rankins, the IHL Board of Trustees, and university presidents for working collaboratively to improve the financial position of IHL. Their efforts have worked, as reflected through the system's strong financial position. Yet, risks outside the control of IHL remain. Did you know that universities contribute about 16% of all state retirement contributions? Last year, public universities and their employees paid $282.3 million to cover pension costs -- and the number keeps growing. But contribution payments aren't the only financial costs to our state's higher education system caused by a struggling pension system. In fact, growing pension debt increases the risk profile of Mississippi and all her public bodies, including Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL). This is recognized by credit rating agencies, which evaluate fiscal health of institutions to determine credit outlook and, in effect, the cost of borrowing money. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State women's basketball upsets LSU, Angel Reese in front of sold-out crowd | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball picked up its best win of the Sam Purcell era on Monday, taking down No. 9 LSU at Humphrey Coliseum with a final score of 77-73. The victory against the defending national champions came in front of a sold-out crowd, the first of Purcell's tenure, which started when he was hired in March 2022. Mississippi State (17-5, 4-3 SEC) got the win in large part to guards Jerkaila Jordan, who led the Bulldogs with 24 points, and Darrione Rogers, who added 19 off the bench. Despite the Tigers (18-4, 5-3) having four players scoring in double figures, including 20 from star forward Angel Reese, MSU built a lead as large as nine in the game. It's the first win for Mississippi State against LSU since 2021. For a freshman, guard Mjracle Sheppard didn't appear to be afraid of the task at hand. She was the spark for Mississippi State off the bench, collecting 12 points and six steals. Despite being matched up with one of the nation's toughest guards, Sheppard continued with the defensive effort that has earned her playing time in key moments. LSU's Hailey Van Lith, who played at Louisville during Purcell's time as an assistant, was limited to four points and turned the ball over three times. Van Lith has success defending MSU guard Lauren Park-Lane, so Purcell turned to Sheppard. She delivered, so much so that Purcell elected to start her in the second half. |
| Women's Basketball: Sam Purcell gets sellout, signature win as Bulldogs take down LSU | |
| Sam Purcell got everything he asked for, and then some, on a magical Monday night at Humphrey Coliseum. Speaking at Southeastern Conference Media Days back in October in Birmingham, Ala, Mississippi State's head coach challenged Bulldogs fans to sell out at least one game at The Hump. Purcell knew his program was on the rise again, and creating MSU's first sellout since the final year of the Vic Schaefer era -- January 2020 against rival Ole Miss -- would be even more living proof of that. With defending national champion and No. 9 LSU in town Monday night, Purcell got his sellout, and then he got his biggest win to date since he arrived in Starkville. The Bulldogs used a hot-shooting third quarter to build a lead, then hung on in the fourth for a 77-73 victory over the Tigers. "This is what I dreamed about. This is the moment I wanted to come here," Purcell said. "We had practice yesterday, and the marketing team was laying out shirts. And I literally stopped practice and I said, 'Guys, look what's going on right now.' And we clapped and we thanked them. Like I said, just give me one sellout. And now, can I get two? Because that's how your boy works. But most importantly tonight, I'm going to celebrate this." MSU has a tight turnaround after the emotional victory, heading on the road to face Kentucky on Thursday. Purcell, while fully aware of the significance of Monday's win, was quick to note that the Bulldogs cannot let it define their season with more than a month's worth of basketball still to be played. |
| LSU women fall victim to Mississippi State's red-hot shooting in second straight loss | |
 | LSU may have left its loss to No. 1 South Carolina behind, but many of its problems from that game followed it to Starkville, Mississippi, where the Tigers fell 77-73 to Mississippi State on Monday night. LSU's guards battled turnover woes and struggled to shoot from the field. Angel Reese found herself in foul trouble in the second half. And its opponent -- in this case a Bulldogs squad that entered the game with three Southeastern Conference losses -- caught fire from 3-point range. As a result, the No. 9 Tigers (18-4, 5-3 SEC) dropped a second straight contest, failing to respond to their loss to South Carolina. "We can't seem to defensively get stops with this team when they matter," LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. "That's how we lost the South Carolina game. We have to make stops at this level, and we don't seem to be doing it." In the third quarter, the Bulldogs (17-5, 4-3) hit four of their six attempts from 3-point land. They used the barrage to seize control of the game, win the quarter by 11 and enter the fourth with a 63-57 lead. It didn't help that LSU committed six turnovers in the period and shot just 6 of 17 from the floor. Mississippi State guard Darrione Rogers helped carry that momentum into the fourth quarter. When she pump-faked Flau'jae Johnson into the air, stepped forward to the right wing and hit a 3-pointer, the Bulldogs took a 70-61 lead with 6:46 to play, forcing Mulkey to adjust her defensive strategy. Throughout the second half, LSU struggled to find those easy looks. Mississippi State, however, did not. The Tigers simply couldn't keep pace with their red-hot shooting. Across the third and fourth quarters, they shot just 39% from the field. |
| Five Things To Know: State-Ole Miss | |
| One of the nation's most-played rivalries gets renewed on the hardwood as Mississippi State and Ole Miss meet for the first of two meetings over the next three weeks on Tuesday evening at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion. The Bulldogs (14-6, 3-4 SEC) are in the midst of their second straight stretch of four consecutive NCAA NET Quad 1 games during the league's first half. In fact, State will be playing its seventh NCAA NET Quad 1 conference outing and is the only program in the country slated to have eight of its first nine league games slotted for quad one. The Bulldogs are joined by Vanderbilt are the only schools scheduled to have 10-plus NCAA NET Quad 1 games during SEC play. Last time out, State got back to its defensive roots and grinded out a 64-58 victory over No. 8 Auburn on Saturday. Keys to the victory for the Bulldogs were limiting the Tigers to season-lows in points (58), field goals made (19), field goal percentage (33.9) and rebounds (30). The win for the Bulldogs was their second over an Associated Press Top 10 opponent this season, the first time State has accomplished the feat since 2001-02. The Maroon and White handed No. 5 Tennessee its only SEC loss, 77-72, on Jan. 10. State and Ole Miss will meet for the 269th time in a series that dates back to the 1913-14 season. The 269 meetings are tied with Kansas and Missouri for the 12th-most played series in college basketball history. |
| Mississippi State heads to Oxford for first leg of rivalry series with Ole Miss | |
| Mississippi State graduate transfer guard Andrew Taylor, who has not played since Dec. 13, is no longer on the team and will not return this season, Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans told reporters Monday. Taylor, a strong 3-point shooter who averaged more than 20 points per game last season for Marshall, played in just seven games with MSU, averaging 11 minutes per contest and scoring a total of 27 points. "He hasn't been with us since mid-December, and at this point he's no longer on the team," Jans said. Jans also provided an update on forward KeShawn Murphy, who played five minutes in the Bulldogs' Southeastern Conference opener at South Carolina on Jan. 6 and has not seen the court since. Murphy remains unavailable but is working his way back toward returning to the team, and Jans said he is hopeful that Murphy will be back before the season concludes. Tuesday night's game will be a big one for freshman guard Josh Hubbard, who had signed to play for the Rebels before Ole Miss fired head coach Kermit Davis near the end of last season. Hubbard soon decommitted and flipped to the Bulldogs, and is now leading the conference in 3-pointers made per game for MSU (14-6, 3-4 SEC). Hubbard was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday for the third time this season after scoring 26 points in Wednesday's loss at Florida and 17 in Saturday's big win against the then-No. 8 Tigers, 15 of which came in the second half. |
| Board of Trustees approves renderings for Ole Miss baseball stadium expansion | |
| The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees has approved renderings for the proposed expansion of Oxford-University Stadium, where Ole Miss baseball plays its home games, a spokesperson told The Clarion Ledger on Monday. According to the description provided to the Board of Trustees, the project will address "programmatic deficiencies and upgrade patron amenities," and will take place as the budget and calendar permit. The phase for which Ole Miss proposed renderings is scheduled to add a Hall of Fame Plaza and additional entry gates at the street level. According to a report from Rebel Grove, the project will add between 450-500 premium seats. Ole Miss lists the current capacity of Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field at 11,477. The Hall of Fame plaza will also reportedly feature a statue of Ole Miss legend Tim Elko, who captained the Rebels to the national title in 2022. The overall budget for the project is $30 million, documents show. Ole Miss proposes to pay for it with self-generated athletic revenues. The athletic department reported an overall loss of over $8 million in the 2023 fiscal year. Baseball was one of three profitable sports for Ole Miss. |
| LSU athletics operated with a deficit last year | |
| An audit of LSU's athletic department found that the organization operated with a nearly $4 million deficit last year. The report released this week by Louisiana's Legislative Auditor's office says the athletic department collected nearly $200.4 million for the 2023 fiscal year, while expenses totalled closer to $204.4 million -- a roughly $3.9 million deficit. Once again, the school's football program generated the bulk of the department's revenue. The football program collected nearly $105.7 million last year -- some $18.4 million more than the previous year. The program saw a net profit of $54 million -- a nearly 50% increase from 2022. Other sectors of the department saw significant deficits. Women's basketball -- which won its first National Women's Championship in 2023 -- posted a nearly $7.8 million deficit for 2023. The program collected just under $2.5 million in revenues for the year but the team's expenses were closer to $10.3 million. The program's costliest line item is for coaches salaries, with the school paying $4.4 million in coaches salaries and bonuses last year -- nearly double what the program collected in revenue. The LSU athletic department also dished out nearly $5 million in severance payments, mostly for "non-program specific" staff. |
| Florida State takes aim at John Swofford in new ACC complaint | |
| Nearly two weeks after the Atlantic Coast Conference raised the stakes in its legal battle with Florida State University by filing an amended complaint in North Carolina Superior Court, the Seminoles fired back with a return volley Monday evening. And it was a scorcher. In a 59-page amended complaint for declaratory judgment -- 21 pages longer than the original complaint Florida State filed in December -- the university took sharp aim at former ACC Commissioner John Swofford for a number of allegedly self-serving actions it says cost member schools millions upon millions of dollars. FSU's attorneys also rebutted several claims from, and questioned the legality of, the ACC's complaint. The new Florida State filing was submitted to Leon County Circuit Court Monday evening, and it was later obtained by Warchant.com. It is part of an ongoing dispute in which FSU is seeking an easier potential path out of the conference, instead of paying over $500 million in exit fees and penalties. While huge swaths of the original complaint are unchanged, it doesn't take long to sense a more combative tone and an effort to put Swofford in the crosshairs this time around. In the second paragraph of the "Introduction," FSU accuses the Atlantic Coast Conference of, "chronic fiduciary mismanagement, bad faith and self-dealing." The phrase "self-dealing" was not in the initial complaint. That allegation, which is raised repeatedly throughout the document, suggests that Swofford for years was acting in the best interests of his son, and his son's employment with ACC television partner Raycom Sports, over the needs of the conference and its member schools. |
| What is the breaking point for Power Four? | |
| As the NCAA faces mounting legal threats, one long-speculated question is beginning to gather more steam: Is there a breaking point for Power Four conferences -- the moment they run out of patience and look to break away from the association? Several sources in recent weeks told On3 that there is significant pushback on the reform proposal NCAA President Charlie Baker unveiled last month. Among the many reasons for consternation: Even if the plan is enacted, it still requires a long shot assist from Congress to thwart further legal threats. Absent Congressional intervention, the only way to implement a model not subject to antitrust scrutiny is for it to be collectively bargained. Athletes need to be employees in order to unionize -- which has been a hard line in the sand for virtually all members of the college sports' administrative class. During this unprecedented time of disruption, everything is on the table. "You could have a model where you have the NCAA as it is right now, but football fully pulls off of that, maybe basketball fully pulls off of that," one college sports source told On3. "You could see conferences continue to gain more power. There could be decision making at the conference level that dictates revenue outcomes for athletes sharing in conference-wide revenues." Amid breakaway speculation, here's one big reason why the NCAA needs to placate the power leagues: If a breakaway occurs, the power conferences could also take their basketball and look to stage their own lucrative postseason championship tournament. |
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