| Tuesday, August 6, 2024 |
| MSU scientists use $1M grant to 'get a grip' on automated blackberry harvesting | |
 | The labor-intensive work of harvesting delicate blackberries by hand is a must, but the development of advanced technologies by Mississippi State scientists could help automate the tedious process. Many agricultural crops are picked quickly by machines, and MSU Assistant Professor Xin Zhang, of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, is working with a university team to do the same for ripe blackberries -- taking this high-value specialty crop from special handling to robotic harvesting. In the university's Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Zhang and her team are developing a blackberry detection and localization system, the "eyes" and "brain" of a robotic harvester system powered by an innovative, artificial intelligence-driven deep learning approach. Zhang is co-principal investigator on a $1 million multi-institutional effort funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture National Robotics Initiative 3.0 (NRI-3.0) program in collaboration with the National Science Foundation. As the MSU team develops this critical component of the automated harvester, partners at Georgia Tech are working on a soft touch robotic arm and gripper and a bipedal mobile platform to work hand-in-glove with the MSU-trained perception system. |
| Mississippi's 2024 soybean crop soon to enter harvest | |
 | Harvest will begin as soon as early August for soybeans in Mississippi. This is the state's largest row crop. According to the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service, this year's crop is overall in good shape heading into the last weeks of its growing season. However, prices are poor with supply and demand working to push prices even lower. Officials said soybeans benefitted from a slightly earlier start than usual, and disease and insect pressures have been fairly typical for the Mississippi summer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated 17% of the crop was in excellent condition, 48% in good condition and 29% fair. The remaining 5% was poor and 1% looked very poor as of July 28. Trent Irby, an associate director with the MSU Extension Service and the former state soybean specialist, said depending on the area, the crop is mostly in good shape. "We are fortunate to have a lot of acres with irrigation capabilities, so those acres, up to this point, look to have a lot of potential," stated Irby. "Other areas of the state where irrigation is limited have experienced varying weather conditions, so it is still too early to tell on some of those." |
| Floral workshop focuses on sustainable practices | |
| Two upcoming events will offer insight on sustainable practices in floral design for new and established professional florists, flower producers and flower sellers. Both events will be held Aug. 25 at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi, located at 1815 Popp's Ferry Road. Wanda Norton will lead participants during Vase Arrangement: Foundational Learning, a hands-on workshop open to new and established professional florists. The workshop begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 10 a.m. Preregistration is required, and the fee is $60 per person. Registration closes Aug. 18. The lecture and demonstration Go for the Holidays! Focus on Sustainability will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. The presentation is open to professional florists, floral enthusiasts and others interested in floral design. Preregistration is required, and the fee is $20 per person. Registration closes Aug. 18. Speakers are Tricia Knight, an MSU research professor in floriculture and ornamental horticulture based at the MSU South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station; Jim DelPrince, an MSU horticulture specialist and associate Extension professor; and Ty Leslie, an internationally recognized floral designer and speaker from Charleston, South Carolina, who has held careers in floral retailing, wholesaling, manufacturing, production and mass-market. |
| Biomedical engineering assistant professor to improve detection of critical congenital heart defects in newborns | |
| Could improved screening methods for detecting newborn heart defects save more lives? That's what Mississippi State's Amirtaha Taebi is using a $3 million National Science Foundation award -- and personal motivation -- to find out. Taebi, an assistant professor in MSU's Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his work in developing novel screening methods for congenital heart diseases currently missed by standard pulse oximetry tests. Motivated by his family history of heart conditions, Taebi hopes his research can help diagnose life-threatening conditions earlier and save more infants. "Around 40,000 newborns per year in the U.S. are born with congenital heart defects, and 20% of those have critical defects that can be fatal if not diagnosed early," Taebi said. "Often, by the time parents realize something is wrong and bring their newborn back to the hospital, it's too late." Taebi's diverse educational background, which includes degrees from Iran, Italy and the U.S., provides a unique perspective and led him from mechanical engineering to the biomedical field. Through collaborations with hospitals and physicians, Taebi hopes to advance screening earlier in at-risk newborns, reducing infant mortality rates. |
| Local businesses in Starkville prepare for influx of students | |
 | With the summer slowly coming to an end, the school has started for many K-12 students. It is almost that time for college students. While that may be exciting for them, it can also be exciting for business owners as they will have more people who may visit their stores. The streets of Starkville are emptier than usual when college students go back home for the summer. With the 20,000 people that live in Starkville, some businesses get less traffic when school is not in session. "For someone who lives in Starkville full-time, the summer is nice because it's a far few people in town but, businesses enjoy when students are here and visiting the businesses and things like that," Sarah Kudijaroff said. The student population of one of the largest universities in the state, Mississippi State University, helps businesses bring in more customers. The kitchen manager for restaurant Bin 612 said it is necessary to adjust to slow business in the summer. "Kind of cutback really, we plan for having less business so we have fewer employees on the clock, order less food, fewer drinks," Doug Marchinkowska said. Overall, the locals are excited to see students fill the streets, and bring in more business for the city. The first day of classes at MSU is August 21st. |
| State Economist: No cause for panic as recession fears impact markets | |
| Recession fears are front and center, and markets around the world fell on Monday after a rough week for the U.S. economy. A disappointing jobs report was released on Friday, and there has been inaction on interest rates from the Federal Reserve. "Markets have taken that as concern that the U.S. economy might be weaker than was previously thought, and the U.S. economy has generally been among the strongest of all the industrialized nations around the world. So, that has kind of put a little bit of a panic in markets," said State Economist Corey Miller. July's job report showed employers adding 114,000 jobs, which is a decline compared to June's 179,000 added jobs. Combined with no action on interest rates, domestic and global markets have been in a free fall. Miller said your 401K might take a hit, but he's not convinced that a recession is imminent. According to Miller, Mississippi is showing positive signs. "The Mississippi labor market has looked pretty good. Our initial unemployment claim numbers are still very low, historically. We're not seeing widespread layoffs or anything like that. Wage growth has slowed a little bit, but it's still solid, I would say. So, yeah, for the for the short term, I don't think anybody should really be panicking, but just kind of keep an eye on the way things are moving," he said. |
| Mississippi exceeds July revenue estimates by $5.2 million in FY 2025 budget | |
 | According to the Legislative Budget Office, Mississippi started the new fiscal year surpassing revenue estimates for month one in FY 2025 by $5.2 million. The July report for the Mississippi budget revenue released on Monday shows that the state collected nearly 1% more than the legislative estimate for the first month in the fiscal year which began on July 1. The total FY 2025 revenue estimate is $7.6 billion. In comparison to prior year collections, the July 2024 numbers are down from July 2023 by over $18.6 million, largely due to the continued phase in of the 2022 income tax cut. Year-over-year income tax collections for the month of July showed July 2024 down by $16.9 million. Most of the other revenue lines were also down in a year-over-year comparison, with sales tax down $718,000, corporate income tax down $8.1 million, and the use tax down $3 million. The revenue lines showing an increase were in insurance premium taxes, gaming taxes and other revenues. The Legislative Budget Office also provided updated numbers for the prior fiscal year's collection for FY 2024 which ended June 30. According to the report, total revenue collections for FY 2024 were $7,706,816,068. When compared to the total General Fund appropriations for FY 2024 of $6,730,763,551, the General Fund will end the fiscal year with an estimated excess of $979.4 million including reappropriations. |
| Wicker introduces resolution designating August as 'National Catfish Month' | |
| U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., has introduced a resolution to designate August 2024 as "National Catfish Month." The resolution from the Republican senator comes as the Magnolia State leads the nation in catfish production. According to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, in 2022, Mississippi farmers raised more than 65 percent of the nation's farm-raised catfish with most of that number coming from within a 65-mile radius of Belzoni, commonly referred to as "The Catfish Capital of the World." MDAC's report noted that Mississippi has 205 catfish operations covering up to 34,100 water acres. The production value of catfish from the state was $258 million in 2022. "Mississippi's catfish farms put a safe and quality product on America's dinner tables. This effort is a small way we can recognize their local and national economic impact," Wicker said. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and 10 other senators from states that also produce catfish joined in introducing the resolution. |
| White vs. Gunn: A Neshoba County Fair comparison | |
| The Neshoba County Fair is a familiar forum for political speeches, but a new face in statewide politics took center stage for the first time. Mississippi House Speaker Jason White (R-Miss.) stood under the Pavilion on Thursday morning, taking the place of longtime, former House Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Miss.). When Gunn became Speaker in 2012, White was just elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives. White was speaker pro tempore under Gunn, the second-highest leadership post in the 122-member House. Though Thursday marked White's first time at the podium, he deviated significantly in style and focus from his predecessor. White's first speech at the podium was partisan. However, it was notably less so than most speakers this year and Gunn's last year. Though White broadly championed conservative policies and candidates, it made no effort to vilify political ideologies. In contrast, Gunn's speech at the 2023 fair did. His speech painted "liberalism" as a religious, moral and societal evil. Speaker White's eagerness to address topics like Medicaid Expansion during the 2024 legislative session painted him in deep contrast to his predecessor. Additionally, White ran as a conservative Democrat when elected to the Mississippi House, and switched parties during his first term. |
| Trial starts in case that seeks more Black justices on Mississippi's highest court | |
 | Mississippi has the largest percentage of Black residents in the U.S., but only one Black justice serves on the state's highest court. A federal judge started hearing arguments Monday in a lawsuit that seeks to compel Mississippi to redraw its three Supreme Court districts to increase the chances of Black candidates being elected. The district lines have been unchanged since 1987. About 38% of Mississippi residents are Black. The state has nine Supreme Court justices, with three elected from each of the districts in the northern, central and southern parts of the state. Eight of the current justices are white, and one is Black. Four Black justices have served on the Mississippi Supreme Court, and never more than one at a time. "The reason for this persistent underrepresentation is that Mississippi employs Supreme Court district boundaries that dilute the voting strength of Black Mississippians in Supreme Court elections," attorneys for Black plaintiffs who are challenging the system said in written arguments. State attorneys said the current districts are fair. |
| Attorneys argue whether Mississippi Supreme Court districts dilute Black voting power | |
| Mississippi lawmakers weaken the power of Black voters by drawing state Supreme Court districts that make it difficult for them to elect a justice, an attorney representing several citizens and public officials from the Delta told a federal judge Monday. But during opening arguments of a redistricting trial, an attorney representing state officials told U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock in Oxford that Black citizens have repeatedly selected their preferred candidates to the state's highest court. Mississippi law establishes three distinct Supreme Court districts, commonly referred to as the Northern, Central and Southern districts. Voters elect three judges from each of these districts to make up the nine-member court. These districts have not been redrawn since 1987. The main district at issue in the case is the Central District, which comprises many parts of the majority-Black Delta and the majority-Black Jackson metro area. Currently, two white justices, Kenny Griffis and James Kitchens, and one Black justice, Leslie King, represent the district. Demographers, political candidates and political scientists are expected to testify at the non-jury trial, which is expected to last around 10 days. It's unclear when Judge Aycock would issue a final ruling. After her ruling, an aggrieved party could appeal to the New Orleans-based U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. |
| Fitch to host Mississippi Women's Summit in Oxford | |
| Attorney General Lynn Fitch will host the Inaugural Mississippi Women's Summit on Aug. 19 at the Oxford Conference Center. The free event will include several panels of women leaders from all over Mississippi who will share their experiences as women running businesses and charitable organizations or as women in public service, law enforcement and the military. It will also feature a vendor area of women-owned businesses from across Mississippi. "We are going to celebrate the strength and potential of Mississippi women to lead confidently, break barriers, and drive positive change in their communities and across our great State," Fitch said. Panelists include Sarah Thomas, the first woman referee for the National Football Leagues; Paula Scanlan, former Collegiate swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania and advocate for female-based rights; and Rachel Duffy, host of FOX & Friends Weekend. While the event is free, registration is required. |
| Pearl River lawmakers talk success of 2024 Mississippi legislation | |
| Pearl River Community College hosted a legislative forum last week. State Senator Angela Hill (R) along with State Representatives Stacey Wilkes (R), Timmy Ladner (R) and Jansen Owen (R) shared successes from Mississippi legislation passed in 2024. One of the more impactful bills this year was replacing the education funding formula known as MAEP. Lawmakers did away with the Mississippi Adequate Education Program formula in favor of the Mississippi Student Funding Formula. Rep. Owen said eliminating MAEP was a priority for the House in 2024, noting that the process began with the introduction of the INSPIRE Act. However, legislators in the House had to go through five iterations to finally get a form of the bill passed in negotiations with the Senate. "Ultimately, we brought it back to life a final time, we changed the name, it's now the Mississippi Student Funding Formula," Owen said. "It's the first time in 30 years MAEP has been repealed and we have a new funding formula." In the education arena, Senator Hill noted how proud she was to be able to pass legislation this year that allows sign language to fulfill a high school student's foreign language requirement. Senator Hill also touted a bill that provides tax credits to employers that sponsor skills training at a local community colleges. |
| Health insurance for low-income Mississippians will jump 160% when Biden-era subsidies end | |
| Health insurance costs will increase an average of $480 annually or 160% for Mississippians on the Affordable Care Act marketplace health insurance exchange in 2026 unless Congress takes action to extend federal subsidies. The enhanced subsidies that were enacted during COVID-19 and extended through the federal Inflation Reduction Act are scheduled to end starting in 2026 unless they are renewed by Congress. The enhanced subsidies have led to large increases in marketplace participation in Southern states such as Mississippi. According to a report by KFF, a national non-profit that focuses on health care issues, there are 280,000, mostly low-income Mississippians receiving health insurance through the marketplace exchange. The vast majority of those fit into income categories that receive federal subsidies to help pay for the cost of health insurance. And most of those on the exchange in Mississippians fall below 150% of the federal poverty level (income of $22,590 a year or lower for an individual) and can receive insurance with little or no monthly premiums. The low-income policyholders, though, still pay deductibles and out of pocket expenses. If the enhanced subsidies expire, smaller subsidies would still be available through the Affordable Care Act for low income people who have health insurance policies through the marketplace. But many middle income people garnering insurance through the ACA exchange would no longer qualify for any subsidies to help pay their costs. |
| Grassley: Low commodity prices, lack of farm bill partly to blame for ag equipment layoffs | |
| U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says the rising number of layoffs in the ag equipment industry shouldn't come as a surprise. "You can't expect farmers to buy a lot of new equipment when corn is losing $50 or $60 an acre. Some people are suggesting maybe even $100 an acre." The Iowa Republican tells Brownfield the lack of a new farm bill has also played a role. "If we passed the farm bill yesterday, it wouldn't improve these prices overnight, but it's the uncertainty of not having a five-year farm bill that I think has made these layoffs even worse than it would otherwise be." Workforce reduction has occurred at John Deere, Kinze, and Precision Planting in recent weeks. Ziegler Ag also announced some store closures in Wisconsin and Missouri. |
| Analysis shows House farm bill $33 billion over budget | |
| The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office determined August 2 that the House farm bill proposal would increase deficit spending by nearly $33 billion. According to the CBO report, direct spending would increase by $15.4 billion between 2025 and 2029. Between 2024 and 2033, the bill would exceed the farm bill baseline by approximately $32.9 billion. In May, the House Ag Committee approved a Republicans farm bill proposal known as the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024. At the time, multiple Democrat critics of the bill noted the spending package was well over budget based on initial CBO projections. Republican sponsors argued that the CBO analysis was flawed and would be adjusted to account for savings written into the bill. Those proposed savings included reigning in the Secretary of Agriculture's authority over the Commodity Credit Corporation and limiting future revisions to Thrifty Food Plan. According to House Ag Committee Chair Glenn "GT" Thompson, those flaws remain in the CBO's data. "Unfortunately, the score relies on the same methodology that has led CBO to underestimate Commodity Credit Corporation outlays by more than $60 billion over the past seven fiscal years," Thompson says. "I will continue to work with the Budget Committee and CBO to bring about a clear-eyed, defensible interpretation of restricting Section 5 discretionary authority." Congressional lawmakers have left D.C. for August recess. Technically it's the time designated for them to spend time in their home districts. When they return in early September, they will once again be tasked with crafting a budget deal to avoid a government shutdown. |
| Kamala Harris picks Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate | |
| Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate, wagering that a former red-district congressman with a progressive streak can help her win over working-class voters in battleground states needed to beat Donald Trump in November. CNN and the Associated Press reported Tuesday morning that Harris had selected Walz, ending weeks of speculation about who would run alongside her this fall. In picking Walz, 60, Harris is elevating a relatively unknown second-term governor from a state that hasn't voted for a Republican for president in more than 50 years, passing over swing state contenders such as Arizona U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Harris and Walz will kick off a tour of battleground states Tuesday evening with a rally in Philadelphia. Initially seen as a second-tier candidate for the job, Walz vaulted to the top of the list of possible prospects after spending weeks defending Harris on the cable news circuit, going viral in the process for his off-the-cuff messaging style. He's credited with reframing the party's attack on Republicans from an existential threat to democracy to these "really weird people" for their positions on abortion and book bans. A national Democratic audience took to Walz's blunt, fast-talking style and his "Minnesota nice" way of slamming Republicans, gaining supporters for the vice president job in labor unions, current and former members of Congress, progressive leaders and Gen Z activists like Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor David Hogg. |
| Trump and His Allies Seize on Market Downturn to Attack Harris | |
 | Donald J. Trump didn't wait for the opening bell before blaming Monday's market sell-off on Vice President Kamala Harris. "Stock markets are crashing, jobs numbers are terrible, we are heading to World War III, and we have two of the most incompetent 'leaders' in history," the former president and Republican presidential nominee wrote in a post on Truth Social at 8:12 a.m. Eastern time. "This is not good." Mr. Trump did not mention that markets had suffered far greater single-day losses when he was president, or that economists blamed a variety of factors -- including a disappointing July jobs report, a plunge in Japanese markets earlier in the day and a growing consensus among investors that the Federal Reserve has waited too long to start cutting interest rates -- for Monday's slide. He also did not mention that earlier this year, he had claimed credit for a surge in stock prices, which he said reflected confidence he would be re-elected. What Mr. Trump was engaged in was a calculated attempt at political marketing. By 9:45 a.m. on Monday, less than an hour after U.S. markets opened, Mr. Trump branded what would become a 3 percent decline for the day in the S&P 500 the "Kamala Crash." By lunchtime, it was official party messaging. The coordinated effort underscored Mr. Trump's longstanding fixation on stock indexes as a barometer of economic health and even as a substitute for polls --- a measure of his own performance and popularity. |
| Everything was going Kamala Harris' way. Then came the market sell-off. | |
 | Democrats aren't ready for the Kamala Harris honeymoon to end. Monday's stock market plunge is reminding them it can't last forever. The global stock market tumbles represented a dramatic reversal from the cooling inflation and steady growth economists had been heralding in recent weeks. It's also an unnerving reminder to Democrats, on the eve of Harris' vice presidential pick, that public gloominess over the economy could hurt the campaign. William Owen, a Democratic National Committee member from Tennessee, called the market slide a "tremendously huge problem" for the Harris campaign. He sent campaign and party officials an email on Friday calling for President Joe Biden or Harris to urge the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, then followed up again after seeing the futures on Monday. "This action is equally as important as who the VP is," Owen wrote. "We cannot win if people think we're headed into a recession." The stock market, of course, fluctuates under any administration. Shares plummeted much more sharply in December 2018, under President Donald Trump, and that was before even steeper declines during the pandemic. Still, the drop on Monday could be a reminder of the Biden administration's struggle to contain inflation, even though the U.S. fared far better than other major economies and unemployment, still at a relatively low 4.3 percent, has been lower under Biden than at any time in decades. |
| Market Selloff Upends Fed Rate-Cut Calculus | |
 | Monday's market rout increases both the risks of recession and a more harrowing financial-market accident. But for Federal Reserve officials who laid the groundwork last week to cut rates by a quarter-percentage point at their meeting next month, the outlook would likely need to deteriorate further in the coming weeks to compel a bigger response. Fed officials don't meet again until Sept. 17-18. There, they could debate whether to kick off their widely anticipated sequence of rate cuts with a larger reduction of a half-percentage point, or 50 basis points, if last month's weak-across-the-board employment report is indicative of a new, worrisome trend. But slashing policy rates before then, in between scheduled policy meetings, would be very unusual. Those moves are generally reserved for notable deteriorations in market functioning that go well beyond an equity-market swoon. "They have a really high bar for that," said Steven Blitz, chief U.S. economist at GlobalData TS Lombard. "I think what they would rather do is go out and say, 'If things continue the way they are, 50 basis points in September is on the table.'" At a news conference last week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell suggested officials were on track to lower rates by a quarter-percentage point next month. That was before the Labor Department reported on Friday that U.S. hiring cooled and the unemployment rate rose by more than expected in July, which fueled bets on a supersize half-point cut. |
| Mississippi Insurance Department offers tips for students heading to college | |
| First and foremost, the MID encourages parents to look into renters' insurance if their children plan to live off-campus. If a student shares a rental property with one or more unrelated roommates, each is recommended to buy their own individual policy to ensure valuables and personal property are protected. Before purchasing renters' insurance, creating a list of expensive items such as laptops, phones, and tablets is recommended. An inventory will make filing an insurance claim easier if such items are stolen, lost, or damaged. Secondly, the MID recommends parents talk to their insurance companies about where their student's car will be located on or off campus during the school year. It could result in lower premiums and possibly accident forgiveness. Another important aspect of getting your students ready for college, according to the MID, is supplying them with copies of all their insurance cards for any potential medical needs. Locating in-network health providers on or near campus in case of medical attention could be the difference in saving or spending thousands of dollars. The MID warned that college students are particularly vulnerable to identity theft due to the abundance of personal information and how it is handled. |
| MUW pledges perpetual scholarships for MSMS students | |
| Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science students kicked off their school year with a groundbreaking announcement: Mississippi University for Women is offering full-tuition scholarships in perpetuity, ensuring every future MSMS student can access a top-tier education at The W. MUW General Counsel and MSMS alumna Karen Clay announced the new scholarship Monday during the MSMS fall convocation. "You have already made an incredible achievement in your academic career to get you where you are," Clay told students during the convocation. "...My hope for you while you are here at MSMS is that you feel a connection to this campus and a connection to the vision that created The W and MSMS. These two institutions are so incredibly intertwined." The "Power of Six Scholarship" is named in dedication to six of the 12 founding faculty members of MSMS who were also MUW graduates. The residential high school was founded on The W campus in 1987 through the efforts of Gov. William Winter, the state legislature, MUW administration and the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors. MUW President Nora Miller said the university gifted the scholarship to honor the students' hard work and encourage them to consider The W in their future plans. |
| MUW offers full-tuition scholarship to every MSMS senior | |
| Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science students now know their college is paid. Mississippi University for Women is offering every senior at MSMS a full-tuition scholarship. The announcement was made this morning during convocation for the residential high school, which is on the "W" campus. All MSMS students must do is apply to MUW and they will be awarded the "Power of Six Scholarship." This ongoing investment is named after the six inaugural faculty members of MSMS who received their undergraduate or graduate degrees from MUW. |
| Joshua Eyler's new book grapples with the future of grading | |
 | Joshua R. Eyler is no stranger to alternative forms of grading, which he has been utilizing in his own writing classes for over a decade. But it wasn't until he was composing his previous book, How Humans Learn (West Virginia University Press, 2018), and investigating the positive role that failure can play in the learning process that he realized how deep of a hindrance traditional grades -- which can discourage students from being anything less than perfect -- can be. That was the initial inspiration for his forthcoming book, Failing Our Future: How Grades Harm Students, and What We Can Do About It (Johns Hopkins University Press), which will be published Aug. 27. In it, he revisits a question that professors, students, administrators and those outside the academy are always eager to discuss: Do grades help or hurt students? Currently the director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University of Mississippi, Eyler falls solidly on the "hurt" side of the contentious debate at a time when the alternative view seems to be as pervasive as ever, with critics, especially on the right, arguing that alternative grading systems are a sign that American meritocracy is dead. In an interview with Inside Higher Ed, edited for length and clarity, he explained how a world without grades -- or, at least, one with different grading methods -- could be a better world for all. |
| Pearl River Community College Aviation and Aerospace Workforce Academy holds ribbon cutting | |
 | After years of work, construction on the Pearl River Community College Aviation & Aerospace Workforce Academy is complete. Located near Stennis International Airport and Hancock High School, what started with a $1 million investment in 2016, has turned into a $21 million project. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves says investments like this are the future and he's proud of the foresight that Mississippi saw years ago. "We have a lot of partners when it comes to educating our people. Pre-kindergarten through 12th grade is very important, our institutions of higher learning are very important, and our community colleges are very important." Governor Reeves expressed. "Because here on community college campuses, we're training individuals to go into the workforce regardless of their age, but we're also doing the work that is necessary to get a lot of individuals ready for four-year institutions of higher learning." Dr. Adam Breerwood, President of Pearl River Community College, says the process started in 2016, but there was some planning before then that people might have forgotten about. "We actually had a very small storefront campus here in Hancock County. And we opened it in August 2005 and two weeks later Katrina hit and we had 14 feet of water in that building," Dr. Breerwood recalled. "A lot of people thought we would never come back. And the truth is we never left. We stayed here with these people, and we knew the resilience of Hancock County. And we knew the resilience of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, so we stayed in the trenches with them and because of that here we stand today." |
| U. of South Alabama closes DEI office, will eliminate two staff positions | |
 | The University of South Alabama has closed its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office in response to a new law that has shuttered DEI offices and programs across the state. The university is the sixth state college to close its DEI division since Gov. Kay Ivey passed a law banning state-funded DEI offices, trainings and the teaching of so-called "divisive concepts" this spring. The law goes into effect on Oct. 1. USA spokesman Lance Crawford told AL.com Monday afternoon that two staff positions will be eliminated as a result of the new law. It is currently unclear whether others will be reassigned. "While the new law alters our organizational structure and approach to some programming, it does not diminish our commitment to academic freedom or to supporting a culture of belonging and respect," USA President Jo Bonner wrote in a letter to students and staff on Aug. 2. "In fact, we will use this moment to expand our engagement efforts on campus throughout the community and across the region through volunteerism, service learning and community-based research." USA Vice President Joél Lewis Billingsley, who previously oversaw the DEI office and other diversity efforts on campus, will now head the expanded Office of Community Engagement. The college has a student population that is 61% white, 21% Black, 5% Hispanic and 4% Asian. |
| What higher ed can do about climate change | |
| The undying Park Fire spreading through Northern California started about 10 miles from the campus of California State University, Chico. While the wildfire has so far spared Chico State's main campus, it's already displaced numerous employees from their homes and destroyed most of the university's 3,950-acre Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve. The fire, which experts say has been exacerbated by exceedingly hot summer temperatures, is a searing reminder to Chico State and the rest of the 23-campus California State University system about why CSU is backing numerous initiatives to promote sustainability, mitigate the effects of climate change and educate climate-anxious students about how to forge solutions. "Our students are demanding we pay attention to climate change," said Mildred García, system chancellor. "Our institutions already serve as crucial community anchors, and we need to leverage our resources and influence to build resilience for our communities." Helping other colleges and universities lead on climate action -- through research, workforce development, operations management, public policy advocacy and community engagement -- is why García co-chaired the Aspen Institute's Higher Ed Climate Task Force, composed of 20 members with expertise in climate, education, philanthropy and business. |
| Bloomberg gives $600 million to four Black medical schools' endowments | |
| Michael Bloomberg's organization Bloomberg Philanthropies is announcing a $600 million gift to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and the billionaire founder of Bloomberg LP, will make the announcement Tuesday in New York at the annual convention of the National Medical Association, an organization that advocates for African American physicians. "This gift will empower new generations of Black doctors to create a healthier and more equitable future for our country," Bloomberg said in a statement. Black Americans fare worse in measures of health compared with white Americans, an Associated Press series reported last year. Experts believe increasing the representation among doctors is one solution that could disrupt these long-standing inequities. In 2022, only 6% of U.S. physicians were Black, even though Black Americans represent 13% of the population. The gifts are among the largest private donations to any historically Black college or university, with $175 million each going to Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College and Morehouse School of Medicine. Charles Drew University of Medicine & Science will receive $75 million. Xavier University of Louisiana, which is opening a new medical school, will also receive a $5 million grant. |
| The top issues facing schools as a new academic year is set to begin | |
 | Students and educators across the country are heading back to school this month with a fresh set of challenges for the academic year, as well as some lingering from the last one. Educators face new laws to obey and varying instructions on how to do so. Students plan to get back to protesting the Gaza war and will have to negotiate the grown problem of bullying fueled by artificial intelligence (AI). Here are the top five issues going into the new school year: student protests, AI bullying, transgender protections, school choice rules and new laws. Among the most recent changes that educators are dealing with is in Oklahoma, where the state superintendent said teachers have no choice but to include the Bible in lesson plans. However, more than a dozen school districts so far say they will not comply. "I suspect that the first thing that will happen is he will target a specific school district or multiple school districts who he believes are not complying with his directive, those school districts will then have to make a choice as to whether to bend [to] his whim or to sue," Rob Miller, superintendent of Bixby Public Schools, previously told The Hill. "And I can tell you that if Bixby was one of those schools that he selected to come after, we would file a lawsuit," Miller added. |
SPORTS
| Coleman Hutzler ready to bring aggressiveness, accountability to Bulldogs' defense | |
| The spotlight is shining more brightly on Coleman Hutzler than it ever has before, now that Hutzler is a lead defensive coordinator for the first time in his career. But with his background in special teams, Mississippi State's new defensive coordinator is used to overseeing a larger group of players than even an entire defense. The co-defensive coordinator for Texas in 2020, Hutzler has coordinated special teams units at Florida, New Mexico, Boston College, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Alabama. Although special teams are only on the field for a small handful of plays, just about anyone apart from the quarterbacks can play on special teams, so Hutzler had to form relationships with nearly the entire roster at many of his previous stops. "My background being a special teams coordinator really helps with that transition," Hutzler said. "There is an adjustment, and it's exciting. It's a lifelong dream, something I've been wanting to do and work toward for my whole career. Can't wait to get going." Hutzler is nothing if not well-traveled. He grew up in Las Vegas and starred at Division III Middlebury College in Vermont, then began his coaching career as a defensive assistant at San Diego under Jim Harbaugh. After following Harbaugh to Stanford and spending three years as a defensive assistant there, Hutzler received his first opportunity in the Southeastern Conference, coaching linebackers and coordinating special teams at Florida. It was in Gainesville where Hutzler first crossed paths with Matt Barnes, who was working as a defensive and special teams graduate assistant from 2012-14. Barnes was hired to join the Bulldogs' staff the same day as Hutzler, as MSU's co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. |
| How Mississippi State and Jeff Lebby can elevate Kevin Coleman, a former Jackson State standout | |
| Kevin Coleman's transfer to Mississippi State football is a homecoming of sorts. Technically, he's from St. Louis -- a former four-star from St. Mary's High School. But the wide receiver is back in Mississippi after one season at Louisville. He began his college career at Jackson State, where he starred in coach Deion Sanders' final season. As some Mississippians may remember, Coleman was the 2022 SWAC Freshman of the Year while making 32 catches for 475 yards with three touchdowns at Jackson State. Once Sanders and a handful of players left the Tigers, so did Coleman. His receiving numbers took a slight sophomore dip last season at Louisville, though, with 26 grabs for 362 yards and three touchdowns. Now back in the Magnolia State, the hope is that Coleman can elevate his game to a new level under first-year coach Jeff Lebby's offense. "Back in the 'Sip," Coleman said after Monday's practice. "I feel great. Mississippi is full of football, so I'm just ready to come put it on for Mississippi State." The Bulldogs need it after losing their top five pass catchers from last season. Coleman is part of a loaded wide receiver room that starts with two other significant transfers: Kelly Akharaiyi (UTEP) and Trent Hudson (New Mexico State). The Bulldogs also signed three four-star freshmen while retaining intriguing wideout Creed Whittemore for his sophomore season. |
| Position preview: Looking at Mississippi State's defensive line for the 2024 season | |
| The countdown to this year's college football season has begun in earnest with less than four weeks until Mississippi State opens the season on Aug. 31 against Eastern Kentucky at Davis Wade Stadium. The Bulldogs, under first-year head coach Jeff Lebby, opened fall camp on Thursday. As camp progresses, The Dispatch will be taking a look at each position group on MSU's roster, noting who could be the potential starters, backups and impact players to look out for on the gridiron. The Bulldogs, despite losing Jaden Crumedy and Nathan Pickering, have several players returning on the defensive line. De'Monte Russell and Deonte Anderson will be relied on as the group's veteran leaders, while Trevion Williams and Kalvin Dinkins are back after season-ending injuries early last season. MSU also added Sulaiman Kpaka and Kedrick Bingley-Jones in the transfer portal. |
| Training Partners Arop, Anderson Pursue First Olympic Medals | |
| The reigning world champion and his training partner are set to represent Mississippi State and their home nations in the men's 800m at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Marco Arop will look to add Olympic gold to his medal collection for Canada, and Navasky Anderson will make his Olympic debut for Jamaica. The first-round heats of the relay will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 4:55 a.m. CT, which is 11:55 a.m. in Paris. The top three finishers in each heat will automatically advance to the semifinals set for Friday, Aug. 9 at 4:30 a.m. New for the 2024 Games, the World Athletics Council approved the introduction of repechage rounds to all individual track events from 200m to 1500m in distance, including the hurdles events. Now, athletes who do not qualify by place in the first-round heats will have a second chance to advance to the semifinals by participating in repechage heats the following day. The new format means every athlete in these events will be guaranteed at least two Olympic races. That will be welcome news to Anderson, who was disqualified in the first-round heats in his first World Athletics Championships appearance in 2022. Under the new format, he will run at least twice. Arop and Anderson make MSU the only school in the nation with multiple athletes in the men's 800m at this year's Olympic Games. The duo makes up one-third of the NCAA representation in the event. |
| Two-Time World Champion Peters Advances To Olympic Javelin Final | |
| Anderson Peters was one and done. Before the first round of throws had been completed, he had already comfortably put his warmups back on and exited the stadium. Peters, Mississippi State's two-time NCAA javelin champion and the two-time world champion in the event, tossed a season-best 88.63m on his first attempt, well beyond the automatic qualifying mark of 84.00m. His throw was the second-longest of the qualifying round. The Granadian athlete will look to claim his nation's first Olympic medal in the throwing events on Thursday afternoon at 1:25 p.m. CT. He boasts the longest personal-best of anyone in the field, but it has been two years since he tossed the 93.07m mark that stands as No. 5 in world history. The Olympic record is 90.57m set by Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR) at the Beijing 2008 Games. If Peters were to win gold, he'd become the first man to win both an Olympic gold medal and World Championships gold since Thorkildsen did so in 2008 and 2009. A dedicated event stream for the final will be available on Peacock, and live coverage of the meet as a whole on Thursday will air on NBC beginning at 12:35 p.m. Results will be available on Olympics.com along with MSU's State to Paris webpage and social media feeds. |
| MSU's Ilana Izquierdo heading home after Colombia's Olympic soccer exit | |
| Mississippi State soccer player Ilana Izquierdo saw her Olympic debut end in the quarterfinals after Spain defeated the Colombian women's national team on penalty kicks. Izquierdo arrived as a substitute just before halftime, replacing forward Manuela Pavi, and played the remainder of the match. A first-half goal from Mayra Ramirez was followed by a goal from Leicy Santos early in the second-half to give Colombia a 2-0 lead over the defending World Cup champions. Spain dominated possession with 77% of the ball, firing 33 shot attempts to Colombia's seven, and eventually the game would bend their way. Jenni Hermoso got one goal back with 11 minutes of the 90 left to play and Irene Paredes added an equalizer in the seventh minute of stoppage time to force extra-time. The two sides failed to break the deadlock and went to penalty kicks, where Spanish keeper Cata Coll saved an effort from Catalina Usme and saw Liana Salazar's shot go wide. Spain converted all four spot kicks to win the shootout 4-2 and advance to the semi-final. Izquierdo started seven of Colombia's last eight matches, including the three group stage games and the team's first win at the Olympics, a 2-0 win over New Zealand. She is the first active student-athlete from MSU to play in an Olympic team sport since B.J. Wallace in 1992. |
| The Pop-Tarts Bowl and the future of college football's postseason | |
| For Michigan fans, the moment when the Wolverines clinched a national championship in January will echo through generations. For everyone else, the most indelible image of the 2023-24 bowl season involves a 6-foot anthropomorphic pastry being lowered into a toaster, baked and devoured by ravenous Kansas State football players to the tune of Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff." This seems fair. Michigan, after all, has 12 national titles. Frosted Strawberry is, to the best of anyone's knowledge, the only mascot ever cooked and consumed by the winning team. The gimmick, dreamed up by the folks at Florida Citrus Sports as a means of promoting the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Florida, was an enormous coup for the title sponsor. Pop-Tarts earned a reported $12.1 million in media exposure from the game and sold 22 million more Pop-Tarts (or 11 million cellophane packs of two, to use proper breakfast pastry exchange rates) than it had the week prior to kickoff. But in selling the brand, it's also entirely possible that, amid a tumultuous college sports landscape, the Pop-Tarts Bowl showed everyone a way forward. (Well, everyone except Frosted Strawberry. His journey ended in that toaster.) "Nobody's going to forget the Frosted Strawberry descending into the toaster," Matt Repchak, chief marketing officer for Florida Citrus Sports, the host of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, said. "That may be all of our legacies. But at the end of it, there's people who made memories while they were here, and we want to just be a fun part of the college football calendar." |
| Creating NCAA women's basketball tournament revenue unit distribution on board agenda | |
 | The NCAA Division I Board of Directors is moving toward making a proposal as soon as Tuesday to a create a revenue distribution for schools and conferences based on teams' performance in the women's basketball tournament. Such a move would resolve another of the many issues the association has attempted to address in the wake of inequalities between the men's and women's basketball tournaments that were brought to light during, and after, the 2021 events. The topic is on the agenda for Tuesday's board meeting, NCAA spokeswoman Meghan Durham Wright said. It is likely that the board, Division I's top policy-making group, will offer a plan that could be reviewed at Thursday's scheduled meeting of the NCAA Board of Governors, which addresses association-wide matters. This would be such a matter because it concerns association finances. Ultimately, the would need to voted on by all Division I members at January's NCAA convention. If approved, schools could be begin earning credit for performance in the 2025 tournament, with payments beginning in 2026. NCAA President Charlie Baker has expressed support for the idea, particularly in the wake of last January's announcement of a new eight-year, $920 million television agreement with ESPN for the rights to women's basketball tournament and dozens of other NCAA championships. |
| NIL agency offering advising on claims, connecting athletes to PE for upfront payments for House settlement | |
| With the House v. NCAA long-form settlement now left to Judge Claudia Wilken in the Northern District of California, athletes are starting to understand how they will profit from backpay. The House settlement paves a new college sports landscape, however, it provides a payday for the thousands of athletes who were not allowed to capitalize on NIL, participate in revenue sharing or profit from video games. In a new wrinkle, one agency is offering services to help athletes take advantage of back damages. The first back-damage payment is due May 15, 2025, or within 45 days of the settlement's finalization, which attorneys expect to happen in the early part of 2025 (January-February). Yearly payments will be made each July 15. Power 4 scholarship football and men's basketball athletes could stand to make millions from the settlement. Profound Sports, which primarily serves as an NIL agency, is launching a claims service. Along with offering contract review and negotiating services, Profound partnered with a private equity firm to offer upfront payments. Athletes would be offered an upfront payment through private equity and then give the rights to collect on the 10-year payment over to the firm. The agency would take a 15% cut for attorney and advising fees. "College athletics is evolving before our eyes and our organization is poised to be a custodian and negotiator for NIL proceeds for current and former student-athletes," Profound's founder Luis Davila told On3. "I have experience in class action settlement recovery for Wall Street shareholders and now we have built a similar platform for 'athlete shareholders.'" |
| Lt. Gen. Richard Clark enters CFP role amid changing college sports landscape | |
| There are inherent pressures that come with new, bigger jobs -- added responsibilities, increased eyeballs, etc. Lt. Gen. Richard Clark knows this well. Clark's military record is sterling. It includes the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross. But for the three-star general who made a career out of flying combat missions and mentoring the next generation of Air Force servicemen, there's a twinkle in his eye as -- for the first time since his high school days -- he prepares for a role not centered on military life, but, of all things, college football. "My last job in the military ... every day we're thinking about the worst days in America," said Clark, the new executive director of the College Football Playoff. "We're thinking about getting ready for war. We're thinking about a day that we hope never happens, but that we have to be ready for it. In this job, I get to wake up every morning and think about football. I get to think about the best days in America, and I know it's gonna happen and I want it to happen." To be clear, Clark is no stranger to college football. A four-year letterman at Air Force, where he played defense, he helped the Falcons to a 12-1 campaign and a No. 8 finish in the Associated Press Top 25 during his senior season in 1985. As one reporter pointed out last month during Clark's address at ACC media days, in an alternate universe, his Air Force squad likely would have received a bid to the playoff he now oversees. |
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