| Thursday, February 15, 2024 |
| MSU-Meridian receives IHL approval for student admittance to new accelerated Master of Science in Nursing degree program | |
 | Mississippi State University received approval during today's [Feb. 15] meeting of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning to admit the first students into a newly created Master of Science in Nursing degree program at MSU-Meridian. The 12-month, fast-track program is Mississippi's first direct-entry MSN which allows college graduates holding non-nursing degrees to enter the nursing profession and become candidates for registered nurse licensure. The program launches at a crucial time as the health care industry in Mississippi follows a national trend of increasing critical worker shortages. MSU President Mark E. Keenum said the MSN program demonstrates a "tremendous commitment" in addressing underserved populations by bolstering educational and health care needs in the state and region. Keenum lauded the philanthropic generosity and support from major hospitals and health systems in Meridian, which have worked to bring the program to fruition. "As a land-grant university, this commitment aligns with MSU's mission of learning, research and service," Keenum said. "This master's level program is a return to the hands-on training and service critically needed in Mississippi's health care landscape, and it improves quality of life in communities by inspiring and encouraging students to fulfill their calling." |
| New program teaches high school students how to become drone operators | |
 | On Wednesday, associates with the Mississippi State University Extension Center showed high school students how to fly drones. Students were instructed on aviation management and how to operate drones safely. The program, which is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, will also teach students about wetland plants and engineering. MSU Extension Center Associate Allie Koehn said the program got its start last summer. She said she wants this program to be available for even more students. "So this is a grant funded project by the EPA. it really got off the ground last summer with our first summer camp. In the future we are working with MGCCC to see if we can get this program implemented at the community college level, and then we're also working with high school teachers to see if we can get into classrooms as well." Koehn said. The program has two upcoming free drone operator sessions: one on March 27, and the other on April 3. |
| U.S. Shoppers Cut Back in January | |
 | Consumers entered the year with less vigor than in prior months. U.S. retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 0.8% in January from a month earlier, the Commerce Department said Thursday. The larger-than-expected loss came after a strong round of holiday shopping in December, which the report revised to a 0.4 gain%. Excluding autos, sales were down 0.6%, also considerably weaker than the expected increase. While technical factors may have exaggerated the weakness, a pullback by consumers, who account for roughly two-thirds of economic activity, would spell a weaker outlook for growth this year than in 2023. Many economists have long expected that higher interest rates would crimp demand for durable goods such as cars and houses. Stock futures were little changed and bond yields fell after the data, which followed a series of other indicators, such as the strong January jobs report, suggesting the fundamentals for the consumers remain solid. As with all economic indicators these days, investors' main interest Thursday morning was determining to what extent the report affirms recent data suggesting a hotter-than-expected economic start to 2024. But those signals could be muffled somewhat by complications in the report. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had estimated that retail sales slipped a seasonally adjusted 0.3% in January from the prior month. Excluding automobiles, they expected sales to rise a bit, gaining 0.2%. |
| Report: 12.5 million trees died during Mississippi's drought | |
 | Mississippi's trees paid the price for the drought the state endured in 2023. A preliminary report from the Mississippi Forestry Commission indicates that roughly 12.5 million trees died in a 13 million-acre circumference during the hot, dry conditions that ran from the summer months into the fall. The issue even carried over into the winter but in a different way. Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson estimates that three out of every five Christmas trees planted in the Magnolia State died due to the drought. But all hope is not lost for farmers and natural tree enthusiasts, Gipson proudly proclaims. "The good news is that farmers have already taken steps to prepare for next season. This is the time to put new trees in the ground," Gipson told SuperTalk Mississippi News back in December. "We'll get through this. It's been a tough year, but I'm thankful for the rain we are getting. The ground is softening up and we just need more of that." Rainfall has been prevalent in Mississippi since the new year began, providing a source of sustenance for starved trees in dire need of nutrition. |
| Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann calls state pension problems 'the major issue' of 2024 legislative session | |
| Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said that deciding how to ensure the long-term financial solvency of the massive Mississippi Public Employees Retirement System is "the major issue" facing lawmakers during the current legislative session. PERS provides pension benefits for more than 360,000 current and former government employees in Mississippi, including school district employees and higher education and community college staff. The system has experienced financial problems for years that many argue have gone largely unaddressed. It has about $32 billion in assets to pay its retirees, but it is about $25 billion in long-term debt. It has a funding ratio of about 56%, meaning the system has just 56% of the revenue needed to cover its liabilities over a 30-year period. PERS leaders this year are asking the Legislature for an infusion of cash -- which lawmakers traditionally do not provide on an annual basis -- to help offset the system's uncertain financial future. Hosemann recently said until the issues facing PERS are resolved, the Legislature cannot commit on how much to provide in funding for state agencies, schools and other programs. "We are going to pay the retirees," Hosemann said. Senate Appropriations Chair Briggs Hopson, R-Vicksburg, said he already is hearing from state agency directors about the issue. Both Hosemann and Hopson said they do not believe it is legal to reduce the benefits for current employees and retirees. "I don't think you can do that," Hosemann said. "I am not going to do it." |
| Attorney General Lynn Fitch shares legislative agenda items | |
| As lawmakers near their first filing deadline of the session, Attorney General Lynn Fitch shared her legislative priorities with Magnolia Tribune. She says this year's legislative package includes many priorities already being addressed by the office. "It certainly goes back to many things we've been doing in this office with our partners, protecting women and children, making our communities safer, and certainly campaign finance law," said AG Fitch. 2023 saw the launch of the Empowerment Project, which is a policy initiative focused on aiding women and families. The project works to create policies that provide quality and affordable childcare, promote workplace flexibility policies, streamlining the foster care and adoption process as well as enhancing child support enforcement. Fitch said they are gearing up to launch phase two of the project. This phase will push for paid maternity leave for state employees, change the definition of "neglect" of a child, and create a tax credit for private companies to offer paid leave to employees. She said she hopes these efforts show women they are valuable to the workforce. The Attorney General said her office is committed to addressing crime issues in the Jackson area, but also across the state. "Everyone is concerned not just in the Jackson area but across our state. How do we make our communities safer; how do we partner with one another. It is certainly an issue everyone is interested in," said Fitch. The AG's office is currently backing a "sextortion" bill, filed by Senator Bart Williams (R). The bill, would create Walker's Law, in honor of Walker Montgomery who succumbed to suicide after he was a victim of sextortion. |
| Mississippi Lawmakers Propose Measures to Oversee Police | |
| Mississippi lawmakers have introduced a bill that would increase oversight of law enforcement officers and give state authorities more power to punish misconduct after a series of scandals was uncovered across the state last year. The law would give the state agency that certifies law enforcement officers the ability to investigate claims of police misconduct. If lawmakers pass the bill, the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training will gain the power to respond directly to complaints or allegations, putting Mississippi on par with states that regulate officers more aggressively. If the board ruled that conduct violated professional standards, it could revoke an officer's certification, potentially ending that officer's career in Mississippi. All Mississippi law enforcement officers are currently required to become certified except sheriffs, who are elected officials and are exempt from certification requirements. The proposed law comes after The New York Times and Mississippi Today published a series of articles last year revealing allegations of sexual misconduct against two sheriffs and exposing a decades-long reign of terror by a group of Rankin County deputies who called themselves the Goon Squad. State Representative Fred Shanks, a Rankin County Republican who introduced the bill in January, said it would require all officers to complete annual training, a provision he said could improve community relations with the police and protect law enforcement agencies from lawsuits. "This is both pro-law enforcement and pro-citizen," he said. "The more training you have, the better you're going to be." Mr. Shanks was personally impacted by one law enforcement officer's actions in Rankin County. |
| Wicker stands behind monitoring of imported seafood | |
 | United States Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and colleagues are pressing the administration of President Joe Biden to level the playing field for Mississippi's seafood producers. The agency responsible for seafood import oversight, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, planned to increase the amount of species subject to monitoring under the Seafood Import Monitoring Program from 4 percent to 8 percent. Instead, the agency withdrew the proposal. A letter to NOAA that Wicker signed onto came in response to that announcement. "Mississippi's seafood producers should not be taking a backseat to foreign imports that are unsafe and mislabeled," Wicker said. "Our homegrown seafood must be the priority in our own markets. "I will keep fighting for this critical sector of our economy and for U.S. consumers to have healthy and reliable seafood products." SIMP is designed to address Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which is a tactic often used by foreign countries. |
| ICE Considers Slashing Detention Capacity Because of Budget Shortfall | |
 | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is considering a plan to reduce its detention capacity significantly after Republicans in Congress blocked a bill that would have provided the agency with more than $7 billion, officials said Wednesday. To stay within its current budget, ICE would need to cut detention levels by more than 10,000 spots within months, according to documents laying out the proposal, which were obtained by The New York Times. The agency could either release some of the 38,000 people currently in custody, or decline to fill vacant spots as cases get resolved. Three officials familiar with the plan said it was under active consideration within ICE. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss what they described as contingencies. The plan comes at a moment of crisis over immigration in the United States, with record numbers of people crossing into the country and the asylum system all but broken. Bitter politics have paralyzed any movement on the issue, as Republicans seize on it as a political weapon against President Biden. Representative Mark E. Green of Tennessee, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, was squarely to blame for the problems at the border agency. Democrats said the ICE shortfall was a predictable result of the Republican strategy. "Republicans have been playing with fire for months, by refusing to fund needed border security operations and instead pursuing a sham impeachment," said Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee. |
| The 'disturbing' intel roiling the Hill is about Russian nukes in space | |
 | A vague warning by the chair of the House Intelligence Committee about a "serious national security threat" Wednesday is related to Russia's attempts to develop an antisatellite nuclear weapon for use in space, according to two people familiar with the matter. While the people did not provide further details on the intel, one of them noted the U.S. has for more than a year been concerned about Russia's potentially creating and deploying an antisatellite nuclear weapon -- a weapon the U.S. and other countries would be unable to adequately defend against. In his statement Wednesday morning, Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said his committee had made available the information about the national security threat and called on the administration to declassify the intelligence so officials and lawmakers could discuss the matter with allies. It is not clear what prompted Turner to issue the statement now, as the intelligence has been available to leaders of the House intelligence committee and their top aides in a secure room on Capitol Hill for more than a week, one of the people said. The Senate intelligence committee has also had access to the information. It's possible Turner was attempting to raise alarms about Russia's advancements in space as a way of underscoring the need for lawmakers to approve additional aid to Ukraine. The Senate passed the supplemental bill including $60 billion in aid for Kyiv. It is currently under review by the House. |
| Trump tells SC voters Nikki Haley will never be VP as he gushes over Tim Scott | |
 | Donald Trump had nothing but love for Tim Scott during his Valentine's Day rally, heaping praise on the South Carolina senator after declaring to loud cheers he would never consider making Nikki Haley his running mate if he wins the GOP nomination. "You're never going to have her, and I don't think anybody is very devastated," Trump said as more than 2,000 supporters roared back in approval inside the North Charleston Convention Center on Feb. 14. He continued, "But we do have a lot of great people." And that's when he began to talk about Scott, a man he called "a great guy." "He did well, but he wasn't as forceful," Trump said of Scott's own 2024 presidential campaign, telling the crowd that Scott was "modest" and didn't like to talk about himself. The former president said his views of Scott changed when he saw the senator come to his defense recently on national Sunday news shows such as "Face the Nation" and "Meet the Press." "I called him and said, 'You know, you're a much better candidate for me than you were for yourself -- and I mean it,'" Trump said. "He was like a different person. And I say that with admiration because I'm the opposite. I'm much better for me than I would be for someone else." "But that shows great character with Tim, and I mean that so strongly," Trump said before twice saying, "He's amazing." Trump's comments, which were made in Scott's hometown of North Charleston, adds fresh intrigue to the ongoing speculation about who will be Trump's vice presidential pick should he become the Republican presidential nominee. |
| Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial will start March 25, New York judge says | |
 | Donald Trump's hush-money trial will proceed as scheduled, with jury selection starting on March 25, a New York judge said, in what could be the first-ever criminal trial against a former president, on charges he falsified business records to cover up payments to women. Trump told reporters as he entered the courtroom that he committed no crime and that the charges were politically motivated."This is a terrible time for our country," he said. "This is a real dark period." Despite receiving the least attention of the four criminal cases against Trump, the trial threatens to sideline the likely Republican nominee during the heart of the primary season while he campaigns again for the White House. Trump contends these cases are being waged by Democratic opponents interfering with the election, but prosecutors argue he faces the same legal standards as anyone else. Trump said Thursday he would have preferred to be campaigning in South Carolina. "They wouldn't have brought this -- no way -- except for the fact that I'm running for president and doing well," Trump said. "We want delays, obviously. I'm running for election. How can you run for election and be sitting in a courthouse in Manhattan all day?" After Trump was indicted in two federal cases, the New York case took a back seat. But the federal election-interference trial that had been scheduled March 4 was postponed while Trump argues in appeals courts he is immune to the charges, which opened the door to the New York trial going first. |
| The trend of small farmers selling to big ag companies continues | |
| American farms are getting bigger. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest Census report found that in 2022, the average farm was 463 acres. That's up from 441 in 2017 when the last census was taken. Meanwhile, the total number of farms decreased by more than 7% in that time, down to 1.9 million. This reflects a decades-long trend of consolidation in American agriculture. Small and mid-sized farms are struggling to compete. And if they do go under, larger agriculture operations are often at the ready to buy them up. The businesses that control our food supply have been consolidating for decades. That includes farmers themselves, said Phil Howard, who studies food systems at Michigan State. "Policies have just tended to reinforce the idea that it's better to get big or get out," he said. Howard says federal crop insurance, subsidies and lending practices favor large operations and incentivize farmers to produce more and more to maintain the same income. "It's described as a treadmill and the small- or medium-sized farmers are more likely to fall off," he said. And if they do fall off, sell their land to bigger operations. Which tend to grow just one or two commodity crops, said Ben Lilliston, director of rural strategies and climate change at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. |
| House committee passes bill expanding college financial aid to adult, part-time students | |
| The House Colleges and Universities Committee advanced a bill Wednesday to increase award amounts and expand eligibility to more Mississippians under the state's largest college financial aid program. Under House Bill 994, adult, part-time and low-income college students would be able to receive the Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant. All told, an estimated 37,000 more Mississippians, many who don't receive any form of state financial aid for college, would be eligible for MTAG. Depending on a student's income and academic year, the bill would increase MTAG award amounts to a maximum of $2,000 a year. This would be the first time the Legislature has increased MTAG awards since the program was created in the 1990s to benefit middle-class Mississippians who aren't eligible for the federal Pell Grant. "It opens it up to every Mississippian out there," said House Chair Donnie Scoggin, R-Ellisville, the bill sponsor. "From the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich, there is some benefit." Though the bill has broad support, Scoggin said it faces a major hurdle: The cost. To fully fund the program, lawmakers would need to greenlight upwards of $30 million in additional spending. Last year, Mississippi spent just under $10 million on MTAG. But Scoggin is hoping to convince lawmakers to see the changes as an investment in Mississippi's workforce. He said it doesn't matter how much the state of Mississippi spends on workforce development programs if potential students can't afford to attend. "My argument would be, very simply: Education is the future," Scoggin said. "We've got to do something to help people go to college." |
| State treasurer rebrands Mississippi's college savings program | |
| The state of Mississippi's college savings program has been rebranded to include individuals who pursue career training following their time in high school. State Treasurer David McRae announced what was once known as College Savings Mississippi has been rebranded to become Mississippi College and Career Savings. McRae believes the name change better reflects the true capacity of the program, which can be used for traditional four-year colleges, as well as vocational programs, apprenticeships, and other career training. "For years, Mississippi's college savings program has helped put educational goals within the financial reach of hundreds of families," McRae said. "Over the years, however, our mission has evolved to better align with Mississippi's workforce needs. A name change is a small adjustment, but I'm hopeful it helps expand Mississippians' understanding of everything our team can help them pursue." |
| Mississippi University for Women announces new name -- again | |
 | Mississippi University for Women may soon be known as Wynbridge State University of Mississippi. The small public institution announced the new name Tuesday, and the state Legislature is expected to approve it. The announcement comes a little over a month after a first attempt to change the institution's name to Mississippi Brightwell University failed and became the source of controversy and opposition by alumni and community members, some 1,800 of whom took to social media to harshly criticize the decision. The new name has no historical significance or connection to the university. "Wyn" comes from the Old English word for "W," and "bridge" is symbolic of the bridging between the past and future, the university says. The new name also preserves the institution's nickname, "The W," the loss of which alumni said was one of the most upsetting aspects of the original proposed change to Brightwell. "We are grateful to our alumni and friends of the university for reminding us that our identity as 'The W' has both an enduring legacy and the flexibility to carry our institution into the future," university president Nora Miller said at the announcement event. "By enshrining our commitment to 'The W' in the law, we promise our community that graduates past, present and future will remain united." |
| MUW to Wynbridge State: Lawmakers prepare for next step | |
 | One day after leaders at Mississippi University for Women announced their second name change proposal, state lawmakers were preparing for the next steps. "W" leaders unveiled the proposed name for the university: Wynbridge State University of Mississippi. This comes just weeks after the university went back to the drawing board after receiving overwhelming pushback against its first proposal, Mississippi Brightwell University. Representative Kabir Karriem, who is from Columbus, supported the name and planned to introduce the bill to make the change next week. "As a literary name, as a progressive name, but just not just Wynbridge with the whole total name of the W, Wynbridge State University. I just think it's good. It's stately and it's a name that we all can get behind," said Karriem. The deadline for general bills in this session is February 19. If passed, Wynbridge State University of Mississippi will go into effect by July 1. |
| Many students struggle to complete their degrees in four years. Why? | |
 | As the saying goes, "College is the best four years of your life," but it's taking longer than that for many students to complete their undergraduate degrees. Between the pressure for students to stack their resumes with activities outside the classroom and the struggle to enroll in the basic required courses, graduating in four years has become a daunting and expensive task. Over the past 10 years, the number of fifth-year students at the University of Mississippi has slowly decreased. The class of 2024, however, has 150 more fifth-year graduates than the class of 2023. According to University Marketing and Communications, first-time, full-time students graduate in 4.5 years, on average. For degrees designed to be completed in four years, students have access to a degree sheet that plots exactly which courses they need to take to complete their major in four years, from their first semester as a freshman through their senior year. So, what are the factors working against students completing their degrees in four years? Sophomore pre-nursing major Michaela Michaelis said that with the growing student population, registering for the classes she needs is becoming more problematic. Pamela Norwood, one of two academic advisers in the Criminal Justice and Legal Studies programs, shared her perspective on the issue. "I think there are a combination of things that often interfere with those plans," Norwood said. "Socioeconomic status, time management and failure to set goals are among contributors that we often encounter with our students." |
| East Central Community College partners with Mississippi Power | |
| East Central Community College President Dr. Brent Gregory recently accepted a Deeply Rooted, Future Focused capital campaign contribution from Chris Phillips, the District General Manager for Mississippi Power, in a partnership to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at the community college level. "Supporting East Central Community College's efforts to enhance Newton Hall and the school's engineering program is a true win-win," said Mississippi Power District General Manager Chris Phillips. "Fostering the continued improvement of local STEM programs in our area will help make ECCC a premier destination for engineering majors. We look forward to continuing our partnership and expanding the pool of future engineers to help serve our customers for decades to come." With both organizations, ECCC and Mississippi Power, having served the residents of Mississippi for almost 100 years, the college looks forward to building upon the foundation of past leaders to benefit future generations with the help of donations and partnerships such as this. |
| Panama City restricting alcohol sales during spring break 2024 | |
 | While many were consuming copious amounts of alcohol while celebrating Fat Tuesday, officials in Panama City, Fla., were moving to restrict its sale during spring break. Panama City commissioners voted Tuesday to approve an ordinance which will prohibit the sale of alcohol anywhere in Panama City between the hours of 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. between March 15-31, according to the Panama City News Herald. Commissioners said the ordinance is designed to better control the large number of visitors to the city during spring break and to bring Panama City's alcohol regulations in line with Panama City Beach and Bay County. In previous years, once bars and stores stopped selling alcohol in Panama City Beach or areas of unincorporated Bay County, they would simply drive into Panama City to buy it. "As (Panama City) Beach closes, people come over the bridge and they kind of continue to party on (the) town side," said commissioner Josh Street. "That leads to a lot of increases in crime." Alcohol is already prohibited on all Bay County beaches at any time during the month of March. |
| U. of Kentucky president to legislature: Proposed DEI, tenure legislation is 'deeply concerning' | |
 | In a lengthy email to University of Kentucky students and staff Wednesday, President Eli Capilouto rebuked GOP legislators' efforts to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion practices at public universities, calling such bills "deeply concerning" and rejecting the accusation that institutions like UK push "narrow and rigid orthodoxies of thought." "We don't speak out as an institution on public policy unless the issues will impact our entire community in potentially significant ways," Capilouto wrote in the campus-wide email. "This is one of those moments. Let's not extinguish the thirst for knowledge because certain questions aren't allowed because they are uncomfortable or challenging." Publicly opposing both bills, something he acknowledged UK administrators rarely do, the president of Kentucky's largest university system said three bills before the Republican-controlled General Assembly threaten UK's core mission. That mission, Capilouto said, is to foster an environment wherein the "freedom to explore and ask questions of anyone or anything -- without fear of reprisal -- is essential." The university's work towards supporting students of color should be valued and supported, not undermined, he said. "The truth is that our world and our state are changing. We are growing more diverse. Indeed, we must, if our state is to grow economically. We should embrace that change and harness the opportunities it presents, not shrink from it." |
| UA-Fayetteville faculty senate approves 2026-27 academic calendar | |
| The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville faculty senate unanimously approved a 2026-27 academic calendar during a meeting Wednesday. The calendar still needs the approval of Chancellor Charles Robinson, but "I can't remember a time" when a chancellor rejected a calendar approved by the faculty senate, said Provost Terry Martin. "We try to get involved on the front end" to avoid any discrepancies with the calendar later in the process, he said. The faculty senate gave its initial imprimatur to the calendar when it was first introduced during last month's meeting. Martin also updated the senate on this year's remaining unfilled deanship, that of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Finalists presenting on campus beginning Thursday are Stephanie Ricker Schulte, an associate dean for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, a professor of communication, and a faculty affiliate for the interdisciplinary comparative literature and cultural studies program; Brian Raines, a professor of mathematics and the associate dean for research, operations and strategic planning in the College of Arts & Sciences at Baylor University; and David D. Perlmutter, a professor in the College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech University, where he served as dean from 2013-2023. |
| Can Athens tell fruits from vegetables? Find out in this TV series episode filmed at UGA | |
 | For the final episode of its fourth season, the RFD-TV Network series "Where Food Comes From" last July visited Athens and the University of Georgia campus to find out if locals were able to tell fruits from vegetables. In a mock game show called "Fruit Or Vegetable?!," host Chip Carter quizzes contestants to test their knowledge about some commonly-known foods. The episode is scheduled to air at 9:30 p.m. Friday and again at 12:30 a.m. Saturday. The RFD-TV Network is available for DirecTV, Dish, Cable and Sling TV subscribers. A sneak peek from the show featuring College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences public relations coordinator Jordan Powers can be viewed on the "Where Food Comes From" YouTube Channel. Eggplant, pecans, peanuts, onions, corn and carrots are a few of the items presented to the show's contestants, and most everyone, including Carter, have a surprising amount of trouble guessing correctly. Also featured in the "Fruit or Veggie?!" game show is UGA Department of Agriculture Professor and Extension Specialist Dr. Tim Coolong, who is on hand to help explain things when folks need help with correct answers. In a press release, Coolong said that knowing the difference between fruits and vegetables is key information when it comes to farm management. Even in cooking, a fruit would be an item that's consumed alone," said Coolong. "A vegetable would be defined as an item that would be consumed as part of something else, part of a dish or a side item." |
| More Black students in Tennessee embrace agriculture | |
 | Growing up in Memphis, Emmanuel Wallace could not even say where the closest farm was located. Now he is working on a master's degree at Tennessee State University's College of Agriculture. Wallace is among an increasing number of Black students drawn to studying agriculture, both at historically Black schools like TSU and traditionally white schools. Over the past decade, enrollment in TSU's Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences has more than doubled. At the University of Tennessee, the Herbert School of Agriculture has seen non-white enrollment rise over the past four years. Currently, 15% of the undergraduates are non-white. "When I first started getting involved in agriculture, the population of minority students at any type of conference was slim to none," Wallace said. "But now, I see that it is growing." Black farmers in America have suffered a long history of well-documented discrimination. At the start of the 20th century, Black farmers owned 16 million acres of farmland. By the 1990s, they had lost 90% of that land while over the same period white farmers lost only 2% of their land. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's loan programs have been rife with problems. The Biden administration is trying to right some of these past wrongs through the $2.2 billion Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. |
| A&M-Qatar students, faculty seek answers after decision to phase out branch campus | |
 | Weekdays in Qatar are Sunday through Thursday, so at 1 a.m. last Friday, Khalid Al-Sada was out with friends and tried to unwind after a stressful week. His week became more stressful after he received an email that his university -- Texas A&M at Qatar -- would be closing by 2028 after a decision was made over 8,000 miles away. Last Thursday, the A&M System Board of Regents voted 7-1 to authorize A&M President Mark A. Welsh III to terminate the contract between A&M and the Qatar Foundation and close the branch campus by 2028. Regents discussed the matter in executive session, but action had to be taken in open session. No discussion was had in open session. System officials said A&M's Board of Regents decided to reassess the Qatar campus last fall due to increased instability in the Middle East. Board Chairman Bill Mahomes said in a statement that the Regents decided A&M's core mission should be advanced within Texas and the United States. While day-to-day operations and campus services have not seen immediate changes, students and faculty in Qatar say they have been left in a state of uncertainty, worry and even panic. Al-Sada said students have been demotivated this week. They are concerned about the livelihoods of their professors. Faculty and staff have asked what their futures hold. Answers as to how the transition will play out are still limited. A&M at Qatar opened in fall 2003 in Doha's Education City. A&M is one of six American universities with a presence there alongside Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Georgetown, Northwestern and Virginia Commonwealth. |
| Grant allows teachers in Missouri, Kansas to benefit from U. of Missouri training | |
 | Proven University of Missouri training to help teachers with disruptive students in their classrooms rolls out to more than 1,000 more teachers and administrators over the next five years, due to an $8 million federal grant. The training so far has been used to help teachers of fifth-grade math and science. The new grant from the U.S. Department of Education will reach middle school teachers, most of them in rural, high-poverty school districts, said Christi Bergin, professor emerita in the MU College of Education and Human Development. "We're planning to serve about 80 schools" with the new grant, Bergin said. With this grant, the training will be used with about 1,200 teachers and administrators and 25,000 students in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Student behavior has become an issue in Columbia, with focus from the teachers union. It is even an issue in the school board election. The training asks teachers to focus more on praise than criticism and, when criticism is required, to back it with a rationale. The praise should be person-centered, Bergin said. The strategy is called induction. The training program is called Prosocial and Active Learning, or PAL. The program works to reduce disruptive classroom behavior and teacher burnout, Bergin said. |
| MIT suspends student group that protested against Israel's military campaign in Gaza | |
 | The president of MIT has suspended a student group that has held demonstrations against Israel's military campaign in Gaza as protests over the war continue to rattle universities around the country. In a video statement Tuesday, Sally Kornbluth said the group, Coalition Against Apartheid or CAA, held a demonstration Monday night without going through the university's permission process required of all groups. The protest was against the Israeli military's possible ground invasion of Rafah, the city on the southern Gaza border where 1.4 million Palestinians have fled to escape fighting elsewhere in the monthslong war. As a result, the group received a letter Tuesday advising that its privileges as a student group would be suspended. It will not get any kind of funding that student group's normally get nor will it be able to use MIT facilities nor hold any demonstrations on campus. "I want to be clear: suspending the CAA is not related to the content of their speech," Kornbluth said. "I fully support the right of everyone on our campus to express their views. However, we have clear, reasonable time, place and manner policies for good reason," she said. "The point of these policies is to make sure that members of the MIT community can work, learn and do their work on campus without disruption. We also need to keep the community safe." |
| College Endowments Reverse Their Once-Flagging Returns | |
 | College endowments posted annual returns that were up from the year before, when a rocky stock market -- battered by over-the-top inflation and the beginning of the war in Ukraine -- put a sharp dent in their value. According to the annual NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments, released today, college endowments had an average one-year return of 7.7 percent, net of fees, in the 2023 fiscal year. The year before, the endowments' overall average return was minus 8 percent. Although endowments both large and small saw positive results, returns for institutions with the smallest endowments were particularly robust. Endowments of under $50 million saw an average return of nearly 10 percent in the 2023 fiscal year, the highest among the seven size cohorts in the study. In comparison, institutions in the group with the largest endowments, more than $5 billion --- which typically perform better than the endowments of their smaller peers -- saw the lowest average one-year return, at 2.8 percent. The difference in returns for the two groups boiled down to the asset allocation of their endowments. "Interestingly, small endowments -- with their larger allocations to public equities -- generally fared better performance-wise than their larger peers this year," said Kara D. Freeman, president and chief executive of the National Association of College and University Business Officers, during a call with reporters. Publicly traded equities had the strongest returns during the 2023 fiscal year, while private equities -- which were more likely to make up a sizable portion of the asset allocation of large endowments -- lagged during the same period. |
| College Endowment Returns Ticked Up in Fiscal Year 2023 | |
| Endowment returns for fiscal year 2023 are up 7.7 percent according to the latest study by the National Association of College and University Business Officers and Commonfund. That marks a reversal of fortunes after returns fell by 8 percent in fiscal year 2022. The endowment report, released today, found that despite a difficult start to fiscal 2023, institutions rebounded sharply, which an accompanying press release attributed to "strong returns in public equity markets globally" during the last nine months of the year. Though a marked improvement over FY 2022, the latest returns fell far short of those achieved in FY 2021, when the average endowment increased by 35 percent. In all, 688 institutions with a combined endowment value of $839 billion took part in the study. The latest report marks 50 years since NACUBO began tracking college endowments. In that time, the study has grown from an initial cohort of 136 colleges and universities to the nearly 700 this year. A supplemental white paper published this year noted a variety of changes during that time frame. "Among the major developments over the past 50 years of endowment management was the progression from external investment advisors to the use of consultants to outsourcing and then to the OCIO model, or outsourced chief investment officer," officials wrote in a retrospective. |
| A once-ignored community of science sleuths now has the research community on its heels | |
 | A community of sleuths hunting for errors in scientific research have sent shockwaves through some of the most prestigious research institutions in the world -- and the science community at large. High-profile cases of alleged image manipulations in papers authored by the former president at Stanford University and leaders at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have made national media headlines, and some top science leaders think this could be just the start. "At the rate things are going, we expect another one of these to come up every few weeks," said Holden Thorp, the editor-in-chief of the Science family of scientific journals, whose namesake publication is one of the two most influential in the field. The sleuths argue their work is necessary to correct the scientific record and prevent generations of researchers from pursuing dead-end topics because of flawed papers. And some scientists say it's time for universities and academic publishers to reform how they address flawed research. This heightened scrutiny is reshaping how some publishers are operating. And it's pushing universities, journals and researchers to reckon with new technology, a potential backlog of undiscovered errors and how to be more transparent when problems are identified. This comes at a fraught time in academic halls. Bill Ackman, a venture capitalist, in a post on X last month discussed weaponizing artificial intelligence to identify plagiarism of leaders at top-flight universities where he has had ideological differences, raising questions about political motivations in plagiarism investigations. More broadly, public trust in scientists and science has declined steadily in recent years, according to the Pew Research Center. |
| Academics in US, UK and Australia collaborated on drone research with Iranian university close to regime | |
| Academics in the UK, Australia and the US collaborated on research related to drone technology with an Iranian university that is under international financial sanctions and known for its close ties to the military, the Guardian can reveal. The collaborative research was described by one security expert as having direct military applications, while another called it potentially "very dangerous". Iranian-made drones have been responsible for a number of deadly attacks in the Ukraine and Middle East conflicts, and their development is known to be a top priority for the government in Tehran. The Guardian has seen no evidence that the research contravenes any sanctions or breaks any laws. The research was published in 2023 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a global platform which hosts peer-reviewed studies. It examined the use of drones -- known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) -- in wireless networks and as communications hubs. Robert Czulda, a professor in international and political studies at the University of Łódź in Poland, said the research was potentially "very dangerous." "It is not a good idea for any university to engage in these projects," he said. "Any system relating to communications or repeating signals could easily have military application." The study was co-authored by researchers from the University of Southampton, the University of New South Wales in Sydney, the University of Houston and Sharif University of Technology in Tehran. Iran is known to strategically use knowledge from national and foreign academics to strengthen its security priorities. |
| Colleges Urge Education Dept. to Keep Rules Allowing Inclusive Access | |
| Seventy-five administrators and professors from at least 61 institutions are calling on the Education Department in a letter released Wednesday to abandon its current proposal to change how colleges and universities can bill students for books and supplies. The letter comes after the department wrapped up a second round of negotiations over the proposal and other potential regulatory changes. The department has proposed ending a 2016 policy that allowed colleges and universities to automatically charge students for books and supplies as part of tuition and fees. That change allowed a procurement model known as inclusive access to flourish. The representatives of the colleges and universities say in the letter that they were alarmed by the department's attempt to curb programs like inclusive access. They argue that the programs are "an essential tool for making higher education affordable to a broader range of Americans." While the department's latest proposal would end institutions' ability to automatically charge students for books and supplies, negotiators representing institutions last week proposed adding more guardrails to the current rules. Those would include certifying annually that the materials are offered at below-market rates and creating clear requirements for how students can opt out of the programs. The next and final round of negotiations will kick off March 4. |
SPORTS
| Baseball Announces Opening Weekend Promotions | |
| With baseball's season opener right around the corner, the Mississippi State athletic department has announced the promotions for Opening Weekend at Dudy Noble Field. The entirety of opening weekend will be dedicated to honoring our nation's brave service members in a special Military Appreciation Weekend at The Dude. The Diamond Dawgs begin the 2024 season on Friday, Feb. 16, when they host Air Force in the first contest of a three-game series. The Diamond Dawgs host the Air Force Academy in a three-game series to open the 2024 season, with the season-opener set for Friday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m. The Bulldogs and Falcons return to action on Saturday (Feb. 17) for a first pitch at 4 p.m. The series finale is set for Sunday (Feb. 18) at 1 p.m. at The Dude. All three games will feature pregame military flyovers. Friday's flyover will be performed by Moody Air Force Base, while Saturday and Sunday will be performed by Columbus Air Force Base. Each game will also have military members standing with MSU and Air Force during the national anthem along with military members announcing starting lineups. Friday will feature an Opening Weekend/military appreciation rally towel giveaway, while supplies last. Saturday will feature a pregame jump performance from the Wings of Blue Jump Team from the United States Air Force Academy. Along with seeing the Wings of Blue Jump Team, replica military hats will be given away, while supplies last. The series concludes on Sunday, and fans will have the chance to get a military coin, while supplies last. |
| Mississippi State Baseball: 2024 Mississippi State baseball season preview: Position players | |
 | Mississippi State's offense was not the reason the Bulldogs finished 9-21 in Southeastern Conference play for the second straight year in 2023 and again failed to reach the conference tournament. MSU was in the top half of the SEC in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging and returns a good chunk of that offensive production for a critical 2024 season. The Bulldogs may have lost outfielders Colton Ledbetter and Kellum Clark to the MLB Draft, but top contributors Hunter Hines, Dakota Jordan and Amani Larry, among others, are back in the fold. Hines, primarily MSU's designated hitter as a freshman and sophomore, will be moving to first base when the Bulldogs open their season Friday against Air Force at Dudy Noble Field. He followed up a 16-home run, 52-RBI 2022 season by hitting 22 homers and driving in 61 runs last spring. "I don't want to look out there and see him taking practice swings in the middle of innings on defense," head coach Chris Lemonis said. "He loves to hit. I joked with his parents this weekend at Fan Day, he's in such a good mood when he gets a couple hits." |
| Mississippi State women's basketball has what Ole Miss, Coach Yo want. But it's tough to obtain | |
| Last month, fresh off losing to rival Mississippi State, Ole Miss women's basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin didn't have much to say about the Humphrey Coliseum crowd of more than 7,000 fans. With the seats matching the maroon shirts of most fans, McPhee-McCuin said, she didn't even realize how large the gathering was. However, less than two weeks later after her team's home victory against Florida in front of 2,450 fans, it was apparent that the crowd in Starkville did actually stick out to the Rebels' coach. She made that clear while voicing her displeasure for women's basketball struggling to draw crowds like men's teams in Oxford do. "Why can't we be an everything school?" McPhee-McCuin said. "Because that's a destination spot. It's happening up the street. We went to that game and there was 7,000 people in there. You get what I'm saying? I don't even want to call them their names. But it happened." McPhee-McCuin made clear the struggle women's teams face when building programs. Recent regular season success for Ole Miss' men's basketball has drawn impressive crowds, but fresh off a Sweet 16 trip, the women's team is averaging fewer than 4,000 fans per game. Yet in the same state, Mississippi State ranks fourth among SEC teams with an average attendance of 5,457 and had a recent sellout against LSU. As the programs meet for the return game in Oxford on Sunday (3 p.m., SEC Network+), it's a reminder of how impressive MSU's rise in women's basketball is while its rival looks to catch up. |
| Mississippi State Football: Four Mississippi State players invited to NFL Scouting Combine | |
| Four Mississippi State football players have been invited to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, the league's pre-draft showcase, which will take place in Indianapolis from Feb. 26 through Mar. 4. Wide receiver and kick returner Lideatrick "Tulu" Griffin is the only Bulldogs' offensive player on the list. Griffin posted career highs in receptions (50) and receiving yards (658) as a senior in 2023 with four touchdown catches. He set a single-game program record for receiving yards with 256 against South Carolina, and as MSU moved away from the "Air Raid" offense, Griffin was also used in the running game, with 17 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown. Jaden Crumedy, an anchor on MSU's defensive line, finished 2023 -- his sixth season with the Bulldogs -- with 35 tackles and 2.5 sacks as well as two pass breakups. He is coming off an appearance in the Senior Bowl and was also invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl. Nathaniel "Bookie" Watson led the Southeastern Conference with 137 tackles and 10 sacks in his final season in Starkville and also played in the Senior Bowl earlier this month. He was named the AP SEC Defensive Player of the Year and made the all-conference first team, among other honors. The linebacker finished his collegiate career with 21 tackles in back-to-back games against Southern Miss and Ole Miss. Decamerion Richardson, MSU's top cover cornerback, broke up a career-high seven passes in 2023 and also recorded his first collegiate sack against Arkansas. He had committed to rival Ole Miss via the transfer portal, but later decided to enter the NFL Draft. |
| Blaze pink? Mississippi deer hunters may get color option for safety this year | |
 | Do you or someone you know prefer pink over the traditional blaze orange that's used for safety while deer hunting? Well, this may be your year. A bill in the Mississippi Legislature to allow pink as an alternative to blaze orange has passed in the House of Representatives and is now in the Senate. "I had a constituent that came to me with that proposal, so I didn't come up with it," said Rep. Randy Rushing, R-Decatur. "I listen to my constituents. "I consider that a part of my job to listen to my constituents. I did some research and found about 13 other states have also passed that legislation." House Bill 526 calls for allowing deer hunters to wear 500 square inches of unbroken fluorescent pink and it's geared toward female hunters that may prefer it and making hunting more inviting to women. "I think it's an option for them and may be an incentive to welcome them and encourage them to get into sports," Rushing said. Rushing said there aren't any downsides to the bill. He said pink is no more visible to game animals than the traditional orange. From a safety standpoint, he said pink is considered a safety color just like orange and chartreuse green that are used for other applications. Katy Rizzo of Cleveland, an avid hunter and Mississippi State University student, said she's looking forward to the possible change and said she feels others will welcome it, too. "I've never understood why we only had one fluorescent color and not others," Rizzo said. "I'm really thrilled we're taking a step in the right direction. There's truly no reason not to do it if the reason is to warn others that you are nearby. I'm just glad the Mississippi Legislature took notice and are doing something about it." |
| Scott Berry is retired, but Southern Miss baseball still is in his blood | |
 | The Southern Miss baseball season begins Friday and, aside from the 21 newcomers, USM will have a bit of a different feel. Scott Berry, the Golden Eagles' winningest coach, won't be in the dugout. His No. 40 jersey won't be seen along the third-base line either like it has for so many years. Christian Ostrander is now the coach. It's his program now, one with aspirations to reach the College World Series after having back-to-back seasons end in super regionals. Berry is still around Southern Miss and the baseball team. But he's keeping his distance, too, with Ostrander taking charge. "It's important to me that we continue the success that we have and I'll certainly be there in any supporting role that I would be asked to help with in continuing that success," Berry said. "But with that being said, I don't anticipate that. It's in really good hands with Christian and his staff that we have had." Berry, 61, had known before the 2023 season that he was going to retire but kept it under wraps until an announcement in May. His final game was June 12 at Pete Taylor Park, a loss to Tennessee in Game 3 of the Hattiesburg Super Regional. Somewhere in between, Berry received advice from Larry Fedora, Southern Miss' football coach from 2008-11. It was to make sure to have a routine in retirement. That's what Berry has done. Retirement has given him more time to spend with his wife, Laura, especially with the way the calendar has gotten more grueling for college coaches. Berry was announced Tuesday as Southern Miss' assistant athletic director for community relations. His exact duties are unclear, other than that it is a part-time role. |
| Texas AD Chris Del Conte: SEC football 'working on going to a 9-game schedule' after 2025 | |
| The SEC is likely to stay with an eight-game football schedule for the 2025 season, but that could be the final year before going to nine games, according to Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte who was speaking at a town hall event Tuesday night. "We have eight games scheduled right now," Del Conte said, according to InsideTexas.com. "We're working on going to a nine-game schedule, but we have a ways to go with that. I would say this year we have an eight-game schedule. The following year, we have another eight-game schedule. Then we'll look at going into a nine-game conference schedule." The main news there would be the SEC sticking with an eight-game schedule for the 2025 season. There was no confirmation from the SEC office or anyone else at the conference. Several conference sources emphasized to The Athletic that there has been no official decision either way on the 2025 season or beyond. But indications are the SEC does not want to have its annual meetings in Destin, Fla., this May be dominated by another debate about the future schedule format. The conference could announce well before that it's going with an eight-game schedule for 2025, then make a decision later for 2026 and beyond. Why wait for a decision? The biggest reason is money. Even schools that favor a nine-game schedule, such as Georgia, have wanted ESPN to increase its payout in exchange. The television contract, which was signed about six months before Oklahoma and Texas announced they were joining, just has a pro rata clause, which means the payout goes up by an equal amount to what the current 14 schools were getting. |
| Urgency builds to address how employee model affects international athletes | |
| If an employee model takes hold for at least some college athletes, it would radically reimagine the enterprise in ways both known and unknown. But for international athletes, the effects could be devastating. How an employee model impacts international athletes is a consequential issue in need of a brighter spotlight. United States immigration regulations prohibit international students in the U.S. on F-1 student visas from participating in employment. F-1 visas provide for only limited employment authorization types, most of which must be connected to the degree the athletes pursue. A National Labor Relations Board regional director's conclusion on Feb. 5 that Dartmouth men's basketball players are employees of their college has heightened the urgency for the government to address this issue -- even though avenues for reviews and appeals could take years to exhaust. If an employee model is ushered in for some athletes, "overnight we could have any number of international student-athletes that are immediately in violation of their [F-1 student] status," award-winning immigration attorney Ksenia Maiorova, also known as "The Sports Visa Lawyer," told On3. Some 12% of Division I athletes are international. |
| Kirk Herbstreit talks college football fans' 'wrath' after Florida State debate: 'It can be dark' | |
| When it comes to college football, Kirk Herbstreit has seen the good, the bad and the ugly. For 28 years, the football analyst has appeared on ESPN's "College GameDay," and the criticism from fanbases has become the norm. This past year, however, may have taken it to new heights when he took a stance on Florida State being left out of the College Football Playoff. "Consistency and maintaining is a very challenging aspect of any job and that's what I face," Herbstreit told Levi Lusko on "Faith and Football." "And in my case, you can go from being kind of in and out like overnight. And so sustainability I think is, as things around my sport change -- the kids, the players, everything changes, it's very challenging to kind of maintain a certain level of trying to be as good as I can be. I deal with fanbases. It's social media, it's a different level of a lynch mob mentality. Every year we deal with it. This year has been maybe especially a little bit louder." The CFP committee went with one-loss Alabama over the undefeated ACC champs in Florida State. The Tide's strength of schedule stood at No. 5, while the Seminoles were a dismal 55th. |
| Tony Petitti: Big Ten wants more games with CFP implications | |
| As the College Football Playoff management committee continues discussions about the future of the sport's postseason, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti wants to ensure deeper conferences have access points that maximize the stretch run of the regular season. In a wide-ranging interview Wednesday with ESPN, Petitti said he is focused on ensuring the Big Ten, which will increase to 18 members with four West Coast additions this summer, has November schedules packed with games that carry CFP implications, like many of the professional leagues do. "We've got some work to do to figure out what that [future model] is, because obviously, it has real impact on your regular season," Petitti told ESPN. "You want to make sure that your teams have the ability to have a breakout season and qualify. And we also have to be realistic about what should get you access, in terms of number of wins. Look, we want meaningful games late in the season. "We want fans to think that you know a game in the second week of November, even if you've already lost two or three games, still has a lot of value. That's the goal." Earlier this month, the Big Ten and SEC announced a joint advisory group to address major topics and challenges around the college sports landscape. After working with the SEC as a TV executive earlier in his career, Petitti said a more formal group made sense. Petitti visited the SEC office in Alabama shortly after being hired at the Big Ten and has maintained a consistent dialogue with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. |
| How much blame does George Kliavkoff deserve for fall of Pac-12? | |
| On Feb. 13 last year -- a day cemented in Pac-12 Conference infamy -- the league's board issued that memorable joint statement in which it said the universities looked forward to consummating a successful media rights deal in the "near future" and remained "united in our commitment to one another." One year later to the day came the first report, from league insider Jon Wilner, that the Pac-12 had formally begun the process of separating from commissioner George Kliavkoff. An inevitable end of an error, a nearly three-year tenure that will long be dissected and studied. Just how much blame for the fall of the Pac-12 rests with Kliavkoff versus the group of university presidents -- who were all united until they weren't -- is subject to debate. But the bottom line: Under his leadership, Kliavkoff was unable to prevent a historic conference from crumbling beneath his feet. The Pac-12 debacle illustrates that sometimes non-traditional commissioner hires produce the likes of innovative Brett Yormark in the Big 12 and Tony Petitti in the Big Ten, both of whom moved quickly to poach schools from the distressed Pac-12 to bolster their respective leagues. And sometimes non-traditional hires produce the likes of Kliavkoff -- who had a strong entertainment and media pedigree, most recently with MGM Resorts International -- before playing a leading role in the collapse of the Conference of Champions. These prominent hires can be a roll of the dice, especially knowing that the industry's financial model and media rights space will likely look entirely different in a few years. What is clear is that under Kliavkoff's watch, the Pac-12 was guilty of, among other missteps, consistently poor messaging and of misreading a fast-evolving media rights landscape. |
| Is College Baseball Heading Toward A Precarious Position? | |
| Last year was a perfect example of how great college baseball can be. The 2023 season was loaded with generational talent and an LSU super team that managed to live up to almost impossible expectations. It had an all-time classic game in Omaha. LSU edged Wake Forest in extra innings thanks to an all-time classic College World Series play by Tigers first baseman Tre' Morgan and a walk-off home run from Tommy White. LSU ace Paul Skenes battling Wake's Rhett Lowder lived up to any and all expectations. Television ratings -- if you care -- were up as well. This year has multiple loaded teams, led by Wake Forest. There are big-time stars, including Southeastern Conference standouts White and Florida's Jac Caglianone. LSU also has a shot to become the rare repeat champion. College baseball appears to be in a very good place. So why do I feel so worried about its future? Because we have no idea what college baseball is going to look like in the next five to 10 years. Change can be scary. And college baseball is going through a lot of changes. But if change is scary, it's far more worrisome when it's clear that there is no one in control of what's coming next. We have just gone through a decade in which it became clear that college football was driving the collegiate athletics bus. Now, we've come to the point where college football doesn't get to drive either. The bus is now driver-less. Welcome to the era of chaos. |
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