| Friday, February 16, 2024 |
| IHL approves MSU-Meridian master's degree nursing program | |
 | Mississippi State University received approval during Thursday's 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. Dean of Nursing at MSU-Meridian Mary Stewart said the accelerated, hands-on graduate nursing program will begin with 36 students in August and is expected to grow to graduate up to 60 students annually. Roughly 92 similar programs have been developed nationwide, she said. MSU-Meridian Head of Campus and Associate Vice President Terry Dale Cruse said the MSN program advances the university's mission to serve. |
| Mississippi's first direct-entry MSN receives approval | |
 | Mississippi State University received approval to admit the first students into a newly-created Master of Science in Nursing degree program at MSU-Meridian. The program is Mississippi's first direct-entry MSN that allows college graduates holding non-nursing degrees to enter the nursing profession and become candidates for Registered Nurse Licensure. The program comes at a time when the health care industry in the Magnolia State follows a trend of increasing critical worker shortages. The program would last for 12 months, it prepares students as generalists but will also demonstrate graduate competencies like leadership and professionalism. |
| MSU's first Black grads return to campus for Black Alumni Weekend | |
 | They made history and now they're sharing their stories. The first Black students to graduate from Mississippi State University were back on campus sharing firsthand accounts of their experiences on campus. "Ring Your Bell and Tell Your Tale" is one of the events planned for Black Alumni Weekend at MSU. The panel discussion included five graduates who were among the first Black students to earn their degrees at the university. These pioneers said they were honored to help document this important piece of MSU's history. A host of other events planned for Black Alumni Weekend included a scholarship gala, sports banquet, career mixer, and a Gospel Brunch. |
| Mississippi State announces renovation project to Sanderson Center | |
 | Mississippi State University announced that the Joe Frank Sanderson Center is having a renovation project done to the inside. The project will cost 2.5 million dollars. They are set to start construction on the project beginning March 1st. This project is set to be done in two phases. The first phase will convert the racquetball courts on the second floor into a new exercise area. The second phase of the project is set to begin on May 13th. During this part of the project the main corridor will be closed. They will be working on a new stairway, lockers, and seating area. The project is set to be finished on August 1st. |
| Climate change is hitting the heart of Cajun country -- through its crawfish | |
| Dane Powell put his name on small-town east Texas when he opened Dane's Crawfish and More in 2020. The restaurant was an immediate hit among Kirbyville's rural population of roughly 2,000, even if COVID-19 restrictions forced them to work out of a drive-thru window. Restaurants specializing in the freshwater crustacean and crawfish farming are common in the region. Across the southern U.S., the Procambarus clarkiired species are wild-caught in local waterways or farmed in ponds or rice fields flooded in the offseason, providing a rotational crop for farmers. The native mudbugs are culturally symbolic and as a delicacy. Throughout the species' harvest season spanning from November to July, millions of pounds of crawfish are boiled in Cajun spices and served in cardboard trays; in recent years, crawfish sold for as low as $2 to $3 per pound. But this year, prices have increased by 500 percent or more nearly region-wide. The shock felt throughout the U.S. crawfish market is absorbed by its blue-collar producers and restaurant owners, as well as folks working in processing plants, deshelling crawfish, and delivery-truck drivers. It's described as one of the aftermaths of last year's drought and recent hard freezes, which forced crawfish spawn die-offs ahead of their ongoing harvest time. Since the 1960s, Louisiana State University Ag Center researchers noted that Louisiana crawfish farms' acreage increased statewide from about 10,000 acres to more than 300,000 acres. By comparison, Texas has only about 10,000 acres currently dedicated to farming crawfish, according to Texas A&M University's AgriLife Extension Aquatic Diagnostics Lab; in Mississippi, about 300 acres, the Mississippi State University Extension Service estimates. |
| Two Mississippi Museums offering free admission Wednesday in honor of late Gov. William Winter | |
| The Two Mississippi Museums in downtown Jackson will be offering free admission on Wednesday, Feb. 21 in honor of former Governor William Winter. Winter, who passed away at the age of 97 in December 2020, served as Mississippi's 58th governor from 1980-1984. He was later appointed to President Bill Clinton's National Advisory Board on Race. The Grenada native's greatest legacy, according to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, was convincing state leaders of the need to open the Two Mississippi Museums in 2017. He was also instrumental in attaining the necessary funds to go on with the project. During the opening ceremony at the museums, Winter declared, "These two museums were built for all of us, but most especially they were built for our children and our grandchildren and future generations." Winter served on the MDAH Board of Trustees for more than 50 years and held the position of president for nearly his entire time on the board. "We are grateful to the Winter family and to Jones Walker for this special tribute to Governor and Mrs. Winter at the Two Mississippi Museums," MDAH director Katie Blount said. "What a great way to celebrate his legacy by allowing visitors to explore and learn about our state's history in the place he worked so hard to help create." |
| Jasper County lawsuit piques supervisors' interest | |
| Lauderdale County supervisors are keeping an eye looking south as a lawsuit involving Jasper County officials brings the potential for thousands in new tax revenue. In a work session Thursday, Deputy Tax Assessor Whitney Hodges said the suit centers around a 2003 law that provided a 10-year ad valorem tax exemption for broadband internet equipment. Unfortunately, she said, lawmakers were vague in their definition of broadband, and the wire-based technology of 2003 is not comparable to what exists now. "In 2003, everybody had a landline," she said. The law, which is Mississippi Code of 1972 section 57-87-7, defines exempted equipment as, "any equipment capable of being used for or in connection with the transmission of information at a rate, prior to taking into account the effects of any signal degradation, that is not less than 384 kilobits per second in at least one direction..." Telecom companies have seized on the vague wording to exempt much of their equipment on cellular and broadcast towers throughout the state, Hodges said. The exemptions can be hard to challenge as tax assessors often don't have the expertise needed to know what exactly the equipment on the towers does, she said. Hodges said her office has been communicating with a company called Cell Tower Solutions that is able to provide the expertise needed to understand what is taxable and what is not. The company will prepare a report of the equipment on the telecom towers and how much of it is truly exempt under the state's broadband law. Rep. Mark Tullos, R-Raleigh, whose district includes parts of Jasper and Smith counties, has introduced legislation to revisit the 2003 law with an updated definition of the exempted equipment. |
| Hosemann announces Senate Medicaid expansion bill | |
| Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Thursday the Senate will have a bill by Monday's deadline to expand Mississippi Medicaid to cover the working poor. Hosemann said the bill will likely contain a work requirement and cover roughly 230,000 adults who make too much to currently be eligible for Medicaid, but too little to afford private insurance. As it stands, these adults -- if they're not pregnant or disabled -- have no access to preventative care, leading to Mississippi's abysmal public health metrics, such as the lowest life expectancy in the country. This marks the first time, after a decade of partisan debate, that a Mississippi Republican leader has taken an affirmative step toward expansion. Hosemann, who is still loathe to use the words "Medicaid expansion," said he hopes lawmakers pass such a plan into law. "I have tried to tell everybody this: Stop saying Medicaid expansion," Hosemann said. "What we are looking at is providing health insurance for working people. How you couch that is up to you but the interest I have had for a while is: We need to have a better labor force participation rate. That right now is the lowest in the country. But to get to that point ... I've got to have healthy people." New House Speaker Jason White --- who replaced longtime Speaker Philip Gunn this year --- has been outspoken about the state's health care crisis, calling on Republican lawmakers to consider expansion. Gunn had blocked Medicaid expansion legislation, and even thwarted serious debate or consideration. |
| Bill increasing penalties for shoplifting clears House committee | |
| A bill that could make shoplifters think twice before stealing something off the shelves has cleared a House committee. On Thursday, the House Judiciary B Committee passed H.B. 438, which will revise penalties for shoplifting in the state. Rankin County Rep. Gene Newman, the bill's author, expects the measure to be brought up for a vote by the full House next week. "We have a real problem with retailers losing tons of inventory due to shoplifting... That's all across the state," he said. "The chair of the committee said he heard from retailers and court clerks, and mayors, all of them who have the same issue." Under state statute, individuals currently convicted of shoplifting can face fines of up to $1,000 and three years in jail. H.B. 438 would increase the fines for first-time shoplifters from $1,000 to $1,500 and six months in jail, and the fines for second-time shoplifters from $1,000 to $3,000. In both cases, individuals would be convicted of a misdemeanor and face up to six months behind bars. For a third conviction, where the amount stolen is valued between $500 and $1,000, the fine would go from $1,000 to $4,000. The individual would be guilty of a felony and face up to three years in prison. Newman says the laws need to be strengthened after shoplifting rules were relaxed by lawmakers under former Gov. Phil Bryant. |
| Farm Bill tensions ramp up over conservation, fire and food aid | |
 | Leaders of both parties are calling on Congress to quickly pass a revised Farm Bill before funds run out this summer -- but tensions are re-emerging over the key ideological divide that helped scuttle last year's farm bill. Members of both parties expressed the importance of not cutting popular food aid and conservation programs, but there's a wide array of competing interests that will make passage a challenge. "In what seemingly is a daily occurrence, taxpayer dollars are being sent to every corner of the country, yet nothing has changed," House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn "G.T." Thompson (R-Pa.) said at a Wednesday hearing. "We are not producing more fertilizer. We are not reducing the cost of production. We are not making food more affordable. However, we are burdening the taxpayer. We are losing ground on the world stage. We are a net agricultural importer," he added. "We are less independent, less resilient, and less competitive." One major way that Republicans have proposed to lower those food costs is to increase subsidies to farmers -- which requires finding new funds from someplace. Rep. Trent Kelly (R-Miss.) asked why the Department of Labor required employers to pay workers differently based on what job they do. "You're out there and you're digging sweet potatoes, or loading up melons --- and they need you to drive a pickup truck to the store to pick up a part. And all the sudden you get classified at the rate of a truck driver at $40 an hour instead of $20 hour," Kelly said. |
| Acting U.S. Labor Secretary pledges to enforce federal labor laws in Mississippi | |
 | Dozens of local and state labor union organizers, workers and other interested individuals gathered Wednesday afternoon at Jackson's Smith Robertson Museum to attend what was billed as a round table discussion with Acting United States Department of Labor Secretary Julie A. Su. Su was introduced by retired state Rep. Jim Evans of Jackson who thanked the secretary for coming to Mississippi and said the state too often is viewed as "last in everything good and first in everything bad" when it comes to workers' rights and wages. "Thank you for speaking truth to power," Su responded to Evans' remarks. "We believe, and President Biden believes, that everybody should have a good job, live their lives with freedom, have dignity, and be able to lift up their communities." On Wednesday, Su made no apologies for supporting worker rights including the right to collective bargaining. "When workers do well, everybody does better," she said. The acting secretary said that right-to-work laws, which serve to limit union organizing, "are rooted in racism," and that states having those laws (including Mississippi) are proven to have "the lowest wages, the highest number of fatalities and the fewest benefits." Su was joined at the table by nine different Mississippi workers and union officials who each were allowed to share their individual concerns with the secretary. |
| FBI source indicted for providing false information about Biden | |
 | A confidential FBI source faces two federal charges after federal prosecutors say he provided the agency with false information about President Joe Biden and his son's connection to a Ukrainian energy company. Congressional Republicans have cited that energy company, Burisma Holdings, as part of their impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden that has sought for months to link Hunter Biden's business dealings with his father. After the indictment was announced Thursday, Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee said the grand jury indictment shattered arguments at the center of that impeachment push. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the committee, called on Speaker Mike Johnson to end it. "In a detailed indictment, Special Counsel David Weiss -- who was appointed by former President Donald Trump -- has demonstrated how key evidence at the heart of House Republicans' impeachment inquiry is based on a lie," Raskin said. Chairman James R. Comer, R-Ky., amplified a social media post from an account for Republicans on the committee that indicated the inquiry would continue. "We have over $30 million reasons to continue this investigation and not one of those reasons relies on the corrupt FBI or an informant. Bank records don't lie," the GOP committee account posted. A grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California indicted Alexander Smirnov, 43, on a charge of making a false statement and a charge of creating a false and fictitious record. Weiss, who is also overseeing the criminal prosecution of Hunter Biden, announced the charges against Smirnov. |
| Inside Trump's ouster of Ronna McDaniel as RNC chair | |
 | For much of the fall, Donald Trump was annoyed at Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel. She was refusing to cancel the party's primary debates, insisting to him that they were crucial to the early presidential nominating process, that they were actually helping him and that other candidates and members would complain. "People are really mad at you," Trump warned McDaniel in one of their many phone calls, recounting both public and private criticism he said he heard about her. "They're mad at you." At one point, McDaniel said the nominee deserves an RNC chair they trust and said she would resign if Trump became the nominee and wanted her out. Trump -- who personally liked McDaniel -- did not immediately accept her offer. But the moment epitomized McDaniel's long and tumultuous relationship with the former president, which began when she ran Trump's successful 2016 effort in her home state of Michigan once he became the party's nominee; solidified when he chose her as RNC chair in late 2016; and is now winding to a fraught conclusion as Trump seeks to retake the White House -- this time with someone else at the party's helm. "She's been kissing his butt for years," said Bill Palatucci, a New Jersey committeeman. "But loyalty is a one-way street with Donald Trump." This account of McDaniel's rise and fall at the RNC is based on interviews with 14 Republicans close to Trump and McDaniel. |
| In fiery testimony, DA Fani Willis defends herself against accusations of misconduct | |
| District Attorney Fani Willis Thursday accused defense lawyers of lying about her romantic relationship with a subordinate in an attempt to use her personal life to derail Fulton County's election subversion case. In combative and impromptu testimony in Fulton County Superior Court that seemed to surprise even members of her own team, Willis said she and special prosecutor Nathan Wade became romantically involved months after she hired him to oversee the prosecution. She said she paid her own way -- often in cash -- when they traveled together and did nothing improper as the relationship continued and she prepared for one of the most important criminal prosecutions in the country. In a series of contentious exchanges, Willis and various defense attorneys sometimes talked over each other, prompting Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to intervene to restore decorum. Willis accused the defense attorneys of delving into her personal life to change the focus from the alleged crimes committed by clients. "You're confused. You think I'm on trial," Willis told Ashleigh Merchant, the attorney who exposed the Willis-Wade relationship. "These (defendants) are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I'm not on trial, no matter how hard you try to put me on trial." Willis' testimony capped a dramatic day-long hearing on Merchant's motion to have Willis and the entire Fulton DA's office disqualified from prosecuting the case. On behalf of her client, defendant Michael Roman, Merchant said Wade and Willis had benefitted financially from the prosecution. |
| Low inflation doesn't relieve pain of high prices | |
| Inflation has continued to cool at the start of 2024, albeit in fits and starts. The headline consumer price index for January rose 3.1% year over year. That's the second-lowest annual rate since inflation shot up to nearly 9% back in June 2022. Consumers now anticipate less inflation going forward, according to the University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey, which has buoyed their mood somewhat, though consumers remain relatively bummed out by historical standards. One key reason is that prices remain really high, even as inflation -- the rate of price increases -- continues to come down. This difference -- between how consumers experience inflation and how they experience high prices -- is one of the things economist Ulrike Malmendier researches at the University of California, Berkeley. "Consumer expectation will adjust to see that the rate of price changes will be slower," Malmendier said. "That doesn't mean that consumers are not still wrestling with the high price levels." This wrestling match is evident in consumer sentiment surveys. Nearly 40% of consumers tell survey takers that high prices are currently eroding their standard of living -- a figure that has barely budged since inflation shot up in 2022, said Joanne Hsu, director of the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. "Even though consumers have noticed inflation has slowed," said Hsu, "they have also noticed that the impact of those prices on their living standards is still pretty painful." |
| Mississippi's university faculty are woefully underpaid. Is that 'economic reality'? | |
| Higher education officials -- from the presidents of each public university to the commissioner of their central governing board -- all agree: Mississippi's faculty and staff are woefully underpaid. "If there's ever a group in the United State of America that deserves our applause, deserves our thanks and appreciation," it is the faculty, University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce said during an impassioned speech at the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees meeting Thursday. "The essence of our education is the faculty," said Tom Duff, the billionaire owner of Southern Tire Mart who chairs IHL's finance committee. "So they need to be fairly compensated." Pay raises have "been an ongoing priority for the board," Commissioner Alfred Rankins told Mississippi Today. But despite several years of state-funded pay raises, Mississippi's faculty and staff continue to make far less than those in other Southern states. Why is that? Some reasons that IHL has offered at the Capitol and during its board meeting include: General inflationary pressures on the universities, a rise in health insurance premiums and financial problems plaguing retirement for public employees. |
| House Bill renames university, establishes identity as 'The W' | |
| State legislators introduced House Bill 1155 (HB1155) Wednesday evening, which upon approval, formally solidifies the university's commitment to remain "The W" with official documents denoting the formal name as "Wynbridge State University of Mississippi." W President Nora Miller said, "This bill embodies the university's promise to its alumni to uphold our illustrious history while advancing into the future." Rep. Cheikh Taylor, Mississippi House of Representatives Universities and Colleges Committee member, said, "I am in total support of the university and the name change. I understand everyone won't be pleased with the final name; however, I think it's important for us to move forward with the new name to broaden the university's reach, which in turn will lead to increased enrollment and research and scholarship opportunities." State Sen. Chuck Younger added, "I support The W and their name change request, as well as the leadership at the university. I think the change is necessary for the university's future and their future should be the focus." Mississippi Rep. Andy Boyd said, "Mississippi University for Women began accepting men in 1982. The name in and of itself is confusing to potential students. I am for the new name proposed as it puts into law The W' as well as the formal name, Wynbridge State University of Mississippi. I have come to appreciate alumni passion for The W." |
| House Bill filed to rename Mississippi University for Women, establish identity as 'The W' | |
 | State legislators introduced House Bill 1155 Wednesday evening, which will change the name of Mississippi University for Women to Wynbridge State University of Mississippi and solidify the university's commitment to remain known as "The W" if approved. "This bill embodies the university's promise to its alumni to uphold our illustrious history while advancing into the future," President Nora Miller said. Rep. Cheikh Taylor, Mississippi House of Representatives Universities and Colleges Committee member, said, he fully supports the university's name change. "I understand everyone won't be pleased with the final name; however, I think it's important for us to move forward with the new name to broaden the university's reach, which in turn will lead to increased enrollment and research and scholarship opportunities," Taylor said in a statement. The deadline for committees to report general bills and constitutional amendments is Tuesday, March 5. |
| The W Proposes Swapping 'Women' for 'Wynbridge' | |
| Students, alumni, staff and attendees clapped as Mississippi University for Women President Nora Miller announced the school's new proposed name: Wynbridge State University of Mississippi. "The first part of the name, Wyn, is old English for the letter W. And the latter part, bridge, connects the past to the future, connects our alumni to our students and connects our campus to the community," she told the crowd of people gathered on the MUW campus outside Poindexter Hall on Tuesday afternoon. "... After all, the W bridges us together." Many alumni suggested the name Wynbridge State University following a survey, the president said. Miller previously announced Brightwell University as MUW's proposed new name on Jan. 8, but after a flurry of backlash from students and alumni, the Naming Task Force went back to the drawing board to pick a new one. One of the chief complaints many made against "Brightwell" was that it did not start with a W, negating the school's moniker, "The W." "We listened to what alumni and others were saying of the importance of having a W name," Miller told the Mississippi Free Press on Tuesday. Student Government Association President Sam Garrie, a male member of the task force, said that while he feels included in MUW's current name, renaming the institution will communicate inclusion for current and prospective students. |
| MUW's nursing program ranks #1 in Mississippi | |
| One thing that hasn't changed with Mississippi University for Women, is its success within its nursing program. The W's registered nurse program ranked number one in the state, according to registerednursing.org, an online resource for finding nursing education and employment resources. The ranking is based on the national licensing exam. It's a requirement for graduates of The W's program to pass the NCLEX in order to become registered nurses. The W had the highest total pass rate in the state with a score of 99.36, maintaining first place in the state for another year. |
| Auburn offers an online Master of Science in Brewing | |
| Auburn University has expanded the Brewery Science program to include a Master's of Science degree. Not only is it one of the first degrees of its kind, the program is also completely online. The program began with the Graduate Certification for Brewery Science but expanded to include a Master of Science degree in 2021. It is intended to attract the average homebrewer looking to take their first steps into brewing as a career. Drew Kostic, who obtained a graduate certification from Auburn in 2017, spoke on this. "It fit my lifestyle perfectly", Kostic said. "I could continue to work full time, make money while changing my career and ultimately my life." Kostic spoke about how he believes this is one of the main selling points of the degree, as it allows full-time workers from around the world the ability to complete it. "People from across the globe come to Auburn virtually," Kostic said. "There was a German student in my graduating class." The program itself contains 18 credit hours for a Graduate Certification and 33 for the Master of Science. The classes range from the science side, such as Brewery Science and Microbiology, to the business side, with Beer Distribution and Facilities Operation. |
| Few apply to Florida schools through DeSantis' order aimed at helping Jewish students, others | |
 | At least five people in the United States have applied to Florida universities through Gov. Ron DeSantis' emergency order to encourage transfer students across the country who feel they experienced religious persecution on campus after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. The governor's order announced last month waives application fees and, in some instances, grants in-state tuition to transfer applicants. Of the 12 public universities in the state, at least two students applied to the University of Florida, two applied to Florida Atlantic University and one applied to Florida State, the schools confirmed. Representatives of the University of South Florida, Florida A&M University and New College of Florida did not respond to repeated emails and phone calls over the past two weeks. DeSantis announced the order during his State of the State address, when he compared Florida's response to the Israel-Hamas war to reports of antisemitism on other college campuses. He promised Jewish students around the country that Florida will "welcome them with open arms." DeSantis mentioned only Jewish students in his speech and the emergency order cites only statistics about antisemitism, but any student can apply if they have experienced religious discrimination or harassment at their current university. Florida universities may require statements, photographs or official records from students to confirm they have a "well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of religion," according to the order. |
| Mavericks vs. contrarians: UGA examines characteristics of each and how they're viewed in US | |
 | Stand out individuals often capture our attention, especially in the United States. According to a recent University of Georgia study, not all nonconformists are the same. Although on the surface, several "stand out" individuals may look the same, they are likely different from one another in several important ways. Across multiple studies, researchers examined stereotypes about two types of nonconformists: mavericks and contrarians. Lead author and associate professor of psychology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Brian Haas said that understanding how nonconformists are stereotyped can not only provide insight into how Americans perceive individuality, but also clarify how different types of stand out individuals are treated. "When people are stereotyped in a box, whether it's a maverick or a contrarian, it's likely to come with a bunch of consequences," Haas said. "By researching this topic using a stereotyping approach, we get a good sense of what those consequences may be." The United States seems to be a place where nonconformists capture a great deal of society's attention, Haas said. While Americans often celebrate individuality in general, this study shows that Americans tend to think more positively about mavericks than contrarians. The stereotypes likely have consequences in terms of social relationships and job prospects, Haas said. |
| A&M leaders sign lease agreement with NASA for Space Institute facility in Houston | |
 | Robert Ambrose recalled how rough it was when he ran the "Rock Yard" at NASA's Johnson Space Center, especially during August. The "Rock Yard" consisted of outdoor lunar and Martian testbeds that allowed simulations of the moon and Mars' surfaces to be conducted, but the elements presented challenges and kept scientists, like Ambrose, a renowned space robotics expert, from being able to conduct better tests. In the coming years, Ambrose, now assistant director of Texas A&M's Space Institute, will get a chance to test his robots in a more advanced environment thanks to a partnership between his former and current employers. Leaders from A&M, including Chancellor John Sharp and President Mark A. Welsh III, joined NASA's JSC Director Vanessa Wyche on Thursday to sign the ground lease for the first approved facility at Exploration Park, part of NASA's Johnson Space Center, at the ASCENDxTexas Conference inside the South Shore Harbour Conference Center. NASA's Artemis Program has relaunched the idea of people going to the moon for the first time in over 50 years to establish a permanent base with hopes of propelling the next generation to Mars. A&M's facility will house the world's largest indoor extraterrestrial testbeds that emulate the Martian and lunar surfaces. In August 2023, A&M's Board of Regents approved and created the A&M Space Institute and also approved the construction of a $200 million A&M facility to be built adjacent to JSC. Ambrose said A&M Regents approved the facility's conceptual design last Friday. |
| How Texas A&M's Qatar campus suddenly collapsed | |
 | The Texas A&M system Board of Regents voted last Thursday to close their branch campus in Doha, Qatar. No incoming class will be admitted for this fall, according to a system spokesperson, and the campus will cease operations by 2028. The decision comes just three years after Texas A&M renewed its 10-year contract with the Qatar Foundation, a state-sponsored nonprofit that partners with many international universities to operate satellite campuses in the Persian Gulf country. There was no public discussion of the issue at the board meeting; the vote for closure was introduced and finalized in less than a minute. It was an abrupt and unceremonious end to a 21-year partnership worth hundreds of millions of dollars -- and, some say, a harbinger of future challenges for international branch campuses in a politically charged environment. System spokesperson Mike Reilly said the decision was made due to regional instability and changing institutional priorities, but many are skeptical of that rationale---especially since the vote was held two months after a splashy report accused Texas A&M of sharing sensitive nuclear energy and weapons development research with the Qatari government. Faculty members living and working in Doha are devastated by news of the closure. Kyle Long, founder and director of Global American Higher Education, believes the closure likely has more to do with politics than the board is letting on, especially as colleges and universities face heightened scrutiny over the Israel-Hamas conflict. |
| Ukrainian students at MU to screen short film 'Ukraine Unbroken' on invasion anniversary | |
 | The Mizzou ShowMe Ukraine Society will screen its short documentary film "Ukraine Unbroken" at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23. The premiere screening takes place in the Leadership Auditorium located on the second floor of the Student Center at the University of Missouri. The screening will consist of a reception, a screening of the student-made, 10-minute film, and an informal Q&A. The event will also provide opportunities to donate to Ukraine. Everyone is welcome. The ShowMe Ukraine Society is an organization of MU Ukrainian students and friends. The screening coincides with the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. |
| Students can soon major in AI at this Ivy League university -- it'll prepare them for 'jobs that don't yet exist' | |
| Getting your bachelor's degree at the University of Pennsylvania makes you statistically likely to earn a higher salary than many other schools. Penn, along with most of the other Ivy League institutions, routinely ranks among the colleges with the highest-paid graduates. But a new major could open the door for Penn grads to go into even more jobs that command high salaries. The university announced this week it is launching a bachelor of science in engineering in artificial intelligence in time for the fall 2024 semester. The Raj and Neera Singh Program in Artificial Intelligence is the first undergraduate major of its kind at any Ivy League school, and one of the first AI undergraduate engineering programs in the U.S., according to Penn. A handful of other universities, including Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science and Purdue's College of Science, already offer AI majors. Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology offer AI courses and programming as well. AI has already taken the world by storm, from beneficial applications like helping people create lucrative side hustles to not-so-innocuous uses like voice clone scams and other kinds of fraud. For better or worse, it seems here to stay, and Penn is looking to create the next generation of engineers to make the most of it. |
| Why It's So Hard to Get People Back in College Once They've Quit | |
 | In high school, Timothy A. Duff made the honor roll each semester. He often worked ahead, completing assignments in class while teachers walked other students through the lessons. In particular, he had a head for math. After graduation he decided to study accounting at Tompkins Cortland Community College, in upstate New York, where the tuition was low and he could save money by living at home. "After school, it just seemed like the natural thing was to go to college," said Duff, who is now 55 and living in Ruffin, S.C. "It seemed like the natural progression." But his life took a turn when he was just shy of finishing his second year: His girlfriend became pregnant. He needed to get an apartment and support a family. He left college. Duff's girlfriend didn't have the baby; they broke up. But by that time, the new semester had begun, and it was too late to re-enroll. Duff found work driving long-haul tractor-trailers, which paid much better than his part-time, suit-and-tie job at a local bank. In fact, his older brother, who'd earned a degree in computer science, was also driving a truck to pay off his student loans. Three and a half decades later, Duff's never returned to the classroom. As a trucker, he made good money and saw the country. Going back to college seemed less appealing. After his daughters were born, he took a job as a bookkeeper closer to home, digging out his old accounting textbooks to figure out how to write a business plan. Today, he is managing director and a co-owner of the company, which imports and distributes agricultural products. Duff is one of more than 40 million Americans who attended college but left without earning a degree or credential, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Since the pandemic, the number has grown. Talk to college presidents facing declining matriculation out of high school and a looming demographic cliff, and they'll point to people like Duff as key to raising enrollment. |
| 62% of Americans Lack College Degree. Can They Solve the Labor Shortage? | |
 | American companies are hung up on the diploma. Facing a long-term labor shortage, employers are looking to expand the pool of potential workers. One group -- people without a college degree -- holds particular promise. They make up nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population over 25, and traditionally have been ineligible for many managerial and technical positions. A push by some companies to eliminate degree requirements has opened the door to more candidates. Yet the share of jobs that went to those candidates barely budged after the requirement was lifted, according to a new analysis. There are several explanations for the plodding progress, from automated screening tools that favor college graduates to the difficulty of changing hiring managers' long-held beliefs about the value of a bachelor's degree. Many employers say they know time and demographics aren't on their side. Baby boomers are aging out of the workforce, U.S. birthrates are low, and shifting immigration policies make it difficult to count on reinforcements from abroad. Meanwhile, college enrollment is on the decline. Only 38% of Americans over age 25 have at least a bachelor's degree. Over the past few years, major employers such as medical device maker Medtronic, IBM, Delta, Google, Walmart and General Motors have eliminated degree requirements from hundreds of their job postings. They are among the early members of a movement known as skills-based hiring, where employers evaluate job candidates on their skills rather than their education. |
| Scholarly groups choose between speech, silence on Gaza war | |
| When the American Association of University Professors last week called for "an immediate ceasefire and end to the siege of Gaza," it was just the latest union to endorse the same labor movement statement. But the AAUP isn't only a union. It's the paramount national faculty group in the U.S., and its academic freedom guidelines seek to protect even controversial, and dissenting, speech. Now, by signing the Gaza statement, the AAUP has itself taken a position in the most contentious campus debate of recent times. After the decades-long Israel-Palestine conflict exploded into yet another war on Oct. 7, students, professors, alumni and others criticized various university presidents for either not commenting on the violence against either Israelis or Palestinians, or both, or for commenting poorly on it. The current crisis intensified a debate that has carried on from the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 and, much longer ago, the Vietnam War: When, and how, should universities, their leaders and their academic departments comment on current political controversies? But less media attention has been paid to the academic groups that bring together faculty members from multiple colleges and universities. These include the pan-faculty AAUP and academic disciplinary associations. These organizations have, like universities, differed in whether, and how, they've spoken about the Israel-Palestine conflict. |
| House GOP hits Penny Pritzker and 2 others with subpoenas in Harvard antisemitism probe | |
 | The chair of the House education committee is moving to compel Harvard University to hand over a slew of documents she says the school hasn't turned over for the committee's investigation into antisemitism on campus. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican, issued subpoenas on Friday to Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny Pritzker, interim President Alan Garber and Harvard Management Company CEO N.P. Narvekar. This is the first time the committee has issued a subpoena against a university. "I will not tolerate delay and defiance of our investigation while Harvard's Jewish students continue to endure the firestorm of antisemitism that has engulfed its campus," Foxx said in a statement. "It is my hope that these subpoenas serve as a wakeup call to Harvard that Congress will not tolerate antisemitic hate in its classrooms or on campus." Harvard's leaders have until March 4 at 5 p.m. to turn over the requested documents. A Harvard spokesperson on Wednesday said the institution "has responded extensively and in good faith" and reaffirmed that Harvard is "committed to continued cooperation." But Foxx on Friday said the school had produced 2,516 documents related to the school's antisemitism response, of which more than 40 percent were already publicly available. |
| Congratulations in order for Brandon Presley & Mississippi Democrats | |
| Magnolia Tribune's Russ Latino writes: Brandon Presley lost the race for governor. Mississippi Democrats hold only 57 of 174 seats in the Legislature. One might think that would make Democratic priorities difficult. But Republican supermajorities look poised to push Presley's top campaign initiative, and one that Democratic leaders have pushed for the better part of a decade -- Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as Obamacare). For two election cycles in a row, Medicaid expansion featured prominently in both Republican primaries and the general election for governor. And for two cycles, the candidate who opposed expansion, Gov. Tate Reeves, won. (As it turns out, when Republican voters are reminded of the genesis of Medicaid expansion, they are not keen on the idea). In neither of those cycles did any Republican statewide elected official endorse expansion. In fact, there were denials of support for the policy and concessions along the way that expansion would not solve many of the problems identified by expansion proponents. But Presley, Democrats, the Mississippi Hospital Association's PAC, and allies in the media, deserve credit for pressing the issue to this point, even while lacking the political power to make it a reality themselves. |
SPORTS
| Diamond Dawgs Open the 2024 Season Against Air Force | |
| The Mississippi State Bulldogs return to Dudy Noble Field for the 2024 season on Friday to host Air Force in a three-game series in Starkville. First pitch on Friday is set for 4 p.m., with Saturday set for a 4 p.m. start and the series wraps on Sunday with a 1 p.m. start. All three contests will be broadcast on SEC Network+. The series will also be carried on the Mississippi State Sports Network powered by Learfield along with a live audio stream via hailst.at/audio. All three games will feature pregame military flyovers. This marks the 134th season of Mississippi State baseball. The 2024 season marks the third straight season that the Diamond Dawgs will open up the season at The Dude. Last season on Opening Day, the best fans in college baseball camp out to the Dude. The crowd of 10,652 set an Opening Day record for MSU. MSU and Air Force meet for the fourth time on Friday when Air Force travels to Dudy Noble Field. Mississippi State last met Air Force in Starkville in 2008 where the Diamond Dawgs took the series 2-1. Last season the Falcons finished the season with a 28-31 record overall. The Falcons had a team batting average of .299 with 57 home runs. Air Force had a .390 on base percentage last season. |
| 2024 Mississippi State baseball season preview: Pitchers | |
 | You name it -- Mississippi State's pitching staff was bad at it in 2023. The Bulldogs had the Southeastern Conference's worst team ERA of 7.01, allowed more walks than any other team in the SEC and surrendered more home runs than anyone in the conference outside of Ole Miss. Those struggles led to MSU missing out on the SEC Tournament for the second straight year after winning the 2021 national championship, and cost former pitching coach Scott Foxhall his job with three weeks left in the season. Head coach Chris Lemonis was able to land one of the best available candidates to replace Foxhall as Justin Parker, previously South Carolina's pitching coach, was hired to manage the Bulldogs' pitching staff in June. Under Parker's tutelage, the Gamecocks had the SEC's second-best team ERA and reached the NCAA Super Regionals. "He's built a great relationship with (our pitchers), so there's a lot of trust going on right now," Lemonis said. "Even going from fall to now, there's still been a lot of growth. They learned a lot in the fall, but putting it in in the middle of a game was probably a little bit tougher. They're a little more confident, a little bit more comfortable with what he's teaching and doing." |
| Governor's Cup to air on national TV for first time since 2018 | |
| This year's rendition of the Governor's Cup between rivals Ole Miss and Mississippi State baseball will have a national audience for the first time in six years. According to the SEC's 2024 baseball television schedule, the rivalry matchup will be aired on ESPNU. Every year, the Bulldogs and the Rebels travel to Trustmark Park in Pearl, home of the Mississippi Braves, for a chance to hoist the Governor's Cup trophy. MSU leads the series 10-5, with State winning last year's contest 2-1. This year's game is scheduled for May 1 at 6 p.m. |
| What to know about Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss baseball heading into 2024 season | |
| Mississippi baseball junkies will soon be getting their fix with the state's three major programs returning to the diamond to open up the 2024 season on Friday. Despite last season not going well for Ole Miss and Mississippi State, the two programs known for their success in the sport will begin this year's campaign with a clean slate but a lot to prove. Southern Miss, on the other hand, will begin a new chapter in the program's era. The torch has been passed from one legendary head coach to a promising leader, giving Golden Eagle fans continued optimism about the future. Here's what you need to know about each team before you tune in with plenty of peanuts and cracker jacks at your disposal. The Bulldogs, who went 27-26 and 9-21 in the SEC, followed up a below .500 record in 2022 with a slightly better 2023 campaign. However, it was not enough to make any attempt at a postseason run. New faces on the mound paired with a rebuffed batting lineup with a lot of power may just be the solution at Dudy Noble Field as Bulldog fans are eagerly awaiting a transformation that yields successful results. Mississippi State will open things up at home against Air Force on Friday at 4 p.m. CT. |
| Rebuilding Mississippi teams get no respect from national baseball polls | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: Not a single Mississippi team is ranked in the Division I college baseball preseason polls, which is unusual. Not one. Not Mississippi State, the 2021 national champion and a program that has been to the College World Series 12 times and qualified for 39 NCAA Tournaments. Not Ole Miss, the 2022 national champion, which has won eight NCAA Regional championships since 2005. Not Southern Miss, which has won three NCAA Regionals since 2009, has hosted back-to-back Super Regionals and averaged 44 victories a season over the last seven full seasons. ... Clearly, all three Mississippi schools enter the 2024 season, which begins Friday, with much to prove. Nevertheless, history tells us one or more will surprise the national pundits and be in the championship hunt at season's end. All three open Friday: ... Mississippi State will play host to Air Force, another quality mid-level program that is picked to finish third in the Big West Conference. Air Force won the Big West two years ago and was the runner-up last year. To solve last season's pitching problems, Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis brought in Justin Parker, who has been successful handling pitchers at both Indiana and South Carolina. The educated guess here is that Parker's mantra has been simple and to the point: Throw strikes. Lemonis believes the talent is there. If the Bulldogs can successfully mix and match pitchers and not give so many free passes, this is a lineup that can swing it. |
| Mississippi State basketball vs. Arkansas: Scouting report, score prediction | |
 | Mississippi State basketball has been seeking a third scoring threat throughout the season. Coach Chris Jans knew when Tolu Smith made his return from injury in late December that the All-SEC forward would be a star. Smith has delivered, averaging 16.8 points per game. Freshman guard Josh Hubbard has emerged as another threat. Flipping him from Ole Miss proved to be the best offseason move for the Bulldogs (16-8, 5-6 SEC), with Hubbard averaging 14.8 points per contest. But alongside that duo, MSU hasn't gotten consistent offensive production from another player. Guard Shakeel Moore may be putting an end to that. "Having more guys on the court that the other team has to pay attention to certainly opens things up for everybody else," Jans said Monday. "... With Shak's recent emerging, if you will, of coming out and being that guy that's third on the scouting report certainly helps everybody." Moore is scoring 8.7 points per game in his senior season, but has averaged 12.8 during the past five games. Mississippi State is 3-2 in that stretch. Continued strong play from Moore will be crucial for Mississippi State to continue its trend toward the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble when it plays Saturday (1 p.m., ESPNU) at Humphrey Coliseum against Arkansas (12-12, 3-8). |
| Jeff Lebby looks ahead to future rivalry with Lane Kiffin | |
| There have been plenty of college football coaching changes this offseason and one that snuck under the radar was Mississippi State's hire of former Oklahoma assistant coach Jeff Lebby. Lebby will be tasked with getting the Bulldogs back on track and competitive with surging rival Ole Miss. He's quite familiar with the Rebels. The new Mississippi State head man worked on the other side of the rivalry for two years, under current Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, from 2020-21. He had a front row seat for the show that always, always accompanies Kiffin. "I think that there's plenty to be said about it that I probably won't say much, but no, I don't think it'll stop," Jeff Lebby said on the Andy Staples On3 show, referring to Kiffin's frequent social media trolling. "We'll probably look up and there will be something else out there at some point in time." While it's not the first coach-mentor battle in the Southeastern Conference -- there were a handful over the last decade thanks to one Nick Saban -- it'll certainly be an intriguing one. Both Lebby and Kiffin have offensive backgrounds. And with Kiffin's tendency to troll, the stakes get raised a little higher even. Mississippi State and Ole Miss are scheduled to meet on Nov. 30 in Oxford. |
| Men's Tennis: Mississippi State's Nemanja Malesevic named SEC Player of the Week | |
| Despite missing Mississippi State's 4-3 victory at Memphis last Wednesday, Bulldogs senior Nemanja Malesevic captured his first Southeastern Conference Player of the Week award after helping MSU defeat North Florida and Virginia Commonwealth over the weekend. Malesevic held down the No. 1 singles spot for most of last season, but opened this year at No. 2 behind Petar Jovanovic. He returned to the top of the Bulldogs' lineup against the Ospreys and the Rams, and came back from a set down to defeat former MSU player Jonas Hartenstein 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 against North Florida. Against VCU, Malesevic teamed with Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes for a 6-2 win in doubles, helping the Bulldogs (7-3) take the opening point. He then defeated the Rams' Matisse Bobichon 6-1, 7-6(6) in the decisive singles match. The native of Bosnia and Herzegovina became the first MSU player to be honored as SEC Player of the Week since Florian Broska in 2021. The Bulldogs return to action on Feb. 25 at Tulane. |
| Mississippi State Women's Golf: Avery Weed finishes second at Nexus Collegiate Invitational | |
| Mississippi State women's golf traveled to the Bahamas this week to play in the Nexus Collegiate Invitational, an 11-team tournament with seven Power Five schools participating, including fellow Southeastern Conference foe Kentucky. The Bulldogs finished fifth as a team, shooting 26-over par over the 54-hole competition, 11 strokes behind tournament winners Tulsa. Freshman Avery Weed was a bright spot for Mississippi State in the competition, finishing second individually as she shot one-under for the tournament. Her final two rounds helped her shoot up the leaderboard, shooting two-under in the second round and one-under in the third and final round to secure an overall under-par finish. Weed was the lone Bulldog to finish inside the top-20 among individual golfers and the only MSU golfer to shoot an under-par round in the tournament, let alone two. MSU returns to action on March 4, playing in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. |
| CWD in Mississippi: Fatal deer disease found in 6 additional counties | |
| Chronic wasting disease has been detected in deer in six additional Mississippi counties in recent months and among them is one that has been a source of controversy -- Claiborne County. "It's kind of in the center of the county on the west side of (U.S.) 61," said Russ Walsh, Wildlife chief of staff for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. "It is between 61 and the (Mississippi) River and almost dead-center in the county. "It was a real nice buck killed back in January, I believe. To our knowledge, it didn't have clinical signs." Although the recent discovery was the first known deer to be harvested with CWD in the eastern portion of Claiborne County, it wasn't the first time the disease was detected there. "One of the really fascinating things about this is the scrape testing," Walsh said. "There were scrapes sampled in Claiborne County last year and prions were detected in the scrapes." Scrapes are types of social markers among deer where bucks paw and scrape the ground. Numerous deer can use the spot and will deposit saliva on branches overhead by licking them and also urinate on the scrape. By doing so, they deposit prions, which are misshaped proteins that cause the disease. Mississippi State University has been researching and developing a method to test scrapes for evidence of the disease and researchers detected it in Claiborne County |
| Legislation introduced to expand Mississippi wildlife commission | |
| Legislation has been introduced to expand Mississippi's Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks to add more education and experience to the group of decision-makers tasked with protecting the state's natural resources. Currently, the commission has five members who are appointed by the governor. The group is given the power to dictate public policy for the conservation and preservation of wildlife in Mississippi with a majority vote of three. With that number in mind, Republican Rep. Timmy Ladner authored a bill that would increase the commission's membership to nine. House Bill 188 would also ensure that at least four members of an expanded commission would be required to have relative education or experience to the commission's mission and goals – something that has been widely criticized as not all the current members have or had wildlife management or scientific backgrounds before their appointments. "I think that education or experience in their background will help the commission make better decisions on how to handle our deer herd and all other hunting activities as far as that's concerned," Ladner said during an appearance on SuperTalk Outdoors with Ricky Mathews. With the way the legislation is written, four members of the nine-person commission will be required to hold a bachelor's degree in a field related to wildlife biology. Those without a degree in higher education could still be considered with 10 years of experience working in wildlife management or any other position specializing in biology or conservation. |
| USM's Diamond Darlings ready for 2024 baseball season | |
 | Whether it's leading the seventh-inning stretch in song collecting 50/50 raffle tickets or retrieving bats for the University of Southern Mississippi's baseball team, the USM Diamond Darlings are hard at work at Pete Taylor Park. For junior Sarah Pazos, the fan interaction is a huge part of her love for being a Diamond Darling. "This place is special, not only what happens on the field, but off the field as well," said Pazos, a co-captain of the group. "These fans are amazing, Pete Taylor Park magic is true, these fan's are what makes this place pretty special." The upperclassmen work hard to ensure that everyone feels comfortable on game day. A former, four-year member of the Diamond Darlings, Katie Miller now serves as the group's advisor. Miller said the Diamond Darlings are what helped her make Mississippi feel like home. "I became part of the Diamond Darlings, and I can tell you that nothing has felt more like an environment or a community than being a part of this organization," Miller said. "I have absolutely loved every last second of it. It has really brought me to love Southern Miss." |
| New Ohio State AD Ross Bjork faced accusations of lying about former Ole Miss coach | |
| All Houston Nutt wanted was an apology. Nutt was working for CBS Sports in 2016 when he kept seeing his name linked to serious NCAA violations from his time as football coach at the University of Mississippi. Ole Miss had fired Nutt five years earlier. He had no idea who was spreading what he considered to be false information, but it was pervasive. After even his own mother questioned him during his visit in Little Rock, Arkansas, Nutt decided to act. "When your mom says, 'Do you have Level 1 violations?'' Nutt told The Dispatch. "That's what hurts the most because you always tried to do it the right way for my 30 years of coaching, especially as a head coach, and that was bothersome." Nutt knew a pastor in Little Rock who was friends with attorney Tom Mars. Mars started digging and was amazed by what he found. He became convinced that Ole Miss had orchestrated what he called a smear campaign against his client and eventually filed a lawsuit alleging so. One of the central figures in that effort, Mars believed, was Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork, Ohio State's incoming athletic director. During Bjork's seven-year tenure, the NCAA would twice find Ole Miss guilty of violations and place the school on probation. Nutt's lawsuit -- Bjork was not a defendant -- was settled faster after its filing than any litigation he's ever handled, Mars said. On Jan. 16, Bjork was named to succeed retiring Gene Smith as Ohio State's athletic director. Eyebrows were raised across the country that new OSU president Ted Carter made Bjork his first major hire. |
| How Auburn baseball's Mississippi State ties are shaping Plainsman Park's new look | |
 | It's a windy Friday afternoon in Starkville, Mississippi, as Rhett Hobart -- wearing orange and blue -- returned to the proclaimed "Carnegie Hall of College Baseball" he'd helped build. It's January, almost baseball season, and the Mississippi State team is taking batting practice on the field before a scrimmage that day. In an Auburn athletic department now led with deep ties to Mississippi State, Hobart was one of several Auburn representatives in town before Auburn's basketball team faced Mississippi State the next day at Humphrey Coliseum. On this day -- exactly three weeks before Auburn's 2024 opening day -- Hobart, now Auburn's deputy athletic director for external affairs and the administrator directly in charge of baseball, showed off what he'd built. And he showed how Dudy Noble Field inspired what he's trying to create four hours east at his new job -- the facility he's about unveil now with those three weeks gone by and opening day here, set for 6 p.m. Friday against Eastern Kentucky. Auburn's ties to the Mississippi State baseball team start right at the top. Auburn athletic director John Cohen played baseball as a student at Mississippi State. He was the head coach there from 2009-2016. He was then the Mississippi State athletic director from 2016 until moving to Auburn in 2022. The home plate area seating is the most visually similar part of the new Plainsman Park to what Cohen and Hobart built at Dudy Noble Field. The renovation in Starkville packed as many people as possible behind home plate giving a visually appealing look to the crowd with a low backstop, rows of reserved seating and significant space for standing-room tickets as part of its Triple Crown Club. |
| Grassley hails Caitlin Clark after she breaks NCAA women's scoring record | |
| Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) celebrated Caitlin Clark after the University of Iowa basketball star broke the NCAA women's scoring record and a school record on Thursday evening. "CONGRATS to Des Moines native Caitlin Clark for breaking the women's ncaa ALL TIME scoring record She is the pride of Iowa & leading U of Iowa wbb to gr8 succes I love watching her & the team play GO HAWKS #realhistory channel," Grassley posted on X. Clark, who became the NCAA women's career scoring leader in a game against Michigan, has brought unique attention to women's basketball and the Hawkeyes team. Clark has now scored 3,569 points during the 126 games she's played in her career. On Thursday, she also finished with a school record of 49 points and had nine 3-pointers and 13 assists in the 106-39 victory over the Wolverines. Fellow Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R) posted online in anticipation of Clark's performance. "Excited to see @CaitlinClark22 set another record tonight!" Ernst posted. "GO #HAWKEYES!" Clark, who has the option to return for a fifth season with the team because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is predicted to be the No. 1 overall draft pick for the WNBA. |
| Caitlin Clark Has Scored 3,569 Points -- And Taken $0 From Boosters | |
| Caitlin Clark is now the NCAA women's basketball career scoring leader with 3,569 points in just under four seasons at Iowa. She broke the record Thursday night in a win over Michigan with a signature "logo" shot from near midcourt---and finished with a single-game school-record 49 points. Fans at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena chanted "One more year!" --- underscoring that the sensational guard's milestone has only supercharged questions about her future. Will she return to the Hawkeyes for a fifth season, as the NCAA allows for players who started school during the pandemic fall of 2020? Or will Clark enter the WNBA draft in April? There are many factors that will go into that decision. There's also one that won't: how much she will be paid by Iowa's main name, image and likeness collective. While most top college athletes get significant funds from these new multi-million-dollar booster groups, Clark isn't one of them. In fact, she doesn't get anything from them at all. "She hasn't taken a dime from us yet, so I don't know why she would next year," said Brad Heinrichs, CEO of the Swarm, Iowa's main collective. "Could she change course? Of course. I mean, we'd love to have her." Clark is operating outside that system. She has a stable of direct sponsorships including Nike, Gatorade and State Farm---where she's a rare college athlete starring in TV ads alongside NBA players. She is represented by Excel Sports Management, which also counts as clients Peyton and Eli Manning, Derek Jeter and Tiger Woods. "Not to be self-deprecating, but I think the Swarm NIL collective might be small potatoes for what she's doing," Heinrichs said. Clark hasn't just elevated Iowa, she's raised women's college basketball to new heights. |
| Nike to lay off 2% of global workforce, CEO tells employees | |
| Nike CEO John Donahoe told employees in an email late Thursday that the company will lay off 2% of its workforce, a figure that suggests the company could eliminate more than 1,500 jobs. The sportswear giant had 83,700 employees as of May 31. The layoffs will not impact the company's stores, distribution centers, or U.S. manufacturing facilities where it makes the Air insoles that go in shoes, according to Donahoe's email. That means the layoffs could have an outsized impact at the company's roughly 400-acre headquarters campus near Beaverton, where it employed 11,400 last spring. Layoffs will begin Friday morning and continue through next week. Nike's fiscal quarter ends Feb. 29. The company expects additional layoffs next quarter, which ends May 31. "This is a painful reality and not one that I take lightly," Donahoe said in the email. "We are not currently performing at our best, and I ultimately hold myself and my leadership team accountable." Nike has been in a slump. In December, it forecast sales in the fiscal year that ends May 31 will only increase around 1%. It's been losing market share to smaller, nimbler brands, including Hoka and On. |
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