| Thursday, August 29, 2024 |
| Mississippi State readies for 2024 gameday traffic | |
 | Mississippi State University (MSU) will kickoff the 2024 football season on Saturday, August 31. With a 5:00 p.m. kickoff in Davis Wade Stadium, gates will open two hours and 15 minutes prior to the game against he non-conference Eastern Kentucky Colonels. All parking on campus is reserved for Bulldog Club members or is available for purchase using a debit or credit card. Multiple roads close on campus on gamedays with most roads only being accessible by those with a valid reserved or paid game day permit. Mississippi State encourages fans to download and use the Waze app to enter and exit campus on gameday. Waze will have updated road closures and traffic patterns. Davis Wade Stadium will be fully cashless in 2024. The cash to card exchange service at select State Style Store locations will no longer be available due to low redemption and to align with industry standard. Fans are encouraged to bring their debit or credit card or purchase a pre-paid card at a local bank or retail store prior to visiting campus. The grass space between campus sidewalks and open public tailgate areas has been expanded from 8' to 12' to allow improved pedestrian movement throughout the Junction and other public tailgate areas on campus. As with the final two games of last season, the north Junction grass area adjacent to Davis Wade Stadium has been closed to public tailgate tents. |
| Mississippi State receives $180K for STEM education | |
| Mississippi State University (MSU) received a $180,000 donation from the C Spire Foundation. The funds will support STEM and the development and implementation of online computer science classes. The C Spire Foundation partnered with the Center for Cyber Education at MSU to provide high schools with free access to quality computer science courses for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years. "We recognize the importance of improving lives through technology," said Beth Pickering, president and executive director of the C Spire Foundation. "We remain committed to supporting the best STEM education, digital literacy, and professional skills development for students in our region, and collaboration with organizations such as the Center for Cyber Education help make this a reality." The Center for Cyber Education plans to offer two online courses: Exploring Computer Science and Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (AP CSP). "Collaborating with a partner such as the C Spire Foundation, who not only acknowledges the significance of computer science education for students but also consistently contributes financially to advance our state, speaks volumes," said Shelly Hollis, director of the Center for Cyber Education at MSU. |
| Work of MSU shark scientist featured on Disney+ National Geographic documentary | |
 | As a father of three, Marcus Drymon has watched his fair share of Disney movies, but he never imagined his work as an associate Extension Service professor at Mississippi State University would land him a spot on a National Geographic feature documentary on Disney+. "Being part of this show was a blast," said Drymon. The marine biologist, more often referred to as a "shark scientist," is stationed at MSU's Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. In late 2022, Drymon's work caught the attention of a production company that contacted him about a documentary, which led to multiple conversations about his research over the next year. "Sharks are fascinating," said Drymon, whose interest in the species began at a young age. "I've been fortunate to work on sharks at a variety of institutions, but nowhere like Mississippi State University. At MSU, I receive tremendous support from leadership, which creates an exceptional working environment that cultivates success." "Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie," released this month, takes viewers to Lake Pontchartrain where Mackie and Drymon meet on a pier to fish for bull sharks. The species can live in fresh or salt water -- a benefit for the sharks but often a problem for anglers. |
| MSU launches free laundry pilot program for residence halls | |
 | The Mississippi State University Department of Housing and Residence Life is initiating a pilot program that offers free laundry services in the residence halls for the 2024-2025 academic year. This change comes as the university is working to raise student satisfaction through campus-wide changes, including new dining plans and the introduction of Dawg Dollars. Dei Allard, the executive director of Housing and Residence Life (HRL), said the change comes after several years of advocacy from the Residence Hall Association and other HRL staff members. "We ended up getting the opportunity to make it a reality this year and try it out," Allard said. "It's all free loads of laundry -- dry, wash, all the things for students in our residence halls." HRL works with Caldwell & Gregory, a commercial laundry company based in Virginia, to provide laundry services to students in MSU's residence halls. Allard said the company has been cooperative throughout the pilot program's development. Additionally, Caldwell & Gregory will provide metrics regarding machine usage throughout the upcoming months to help HRL determine the program's success. James Walker, the President of the Residence Hall Association and a junior agronomy major, said that one of RHA's initiatives this year will be teaching students to be responsible with laundry. "It's going to be our job to educate," Walker said. "Please don't wash one sock. That's what's going to get it taken away. That's what we consider abusing the privilege." |
| Mary Means Business: Starkville run store is open for business | |
 | If you ask my high school track coach, you can outrun any problem you have. With more than 160 million runners and walkers in the U.S., interest in the fitness activity and sport continues to increase. A new store in Starkville wants to meet that demand. Shoe Country Warehouse Run is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday in College Park on Russell Street, right next to George Sherman. This is a second location for SCW, with the original store in Tupelo. Christy Davis, along with her husband Brandon Davis and co-owner Sean-O'Rourke, are happy to bring folks all the necessities to run effectively. Christy said the running specialty store is actually her second "run" at a store in Starkville, as she previously owned Shoe Country and later B. Davis Shoes. She's excited to be back in the game. "It's been a lot of fun to be back," she said. "The community of Starkville has been incredibly excited and welcoming to us. We have been overwhelmed with the genuine kindness the customers have shown." |
| Burn ban coming Sunday in Lowndes; Oktibbeha 'closely monitoring' situation | |
| With dry conditions persisting, burn bans are active in 10 counties throughout the state, including Clay and Noxubee, according to the Mississippi Forestry Commission. But even more are coming to the Golden Triangle, as Starkville is already under a ban, another is on the way for Lowndes County starting Sunday, and one in Oktibbeha may be on the horizon. "Due to the extremely dry conditions, several county boards of supervisors have requested burn bans," Mississippi Forestry Commission State Forester Russell Bozeman said in a Monday press release. "A burn ban prohibits outdoor burning, and is a clear indicator that erratic wildfire conditions exist endangering the public and our wildland firefighters that are responding." Burn bans apply to any fire that involves an open flame and produces an ember, according to MFC. Things like campfires, bonfires and fire pits that produce sparks are not allowed under MFC bans, while gas grills or charcoal grills are. While Oktibbeha County has not yet issued a burn ban, Fire Services Coordinator Patrick Warner told The Dispatch he is monitoring the situation closely. "After discussing with the Mississippi Forestry, we are waiting (until) the end of the week to make a decision on whether to enact a burn ban," he wrote in a text message to The Dispatch. Even without a county-wide ban in place, Starkville Fire Department announced a city burn ban Aug. 22 on its Facebook page. SFD Chief Charles Yarbrough said he and the fire marshal decided to initiate the city ban as a preemptive measure. |
| New flight schedule coming to Meridian Regional Airport thanks to SkyWest | |
 | Earlier this week Meridian Regional Airport announced that they were adjusting their flight times. Starting September 1, the Meridian Regional Airport will no longer share flights with Hattiesburg, and the 6:25 p.m. flight will depart at 2:05 p.m. instead. SkyWest Airlines provides air service to the Meridian Regional Airport. For the last five years, SkyWest has experienced pilot shortages. Now that the pilot shortage is easing up, SkyWest can give Meridian a better schedule. This new schedule is expected to benefit the local community largely. "I think this is going to give us more opportunities to use our local airline, United Airlines at the Meridian Regional Airport. It's going to bring more opportunities for local passengers. Rather than driving somewhere, (they can) use Meridian and see what great customer service we have. (They can) see our $2.00-a-day parking instead of paying a fortune somewhere else. And when they get home, they're home. They aren't facing a two or two-and-a-half-hour drive to get home," said Tom Williams, the president of the Meridian Airport Authority. |
| Stuart donates collection to Nashville museum | |
| Marty Stuart has donated his entire private collection of country music memorabilia to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. Officials have said the collection, currently stored in Philadelphia, is the largest private collection of its kind in the world. Stuart's Congress of Country Music announced the momentous collaboration with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville last week. This partnership represents a significant development for the Congress of Country Music and the state of Mississippi, marking a major step forward in the preservation and promotion of country music history. The evening celebrated the addition of the Marty Stuart Collection to the museum's permanent holdings. Stuart's collection of more than 22,000 items is the largest private assemblage of country music artifacts in the world. It joins the museum's world-leading public collection. With the Marty Stuart Collection now part of the museum, a broader array of collection items will be available to the Congress to illustrate the genre's pre-commercial roots in the nineteenth century to present day. This enables the Congress to share a deeper and more complete story while positioning Philadelphia as a beacon that not only presents musical performances but also broadly embraces education and cultural history, officials said. "Marty Stuart's roots in Mississippi go deep. He became steeped in the sounds of country music there as a child," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. "Appropriately, Philadelphia is where Marty is showcasing his deep love for our artform." |
| Coast seafood industry hopes for change after second business admits mislabeling fish | |
 | In harbors and factories, news of the fraud spread fast. "It's a tremendous slap in the face," said Ryan Bradley, the executive director of Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United. "It's totally unfortunate," said David Gautier, who sells seafood from the Pass Christian Harbor. But the Coast's commercial fishermen and seafood processors were not surprised that Quality Poultry & Seafood pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiring with Mary Mahoney's Old French House restaurant to pass off cheap, foreign fish as fresh Gulf catch. Many had guessed Quality was next. The federal government did not name the business when Mary Mahoney's pleaded guilty this summer. Court records unsealed Tuesday confirmed that Quality sold Mahoney's the misbranded fish, and that both businesses profited by charging the same price they would for premium local seafood. The criminal case cracked the guise of a place that has long worshiped local seafood. "If I were a betting man, I'd guarantee you there's other people doing it," Gautier said. "They just haven't gotten caught yet." The latest blows stung, Bradley said. He said it is hard for honest fishermen who abide by strict regulations to compete with Quality, the largest seafood wholesaler in the state. It was not a victimless crime, he said, because fishermen's prices have plummeted while Quality apparently profited. "They don't treat the real fishermen right," he said. "Now we know why. They didn't feel like they needed us." |
| Another downtown Jackson restaurant is closing | |
 | Basil's in Downtown Jackson is closing it's doors. Michael Laskin, who is the manager for the downtown location, announced the decision on social media Wednesday. "A bit of housekeeping. Ya gotta know when to hold 'em' And (more importantly) when to fold 'em," he said on Facebook. "That being said, Basil's Downtown will be shutting its doors for good on Friday, September the 13th. "Thanks for all the love, support, and friendship you've all afforded to us the last 19 years. It's been a wild ride, and an honor serving you, our most important asset." Basil's is the second long-time restaurant in Jackson to close in as many days. According to its Instagram and Facebook pages, longtime gathering place, Fenian's Pub also is closing. Basil's and its sister restaurant Rooster's expanded to Flowood in April. There is also a Basil's in The Renassaince in Ridgeland and on State Street in Jackson. Owner Nathan Glenn told the Clarion Ledger in April he hoped to have more franchises in the near future. Glenn has opened or been a part of opening 15 restaurants of different kinds over the years, but now he is looking to expand the brand of Basil's, he told the Clarion Ledger in April. "One of the reasons we were building this location in Flowood is for models for upcoming franchising opportunities," he said in April. "We are putting the final touches on that now, a lot of legal and paperwork still to go." |
| Ag Commissioner Gipson speaks at Vicksburg Rotary Club | |
| Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson spoke on a wide array of topics during his visit to the Vicksburg Rotary Club's weekly meeting Thursday, but saved the majority of his remarks for stressing the importance of the Magnolia State's farmland and those who work it. "Agriculture is the backbone of Mississippi's economy," Gipson said. "Agriculture has always been the largest business in Mississippi. It's my job to promote Mississippi agriculture." Gipson said a number of factors in both the United States and world economies have made farming in the southeastern U.S. even more important in 2024. "Mississippians produce food, products and shelter for people not only here in our state, but literally all over the world." Gipson said Mississippi's abundant water resources, including rivers, aquifers and even annual rainfall, makes its farmland increasingly important as water resources in the western U.S. literally dry up. While he also addressed his reservations about the use of farmland for alternative power sources, such as solar farms, and the surge in international interest in buying state farmland, Gipson stressed the importance of local projects like the decades-long fight to complete the pumps in the Yazoo Backwater Area. "We must do everything in our power to protect the livelihoods of our farmers and the communities they support," he said. |
| Lawmakers hold joint hearing on early voting, online voter registration | |
| Mississippi lawmakers held a joint committee hearing on Wednesday regarding elections in the Magnolia State. Chairman of House Apportionment and Elections State Representative Noah Sanford (R) and Senate Elections Chairman Jeremy England (R) agreed to hold the hearing late in the 2024 session after the House did not take up England's early voting bill. "This past year, we began to talk about this idea of in-person early voting and other things going on with elections in Mississippi and when I talked with Rep. Sanford about that he if we don't get a bill passed we'll certainly have a hearing on it and here we are," England said. "So, he's a man true to his word and I appreciate him doing that." Joining the lawmakers at the hearing were representatives with the Secretary of State's office and Circuit Clerks Association as well as Election Commissioners and nonpartisan groups active nationally in the election process. Trey Grayson, the former Republican Secretary of State for Kentucky, also joined lawmakers for the hearing as part of the Secure Elections Project, a national nonprofit that works mostly in "red or purple states" on the elections processes. He spoke to online voter registration. Mississippi does not currently allow first-time online voter registration. Grayson said states have found that online voter registration saves money, enhances voter convenience, and is more secure than the traditional method. "Forty-three states have gone all in, so they allow both the updating and the initial registration," Grayson said, noting that Mississippi does allow for updating online. |
| Mississippi insurance commissioner asking position be changed from elected to appointed | |
| Voters will frequently hear politicians push for term limits, but not too often do they hear politicians ask for their own positions to go from elected to appointed. But in Mississippi, the current insurance commissioner is doing just that. Mike Chaney, a Republican who has been elected five times since 2007, circled back on Wednesday to a talking point he ran on nearly two decades ago: to join most other states in having an appointed insurance commissioner. Chaney said the reasoning is campaign funds and regulating insurance companies don't mix well when money is needed to win an election. "We're regulatory in nature. To be a good regulator, you can't be at the whisps and whims of lobbyists and the insurance companies," Chaney said during an appearance on The Gallo Show. "If you're going to be elected, you have to raise money. And I don't think it's proper to take money from an insurance company and then try to regulate them," he continued. "That's always something I've been very concerned about. I said that in 2007 when I first ran that I would look at it. I think the time's come that we've got to look at it." The Republican, who is now 80 years old and has just over three years left in his fifth term, is more than likely nearing the end of his political career and wants to ensure commissioners of the future don’t have to fall victim to insurance companies prying their way into elections. He said ahead of the 2025 legislative session, he will request lawmakers look into passing a bill to make Mississippi the 40th state in which the position is appointed by either the governor or a commission. |
| Insurance Commissioner Chaney pushing for his job to be appointed, not elected | |
| Long-time Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney confirmed Wednesday he has met with legislative leadership about making his position appointed instead of elected. The Republican Chaney, who was first elected to the statewide post in 2007, said he has come to the conclusion that a person who is appointed "can do a better job regulating the industry and protecting the consumers" than someone elected to the post. "I have grave concerns about someone running for this as a stepping stone to another position," said Chaney, age 80. "It is too important to do that." He said it "is borderline unethical" to take campaign funds from the industry being regulated. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who presides over the Senate, has met with Chaney about making the post appointed. House Speaker Jason White and other legislative leaders also are aware of his suggestion, Chaney said. In 39 states, Chaney said, the insurance industry is regulated by an appointed person. Chaney said he has proposed an insurance commissioner be nominated by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate to serve a six-year term. There are other positions in Mississippi appointed for six-year terms, such as the commissioners of banking and of revenue. |
| Medicaid awards managed care contracts after two-year stalemate | |
| Three companies will begin new contracts to manage the care of Mississippi Medicaid beneficiaries in July of 2025, barring further legal holdups. For-profit, incumbent companies Magnolia Health and Molina Healthcare and new, nonprofit TrueCare were each awarded four-year, $3.8 billion contracts beginning Aug. 12. The contracts were stalled for two years -- since August 2022 -- after two companies that weren't chosen filed protests with the state alleging that the blind bidding process was unfair and reviewers were not properly blinded to the identities of applicants. The issue is still being litigated in court. Enrollment in new plans should begin in May 2025, said Mississippi Medicaid spokesperson Matt Westerfield. The contracts were awarded after Mississippi Medicaid issued one-year emergency contracts last month to Magnolia Health, Molina Healthcare and UnitedHealthcare – the companies currently contracting with the state for managed care services -- for the second year in a row, giving new contractors time to implement services. The effectiveness of managed care programs has been widely debated. Some people argue that managed care companies are incentivized to offer effective preventative care services to members in order to avoid high-cost medical services, while critics argue that their profits are made by denying or limiting services to patients. |
| USDA chief admits 'mistakes' as food shortages hit tribal populations, low-income seniors | |
 | Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack acknowledged his department made "mistakes" in awarding a contract to a single distributor to supply critical food aid programs, a change that has triggered food shortages among low-income populations in at least eight states. Since the contract with distributor Paris Brothers Inc. began in April, tribes have reported delayed and missed deliveries as part of the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. The same issue has plagued the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which serves low-income seniors and food banks. That's left some of those program partners without key food staples, and many are now warning the shortages could get much worse in the next few months. "We're learning that our system was flawed, and mistakes were made," Vilsack said Tuesday in an exclusive interview with POLITICO. "It's caused a lot of stress and a lot of difficulty, and we're trying to mitigate the consequences of that stress and difficulty as best we can." The secretary added that USDA plans to bring Americold -- the other distributor that previously fulfilled delivery contracts for the two food aid programs -- back for a six-month contract, starting some time in the next few weeks. USDA has also brought in FEMA officials to help speed up food delivery and plans to bring in representatives from the Department of Defense after temporary FEMA officers leave their positions -- steps that could prove costly for taxpayers. |
| Chairman Thompson, Sec. Vilsack weigh in on continued farm bill uncertainty | |
| Pressure is mounting to get a farm bill done yet this year. "We're going to give the Senate a great bill to be able to work with," House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson said Wednesday at the 2024 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. Thompson tells Brownfield he'd like to see a House vote before the U.S. Presidential Election. "Now I'm working on closing the gap," he said. "The funding issue and working with the Congressional Budget Office. They've been very helpful. And quite frankly working with the individual members to make sure we have a strong, robust vote." But Thompson says another extension is likely due to inactivity in the Senate. "I think that's creating difficulty for Senator (Debbie) Stabenow to be able to have confidence she will be able to get 60 votes," Thompson said. "They don't have a bill at this point." Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says he knows Chairman Thompson wants a farm bill wrapped up before the election. "If it doesn't get done before the end of the year or if there's not an extension before the end of the year, then there's some ramifications that are pretty dire." But he tells Brownfield changes have to be practical. "You have to take a look at what actual resources are indeed available for any new programs or expansions of existing programs and try to fit whatever you're proposing within the real cost," Vilsack said. "Not a cost that's made up or not a cost that you use budget gimmicks to try to overshadow." |
| Faces of the Farm Bill: Choctaw Tribal Members | |
| Through these as-told-to conversations, Choctaw Tribal Members working in food justice in Mississippi explain how the impending Farm Bill has affected their community in the past, what they hope it will bring in the future, and what could happen if it falls short. Tomika Bell (Choctaw Fresh Produce distribution manager): As Native Americans, we live in rural areas, which means we don't have the ability to be near any kind of grocery stores or farm stands. But Choctaw Fresh gives people the ability to utilize our mobile market, and put farms in certain areas, which means we're able to reach those people that live in scarce areas that aren't able to have access to eating healthy. Nigel Gibson (Tribal Council member): Food is an essential need to life. Within our community, we have a high rate of diabetes with all ages within our tribe. What Choctaw Fresh is trying to provide is a healthier way of eating, and also educate tribe members on how they need to eat regardless if they're diabetic or not. Bell: We consider the land our motherland and Choctaw Fresh takes care of it by growing organic. We're not actually disturbing our soil, which is our way of taking care of our land. I feel like the Farm Bill could help us a lot by getting a lot of our land back. We don't have much access to a lot of good farmland. |
| Vance tells Harris to 'go to hell' for cemetery criticism she didn't give | |
 | Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance said at a campaign event on Wednesday that he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris "can go to hell," adding to the increasingly personal attacks former president Donald Trump's campaign has lodged against the Democratic presidential nominee in recent days. A reporter at the campaign event asked Vance about an altercation involving Trump campaign staff that took place at Arlington National Cemetery, which the former president visited Monday to mark the third anniversary of the Islamic State bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members during the evacuation from Afghanistan. Federal law prohibits election-related activities at military cemeteries and as The Washington Post previously reported, a cemetery employee tried to enforce the rules as provided to her by blocking Trump's team from bringing cameras to the graves of U.S. service members killed in recent years, according to a senior defense official and another person briefed on the incident. A larger male campaign aide insisted the camera was allowed and pushed past the cemetery employee. Vance accused Harris of criticizing Trump's visit to the cemetery, saying: "And she wants to yell at Donald Trump because he showed up? She can -- she can go to hell." Harris, who began a two-day bus tour in Georgia on Wednesday, did not bring up the issue on the campaign trail. Trump and his allies have been known to push past the boundaries of political norms during the former president's nearly decade-long political career. But the type of crass language Vance used to condemn a political opponent Wednesday is particularly unusual in modern politics. |
| McCormick confuses Philadelphia, Mississippi with Pennsylvania in X post | |
 | Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick (R) was mocked Wednesday after his X account confused Philadelphia, Miss., with Pennsylvania's biggest city. McCormick's account on social platform X shared a clip from a local Mississippi news station reporting on a shooting that police said was carried out by an alleged gang member from El Salvador. The post took aim at Vice President Harris and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) over their policies on immigration. "MS-13 gang members are terrorizing Philadelphians because of Harris & Casey's radical open border policies," McCormick captioned the post. The post was deleted minutes after it was posted, ABC 27 reported. A spokesperson for Casey, McCormick's opponent in the key Senate race, shared a screenshot of the post. "Dave, this story is from Philadelphia, Mississippi -- not Philadelphia, PA," Maddy McDaniel, the communications director for Casey, wrote on X. "Philly cop cars look like this -- hope this helps!" she added, along with a photo. The Casey campaign trolled McCormick by sharing photos of maps showing where the two Philadelphias are located. McCormick has faced criticism from his opponents for owning a home in Connecticut that he had listed as his primary address. |
| How California Became a New Center of Political Corruption | |
 | Jose Huizar's downfall at Los Angeles City Hall was as stunning as his rise to success, a political tragedy that, like many in the land of dreams, has become a familiar one. Born to a large family in rural Mexico and raised in poverty near the towering high rises of downtown Los Angeles, he overcame enormous odds to graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University and U.C.L.A. law school. He returned to his old neighborhood in East Los Angeles to run for the school board and eventually the City Council, where he gained control of the influential committee that approves multimillion-dollar commercial development projects across the city. His spectacular fall -- after F.B.I. agents caught him accepting $1.8 million worth of casino chips, luxury hotel stays, prostitutes and a liquor box full of cash from Chinese developers -- was cast by federal prosecutors as an epic Hollywood tale. They persuaded a judge in January to sentence him to 13 years in prison on charges of tax evasion and racketeering. Over the last 10 years, 576 public officials in California have been convicted on federal corruption charges, according to Justice Department reports, exceeding the number of cases in states better known for public corruption, including New York, New Jersey and Illinois. California also had cases of corruption in the days, now in the distant past, when Republicans held statewide office. But political analysts say the Democrats' present lock on political power leaves little opportunity for Republicans to effectively raise the issue of corruption as a campaign issue. |
| MUW rallies alumni, supporters in anticipation of 2025 legislative session | |
| After surviving a threatening legislative session this year, The W is rallying its supporters in preparation for the start of the 2025 legislative session in January. Mississippi University for Women faculty, staff and administration as well as community members, local leaders and Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science supporters gathered Tuesday at the Lyceum at Lee for The W's first Legislative Engagement and Advocacy Partnership rally. Tuesday's rally kicks off a statewide tour aimed at building a network to foster legislative support for keeping the university and MSMS operating in Columbus. "Our goals are really to activate the community and activate our alumni to reach out and make sure that we are known," MUW President Nora Miller told The Dispatch after the rally. "... I think the community has really recognized what a loss it would be if anything happened to (The W) or MSMS." Earlier this year, The W administration formed a task force to head the LEAP initiative. Members of the task force spoke Tuesday about how alumni and community members can get involved with the effort along with strategies for the next legislative session. Linda Ross Aldy, chair of the LEAP Task Force, said the next step is creating a "key person network" of volunteer alums and friends to be assigned to each of the 174 state legislators in the Senate and the House. If the legislators understand The W is solid, Aldy said, they're more likely to support keeping MSMS on the MUW campus and increasing the high school's funding. |
| UM renames Division of DEI to Division of Access, Opportunity and Engagement | |
 | The University of Mississippi is closing its Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and opening the Division of Access, Opportunity and Community Engagement, UM Chancellor Glenn Boyce announced in a campus-wide email on Friday, Aug. 16. Pending approval from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, this change comes after a year-long internal review conducted by an unspecified group of consultants, according to the university press release. The University of Mississippi is the only university in the state to submit a proposal to the IHL for its name change. Many in Mississippi are opposed to DEI programs, including Mississippi state Auditor Shad White, who has advocated shutting down state DEI programs. In an Aug. 17 post on X, White criticized Mississippi universities for the name changes. "But my concern is that Mississippi universities are not really closing their DEI offices and are instead just changing the name," White wrote. "USM even admitted it. The communications officer there said 'it was simply a change in the office name' when they slapped a new label on their diversity office." |
| Children's of Mississippi Celebrates $5 million Renovations to Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders | |
 | Children's of Mississippi in Jackson, the state's only children's hospital, recently unveiled multi-million dollar renovations to its Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. The center originally opened its doors in 1991. Philanthropist Suzan Thames is a former speech pathologist and audiologist who has volunteered at the center from its beginning. "When we first started, there was just a huge, big, round, open outpatient clinic for all children in our state who were being treated for diseases," she said at the opening reception. "Children with challenged immune systems, such as children with cancer or with blood disorders, did not need to be mixing in with children with other diseases. As I'm sure you've heard on many occasions, we didn't even have any kind of vaccination for chickenpox, which was often deadly to these children with challenged immune systems." With help from the Junior League of Jackson, a volunteer organization, the center was able to open to help care for children with various diagnoses of cancer, as well as those with blood disorders such as hemophilia and sickle cell disease. Dr. Betty Herrington is a professor of pediatrics and the division chief for pediatric hematology and oncology at Children's. "Our staff will tell you it's been a breath of fresh air," she said. "We really enjoyed it. We have always been proud of the work that we do here, but we, like you, understand that offering world class care is important, but it's also important to offer comfort to our families. We know that this comfort is essential to a patient's experience at Children's of Mississippi." |
| Southern Miss receives $3.8 million grant | |
| After becoming the first Registered Teacher Apprenticeship program in the state, the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) was awarded an Apprenticeship Building America grant worth $3,800,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration. "Southern Miss remains connected to our historical roots of producing teachers that are ready for life, and this substantial grant from the Department of Labor brings us to over $7 million secured this year for innovative approaches to teacher preparation, such as teacher residency and apprenticeship," said Dr. Trent Gould, dean of the USM College of Education and Human Sciences. "Expanding the Golden Eagle Teacher Residency program to offer teacher apprenticeship support is one more example of our commitment to impacting Mississippi communities by producing teachers that will persist in the profession." According to university officials, the Golden Eagle Teacher Apprenticeship program is an earn while you learn opportunity for teacher assistants to gain skills and training for promotion. While working in local school districts, teacher assistants in the apprenticeship program will complete their college coursework online. |
| USM Gulf Park Campus celebrates start of fall semester with student mixer | |
 | On Wednesday, the USM Gulf Park Campus held a student mixer to celebrate the start of the fall semester. Students and faculty gathered to fellowship and have lunch, even grabbing some USM goodies to represent the Golden Eagles. School officials say the number of students enrolled is the highest they have been since COVID. USM President Joe Paul says that students are being prepared for the world by the time they graduate. "We've got a big movement going on to look at and partner with employers, you know, 'What do you see in our graduates and what would you like to see that you don't?', and we are going to add that value to make sure our graduates are ready for life and we are excited about that," Paul said. |
| Shihab Saran: Water-System Engineer's Research Helps Gulf Coast Oyster Reefs | |
| Shihab Hossain Saran mingled amongst the crowd of marine scientists and engineers from across the world who packed the busy floor of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center on Sept. 28, 2023, the final day of last year's OCEANS conference, Saran and the crowd around him had moved into an open area away from the event's many booths and tables, and they listened together as an officiator was announcing the winners for the conference's poster competition. After judges announced the third- and second-place winners, Saran counted himself out. Comparing the numerical models on his poster to the notably different displays of the engineers comprising the other conference attendees, Saran did not feel at that moment that the grand prize was something he would earn. Nevertheless, when the officiator of the award ceremony announced first place, Saran heard his own name echoing from the convention center walls. "Really, it was one of the most surprising and inspirational moments of my life," Saran said. "Out of nowhere, I was the champion." Restoring the conditions of the Mississippi Sound is not an easy task. The restoration effort is a multi-stage project consisting of researchers and engineers who have various specializations. Many of these researchers, including Saran, are graduate students at the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach, Miss. |
| WCU hosts opening convocation for new academic year | |
 | William Carey University President Ben Burnett addressed students, faculty and staff during an opening convocation Wednesday morning at Thomas Fine Arts Auditorium. Burnett talked about student growth at the university, introduced new faculty members and presented the theme for the 2024-2025 academic year. This year's theme: "By this, we are known." "We focus on a different Bible verse every year to draw our conversations, our chapel meetings, our classes together and this year, it's from John 13, and it's where Jesus is telling his disciples to love one another," Burnett said. "That's how they're going to be known, by loving one another." Classes at William Carey University began on Monday. |
| Teens are losing interest in school, and say they hear about college 'a lot' | |
 | This is not your standard back-to-school story, about school supplies or first-day butterflies. It's about how school-aged members of Gen Z -- that's 12- to 18-year-olds -- are feeling about school and the future. And according to a new national survey, those feelings are a little worrying. School engagement is down. The middle- and high-schoolers surveyed find school less interesting than they did just last year, and only about half believe they're being challenged "in a good way." The problem is especially acute for teens who say they don't want to go to college right out of high school. When asked whether "my schoolwork challenges me in a good way," just under half of middle and high school students agree, with only 14% agreeing strongly. Many middle- and high-schoolers feel disconnected from what they're being taught in the classroom. Just 46% agree that "at school, I get to do what I do best every day." In trying to gauge students' feelings around classroom engagement (or disconnection), schools are especially struggling to engage students who don't have college plans. When asked if they feel challenged by their school work "in a good way," more than half of students with higher education plans, 55%, agree. But only 41% of middle and high schoolers with no college plans say they feel challenged in a good way. That's just one of many warning signs. |
| Forbes ranks U. of Florida No. 4 among the nation's best public universities | |
 | The University of Florida on Wednesday was ranked by Forbes as the No. 4 public university in the nation and among the top institutions in the country for return on investment, according to the magazine's 2024-25 list of America's Top Colleges. Forbes used 14 different metrics to evaluate 500 colleges from across the U.S., including alumni salary, debt, graduation rate, return on investment and Forbes' own American Leaders List, which "aims to gauge the leadership and entrepreneurial success of a college's graduates." UF stood out for its ability "to offer students high earning potential with low debt burdens and a great return on their investment," according to Forbes. "The University of Florida accomplishes great things, and we are not slowing down," said Mori Hosseini, chair of the UF board of trustees, in a news release. "This ranking is another recognition of our world-changing mission as an elite and practical university. ..." The achievement is among a long list of accolades from Forbes, which in April named UF as one of only 10 "New Ivy" schools that are "shining in the higher education landscape and churning out smart, driven graduates" who are highly employable. |
| Ben Sasse Spent Far More Than His Predecessor. Including on These Reports. | |
 | Ben Sasse, who stepped down in July as president of the University of Florida, has drawn scrutiny for his office's spending since The Independent Florida Alligator, the university's student newspaper, detailed how it'd ballooned, compared with his predecessor. Among other line items, the university signed a $4.7-million contract with the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company in March 2023, one month after Sasse, who'd previously served as a Republican U.S. senator for Nebraska, assumed his new role. (Sasse also formerly worked as an adviser to McKinsey on an hourly contract, according to The New York Times.) The consulting firm would help the institution chart a path forward, a university spokesperson told the Alligator last year, when it first reported on the contract. In the intervening months, public details about McKinsey's work at UF remained scant. The university kept its consulting expenses "largely under wraps," the Alligator wrote in its story on Sasse's spending, "leaving the public in the dark about what the contracted firms did to earn their fees." After that story -- which also described Sasse as hiring former Senate staffers to highly paid remote positions -- was published, a wave of criticism followed, including from the state's chief financial officer, who wrote on the social-media platform X that reports of Sasse's "exorbitant spending" are "concerning" and should be investigated. |
| 'They just lost it': Peyton Manning makes appearance as U. of Tennessee professor | |
 | Josh Lively didn't know what to think when he read a few words of an email on his way out the door. "This is confidential. Please don't tell anyone," Lively read when he glanced at his phone one morning in March. Lively, an assistant director of strategic communications for Tennessee athletics, ran through scenarios in his head as he drove 15 minutes from his house to campus. When he got there and finally read the email, he was in shock. Lively had been selected to host Tennessee football legend Peyton Manning as a guest speaker in his sports promotion and branding class. Lively was only in his third semester teaching as an adjunct professor for UT's school of advertising and public relations at that point. "I'm like, holy cow, how did you guys select me?" Lively said Wednesday. "I'm not even full time. There's 1,000 classes they could have picked." Lively then had to keep it a secret for five months. But it was worth it to see the reaction of his 99 students when he told them on the first day of class. Manning spoke to the class for a little more than an hour and then stayed for 20 more minutes to take a photo with every student. He offered insight on his career from Tennessee to the NFL and his entertainment company Omaha Productions. Manning was named a professor of practice by the UTK College of Communication and Information starting in the fall 2023 term. As part of his role, he partners with CCI faculty and teaches a variety of topics as a featured expert. |
| Lawyer bungled a lawsuit against U. of Kentucky badly enough to get disciplined. Then UK hired her | |
 | In 2020, Lexington attorney Mary Ann Miranda represented a young woman suing the University of Kentucky in U.S. District Court for disability discrimination. The next year, a judge tossed out the lawsuit at UK's request after Miranda missed important deadlines, including her chance to respond to UK's motion for dismissal. As the case went off the rails, Miranda didn't return her client's worried calls, emails and texts, according to court records. Once UK prevailed, things got worse for Miranda. The judge rebuked her in writing for her inaction. The Kentucky Bar Association pursued misconduct complaints against her because of the UK suit and another bungled assignment, an estate case where she took a family's money but didn't perform the work, respond to the family's concerns or return their father's will. On Dec. 14, 2023, the Kentucky Supreme Court handed down a 181-day license suspension, probated for two years, on the conditions that Miranda enter the Kentucky Lawyer Assistance Program for close supervision and avoid any further misconduct. In the midst of all this, UK offered Miranda a job. Today she's paid $150,665 a year as an associate general counsel at the university that thwarted her disabled client. UK defended its decision to hire Miranda in a brief statement to the Herald-Leader. |
| U. of Texas student suing university officials faces suspension over pro-Palestinian protests | |
| A hearing happening later this week will determine whether a University of Texas student will be suspended for his actions connected to a pro-Palestinian protest that happened on the UT campus back in April. That student, Ammer Qaddumi, is now suing UT President Jay Hartzell and UT Vice President Sharon Wood, according to a lawsuit, saying they violated his First Amendment rights. On April 23, a student group called the Palestine Solidary Committee (PSC) posted to Instagram saying a protest was scheduled for the next day. The lawsuit said Qaddumi was one of the organizers of this protest. However, the night before the protest was scheduled to take place, the PSC received an email from the university saying it would not be allowed to hold the event. The lawsuit said Wood also sent an email to the Dean's Council the morning of April 24 before the protest was supposed to start. When the protest began, there was a law enforcement presence on campus. According to the lawsuit, police asked for a "mediator" from the crowd to communicate with, which Qaddumi volunteered to be. Qaddumi attempted to tell protesters to disperse. However, the lawsuit said law enforcement "blocked off most routes for dispersal," and that is when crowds reconvened in another area. Qaddumi again told the protesters to disperse to avoid getting arrested by law enforcement, which they did, according to the lawsuit. |
| Success Program Launch: A Research Fellowship for Business Students | |
 | Across all the programs of study in higher education, business has been the most popular major among bachelor's degree recipients for the past decade. In the 2021–22 academic year, business majors made up 19 percent of all U.S. degrees conferred, with around 375,400 graduates studying business, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Within the industry, business students have numerous career opportunities available, which can present a challenge to students unsure of where they'd like to apply their studies. A new initiative at Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business emphasizes the field of business research, exposing students to various career paths through experiential learning. The Undergraduate Business Research Experience (UBRE) supports a cohort of students for four semesters as they learn research inquiry and professional development, culminating in an independent research project presented to the university community. The program was born from two desires: to showcase the excellent research being done by faculty and to introduce students to a mostly unfamiliar career path, says Jen Bailey, associate dean for undergraduate programs at Robinson College. |
| Oh, the humanities: Can you guess the most-regretted college majors? | |
 | If you studied humanities, life sciences or law in college, there's a better-than-40% chance you regret the choice now. That's the takeaway from a report by the Federal Reserve, whose researchers perennially ask college graduates whether they would choose a different field of study if they were granted a do-over. The Fed reports levels of college satisfaction across broad academic categories in a report titled Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2023, published earlier this year. Researchers asked college completers if they would choose a different field now. The most-lamented majors: social and behavioral sciences, regretted by 44% of grads, followed by humanities and arts (43%), life sciences (also 43%), law (41%) and education (38%). The least-regretted fields? Engineering, a choice regretted by only 27% of graduates, followed by computer and information sciences (31%) and health (32%). Across all fields of study, 35% of college graduates said they would pick a different major, given a second chance. Of course, regretting your major is not the same as regretting college. The vast majority of college graduates with bachelor's degrees -- more than 80% -- say their education helped prepare them for a well-paying job, according to a May report from Pew Research. |
| Botched college financial aid form snarls enrollment plans for students | |
 | After a long summer of technical glitches, most of America's prospective college students finally applied for federal financial aid -- an annual process upended by a redesign-gone-bad. The number of high school seniors who have completed their Free Application for Federal Student Aid is down 9% compared with this time last year, according to the National College Attainment Network. That number was as high as 40% in the spring, when students usually must submit their forms to give schools enough time to assemble an aid package. How much the FAFSA problems will impact the number of students attending college remains to be seen, counselors and advisers say. But the delays certainly have changed where students enrolled, with many students forced to pick a college with limited information about their financial picture. The plunge in FAFSA completion rates was especially sharp for students who already face hurdles to enrolling in postsecondary education, including low-income students and students of color. Advocates worry the delays -- on top of a Supreme Court ruling that struck down affirmative action in higher education -- will affect where and whether many go to college. Theoretically, said Katharine Meyer, a fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, "We're going to see a less racially diverse college enrollment cohort, a less socioeconomically diverse college enrollment cohort." |
| On Their Own, Without a Home, and Waiting for Federal Aid | |
| On the first Monday in August, a young woman named Jessica checked her campus email, hoping to see that her financial-aid offer had finally arrived. She checked her personal email, too, just in case. Once again, nothing. Seven months after completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, she still didn't have the document that would show her cost of attendance and unlock the federal Pell Grant she needed to stay enrolled in college. And because she lacked an official offer, she hadn't been able to renew a private scholarship -- $5,000 a year -- before the deadline, in July. Though she still hoped to receive some or all of that money, she worried that she wouldn't get any. Jessica is a rising sophomore majoring in marine science at an East Coast college, where she has thrived despite what she lacks: a permanent address and a parent who supports her. As the fall semester loomed, she felt frustrated -- with the government, with her financial-aid office, with the whole Sisyphean slog. "It's been pretty draining," she said. Jessica's experience reveals the cumulative impact of multiple failures, by the U.S. Department of Education and her own college, that had stranded her in financial-aid limbo. |
| Ph.D.s Are Next in Fight Over Affirmative Action | |
 | A 35-year-old federal program aimed at helping low-income students earn advanced degrees is being accused of racial discrimination, the latest challenge against diversity initiatives. The McNair program -- named for Ronald McNair, a Black physicist who died aboard the Challenger space shuttle -- offers around $60 million in grants to universities, which use the funds to help undergraduates prepare for doctoral studies in research-intensive fields such as chemistry or math. Schools can select students of any race whose parents don't hold bachelor's degrees -- known as first-generation -- and whose families' taxable income falls below 150% of the Census Bureau's poverty line. Students who don't meet those criteria can apply if they belong to groups "that are underrepresented in graduate education," according to the website for the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. That includes Black, Hispanic, American Indian and native Hawaiian students, among others. White and Asian students are eligible only if they meet the first-generation and low-income requirements. The McNair program's racial eligibility criteria violate the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday against the U.S. Department of Education by Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative legal organization, on behalf of a national student group called Young America's Foundation and two of its student members. The lawsuit expands a broader fight over programs that take into account race in school admissions, employment and other decisions. |
| Student debt forgiveness puts campaigns in a tricky spot | |
| Student debt forgiveness is a tricky campaign issue for both Vice President Harris and President Trump. While the Biden-Harris administration has struggled to deliver on some of President Biden's key policies, Trump has said he is against the forgiveness that is highly favored by the young voters he needs to sway to his side. There are stark differences in how Harris and Trump would approach student loans. Harris is likely to continue President Biden's policies, and Trump has signaled he will not do much in terms of loan forgiveness. "So Kamala, the prospects for being really great on student loans are very low," said Alan Collinge, founder of Student Loan Justice, adding "we have even less hope for the Republicans. If you look at Project 2025 it's pretty clear that they're just telling the sort of student loans swap line, which they've been doing for years now. So student loans borrowers really don't have anywhere to look for at this point." The actions of the Biden-Harris administration come as a Harvard analysis found that 70 percent of voters think the government needs to take some sort of action when it comes to student debt. While Trump gave some student debt relief during his presidency, it was miniscule compared to the Biden administration, which has forgiven more loans than any other president. Trump's relief only went to targeted groups of individuals, and he did not propose any sort of broad or universal forgiveness. |
| Supreme Court rebuffs Biden administration plea to restore multibillion-dollar student debt plan | |
| The Supreme Court on Wednesday kept on hold the latest multibillion-dollar plan from the Biden administration that would have lowered payments for millions of borrowers, while lawsuits make their way through lower courts. The justices rejected an administration request to put most of it back into effect. It was blocked by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In an unsigned order, the court said it expects the appeals court to issue a fuller decision on the plan "with appropriate dispatch." The Education Department is seeking to provide a faster path to loan cancellation, and reduce monthly income-based repayments from 10% to 5% of a borrower's discretionary income. The plan also wouldn't require borrowers to make payments if they earn less than 225% of the federal poverty line -- $32,800 a year for a single person. Last year, the Supreme Court's conservative majority rejected an earlier plan that would have wiped away more than $400 billion in student loan debt. Cost estimates of the new SAVE plan vary. The Republican-led states challenging the plan peg the cost at $475 billion over 10 years. The administration cites a Congressional Budget Office estimate of $276 billion. Sheng Li, litigation counsel with the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a legal group funded by conservative donors, applauded the order. "There was no basis to lift the injunction because the Department of Education's newest loan-cancellation program is just as unlawful as the one the Court struck down a year ago," he said in a statement. |
SPORTS
| Bulldog Club Launches The Cristil Society To Support Mississippi State Athletics | |
| Mississippi State Athletics and the Bulldog Club announced Wednesday the formation of the Cristil Society, a philanthropic giving group dedicated to enhancing the student-athlete experience at Mississippi State. In an ever-changing college athletics landscape, the Cristil Society will be a foundation upon which student-athlete and team success is built at Mississippi State. The Cristil Society has been named in memory of the legendary voice of the Bulldogs, the late Jack Cristil. Cristil was a cornerstone in MSU radio booths for over 50 years. His voice is synonymous with some of the greatest moments in the history of Mississippi State Athletics as he consistently wrapped victories and memories in "Maroon and White." Contributions to the Bulldog Club provide necessary resources for 16 sport programs and over 400 student-athletes. These key investments can be designated toward areas of focus including the holistic student-athlete experience, facility enhancements and scholarships. "In this ever-changing landscape of college athletics, some key things will remain the same at Mississippi State," Director of Athletics Zac Selmon said. "We will provide transformational experiences. We will equip our young people with tools for life. They will earn college degrees and we will keep winning at the forefront in all that we do. I am thrilled we will have the opportunity to celebrate and recognize loyal and committed Bulldog Club members who go above and beyond to join us in this mission. We are proud to be able to honor Mr. Cristil who also went above and beyond for Mississippi State University, as it is a worthy cause." |
| What to watch for: Mississippi State vs. Eastern Kentucky | |
| Mississippi State opens the 2024 season -- and the Jeff Lebby era -- at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday when the Bulldogs host FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky for a 5 p.m. kickoff on ESPN+ and SEC Network Plus. The Colonels, entering their fifth year under head coach Walt Wells, are in their second season in the United Athletic Conference, which formed when the Atlantic Sun and Western Athletic Conferences merged in 2023. Eastern Kentucky finished 5-6 last year, though they did put a scare into Kentucky on Sept. 9 when they led the Wildcats for much of the afternoon. This is the first-ever head-to-head meeting between the teams. Nearly everything is new for the Bulldogs entering 2024, from the head coach to eight out of 10 assistants to just about every starter on both sides of the ball. MSU spent the spring and summer installing Lebby's fast-paced spread offense, designed to get the ball to dynamic playmakers in space. Quarterback Blake Shapen, who played in a pro-style offense at Baylor, is getting set to make his first start as a Bulldog. The defense, coordinated by Coleman Hutzler, is still in the process of figuring out its best 11, and safety Corey Ellington -- one of just two projected returning starters -- will miss Saturday's game with an injury he sustained in fall camp. Wide receiver Kelly Akharaiyi is also out, while running back Jeffery Pittman is not with the team at the moment due to an "internal matter." |
| College football season is upon us, so how many games will Mississippi teams win? | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: Making public predictions on a Mississippi college football season is a capricious business. Trust me, I know. Depth at our schools is often thin. An injury or three at a key position can turn a potential 8-4 season into 4-8 quicker than you can say anterior cruciate ligament. ... Mississippi State? To say the Bulldogs are a new-look team is probably the understatement of the decade. The Bulldogs will feature a new head coach, new coordinators, a new quarterback and only four returning starters, the least in the SEC. This rebuilding job may take a while. That said, I've always put a lot of stock in what coaching peers say about a new head coach, and I've never heard any coach, friend or foe, say anything negative about Jeff Lebby. He has produced explosive offenses everywhere he has coached, including Ole Miss and Oklahoma. Lebby's first task as a head coach will be challenging to say the least. Not only must he replace 18 starters, he must do it against a schedule that might best be described as frightening. |
| State Soccer Welcomes Tennessee Tech For Senior Night | |
| Mississippi State soccer is set to honor a program-changing class of seniors on on Thursday as they host Tennessee Tech at the MSU Soccer Field. This special evening will honor ten seniors, who have all made significant contributions to the Maroon and White throughout their time in Starkville. State (3-1-0) comes into the matchup ranked 22nd by TopDrawerSoccer and looks to continue to build into the final stretch of non-conference play. After securing two wins at the MSU Soccer Field to start the season over Baylor and Northwestern State, the Dawgs made their way to the Tar Heel State for week two of action. The Dawgs split results in North Carolina, earning a win at Charlotte before narrowly conceding a late goal against Wake Forest in the 84th minute to fall 2-1, their first loss of the season. MSU has offered a very balanced and deep offensive attack to begin the 2024 season with all eight goals coming courtesy of eight different Bulldogs. Notably during the North Carolina swing, a pair of freshmen Dawgs, Kennedy Husbands and Kara Harris, netted their first collegiate goals and were game changers for State. On the defensive, the back line and co. has offered a SEC leading three sheets to begin the 2024 season and have held opponents to only 6.8 shots per game and are allowing only 0.50 goals per contest. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as senior night festivities are set to begin at 6:12 p.m. with the match kicking off at 6:30 p.m. Fans unable to attend can stream the game via SECN+ or follow along with StatBroadcast. |
| Jackson to host joint fan party celebrating college football season | |
| Mississippi's capital city will be celebrating the college football season in style with a communitywide party next week. On Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 6:30 p.m., JXN Football Media Day will take place at Fondren Yard. Officials are inviting Jackson State, Millsaps College, and Belhaven University fans to join forces and gear up for what's expected to be a successful season on the gridiron. The free event is designed to be an opportunity for fans to mingle, eat, drink, and get to know players and coaches. Annually, the three football programs combined to bring millions in economic impact to the city of Jackson with local businesses, hotels, and restaurants benefitting every weekend there's at least one home game. Each institution's president, athletic director, and head football coach will speak, highlighting key players and plans for the season. Players, cheerleaders, and mascots will also be present, offering a great opportunity for photos and community engagement. This fall, Jackson's three collegiate football teams will host 16 games throughout the regular season. |
| Why Lane Kiffin could be poised to get Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff | |
| It's just before 6 o'clock in the morning during the dog days of Ole Miss' sweltering preseason camp, and Lane Kiffin is already on fire. No, he's not grading tape, drawing up new plays or even thinking much about football at all. His endorphins are racing after an intense yoga session. As he transitions from yoga to prayer and meditation and finally to journaling, Kiffin reminds himself that this day, this week, even this season -- the most anticipated at Ole Miss in more than 50 years -- is not about him. "When you're making changes to be the best version of yourself, you learn to let go of control, to let go of your ego, to let go of the things that don't matter," Kiffin told ESPN. "Everything I ever wanted was on the other side of letting go, which is the exact opposite of how you think because you think you can't let go of anything. You're not trained that way, especially in football." Mention Kiffin's name around college football, and you're sure to get a wide array of reactions. Offensive mastermind. Narcissist. Twitter troll. Unrelenting competitor. The ultimate antagonist. Unapologetically himself. He's also sober and says he hasn't had a drink in three and a half years. "Not drinking is just a part of my journey to where I am now, which is as fulfilled as I've been in coaching, and as important as all of that, is having peace and rhythm in my life," Kiffin said. "I'm still not perfect, still have my moments. But there's a freedom in not feeling like you need a drink to celebrate a big win or get over a tough loss. There's a freedom of not having to have acceptance of what some guy writes about you or what the fans think of you or if you're on the hot seat. There's just a freedom in knowing that it's going to be OK." |
| Danny White now highest-paid AD at public school with new deal as Tennessee revenue soars | |
| Tennessee's Danny White is the highest-paid athletics director at a public university in the country, based on documents obtained by USA TODAY Network, after he signed a contract extension that pays him at least $2.75 million annually. On Thursday, UT announced White's raise and contract extension, which went into effect Aug. 1. It's a significant raise from his previous base salary of $2.425 million, and he'll continue to receive the same 5% annual increase from his original contract. White can also earn as much as $600,000 in bonuses annually if UT hits academic and athletic benchmarks, which it has routinely done during his tenure. His deal has a six-year rolling term, and among his perks is the use of a university plane for 10 one-way flights. Consider this commission pay for the skyrocketing revenue that UT has generated under White's watch. The Tennessee Fund raised $139.7 million in 2023-24, the best year in UT athletics fundraising history. That mark has increased more than $100 million in the past four years since White was hired. In 2023, UT athletics had its highest operating revenue in history at more than $200 million, exceeding the previous record by almost $50 million. White has taken the Vols from disarray to dominance in less than four years. |
| Colorado's Deion Limelight Trumps $700K Bonus for North Dakota State | |
| In May 2016, the athletic directors of Colorado and North Dakota State signed an agreement for a football game between their programs to be played on a Saturday some eight-plus years later. Accordingly, CU would pay NDSU $700,000 to come to Folsom Field. Instead, the Buffalos and Bison will finally meet in a nationally televised prime-time game on Thursday, so as to accommodate ESPN. If college football schedule-making was done via crystal ball, this is probably not the matchup CU would have wanted to open the sophomore season of the Deion Sanders experiment, considering how things fell apart in Year 1. (Oddsmakers have the Buffs as 9.5-point favorites in the game.) Much has changed in the time since the opponents first signed on the dotted line -- a combined five new head coaches between the schools and a new conference for CU, which left the Pac-12 for the Big 12 -- though some key things remain the same. The signatories of the game agreement, AD's Rick George and Matt Larsen, are still employed at CU and NDSU, respectively. North Dakota State continues to be one of the top FCS football programs in the country, with a history of ruining the non-conference home schedules of their bigger, richer hosts. The Bison have won five out of their last six road games against FBS opponents, including a 23-21 stunner against a No. 13-ranked Iowa team in 2016. And this success, in turn, has made the school's spoiler opportunities increasingly hard to come by. |
| 'The Price' Review: Game Changers | |
| Less than 12 hours after Alabama beat Georgia in overtime to win college football's national championship in 2018, the head coach of the Crimson Tide, Nick Saban, was back on campus in Tuscaloosa for a meeting with his assistants. "I know you guys want to feel all happy," said Mr. Saban, "but that was last year." The refusal to celebrate for even a day seems to have served Mr. Saban well. By the time he retired from the sidelines this year at the age of 72, following 17 seasons at Alabama and five seasons before that at Louisiana State, he had racked up seven national titles, nearly 300 total wins and awards galore. He is one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game. Just as Mr. Saban loomed over college football for a generation, he looms over "The Price," a chronicle of the characters and controversies that have animated college football in recent years. Armen Keteyian and John Talty, both veteran journalists, call Mr. Saban the "Old King," and they argue that the era in which he flourished is slipping away as a new crew of coaches and players scramble for success. They face tests that the ancien régime never did: radical conference realignments that have forsaken geographical coherence; transfer portals that encourage players to move around like free agents; and compensation schemes that allow athletes to profit from their "name, image, and likeness," as the NCAA rulebook puts it. |
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