| Thursday, August 15, 2024 |
| Grammy winner John Paul White to perform at Mississippi State | |
 | Grammy winner John Paul White will bring his fusion of Southern rock, Americana and country music to Mississippi State University (MSU). White will perform at the Hump, alongside the Starkville-MSU Symphony Orchestra, on October 18. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the performance at 7:30 p.m. Daniel Stevens, head of the MSU Department of Music, is the special night's cover conductor and friend of White's. "We all know how enjoyable one of John Paul's concerts can be, and with the complements of the orchestra his music is magnified," Stevens said. "I hope people of all ages will travel from the farthest corners for this rare crossover performance." Winner of multiple Grammys as a former member of The Civil Wars, the singer/songwriter co-wrote the 2009 EP "Poison and Wine," with the title track exposing the duo to a national audience when featured in the sixth season of the long-running TV show "Grey's Anatomy." White moved further into the spotlight with the lyrics he co-wrote with Taylor Swift for her song "Safe and Sound" from "The Hunger Games" soundtrack. It was a 2011 Grammy winner for Best Song Written for Visual Media. |
| More than 2,000 students welcomed to MSU campus for New Maroon Camp | |
 | Video: Mississippi State University is welcoming more than 2,000 students to campus during New Maroon Camp. |
| Farmer ousted as Oktibbeha administrator with split vote | |
 | Supervisors came to the chancery courthouse Tuesday afternoon prepared to discuss next year's budget with various department heads. When they left four hours later, County Administrator Delois Farmer was out of a job. The board voted 3-2 to "vacate the county administrator's position" following a pair of lengthy executive sessions that supplanted the would-be budget workshop. District 1 Supervisor Ben Carver opened the meeting by calling for an executive session to discuss an employee's job performance. After nearly an hour, the supervisors broke from the closed-session to postpone the budget workshop. Then they returned to executive session. When the board emerged again, Carver voted along with District 4 Supervisor Pattie Little and District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard, board president, to cut ties with Farmer, effective immediately. Orlando Trainer, of District 2, and Vice-President Joe Williams, of District 5, opposed. Supervisors plan to begin advertising as soon as next week for a new county administrator. Who will act in that capacity in the interim remains unclear. An outside contractor is one option, Little said, adding she knows several who would be willing to help. Ultimately, all five supervisors said they want to get an experienced hand hired as full-time administrator as quickly as possible. |
| Deputies arrest Starkville man for cocaine at casino | |
 | A Starkville man was arrested with cocaine while being kicked out of the Golden Moon Casino. The man, Shane Nowell Russell, 33, 3422 New Light Road, Starkville, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, public drunk, and disorderly conduct, according to Neshoba County Sheriff Eric Clark. According to Clark, deputies first encountered Russell at 7:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 7, on a bench in the parking lot of the Golden Moon. Clark said they were called there after casino security removed Russell from the building for being drunk and disorderly. "He was very intoxicated," Clark said. When deputies searched Russell back at the Neshoba County Detention Center, they found a clear plastic bag containing a felony amount of a white powder-like substance believed to be cocaine. Russell told deputies the last thing he remembered was playing blackjack, and then he was in the parking lot talking to the deputies, Clark said. |
| Earth's Bounty to move to The MAX in 2025 | |
 | Beginning in spring 2025, Earth's Bounty, a popular farmers market and festival held in downtown Meridian, will have a new home in the courtyard of the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience. For the past 13 years, Singing Brakeman Park on Front Street has been the venue for Earth's Bounty, held the first Saturday of the month beginning in April and running through November. Moving up Front Street to The MAX backyard courtyard will improve the experience for longtime Earth's Bounty customers and, hopefully, will encourage new community residents to check out the market, said Maureen Lofton, chairman of Earth's Bounty. "This is a natural fit for us," said Penny Kemp, president and CEO of The MAX. "The MAX is invested in supporting the community's cultural life, and Earth's Bounty is an important element in downtown's vibrance. We already collaborate on the Night Markets, so opening our courtyard for First Saturdays makes perfect sense for all of us." Being at The MAX also offers Earth's Bounty patrons the chance to check out the museum's state-of-the-art exhibits at no cost with the museum's free admission First Saturday program, she added. Plus, the move will allow the festival to take advantage of more foot traffic downtown, especially guests of the Threefoot Hotel and the MSU Riley Center. |
| Fall armyworms continue their annual march into Mississippi, farmers say | |
 | Fall armyworms are a common nuisance for farmers this time of year, and local growers said the number can fluctuate from year to year. John Glen Corley is a local agriculture veteran and said that farming is about problem-solving and dealing with the issues at hand year after year. Annual changes can include changing weather events like early freezes, abnormally dry periods and heat waves. Pests offer a different challenge, and the summertime is when the worms named for a different season typically reproduce the most. "In that larvae stage, he's a worm, and so as he eats and grows up," Corley said. "I'd say it takes him two or three weeks it seems like before he turns into a moth and flies off to lay another crop of eggs. "And so, that's the cycle of the army worm." Corley added that the worms can be particularly resilient, even during periods of drought. That resilience may be because of their willingness to eat just about any sort of leafy vegetation or plant. Some of the worm's favorites tend to include corn and soybeans, crops that both Corley and Jeff Easterling work to grow every year. "Any time you've got highly-fertilized or good, lush forage or any type of plant that has value to it, naturally, armyworms are going to make their way to that field, and they're gonna set up camp," Easterling said. |
| Catch You in Columbus: CVB unveils new slogan | |
| The Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau on Tuesday unveiled a new slogan and advertising campaign that aims to attract more tourists to Columbus. From angler fishing to ultimate frisbee tournaments to baseball, CVB Interim Tourism Director Frances Glenn said the new slogan encapsulates a lot of the events and activities that draw people to the city. It replaces the longtime slogan for Columbus, "The city that has it all." "The new slogan lends itself to a broad promotion of lots going on in Columbus," Glenn told The Dispatch on Wednesday. "It's kind of a call to action. If we're in Columbus, we want you to be in Columbus." The slogan is part of a larger advertising campaign that has been in the works since April. Glenn said the campaign will include both print and television advertisements designed to spread the word about what Columbus has to offer. She said a committee is currently working on the digital side of the campaign, including social media and online marketing, and filming for television commercials will likely start at the end of September. |
| New report analyzes Mississippi's labor force participation rate | |
| Empower Mississippi released a new report on Tuesday that analyzed Mississippi's labor force participation rate. According to officials, the new report looks at several factors to determine who is participating in the workforce in Mississippi and why more people are not taking advantage of increasing job opportunities. "Over the past five years, Mississippi has experienced significant economic growth, with historically low unemployment rates, record levels of capital investment, and wide job availability; yet, our state continues to struggle with a lagging labor force participation rate," said Grant Callen, CEO of Empower Mississippi. "At a rate of 53.9%, Mississippi sits at the bottom of U.S. rankings. Empower commissioned this analysis of our state's labor force to establish a baseline of findings and identify opportunities for improvement with a single goal in mind: help more Mississippians experience the life-changing benefits of work." According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mississippi's labor force participation rate has been among the nation's lowest for many years. To determine why, Empower Mississippi commissioned the National Strategic Planning & Analysis Research Center (NSPARC) at Mississippi State University (MSU) to provide data insights into the state's labor market challenges through a baseline study. |
| Jackson City Council member resigns, admits to federal bribery charge | |
| A Jackson City Council member pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal bribery charge related to a proposed downtown development hours after resigning from her office. Angelique Lee pleaded guilty to everything detailed in a bill of information. Lee, who represented northwest Jackson's Ward 2, admitted to a conspiracy to commit bribery by accepting "cash, deposits and other gifts" valued at more than $5,000 from two federal agents posing as real estate developers from Nashville, Tennessee, who were attempting to influence her and reward her for her vote. She accepted those bribes from the undercover agents through an "unindicted co-conspirator," according to court documents. Twice they gave her a credit card to go shopping. In March, the "Facility Solutions Team" was one of three companies that bid to build a 335-room hotel across the street from the Jackson Convention Complex. That hotel was slated to include an open entertainment space and a parking garage. Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens II is listed as the registered agent for the Facility Solutions Team, which is a limited liability company. Lee's attorney, Aafram Sellers, acknowledged the charges against his client are related to the hotel project. According to the bill of information, Lee voted in favor of the real estate development project proposed by the Nashville developers and supported the closure of a road to aid that project. |
| Lee pleads guilty, first shoe drops in Jackson FBI sting | |
| Standing before federal District Judge Dan Jordan yesterday, former Jackson City Councilwoman Angelique Lee pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. Prosecutors explained to the Court how Lee accepted cash and a shopping trip in exchange for supporting a fictitious hotel development. Lee is likely the first domino to fall in a larger story. Federal public corruption cases almost always start with the smallest fish and end with the silver tuna. In May of this year, the FBI conducted raids on the office of Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, along with multiple businesses owned by Owens. Federal law enforcement visited Jackson City Hall, where they reportedly sought conversations with Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks. The FBI seized boxes of documents and phones during the raids. In their wake, a common story -- one centered on the allegation that certain Jackson and Hinds county officials had accepted bribes to support a phony hotel development -- began circulating among the Jackson courthouse and political class. Persistent rumors of shopping sprees, private planes and yachts, strip clubs, campaign contributions, and loads of cash followed. The U.S. Attorney's office confirmed at least three components of the wild story as true in open court yesterday. The rest remains to be seen. |
| Councilman Stokes says Angelique Lee won't be last city official to be prosecuted this year | |
 | After now former Ward 2 Jackson City Councilwoman Angelique Lee pleaded guilty to accepting bribes, which were for her vote on a downtown development, Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes told reporters she may not be the last Jackson official standing before a judge this year. "I believe there's going to be a number of indictments coming down to this community at the county level and at the city level," Stokes said. "I've said several weeks ago that we need to pray for the city, and we need to pray for the county." During a press conference at the Medgar Evers Library on Medgar Evers Boulevard, Stokes declined to say how he knew more arrests might be coming but said Lee would be only the first of several members of the Jackson City Council and Hinds County Supervisors, other city and county officials and local businesspeople, to be "brought down" by federal investigators. "It's going to get a little more cloudy before the sun come back out," Stokes said. "Some big-name people in this city might go down." |
| Social media influencers descend on the White House, where Biden calls them the new 'source of news' | |
 | Social media influencers got the royal treatment at the White House on Wednesday as President Joe Biden gave a nod to their ability to hold sway with millions of loyal followers. The White House played host to a group of more than 100 influencers, also known as content creators, across a range of media platforms -- from chefs and makeup artists to fitness gurus and medical students -- to talk about issues including mental health, pay equity and the abuse of artificial intelligence. Biden stopped by to tell the influencers gathered in the Indian Treaty Room in the White House complex: "The fact is, you are the future." "You're the source of the news," he said. "You are the new possibilities. You are the new breakthrough in how we communicate." Biden added, to laughter: "And that's why I invited you to the White House, because I'm looking for a job." Those in attendance included makeup artist Jackie Aina, chef My Nguyen and medical student Joel Bervell. Together, the influencers count millions of followers. In showcasing the importance and heft of the content creator economy -- valued at roughly $250 billion worldwide -- the White House is also recognizing the youth vote that will be a crucial constituency for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November election. |
| New Tariffs -- and Other Takeaways From Trump's Economic Speech | |
 | Former President Donald Trump, seeking to fine-tune his economic argument against Vice President Kamala Harris, gave a speech on the economy Wednesday from Asheville, N.C. During the address, the Republican presidential nominee vowed that he would "Make America Affordable Again" and promised an economic boom if he wins a second term. In a wide ranging speech, Trump said, "We're going to have 10% to 20% tariffs on foreign countries that have been ripping us off for years." The remarks escalated an earlier pledge to impose a 10% across-the-board tariff on imported goods as a way to punish other countries and protect domestic industries. "We're going to charge them 10% to 20% to come in and take advantage of our country," he said. Trump told the rowdy crowd of supporters in Asheville that he would be giving an "intellectual speech" on the economy, in which he tried to tether Harris to voters' feeling of discontent about higher prices under President Biden's tenure. While the former president spent much of his address slamming the Biden administration's economic policy, he dedicated plenty of time to launching personal attacks on Harris. He at one point repeatedly criticized her laugh, which he called "the laugh of a crazy person." He also referred to Harris as an "incompetent socialist lunatic" and emphasized her underwhelming performance in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, when she exited the race before the Iowa caucuses. Wednesday's location in North Carolina was no accident. Trump is trying to hang on in a state where some polls have shown Harris improving upon Biden's performance. As in other places, Trump also faces a considerable ground-game disadvantage in North Carolina. |
| Kamala Harris to propose ban on 'price gouging' for food, groceries | |
 | Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday will unveil a proposed ban on "price gouging" in the grocery and food industries, embracing a strikingly populist proposal in her most significant economic policy announcement since becoming the Democratic Party's nominee. In a statement released late Wednesday night, the Harris campaign said that if elected, she would push for the "first-ever federal ban" on food price hikes, with sweeping new powers for federal authorities. Harris on Friday will also announce plans to lower prescription drug and housing costs, the campaign said. Harris's plans amount to a sharp escalation in the economic populism even of President Joe Biden, who had already pulled the party to the left on economic policy compared with his Democratic predecessors. While offering some overtures to the business elite, Harris is attempting to respond to intense voter frustration over rising prices -- particularly grocery prices -- with a far-reaching proposal. Republican and many Democratic economists see mandatory price controls as a counterproductive form of government intervention that discourages firms from producing enough supply to meet demand. Harris's policy announcement comes as Democratic policymakers have been looking for clues into her plans for the economy. Much of Harris’s approach so far suggests continuity with Biden’s policymaking, including her selection as a running mate of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who has enacted a state child tax credit and universal free school lunch, among other liberal policies. |
| Bipartisan push for family-friendly policies gains momentum | |
 | JD Vance has floated the idea of more than doubling the child tax credit. Kamala Harris has repeatedly called for both that benefit and paid leave on the campaign trail -- and she selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate partly because he enacted those policies in his home state. It's a striking pivot from previous election cycles: Both sides in a U.S. presidential race are playing up economic programs that would allow workers to better balance their personal and professional lives. That is evidence of growing bipartisan support for so-called care proposals as advocates spend tens of millions of dollars to drive their case home to candidates and the issues poll historically well with voters of both parties. "Both Harris-Walz and Trump-Vance -- all four of these sides -- have some history of doing work on paid leave and pro-family policy in ways that we haven't really seen in a suite of candidates, and that, in of itself, is really exciting," said Adrienne Schweer, a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center. "Regardless of who wins, we're going to have a ticket that has a history of thinking about paid leave and pro-family policy." The new push for care comes after a robust pandemic response that briefly granted millions of Americans access to paid family and medical leave, an expanded child tax credit and subsidized child care. With those programs now lapsed, there's growing momentum for permanent federal support. One survey found that eight in 10 voters want lawmakers to spend more on policies like paid leave and the child tax credit. |
| How Christian Conservatives Are Planning for the Next Battle, on I.V.F. | |
 | The pivot seems clear. The Republican Party of the post-Roe era is sidelining anti-abortion activists. Project 2025, the conservative blueprint with innovative abortion bans, has been disavowed by Donald Trump. And the new G.O.P. platform even promises to advance access to in vitro fertilization. But as Mr. Trump distances himself from the anti-abortion revolution his own administration ushered in, a powerful battalion of conservative Christians has pushed ahead. In recent months, they have quietly laid the groundwork for their fight to restrict not only access to abortion but also to I.V.F. They are planting seeds for their ultimate goal of ending abortion from conception, both within the Republican Party and beyond it. They face a tough political battle since their positions are largely unpopular and do not reflect majority opinion, particularly on I.V.F. As they see it, their challenge spans generations, not simply a single political cycle. And their approach -- including controlling regulatory language, state party platforms and the definition of when life begins -- reflects an incremental strategy similar to the one activists used for decades to eventually overturn Roe v. Wade. "I expect there will be steps backwards as well as what we are working toward, which are long strikes forward," said R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., who has been newly mobilizing evangelicals against I.V.F. |
| Black women are in charge at this year's DNC. Expect a different kind of convention | |
 | Less than three weeks remained until the Democratic National convention and Minyon Moore, chair of the party's political showcase, didn't know who Kamala Harris would pick as her running mate. It had only been a couple of weeks since Harris had stepped up to become the party's presumptive presidential nominee. Convention plans had been zigzagging for days. Still, Moore was managing to "slightly" restructure the program to highlight Harris' values and introduce her to American voters, as thousands of delegates, lawmakers, volunteers and others were getting ready to gather in Chicago to help her win the White House. Interest in the convention has increased since Harris replaced President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket, convention officials said. For the first time,a woman of color will be a presidential nominee for a major political party and Black women will play most of the key roles in leading the Democratic convention -- the party's premiere national showcase. "We're seeing these prominent leadership roles in the hands of African American women,'' said Wendy Smooth, a professor of Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies and Political Science at The Ohio State University. "It really comes as no surprise because they have certainly put in the work and have been pivotal contributors." For decades, Smooth and other experts said, Black women have worked - often behind the scenes -- strategizing, mobilizing and organizing voters of color for the Democratic Party. |
| Ole Miss vice chancellor's husband contests arrest for animal cruelty | |
| A University of Mississippi vice chancellor's husband wants a federal investigation into his arrest last week for animal cruelty. "I am asking for a federal investigation due to false facts," Terry Pegues, 47, told a Mississippi Today reporter. "That's all, that's all," Pegues added before hanging up. "Just print that." Pegues bonded out on Aug. 8, a day after the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department arrested him for 10 counts of animal cruelty. Earlier that week, officers had been dispatched to an address on County Road 418, in a hilly, rural area south of Oxford proper, after a citizen complained of possible animal cruelty, according to a press release. The sheriff's department did not release the address in question, but Lafayette County property records show Pegues owned a couple of small parcels of land in that area with his wife, Charlotte Fant Pegues. Fant Pegues has served as vice chancellor of student affairs at Ole Miss since 2019 when she was appointed to the role in the interim. She was not charged in connection to the allegations against Pegues, according to a statement from a university spokesperson. County records show Fant Pegues and her husband have owned multiple properties in Oxford and Lafayette County since the mid-2000s. She recently sold a home in the populated Southpointe subdivision to an Alabama family that was looking to buy a place for their two kids who are attending Ole Miss. |
| Gift allows student veterans freedom to ride | |
| Stationed at the George Street House, headquarters of the University of Mississippi's Office of Veterans and Military Services, is a 2024 Chevrolet Suburban High Country, fully loaded and ready for local deployment. Now, when UM student veterans need to road trip, they'll maneuver in style thanks to the gift from an Ole Miss graduate who simply wanted to show his appreciation to those who've served their country. "We thank God for the great men and women of our armed services," the donor said. "We owe such a debt of gratitude to those who've served all over the world to support and defend the Constitution and provide security to all of us so we can continue to have the freedom to pursue the American dream." The office will use the vehicle to allow student veterans to travel to conferences together. Among other uses, it will provide transportation to doctors' appointments at the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson and make grocery deliveries to student veterans who don't have vehicles. The donation is associated with the office's "Welcome Home" campaign fund, which was established to provide the public with an opportunity to thank those who put their lives on hold, to offer solutions to tangible needs and to change the college experience for post-traditional students who've decided to pivot from military to civilian life. |
| Thousands of students making their way to the Hub City | |
 | All week, the University of Southern Miss students are making their way back to the Hub City. By the end of the week, nearly 3,500 students will be moved into USM's dormitories. "We have almost full capacity on campus," said USM senior, Dylan Littles. "We have a waiting list of students that are wanting to come to Southern Miss." Hattiesburg local/USM senior Zach Metz said he's noticed for a while that the city gets busier during the school year. "You see Hattiesburg definitely gets a little more busy when all these students come back on campus," said Metz. City leaders notice the economic boost during this time of year as well. "Hattiesburg would not be what it is without Southern Miss and without our other universities," Hattiesburg City Council President Jeffrey George said. "So, this is a key part of our economy, and what makes Hattiesburg such a great place to live." USM President Dr. Joe Paul said he was thankful to the Hattiesburg community for being so welcoming towards the students. "One of the real attractions for students who come to Southern is the City of Hattiesburg, the uniqueness of it," said Paul. "I mean, every college town doesn't have a T-Bones, a Keg & Barrel." William Carey University students also will be a part of this economic impact, with those students moving into the dorms next week. |
| Chronic absenteeism on the rise in Mississippi amid efforts to keep students in classroom | |
| The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) has released a new report showing chronic absenteeism is on the rise amid efforts by state lawmakers to keep pupils in the classroom. During the 2023-24 school year, the state chronic absenteeism rate was 24.4%, a slight increase compared to 23.9% in the prior academic year. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10%, or 18 days, of the school year for any reason, which includes excused and unexcused absences and suspensions. Per a report from State Auditor Shad White, chronically absent students have an increased chance of dropping out of school, which he contends leads to a higher likelihood of getting arrested or relying on social services later in life -- placing an additional cost on taxpayers. "MDE remains committed to providing support and training for schools and districts to combat chronic absenteeism and prevent students from dropping out," newly confirmed State Superintendent of Education Dr. Lance Evans said. "We also implore families and community leaders to join in these efforts." To combat rising numbers of students missing excessive amounts of time in class, Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann plans to introduce a list of proposals to curb chronic absenteeism to the state legislature come January. |
| Sororities and PNMs prepare for Preference on Friday | |
| Today is day two of Sisterhood, marking three days until Bid Day at Auburn University. It is anticipated that this year there will be more bids given due to the number of girls going through recruitment. Friday is Preference, where potential new members will drop down from a maximum of eight sororities to a two sorority maximum. This tends to be the most intimidating and emotional round. Scout Saunders, head Pi Chi and rising senior, and Peyton Ryan, assistant head Pi Chi and rising senior, both went through recruitment as out-of-state freshmen. However, their relationships with their Pi Chis encouraged them to make the same impact on future PNMs, leading both of them to lead as Pi Chis last year and into their current roles. "I would describe a Pi Chi as a recruitment counselor," Saunders said. "They have a group of PNMs. This year, it averages about 17 PNMs per Pi Chi group because of the crazy number of PNMs this year." With the largest recorded amount of PNMs rushing this year, it heightens the anxiety of the PNMs. This also means that, as of now, there is a potential that almost every sorority will see their largest new member class yet. Caroline Jones, Auburn University Panhellenic President and rising senior, emphasized the importance of self care and rest during recruitment. Sleep, specifically naps, and face masks are her recommendations to feel calm and ready for the remainder of the week. Saunders and Jones love a sweet treat run or a walk around campus. |
| He Was the U. of Florida's Provost for 15 Years. And the U. of Arizona's for a Month. | |
 | After only a monthlong stint as the University of Arizona's provost, Joseph Glover is returning to his previous role at the University of Florida. Glover, who served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at UF for 15 years, announced Tuesday in an email to UA faculty and students that he would be leaving the university. According to the letter, W. Kent Fuchs, Florida's interim president and Glover's old boss, asked him to return as the university undergoes a "major transition." "This is a difficult decision and one that I did not make lightly," Glover wrote in his letter. "When I took on this important role as Provost, I intended to stay and was committed to become an integral part of this community, advancing the university's success in the years to come." Glover's resignation is just the latest sign of leadership turmoil at the Tucson campus. Robert C. Robbins resigned as president in early April after months of backlash and political pressure over the university's flagging finances. Glover's resignation comes less than a week after the university named a new president. The announcement also marks the first major administrative change in Gainesville since Ben Sasse, who served as president for less than two years, abruptly stepped down in July, citing his wife's epilepsy diagnosis. Sasse has come under scrutiny this week after UF's student newspaper reported that he tripled his office's spending -- from $5.6 million in Fuchs's final year to $17.3 million under Sasse. |
| Joe Glover leaving as provost of U. of Arizona to return to UF | |
 | Joe Glover, a longtime University of Florida provost who stepped down in 2023 before taking the same position earlier this year at the University of Arizona, is returning to Gainesville. Glover, who had only been on the job since July 1, wrote in a post on the University of Arizona's website that he is returning to the University of Florida as provost at the request of interim President Kent Fuchs, who "asked me to lend my expertise in support of the university ..." Glover announced his decision to step down as provost at UF in January 2023 soon after Ben Sasse was named president. Glover then served as senior adviser to Sasse before being hired as provost at Arizona in April. Sasse announced on July 18 his sudden resignation effective July 31 after less than two years on the job due to his wife's recent epilepsy diagnosis. Glover will officially take over the position on Sept. 6. Current Provost Scott Angle, who was first named as interim provost in 2023 and later appointed to the permanent position by Sasse in January, will return to his position at UF/IFAS as senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources. Glover first came to UF in 1983 as an assistant professor in mathematics and eventually went on to become interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2007. He was then named provost by then-President Bernie Machen. During his time at UF, Glover helped launch UF's artificial intelligence iniaitive, the creation of the innovation academy and helped start UF Online. |
| Isn't it time for new housing at UGA? University leases land for $72.5 million housing project | |
 | In an effort to address the increasing demand for student housing, the University of Georgia has entered a lease agreement for approximately 0.596 acres of unused land on campus, enabling the development of new student accommodations. Located at the intersection of Lumpkin St. and Wray St. in Athens, approximately 125,000 sq. ft., will be used to target first-year students, providing approximately 568 student housing beds in double-bedroom units. UGA is providing $25 million in housing auxiliary reserves to support the project. Once construction is finished, the leasing company will manage the housing. They will be responsible for collecting rent from students and maintaining property. This allows UGA to provide new housing for students without having to spend money on construction and management. At the end of the lease period, or once any financial obligations are settled, the land and all the buildings on it will revert back to UGA. The housing is expected to be completed by July 2026 and the approximate cost of this project is $72.5 million. UGA will allow the leasing company, UGAREF Lumpkin Street Housing Phase LLC, to rent the land for up to 31 years, with an option to extend the lease for an additional 5 years if they still owe money. |
| FAFSA Night Live! In Kentucky, federal student aid form completion is down by double digits from last year | |
 | Everything glittered at the first-ever Kentucky FAFSAthon. The buntings and tablecloths shone gold under the fill lights, as did the hosts, Casi Benedict and Keith Ritchie, who sported a matching gold dress and bowtie, respectively. Even the setting was opulent: The program was held at the Kentucky Castle, a faux-medieval estate and events space outside of Versailles (the town in Kentucky, not the site of that other palace in France). Presented by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA), the FAFSAthon was streamed live on YouTube from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Tuesday. Benedict and Ritchie -- KHEAA's director and assistant director of outreach services, respectively -- guided viewers through 12 uninterrupted hours of programming, including live music, games, skits, a full FAFSA walkthrough and a "dorm room cooking show," where officials made simple, cheap meals on a portable George Foreman grill. Just off camera, a team of more than 60 volunteers monitored phone lines and answered questions from students and families -- most of whom still hadn't submitted a federal student aid form. They'd been thwarted by months of delays and technical glitches, with only weeks to go until the start of the fall semester. Ritchie, who spoke to Inside Higher Ed the next morning from the castle, said KHEAA wanted to create "a festival atmosphere," and compared the event to a variety show. He said they helped about 100 students complete their FAFSAs -- some over the phone, some via text, and a handful in-person. |
| What's on U. of Tennessee students' minds? Football, family and 'The Bachelorette' | |
 | With the fall semester beginning Aug. 19, University of Tennessee at Knoxville students are already moving in to their dorms and apartments -- some returning to campus, and others experiencing college life for the first time. Campus move-ins began Aug. 11 and last until classes begin. Knox News was there the first day to ask first-year students what they're excited about, what they're worried about, what they love about Knoxville and what they're watching or reading in the meantime. Here is what's on the minds of incoming UT students as the 2024-25 school year begins. |
| Review: Georgia colleges not fully complying with ban on diversity statements in hiring | |
| Georgia's public colleges and universities have more work to do to comply with policies that prohibit the use of diversity statements or ideological tests in employee recruitment and mandatory training. That's the finding of a new review that looks at freedom of expression and academic freedom issues within the University System of Georgia and its 26 schools. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained a copy of the internal review. The report was discussed briefly by University System administrators at Wednesday's Georgia Board of Regents (BOR) meeting with no questions or comments from the board. Just over a year ago, the University System told schools they can no longer ask job candidates, including those applying for professor posts, to submit statements that detail their understanding of diversity and how they would promote it. Colleges also were ordered to stop any mandatory employee training that includes diversity statements or ideological tests. The Board of Regents, appointed by the governor to oversee the University System, last year approved a statement of principles to "affirm and protect academic freedom and freedom of expression." The updates to the human resources policies are a result of that work. It's become a popular practice for colleges to ask candidates to include one-to-two page diversity statements with their job applications. Supporters say it helps colleges learn how a professor would assist students from diverse backgrounds. But critics argue such statements violate academic freedom by amounting to a political litmus test. |
| Students, families brave storms for Mizzou move-in day | |
 | New University of Missouri Students on Wednesday were spared the usual unrelenting heat of August move-in day, instead trying to avoid the occasional drenching rain and thunderstorm. Students and MU volunteers said they were grateful for the relief. Fall classes at MU start Monday. Discovery Residence Hall roommates Brendan Wiltfang, of Carol Stream, Illinois, and Jackson Angelo, Chicago, got acquainted as they negotiated the limited space in their room. Wiltfang was assisted by his mom and Angelo had mom and dad on the mission. Both talked about their reasons for choosing MU. "I really like the campus," Wiltfang said. "I have friends who are going." He will study business but hasn't decided what area of business he will study, he said. "The campus is great," Angelo said. "I liked the campus. It's cost effective." Angelo will study accounting. They said they will enjoy the independence of university life. Jacson's dad, Jim Angelo, said Jackson "worked his butt off in high school" to attend university and made a good choice. MU is just far enough away from Chicago but close enough the parents can "haul our cookies back here" if their son needs them, Jim Angelo said."It seemed to be the best fit," Jim Angelo said. "The economic end of it was good, too." |
| Scaling Up: Expanding Entrepreneurship Across Campus | |
| Like any good startup, a college's entrepreneurship program requires time, resource investment and creative thinking. At American University in D.C., the Kogod School of Business launched an entrepreneurship initiative in 2014 that has grown over the past decade to include an undergraduate minor, business incubator and regular campus-wide programming. The growth of the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship lies in cross-departmental collaboration, a student-centered vision and perseverance, says Tommy White, senior lecturer and director of the center. The center has three key areas: promoting the ideals of an entrepreneurial mindset, facilitating a business incubator program and building entrepreneurship curriculum. Additionally, the center hosts events such as workshops, panels and talks from individual entrepreneurs. At any given time, the center's business incubator program supports 30 student-led startup ventures. Each student founder can engage in coaching and mentorship, which includes student and alumni entrepreneur graduates of the program. Students can receive a financial grant ranging between $1,500 to $20,000 per venture. In the first three years of the program, over 200 students participated in the center's events. Looking at the past seven years, more than 3,000 students have been reached by the center, or around 500 learners annually, White says. |
| Seeking Calm, Columbia University Asks a Doctor to Lead | |
| Dr. Katrina A. Armstrong was out of sorts. It was April 15, 2013, her first day as the physician in chief of Massachusetts General Hospital, and she was grappling with the enormity of her new job. She felt, she mused later, as if she had moved abroad. Then two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Mass General prepared its emergency room as 127 of the wounded headed for the city's top-level trauma centers, part of a response that ultimately earned Boston's hospitals sweeping praise. Dr. Armstrong, who was abruptly appointed as Columbia University's interim president on Wednesday, has often talked about the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Boylston Street. Now Dr. Armstrong is tasked with leading another community through the aftermath of a different kind of trauma, as Columbia grapples with the consequences of protests, accusations of antisemitism, an unwelcome turn in the global spotlight, and now the resignation of its president, Nemat Shafik. Almost four months after encampments, a building seizure and a canceled commencement, the university campus remains largely closed, its gates guarded and its leaders wary of the turbulence the new semester may bring. By turning to Dr. Armstrong, Columbia's executive vice president for health and biomedical sciences since 2022, the university is getting an insider and a president who has publicly adopted a careful, cautious line since Hamas's attack on Israel last October. |
| NIH reorganization unlikely to happen this Congress, analysts say | |
 | House and Senate Republicans have floated separate plans to reorganize the National Institutes of Health, but the efforts are unlikely to go anywhere this Congress, say multiple Capitol Hill staffers and other stakeholders. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NIH enjoyed bipartisan support from Congress, with year-over-year funding increases and praise for the agency whenever its officials appeared before Congress. But the pandemic put a harsh spotlight on the agency, and in the last couple years, congressional Republicans have held hearings investigating the agency's use of gain-of-function research and allegations of sexual harassment among research grantees. Both the House and Senate have proposed major changes to how the agency conducts its day-to-day research. The larger scientific community is encouraging Congress to take a more collaborative approach to any future NIH overhauls in the coming years. "There are some changes that could make sense, but it really needs to be led by the science and research opportunities," said Lizbet Boroughs, associate vice president for government relations and public policy at the Association of American Universities. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee ranking member Bill Cassidy, R-La., has been looking into NIH overhaul since last year. In 2023, Cassidy requested information from stakeholders on how the NIH could improve its processes for approving federal research grants, support the biomedical research workforce and improve collaboration between academia and industry. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State Football Set To Celebrate 125th Season | |
| Mississippi State football is set to celebrate a historic milestone throughout the 2024 campaign as the program commemorates its 125th season. Over the course of the upcoming year, MSU will recognize the players, teams and moments that have charted the course for Bulldog football history. State supporters will have the chance to actively participate in the celebration in multiple ways. Fans are encouraged to submit personal photographs depicting their own exciting experiences involving MSU football. From game-winning celebrations to tailgating memories, all submissions are welcome and could be featured in content during the 2024 season. The Bulldog family will also get to help determine the top State football moment of all time. A bracket featuring some of the top wins and legendary happenings will get narrowed down to one as fans nominate, vote for and ultimately choose the biggest moment since the program's inception. Click here to submit your favorite moment for consideration. While State honors its past, MSU is preparing for its future as well. The Bulldog Club is beginning its 125 Seasons of MSU Football campaign designed to build a foundation for continued excellence at State. Gifts through this campaign will support the athletic department's and student-athletes' most critical needs. Get involved by clicking here or contact the Bulldog Club at 662-325-3074. |
| Mississippi State football: Blake Shapen on Jeff Lebby, scrimmage | |
| New Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen football had his first media availability on Wednesday since the Bulldogs' first preseason scrimmage on Sunday. Shapen, who is a Baylor transfer, was asked to give an evaluation on the scrimmage after practice. "I thought it was good," he said. "Obviously there are things we need to improve on just offensively and defensively, so all over the board. Overall, it was a pretty good first scrimmage. I feel like everybody played hard. The effort was there. We just got to clean up some things -- execution and otherwise." The Bulldogs open the 2024 season against Eastern Kentucky on Aug. 31 (SEC Network+, 5 p.m.) at Davis Wade Stadium. They have one more preseason scrimmage on Saturday. "It's coming up here close so we got to fix some things," Shapen said. "And that's the goal is just for us to get better. We aren't really too far ahead right now. We're thinking about what's going on today and that's the path we're on." One of the things new coach Jeff Lebby mentioned Sunday as an area for improvement is the high offensive tempo, a staple in his offense. Other players have noted having to adjust to the speed Lebby likes to play at, but the offense can only go as fast as Shapen will let it. "I was in a pro-style offense at Baylor, so this offense is way different," Shapen said. "I was under center 50% of the time, and here it's mostly shotgun and things like that and moving fast. I've never really done tempo so this is my first time doing it." |
| Blanton, Mississippi State linebackers have big shoes to fill without Johnson and Watson | |
| Jett Johnson and Nathaniel "Bookie" Watson are not walking through that door. Mississippi State's stellar linebacking duo combined for 267 tackles last season, and 228 the year before that. But Watson is now with the Cleveland Browns and Johnson signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets, leaving a void in the heart of the Bulldogs' defense. MSU is largely starting over on defense in any case this year -- safety Corey Ellington and lineman De'Monte Russell are the only projected returning starters -- but no two players alone can replace the production Johnson and Watson provided. Those who were around last year, though, learned a lot from watching Johnson and Watson and working alongside them in practice. "The physicality the game takes, how hard you have to strain to play linebacker in this league, I really just tried to pick up on that from them," redshirt junior Nic Mitchell said. "You just show up day by day, keep chopping wood." The Bulldogs are likely sticking with a 3-3-5 base defense under new coordinator Coleman Hutzler, also the linebackers coach. "I'm really happy with where the room is at right now," Hutzler said. |
| No. 18 Mississippi State Set To Host Baylor To Kickoff 2024 Season | |
| No. 18 Mississippi State is set to kick off its 2024 campaign on Thursday night by welcoming Baylor to the MSU Soccer Field. The Power Four matchup is slated for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff and will serve as the official start to the 2024-25 athletic season in Starkville. Coming off a strong 2023 season, State is eager to showcase its talents in front of a sea of the Maroon and White faithful on Thursday night. The Dawgs enter the match with high expectations, having earned their highest preseason ranking in program history. TopDrawerSoccer lists MSU at No. 15, while the United Soccer Coaches poll ranks them at No. 18 to start the season. This matchup marks the first time the Bulldogs and Bears will face off on the pitch since 2002 when Baylor edged MSU 2-1 in Waco. This long-awaited rematch adds an extra layer of excitement to Thursday's contest. Five Bulldogs were recently named to the SEC Preseason Watch List, underscoring the depth and talent on this year's squad. Maddy Anderson, Macey Hodge, Hannah Johnson, Rylie Combs and Aitana Martinez-Montoya have all been recognized as key players to watch for within the Southeastern Conference in 2024. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and ring loudly to support the Bulldogs in their home opener. For those unable to attend in person, the match will be streamed live via SEC Network+. |
| Underdogs no more: MSU enters new season commanding respect | |
| 2023 was a memorable year for Mississippi State soccer. The Bulldogs made it to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season after having appeared only once in program history before 2022. They reached the Sweet 16 before exiting with a 1-0 defeat to No. 2-seeded Stanford. MSU finished the season ranked No. 18 in the final United Soccer Coaches poll, the program's first-ever ranked finish. Head coach James Armstrong has built a strong team, and with so many returning players and strong additions there is a lot of hype about where the team can go next. The chemistry was on full display in the team's two preseason exhibition matches, a 3-1 win at Kennesaw State and a 5-0 win at home against UL Monroe. "That was a great starting point," Armstrong said. "The positive energy around the group, not just on the field but in the team room and locker room, dinners, and things like that has been amazing. They've done a good job of communicating with one another. A ton of belief amongst the staff and most importantly the players with the talent that we have." Up next is Baylor, who come to Starkville for a Thursday night matchup. When the two sides kick off at 6:30 p.m. |
| NEMCC unveils new design for Ricky G. Ford Court inside Bonner Arnold Coliseum | |
 | The building at the heart of Hill Country basketball will greet fans with an altered look during the upcoming 2024-25 season. Bonner Arnold Coliseum on the campus of Northeast Mississippi Community College received a new playing surface and subsequently a court redesign over the summer as part of its latest renovation. "Facility changes are all just signs of growth and an investment into what we're trying to do," Tigers headman Cord Wright said. "I think all the way around, the guys will be excited to play on it. From the visual look of it, it has a little pop to it." The original maple wood floor, which was sent to Booneville by the J.W. Wells Lumber Company in Menominee, Mich., in the early 1950s, almost survived to its anticipated life expectancy of 75 years. The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) logo is once again displayed twice on the newest edition. So, too, is the wording that recognizes the floor being named in honor of current Northeast president Dr. Ricky Ford. Ford is Northeast's all-time winningest coach regardless of sport with 588 victories over 30 seasons. His 1986-87 team captured what is still the only national championship in school history with a 68-64 triumph over St. Gregory's (Okla.) College in the finals. |
| Completion of Tennessee baseball's Lindsey Nelson Stadium renovations delayed until 2026 season | |
| Renovations to Tennessee baseball's Lindsey Nelson Stadium won't be complete prior to the 2025 season due to construction challenges causing delays during the second phase of the multiyear project. UT announced Wednesday it expects to have the project completed prior to the 2026 season due to delays resulting from utility relocation issues, which makes it a three-year project instead of a two-year project as initially hoped for. Many updates and additions will still be completed before the 2025 season begins with Tennessee as the defending national champions. "We are enthusiastic about offering a world-class experience for the best fans in the country once the renovations at Lindsey Nelson Stadium are complete," Tennessee athletics director Danny White said in a school release. "We deeply appreciate our fans' patience and understanding as we navigate through the construction process." The construction delay will most significantly affect Tennessee's plans for the suite and club level, which are no longer expected to be complete this offseason and instead are on target to be added before the 2026 season. The initial estimate for the Lindsey Nelson Stadium renovations approached $100 million. The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees approved a renovation budget of $95.8 million in June 2023. That marked a significant increase from $56.8 million, which was reflected in the University of Tennessee at Knoxville's proposed budget for 2022-23 fiscal year. |
| Greg Byrne Confirms New Arena 'Competition Only' | |
| The announcement was made that the UA Board of Trustees approved a new basketball practice facility, and the announcement was received with mixed emotions by the Alabama fanbase. The athletic department proposed a new basketball arena to replace Coleman Coliseum in winter 2022. Still, construction has yet to start due to inflation and other factors that increased costs. Alabama's athletic director, Greg Byrne, was the first guest on the "Hey Coach" radio show for the 2024-2025 season, and he confirmed the new basketball arena is for competition only and would not replace Coleman Coliseum and the practice facilities. How does the new facility fit into the proposed arena plans? "Day-to-day, for a coach, their classroom is the court," Byrne said. "What we've talked about for an arena, is a competition-only arena. We needed to address the practice side of it, and we needed to address it for both programs. We're building a new practice facility just off of Coleman Coliseum, so eventually with Coleman, no matter what happens to it long-term, we will have this separate facility. We'll have a new court for the men, the women will take over where the men have been." "We're doing first-class, nice locker rooms," Byrne said. "When recruits walk into this place it'll be as good a setup as anybody has from a basketball development standpoint. That's one of the things that's a big selling piece for both of our programs, but especially with what Nate [Oats] has done to develop young men." |
| North Carolina Seems Primed for Private Equity. Why Is It Passing? | |
| On paper, North Carolina is the prototypical athletic department that should want private equity's paper: a national brand, with a strong tradition and demanding booster base, but stuck in a second-fiddle power conference. UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham, however, says he isn't interested in this form of financing -- at least not now. He recently told Sportico that despite conversations with a half-dozen firms dating back to last fall, the school will not be taking money from (or selling equity to) any institutional groups in the foreseeable future. In a phone interview last week, Cunningham offered extensive insights on the subject of private capital's role in college sports. As part of that discussion, Cunningham also spoke about a future where programs like his increasingly look to consolidate their business functions, relying less on third parties to handle jobs such as selling media rights. "We have been approached numerous times about different private equity options, but nothing was appealing enough for us to pursue any further," Cunningham said. "The cost of capital for us is fairly low. They've got some good ideas and thoughts about some other uses of the capital, but we're not there yet." |
| The new College Football Playoff is here. Are more changes coming in the near future? | |
| Mike Aresco is fresh off a three-week vacation to London and Scotland -- a voyage he's wanted to make for years now available to him in his first few months fully retired. He and his wife visited Buckingham Palace. They toured some of the most renowned Scottish scotch distilleries. And they played golf at the world's most spectacular oceanside courses. But just a few months ago, Aresco, then the commissioner of the American Athletic Conference, found himself in the midst of heated negotiations over the future of the College Football Playoff. He prides himself in helping the Group of Five earn automatic access in the expanded postseason. But this week, from his retirement home in Idaho, he wonders for how long that will last. "Down the road, I do think it might be a concern," he said, "especially if our G5 teams do not do well enough and aren't ranked high enough." Days away from kickoff of, perhaps, the most anticipated season in college football history, excitement brews over the possibilities created by an overhauled and expanded playoff -- a four-round, 12-team format with five automatic qualifiers, seven at-large selections and a football version of the First Four played at on-campus stadiums. And yet, even before a single round is complete in the expanded postseason, there is a sharp eye on what the future holds. |
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