| Thursday, October 24, 2024 |
| MSU researchers delve into legend of Grant flag | |
 | A United States flag, once rumored to have draped Ulysses S. Grant's coffin, is now the subject of research in the U.S. Grant Presidential Library at Mississippi State University. Donated to the library Thursday by Renasant Bank's main branch in Starkville, the flag brings with it a century of legends, from Grant carrying it into battle to its being on display in a hotel lobby in Natchez. "Along the way, its legend kind of grows," said Ryan Semmes, director of research at the Grant Library. "It went from a funeral flag to the flag he carried in battle during the war. ... It has a legend that's established with it, some of which is probably true and some of which is just completely not true. But how did that legend evolve over the years?" Using old newspapers articles, auction catalogs and genealogical research, that's exactly what researchers are trying to determine. While some claims -- like the flag bearing bullet holes from active combat -- are easily disproved, others are more concrete. The flag's documentation shows it belonged to a woman named Mary Pinkerton Thompson, husband to a Sgt. H. Pinkerton and a supposed cousin of a different president, Semmes said. "Now Mrs. Thompson claims ... that she was cousins with Abraham Lincoln, and that as a young girl she would stay at the White House and play with the president and his children and things like that," Semmes said. |
| Bonita Lakes arboretum to bring education, ecotourism | |
 | Community leaders and local officials celebrated Tuesday as they cut the ribbon on a new arboretum at Bonita Lakes Watershed. The new attraction is intended to both help educate the public about trees and forestry, as well as provide another draw to the recreational area for residents and visitors. Those taking the main gravel trail around the upper lake will see signs fixed to trees and other plants with information telling the name, family and origin of the plant, as well as a QR code that will pull up additional information when scanned. In August, Joshua Granger, a dendrologist and associate professor at Mississippi State University's forestry department, visited Bonita and got to work identifying and tagging 85 different species for the arboretum project. Although residents have seen the signs go up over the past few weeks, Meridian Tree Commission Chairperson Angela Barnard said efforts to create an arboretum go back several years. In 2022, she said, Meridianite Ollie Wilkes came up with the idea for the project and was willing to put some of his own money forward to help the project go forward. Granger began tagging trees on August 27, and the project culminated Tuesday with a ribbon cutting of what is one of just two arboretums in the state of Mississippi, Barnard said. |
| Mary Means Business: Daiquiri bar coming to Starkville | |
| There's a new bar coming to College View. Mississippi Ice Daiquiri Shop, 395 College View Drive, is opening its second location in the corner spot of the College View complex. Owner Mark Leblanc opened Mississippi Ice in Brookhaven about a year ago. Seeing the first daiquiri shop's popularity, he decided it was time to open a second location. With two daughters living in Starkville, Leblanc said he found the perfect spot. Since he will open up shop at College View, Leblanc said the bar will be in the "Leisure and Recreation District," meaning folks can enjoy a daiquiri to-go and enjoy the Cotton District. "It's the right location and the right time," Leblanc said. "It'll be something different, something that there's a need for in Starkville. I think people are going to be surprised. It'll be a nice venue with nice vibes." Leblanc said the target opening date is Feb. 1. He's hoping to open up shop before baseball season is in full-swing. Leblanc even hired a New Orleans architect to design the daiquiri bar, which will be about 3,400 square feet inside with a 1,000 square-foot patio. The bar will have nine daiquiri machines, mixed drinks, seafood (including boiled crawfish in the spring) and a stage for live music. |
| Installation on new wastewater aerators to begin in spring | |
| Starkville will finally get new aerators to meet growing demands on wastewater infrastructure, though a lawsuit around 2020's failed aerators is still waiting for its day in court. Starkville Utilities announced the move Tuesday, with Hemphill Construction of Richland under contract to upgrade the Ernest E. Jones Wastewater Treatment Plant. The installation and accompanying electrical improvements will cost $8.9 million, a part of a broader $92 million effort over the next 20 years to modernize Starkville's water infrastructure, the press release said. "We already knew the aerators were an issue, because even as we were doing studies the existing aerators had failed," General Manager Edward Kemp told The Dispatch Wednesday. "We were trying to stay in compliance for several years. This project is our highest need right now, both from an operational standpoint and a permanent compliance standpoint." The city has known it would need the improvements since a March wastewater study suggested Starkville's growth would soon outpace its infrastructure. The treatment plant was built in 1979 to handle up to five million gallons per day, but the city's population has since increased by 60%. |
| Stark Aerospace in Mississippi awarded huge defense contract | |
 | After dozens of major economic development victories, including the $2.5 billion announcement for Aluminum Dynamics to build an aluminum flat roll mill, Joe Max Higgins, CEO of Golden Triangle Development Link, has no intention of taking his foot off the gas pedal. The latest victory was announced this week when Stark Aerospace Inc. in Columbus was awarded a $61 million contract for weapon-container production in support of FY24-29 MK 41 Vertical Launch System. That comes after a March announcement that California-Airbus is to establish a final assembly line for the company's H145 twin-engine light helicopter in Mississippi. The new line will be located at Airbus' facility in Columbus and will be capable of delivering 16 helicopters a year in 2025. The contract for Stark, a leading defense and aerospace provider, comes via the Naval Sea Systems Command, of the U.S. Navy. "This contract is a huge win for Stark Aerospace and the Golden Triangle," Higgins said. "It brings quality jobs, strengthens our economy, and highlights the world-class manufacturing happening right here in Mississippi." |
| Let's Eat, Mississippi: Mississippi Hills Farm to Fork Foodie Trail | |
 | The Federal government has designated places where historic, cultural, and natural resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape. Unlike a national park, National Heritage Areas (NHA) are large populated landscapes. NHAs collaborate with communities to highlight local interests, including the region's historical sites, as well as the needs of communities, making heritage relevant to today's world. There are 55 designated National Heritage Areas in the United States. One of those is the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area, which represents a distinctive cultural landscape in 19 northeastern counties in Mississippi, as well as portions of 11 other counties at the intersection of Appalachian and Delta cultures. For food lovers and travelers, the Mississippi Hills Farm to Fork Foodie Trail will lead you on a delicious journey through the area's best food destinations, from farmer's markets to charming cafes. With the belief that food is the best way to experience a new place, the carefully curated food trail showcases the traditions and flavors of the Mississippi Hills while connecting people to the community and supporting sustainable agriculture. Commodore Bob's Yacht Club in Starkville's Cotton District is an upscale restaurant, described on their website as "the kind you would expect to find in some ritzy urban setting." Owner Brady Hindman describes it as a "contemporary style restaurant that focuses on elevating casual cuisine to a higher standard, serving unique dishes using innovative recipes." While he sources locally grown produce, Hindman's place is anything but a standard meat-and-three. |
| Two major initiatives launched to boost Mississippi's workforce | |
| Two initiatives have been launched to strengthen Mississippi's workforce. Governor Tate Reeves and AccelerateMS announced the Mississippi Apprenticeship Accelerator and Mississippi Reconnect programs aimed at closing skills gaps, providing career pathways, and driving economic growth across the state. AccelerateMS will administer the programs in collaboration with the Mississippi Apprenticeship Program, the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, and the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District. "This is another win for Mississippi's workforce development efforts," Reeves said. "I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish when it comes to workforce development in our state -- it's led to thousands of Mississippians getting better jobs and helped us reach an all-time low unemployment rate. With the record-breaking private sector we're witnessing, it's important that we continue investing in Mississippians. That's exactly what we're doing." The Mississippi Apprenticeship Accelerator (MAA) program is designed to empower businesses by helping them create and expand registered apprenticeship programs. With an initial $2 million investment, MAA will support approximately 600 new apprentices, offering them customized on-the-job training and classroom instruction in high-demand, high-wage occupations. |
| Aviation agreement to bring new tech breakthroughs to the Gulf Coast | |
 | A new agreement is allowing an aviation company to take their studies to the next level here on the Mississippi Coast. Skydweller Aero Incorporated has come to an agreement with NASA Stennis Space Center to use restricted airspace for test flights. "It was a challenge because they had a lot of different scenarios based on their requirements," said Jason Peterson, Range Operations Manager at NASA Stennis Space Center. "They pushed the envelope so to speak, but we were able to overcome that with our team." With this access, Skydweller will be able to perform test flights in a controlled airspace with limited obstacles, allowing for less hiccups as they work on developments. "This is developing technology that's going to connect the unconnected from a digital perspective, and make the world a safer, more connected place," said Robert Miller, CEO of Skydweller. The aircraft Skydweller flies is different from your typical plane. This plane is manned by a remote pilot and powered by solar power, allowing for less carbon emissions and extended flight times. "Conventional unmanned aircrafts fly for 40-80 hours tops,' said Miller. "We're talking about flying for weeks, months, so hundreds and thousands of hours we'd be in the air." With this agreement, the expected speed for findings should increase greatly, allowing for the newest breakthroughs in aviation technology to be found here in South Mississippi. |
| American farmers are feeling gloomy | |
| America's farmers are in a bad mood these days. The latest read on farmer sentiment from Purdue hit an eight-year low. And more than half of the 70 agricultural economists surveyed by the University of Missouri and Farm Journal this month believe the farm economy is in a recession. Another quarter say it's on the brink. Right now, U.S. commodity crop farmers are pulling corn and wheat and soybeans out of the ground. And Scott Gerlt, chief economist with the American Soybean Association, said even though fall harvests are looking pretty good, "I think we're just seeing the stress level rise across the countryside." Gerlt said farmers are paying more for things like land, seeds and fertilizer. Their debt-dependent businesses are burdened by still-high interest rates, and commodity crop prices are down. "I think we're going to see a mix of farmers who are losing money this year to barely breaking even," Gerlt said. Behind those lower prices are record crop yields in the U.S. and around the world. Basically, Doug Johnson, who heads up Johnson Ag Outlook, said supply is out of sync with demand in ways the industry couldn't predict. "If you have a job in the city, you have a paycheck, you get paid every two weeks, you know what your income is going to be," Johnson said. "That's not the world of farming. where you are literally at the mercy of the markets." |
| Inflation Has Cooled, but Americans Are Still Seething Over Prices | |
 | The economy is humming. Inflation has cooled off. Americans are well-employed, getting raises and spending freely. But -- with an election in less than two weeks -- people still haven't gotten over how much higher prices are today than in 2020. People find it unsettling that price tags don't look like they did before inflation took off during the pandemic, surging to the highest level in four decades. Even though the growth in prices has eased significantly, prices themselves aren't getting lower. "It's hard to adjust," said Marilyn Huang, a 54-year-old engineer in Doylestown, Pa. As with many Americans, Huang's pay has increased since 2020, and she and her partner continue to spend on travel and even dine out more than in the past. But the higher prices are aggravating. "You lived with these stable prices for all your life," she said. "Mentally, it's hard." Americans are grappling with dramatic price hikes that, for most, are unprecedented. In the latest surge, inflation peaked in mid-2022, with prices up more than 9% from a year earlier. In the years prior to the pandemic, inflation was unusually cool, and the last time it was a real problem was the 1970s and early '80s. That means most Americans weren't yet born or were children when worries over prices were last omnipresent -- along with disco balls and bell bottoms. |
| Former Arkansas Gov. Hutchinson gives Mississippi lawmakers tips on streamlining government | |
| Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday shared with members of the Mississippi Senate's Government Structure Committee that he was able to successfully streamline some of Arkansas' government services without firing or laying off workers. Hutchinson, who served as governor of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023, said he wanted to make restructuring state government a component of his legacy when he left office, and the reforms he made to the system have largely remained intact. The two-term GOP governor recalled a recent conversation he had with an Arkansas lawmaker about the restructuring. Hutchinson asked the senator what the reaction has been to the reforms, and the legislator replied that it's largely flown "under the radar." "And I said, 'That's the best answer I could ever have,'" Hutchinson said. "That means nobody's trying to dismantle it. They're accepting it as the way we do business in government today and I'm hopeful that it'll be a lasting impact." When he began the effort to consolidate government functions, Hutchinson said he formed an advisory board to make recommendations. When he formed the board, he gave it three goals: promote efficiency and savings, increase managerial control and improve the delivery of services to taxpayers. |
| State leaders to address school cell phone usage at 2025 legislative session | |
 | Cellphones are everywhere nowadays. But state leaders in Mississippi are considering legislation that will limit their use in schools. "It's not in any way an exception for when you're in the classroom," Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said. "That's when you really learn, not off green dots on the screen." The debate centers around students' mental health and academic performance. These are two issues raised by the Mississippi Senate's Mental Health Task Force, comprised of leaders, educators and health professionals who advocate for students' needs. "We've all read very difficult stories about things that have happened, including youth who have died by suicide after instances of bullying and things like that," said Joy Hogge, Families as Allies executive director. "So, it's a very important thing to look at." In their October 2024 report, the task force suggested that each school district in Mississippi implement cell phone policies. Hogge said this won't be a one-size-fits-all solution. "That can look different for different school," Hogge said. "Does that mean you just put their cell phones somewhere? Does that mean you put it in a lockbox? What exactly does that look like?" |
| Construction company named for new ABC warehouse development heading to Canton | |
| Three months after the announcement of the new Alcoholic Beverage and Control Warehouse coming to Canton, the bonds have been authorized to start construction as well as the company to do the work, which will be Yates Construction. The new 400,000-square-foot warehouse will rest on a just over 32-acre property located off Soldiers Colony Road. Earlier this year, the Department of Finance and Administration purchased the land for around $980,000. The current warehouse in Gluckstadt has faced many issues over the years, like no heating or cooling in the facility and the need for workers to operate the facility. Senator Chris Johnson, who has worked for over four years on this project, expresses the need for a new facility with the state of the current one. "We're several years behind either upgrading or replacing the current facility and these things don't happen overnight... this will help both the state hold inventory and also make it easier for us to get that inventory cycled through," Senator Johnson said. Senator Johnson believes the time to improve distribution is now, specifically for small businesses in the state. "What a lot of people forget is that not only are Mississippians the ones buying the alcohol most of the time, but the people selling alcohol are primarily Mississippi business owners, and they're Mississippi small business owners." |
| Mississippi's US Senate, congressional candidates fundraise before Nov. 5 | |
 | Candidates running in the general election for Mississippi's Congressional and U.S. Senate seats have raised millions of dollars ahead of Nov. 5, despite the races being less than contentious. Together, the nine candidates have raised about $14,288,783 since campaign finance periods started in January 2023. All of the incumbents, as well as a few challengers also brought on campaign dollars earned in previous elections to bolster their spending abilities. During the most recent campaign finance period, which covers July through Sept. 30, the candidates raised a total of about $1,607,442.25, which is less than an eighth of the total amount raised so far. Of the nine candidates running, Craig Raybon, a Democrat running against Congressman Mike Ezell (R-District 4), has not raised any funds, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Dianne Black, a Democrat running against incumbent Trent Kelly (R-District 1), failed to submit her quarterly campaign finance report by the October deadline. An FEC letter on her campaign account said she has until Friday, Oct. 25, to submit proof of a mail-in finance report or to submit online. |
| Carter picks up Trump's endorsement for Secretary of State run in 2027 | |
| State Senator Joel Carter, a Republican who has represented Senate District 49 since 2018, has been making the rounds, openly saying he intends to seek the office of Mississippi Secretary of State in 2027. On Wednesday, Carter shared a video on Facebook of former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee for a third consecutive cycle, offering his endorsement of Carter's candidacy. "Good luck. Good luck. That's a good state for me, isn't it?" Trump asked Carter, before saying, "You have my endorsement? You better have. I wish you well." Carter responds by saying, "Absolutely. I'll go ahead and put it out there." Current Secretary of State Michael Watson, also a Republican, easily won re-election to a second term in 2023. Speculation has been high that Watson is likely to seek higher office come 2027, possibly running for Lieutenant Governor or Governor. However, Watson has not publicly stated his intentions. Carter, a real estate developer, serves on eight Senate committees and is Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee. His other committee assignments are Corrections, Finance, Highways and Transportation, Investigate State Offices, Labor, Ports and Marine Resources and Tourism. |
| Harris says Trump 'is a fascist' after John Kelly says he wanted generals like Hitler's | |
| Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday that she believes that Donald Trump "is a fascist" after his longest-serving chief of staff said the former president praised Adolf Hitler while in office and put personal loyalty above the Constitution. Harris seized on comments by former chief of staff John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, about his former boss in interviews with The New York Times and The Atlantic published Tuesday warning that the Republican nominee meets the definition of a fascist and that while in office he suggested that the Nazi leader "did some good things." Speaking at a CNN town hall, Harris said they offer a window into who the former president "really is" and the kind of commander in chief he would be. When asked if she believed that Trump is a fascist, Harris replied twice, "Yes, I do." Later, she brought it up herself, saying Trump would, if elected again, be "a president who admires dictators and is a fascist." The Democratic presidential nominee said Kelly's comments, less than two weeks before voters will decide whether to send Trump back to the Oval Office, were a "911 call to the American people" by the former chief of staff. They were quickly seized by Harris as part of her closing message to voters as she works to sharpen the choice at the ballot box for Americans. She added that if reelected, Trump would no longer be tempered by people who would "restrain him" from his worst impulses. |
| Trump Takes Narrow Lead Over Harris in Closing Weeks of Race | |
| Donald Trump has opened a narrow lead in the presidential race, as voters have adopted a more positive view of his agenda and past performance and a more negative view of Kamala Harris, a new Wall Street Journal poll finds. The national survey finds that Trump is leading Harris by 2 percentage points, 47% to 45%, compared with a Harris lead of 2 points in the Journal's August survey on a ballot that includes third-party and independent candidates. Both leads are within the polls' margins of error, meaning that either candidate could actually be ahead. The survey suggests that a barrage of negative advertising in the campaign and the performance of the candidates themselves have undermined some of the positive impressions of Harris that voters developed after she replaced President Biden as the presumed and then confirmed Democratic nominee. Views of Harris have turned more negative since August, when equal shares of voters viewed her favorably and unfavorably. Now, the unfavorable views are dominant by 8 percentage points, 53% to 45%. Moreover, voters give Harris her worst job rating as vice president in the three times the Journal has asked about it since July, with 42% approving and 54% disapproving of her performance. By contrast, views of Trump have turned rosier. Voters recall his time as president more positively than at any point in this election cycle, with 52% approving and 48% disapproving of his performance in office -- a 4-point positive job rating that contrasts with the 12-point negative rating for Harris. |
| 'Take Back the States': The Far-Right Sheriffs Ready to Disrupt the Election | |
 | Dar Leaf and Richard Mack don't seem like they would pose a threat to US democracy. Leaf, a sheriff from Barry County, Michigan, always has at least two pens clipped neatly to his shirt pocket and speaks softly with a Midwestern accent. When we meet at an April event in Las Vegas, Nevada, Leaf is immaculately dressed in a sheriff's uniform, replete with the polished gold star. Mack also wears a gold star -- even though he's no longer a sheriff. But in the Ahern Hotel ballroom in Vegas, Mack played the part. In a ten-gallon hat, Mack was genial; shaking hands with guests, joking with vendors, and taking selfies with supporters. This wasn't an average get-together. Leaf and Mack were at a conference for the far-right Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, or CSPOA, a group described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-government organization with links to many other extremist groups. Constitutional sheriffs are actual elected sheriffs who also believe they are the ultimate legal power in their county, and that no federal or state authority can usurp their authority. They also believe that a sheriff's power stems directly from the constitution, and that they can disregard any laws they deem unconstitutional -- a belief that is not grounded in reality. |
| House intel chair: US should consider military action if North Korean troops enter Ukraine | |
 | The U.S. should consider "direct military action" in Ukraine if North Korean troops invade, Rep. Mike Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday. "If North Korean troops were to invade Ukraine's sovereign territory, the United States needs to seriously consider taking direct military action against the North Korean troops," Turner said in a statement posted to X. The U.S. has provided Ukraine's army with weapons since the war began, but has avoided military action that would put it into direct conflict with Russia. A conflict between the U.S. and Russia would tie in all countries in NATO, including Canada and 28 European countries, according to the organization's Article 5, which dictates that an attack on one is an attack on all. His statement comes after the U.S. said for the first time this week that it has evidence that North Korean troops are fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday "there is evidence" of North Korean troops in Russia, calling their presence a "very, very serious issue." "If they're co-belligerents, if their intention is to participate in this war on Russia's behalf, that is a very, very serious issue," he told reporters on a trip to Rome. |
| IHL approves Ole Miss diversity division closure | |
| The University of Mississippi's plan to replace an administrative division dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion with one focused on access won approval by its governing board last week. The formal OK from the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees came two months after Chancellor Glenn Boyce announced the Division of Access, Opportunity and Community Engagement in a campus-wide email. Boyce wrote the goal was to redouble the university's efforts to help more students attend and graduate college amid the looming enrollment cliff facing Mississippi's institutions of higher learning. "We are steadfast in our commitment to the transformative power of higher education, and now is the time to prioritize our efforts to broaden access to higher education," he wrote on Aug. 16. The new division takes the place of the university's Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. It will cost $1.5 million to implement and bring together four different campus offices that focus on community engagement, inclusion and cross-cultural engagement, disability services, and equal opportunity and regulatory compliance, according to the IHL board book. A university spokesperson said Ole Miss did not have an additional comment on the changes beyond Boyce's August statement. |
| Former staffer shares inside story on Ronald Reagan | |
 | The University of Mississippi GOP and Young Americans for Freedom organizations hosted Peggy Grande, former executive assistant to President Ronald Reagan, on Tuesday, Oct. 22. The Declaration Center held an informal reception before the event and provided 10 signed copies of Grande's book for a raffle after the event. Grande authored "The President Will See You Now: My Stories and Lessons from Ronald Reagan's Final Years" and is currently on the Board of Advisors for Pepperdine University's School of Public Policy. Grande also worked as the executive secretariat for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the deputy director for the President's Commission on White House Fellowships under President Donald Trump. "I think everybody can relate to part of my story, being young and green and stepping into a really big space where at first you didn't really belong," Grande said. "You find your footing and you realize you can add value there and be confident in a new, big space." Grande discussed her start in politics as a young woman from Southern California and her role as Reagan's executive assistant. "He was, in a lot of ways, the convergence of everything that I loved," Grande said. "He was a man of faith, integrity, character, and he was such a great communicator." |
| 'More than just a red state': In the home of the Civil Rights Movement, a fight for a free Palestine | |
| October marks one year since Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a surprise attack on Israel in which they killed about 1,200 people and captured 251 hostages. Since then, Israel's subsequent ground invasion and bombardment has killed over 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza, many of them children, and displaced 90% of Gaza's population. As the crisis worsened, organizers across Mississippi began planning events to protest U.S. policies that support Israel's attack on Gaza, to mourn the lives lost, and to educate the public about the history of struggle for the land. Meanwhile, Mississippi lawmakers re-affirmed the state's financial support for Israel. And Mississippians have struggled to find common ground, grappling with the different, at times conflicting meanings of the centuries-old conflict for the state's citizens. Aala'a Matalgah, an Ole Miss student of Arab origin, grew up in Mississippi. She remembers seeing pictures and videos of Gaza even as a child. But she also remembers feeling frustrated when no one else at school knew what she was talking about when she would mention it. "It was shocking because I was like, how can something be so intense, and so many people don't know about it?" Everything changed in October 2023. "Now," Matalgah said, "every single person knows what Palestine is." |
| DSU professor featured writer at Thacker Mountain tonight | |
| This evening, at 6 p.m., at The Powerhouse, during Thacker Mountain Radio Hour, Square Books presents Marion Garrard Barnwell. Featured is her new dual memoir, "All The Things We Didn't Say." Professor Barnwell is well-known to graduates of Delta State University, where she taught writing and literature for twenty-five years (as well as co-founding Tapestry Magazine). Others may know her from the writing workshops she has led, her published fiction, her play "Rats!" or her longtime service with the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters. "All The Things We Didn't Say" is a dual memoir. Barnwell's personal recollections engage with a memoir written by her grandmother, Mary Dubose Trice Clark. "All The Things We Didn't Say" is published by the University Press of Mississippi, the newest volume in the Willie Morris Series in Memoir and Biography. |
| Louisiana's public colleges ask state for more funding despite possible cuts | |
 | Despite the possibility of budget cuts from the state, Louisiana's colleges and universities are seeking additional state funding next fiscal year. The Board of Regents, which oversees Louisiana's public colleges and universities, is asking the state for an additional $142.3 million next fiscal year. If granted by the state, the money would bring higher education's total state funding to $1.46 billion. The spending plan, which the Regents approved Wednesday, is based on funding requests submitted by each of the state's four higher-education systems; the department that oversees state scholarships, such as TOPS; and the board itself. The requests will be sent to Gov. Jeff Landry and the Louisiana Legislature, which will decide how much to allocate for higher education. Board Chair Misti Cordell, who Landry appointed, said higher-education systems "can't do more with less." "If we want to support the workforce," she said, "we need to be fully funded." Public colleges and universities are bracing for a major budget shortfall if a state sales tax is allowed to expire next year. The Landry administration told colleges to prepare for up to $250 million less in state funding next fiscal year, which could lead to layoffs, campus closures and slashed programs. Those cuts would not impact state-funded scholarships, including TOPS. |
| U. of Arkansas establishes national office | |
| The University of Arkansas wants to expand its reach with the launch of a national office. University alumni live all over the country and the world. The new National Office of Advancement will focus its efforts on hosting events and raising money out-of-state, Rachel Moore, director of marketing and communications for University Advancement, told Axios. The four people selected to be the office's directors of philanthropy were already development officers for the university, Moore said. Their roles have been adjusted to focus on specific regions -- east, west, south Texas and the region covering Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee, according to a news release. The national team will collaborate with the Arkansas Alumni Association National Board of Directors and Arkansas Alumni chapters throughout the country. Part of the mission will be to unify support among alumni and stakeholders for the university's key initiatives, according to the news release. |
| U. of Florida professor appointed to National Science Board | |
 | President Joe Biden last week appointed University of Florida distinguished computer science professor Juan Gilbert to the National Science Board, which serves as an independent body of advisers to both the president and Congress on policy matters related to science, technology and math. Gilbert is one of eight members appointed to the board, which also prepares policy papers and statements on issues of importance to U.S. science and engineering. "Dr. Juan Gilbert's research has pioneered new voting systems to help safeguard democracy," said University of Florida interim President Kent Fuchs, a former National Science Board member. "This great honor is well deserved and further enhances UF's reputation for excellence. We are tremendously proud of Juan's work and this prestigious appointment. University of Florida researchers are committed to advancing science and engineering alongside our federal partners." Gilbert's research projects include election security, usability and accessibility, advanced learning technologies, human-centered artificial intelligence and machine learning, and ethnocomputing, or culturally relevant computing. |
| Fewer 18-year-olds are enrolling as college freshmen this fall | |
| This year, fewer kids straight out of high school went straight into college, according to data out Tuesday from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. While undergraduate enrollment is up overall this autumn, the number of 18-year-olds enrolling as freshmen is down nearly 6% from last year. The decline in freshmen is particularly notable at four-year schools -- less so at community colleges. This year, there were some extra high hurdles in the college application process. One was the FAFSA, the form students have to fill out to learn how much financial aid they can get. This year's FAFSA was revised and released three months later than usual, said Catherine Brown, senior director of policy and advocacy at the National College Attainment Network. "I think there were students who tried to get into the FAFSA, were unable to do so ... ran up against technical problems, and eventually just threw their hands up in frustration and said, 'I'm not doing this,'" said Brown. And, the labor market is strong, which could be pulling some high school graduates toward jobs instead of classrooms. In addition, some 18-year-olds who might have been going to college this fall were derailed by the pandemic. That includes Stacy Burnett's son, whose school in Connecticut was remote for all of ninth grade and some of tenth. "He just fell into himself," she said. |
| Applications to M.B.A. Programs Soar | |
| Workers, frustrated by an extended cool-down in the white-collar job market, are applying to business school in numbers not seen in years. Applications to M.B.A. programs increased 12% in 2024, according to a new survey of schools by the Graduate Management Admission Council, a nonprofit that tracks application trends. The rebound, which reverses two years of declines, was most pronounced for full-time, in-person degrees. Applications to those programs rose 32%, the highest level in a decade. Applications from Americans drove the newfound popularity of U.S. programs. In past years, international student prospects have filled out enrollment at many U.S. business schools. Renewed enthusiasm for the M.B.A. reflects limited prospects for recent college graduates despite a still-strong labor market overall, say recent grads and M.B.A. administrators. Among factors hurting white-collar work, artificial intelligence has begun to upend some jobs, while more established employees have recently quit job-hopping, leaving fewer open roles. Young college grads choosing to go back to school say the decision could make them stronger job candidates in the future. Both young workers and laid-off older workers often gravitate toward M.B.A. programs during times when they think there could be an economic downturn. |
| College 'Deserts' Disproportionately Deter Black and Hispanic Students from Higher Ed | |
| In recent years, a growing body of research has looked at the impact of college 'deserts' -- sometimes defined as an area where people live more than a 30-minute drive to a campus -- and found that those residing close to a college are more likely to attend. But a new study shows that these higher education deserts affect some groups of students much differently than others. The study, which looked at a rich set of high school and college data in Texas, found that Black and Hispanic students and those in low-income families who lived more than 30 miles from a public two-year college were significantly less likely to attend college. But white and Asian students in those same communities were slightly more likely than other students in the state to complete four-year degrees, meaning that the lack of a nearby two-year option seemed to increase the likelihood of moving away to attend college. The results are particularly important at a time when more colleges are struggling to remain open, says Riley Acton, an assistant professor of economics at Miami University in Ohio and one of the researchers who worked on the new study. The researchers also suggest that colleges should consider providing transportation options or credits to students living in college deserts. "If you don't have a car in rural Texas, that's going to be a very hard barrier to overcome" without some sort of help, Acton notes. |
| Some colleges are targeting financial aid to middle-class families | |
 | For Emily Kayser, the prospect of covering her son's college tuition on a teacher's salary is "scary. It's very stressful." To pay for it, "I'm thinking, what can I sell?" Kayser, who was touring Colby College in Waterville, Maine, with her high school-age son, Matt, is among the many Americans in the middle who earn too much to qualify for need-based financial aid, but not enough to simply write a check to send their kids to college. That's a squeeze becoming more pronounced after several years of increases in the prices of many other goods and services, a period of inflation only now beginning to ease. "The cost of everything, from food to gas to living expenses, has become so high," Kayser says. Middle-income Americans have borne a disproportionate share of college price increases, too. For them, the net cost of a degree has risen by from 12 to 22 percent since 2009, depending on their earnings level, compared with about 1 percent for lower-income families, federal data show. Now a handful of schools -- many of them private, nonprofit institutions trying to compete with lower-priced public universities -- are beginning to designate financial aid specifically for middle-income families in an attempt to lure them back. |
| Low-income students work more amid rising college costs, analysis finds | |
| Lower-income students worked more hours to cover the rising net cost of college, while middle- and upper-income families have taken out more loans, according to a recent analysis from the Brookings Institution. Well-off families also have drawn more on savings and earnings to keep up with rising college costs, found Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Phil Levine. Lower-income students without the family resources to cover rising costs increased the amount they worked. By 2008, three-fourths of those students worked and averaged 20 hours per week or more. Levine found that student borrowing for four-year public and nonprofit universities changed little. The analysis was based on federal data from between 1996 and 2020. Students from lower-income backgrounds have fewer financial options for meeting college costs, noted Levine, who is also an economics professor at Wellesley College, in Massachusetts. Their families have limited earnings to contribute and may be reluctant to take out more debt or have trouble obtaining loans. "Working more may be the main viable alternative for them," Levine wrote in his October analysis. Higher-income families, meanwhile, "may have a greater capacity to help pay the higher bills from income or savings, and the parents have more access to loans," he added. |
| Colleges left helpless as students rule out schools due to state politics | |
 | Colleges and universities find themselves increasingly trapped with the politics of the state where they reside. As state legislatures pass sweeping measures on everything from abortion to LGBTQ rights, more than a quarter of students, representing both sides of the aisle, are writing off schools simply based on where they are. And there's not much the colleges can do. "I think we are in a place and a time where colleges are increasingly being seen as political places, and so it makes every sense that students would be aware of this as they're making decisions about where to enroll, and that they would factor that into whether or not this is an institution they want to apply to," said Katharine Meyer, a fellow in the Brown Center on Education Policy at The Brookings Institution. A poll from the Art & Science Group released this month showed 28 percent of students ruled out a school due to the politics of the state the college is in. Among those who excluded certain schools, 75 percent of liberals avoided ones they saw as too far to the right on abortion rights or LGBTQ issues, while 66 percent of conservatives crossed off colleges in states they labeled as too Democratic, too liberal on LGBTQ issues or too lenient on crime. Texas was the most frequently excluded state, with 31 percent of those who eliminated schools based on state saying it was a dealbreaker for them. The other states that were ruled out by 15 percent or more were Alabama, California, Florida and New York. |
| Cost of Living, Economy Top Issue for Student Voters | |
 | A September survey of 1,012 students found, across most groups, the economy/cost of living is the most important issue in determining whom or what students will vote for in the upcoming election, with 52 percent of respondents selecting that. Similarly important issues, among 12 listed in the survey, conducted by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab, are reproductive rights (45 percent), the future of democracy (26 percent), gun violence/control (23 percent) and immigration (22 percent). The findings emphasize that the issues important to young voters in general ring true with many enrolled in higher education, as well as how institution type and demographic factors can influence trends among college students. The No. 1 issue across respondents is the economy/cost of living (52 percent), with adult learners (61 percent) and male students (59 percent) identifying this issue the most. In terms of issues voters care about, "when in doubt, the economy is almost always at the high end of the list," says Billy Monroe, a political science professor at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. This especially rings true during economic crisis or high inflation. |
| The US is the world's science superpower -- but for how long? | |
| Science in the United States has never been stronger by most measures. Over the past five years, the nation has won more scientific Nobel prizes than the rest of the world combined -- in line with its domination of the prizes since the middle of the twentieth century. In 2020, two US drug companies spearheaded the development of vaccines that helped to contain a pandemic. Two years later, a California start-up firm released the revolutionary artificial-intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT and a national laboratory broke a fundamental barrier in nuclear fusion. This year, the United States is on track to spend US$1 trillion on research and development (R&D), much more than any other country. And its labs are a magnet for researchers from around the globe, with workers born in other nations accounting for 43% of doctorate-holders in the US workforce in science, technology, engineering and medicine (STEM). But as voters go to the polls in November to elect a new president and Congress, some scientific leaders worry that the nation is ceding ground to other research powerhouses, notably China, which is already outpacing the United States on many of the leading science metrics. "US science is perceived to be -- and is -- losing the race for global STEM leadership," said Marcia McNutt, president of the US National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC, in a speech in June. |
SPORTS
| No. 3 State Set To Host Kentucky In Final SEC Home Matchup | |
| The No. 3 Bulldogs are gearing up for their final SEC home match of the 2024 season as they welcome Kentucky to MSU Soccer Field on Thursday. With an impressive 13-1-0 overall record and an undefeated 7-0-0 mark in SEC play, the Bulldogs are poised to continue their historic run in front of the Maroon and White faithful against a Kentucky side that enters the matchup with a solid 10-2-4 overall record and 2-2-4 in SEC play. State enters the match riding a 10-game winning streak, the longest in program history. The Bulldogs have established themselves as a dominant force both offensively and defensively this season, and they are eager to close out their SEC home slate with a victory that would keep them on course for a perfect conference season. Kentucky, on the other hand, comes into Starkville after a hard-fought 0-0 draw against No. 11 Auburn. The MSU Soccer Field has become a fortress for the Bulldogs, with the team extending their home unbeaten streak to an impressive 13 matches, including 11 consecutive victories. The electric atmosphere in Starkville has been bolstered by back-to-back-to-back top-10 crowds, giving Mississippi State a formidable home-field advantage. Earlier this season, the Bulldogs shattered their attendance record with 2,617 fans packing the stands for their thrilling win over then-No. 1 Arkansas. In their most recent home outing against Missouri, 2,073 fans showed up, marking the second-largest crowd in program history. As the Bulldogs prepare to host Kentucky, another large and passionate crowd is expected to cheer on one of the most successful teams in Mississippi State history. |
| Bulldogs host Wildcats in regular season home sendoff | |
| Mississippi State soccer is three wins away from destiny. At 13-1, 7-0 in the Southeastern Conference, James Armstrong's team is in the midst of an historic season. The final home game against Kentucky on Thursday is the last chance for home fans to see the Bulldogs in the regular season and will be the first match to feature an MSU pep band to help mark the occasion. The two most recent home games set records for first and second, respectively, in attendance in program history, and there is a decent chance the game on Thursday will join that list somewhere. There is great anticipation for what comes next for the No. 3 ranked Bulldogs. The team boasts a top-4 RPI in NCAA Division I, which would guarantee a top seed in the tournament, but for now, there is business to attend to. The Bulldogs have been able to stay unbeaten at home and in conference play for a reason, and the focus isn't going to dim as the lights get brighter. "It's something that we as a coaching staff don't worry about because we have humble players with great character," Armstrong said of his team's focus. "We've got great leadership in the locker room. Nobody thinks we've made it, we've got a clear mission of what we want to achieve this year and there's still a lot of really good teams we've got to play." |
| Podcast: Secrets of GPS Collared Bucks with Dr. Bronson Strickland | |
| At this point in the deer season, all serious whitetail hunters have two important questions to answer: When will that target buck move? And where will he go? To answer these questions, we can use recent and historic trail camera data plus traditional woodsmanship skills and good old hunter's intuition. But it also helps to have an understanding of the bigger picture. And for that, you can't beat GPS collar data from Dr. Bronson Strickland. Strickland is a co-director of the Mississippi State University Deer Lab, and a certified wildlife biologist. Through the Deer Lab, he conducts research that's important for deer science but also has management and hunting implications. As part of that research, he and his team attached GPS collars to 60 different bucks over the course of 2 years. One of the things Strickland analyzed was how bucks respond to hunting pressure. He was hoping to find some hard and fast rules like: when pressure ramps up, older bucks go to swamps or heavy cover. But that is not what the data showed. "What we essentially learned was that the only pattern with bucks and how they respond to pressure is that there is no pattern," Strickland says. |
| How Jeff Lebby turned Mississippi State's Kevin Coleman Jr into his next dominant receiver | |
| The transfer portal pitch from new Mississippi State football coach Jeff Lebby to Kevin Coleman Jr. was simple, but it didn't contain guarantees. "He told me if I came in and worked and did what they thought I could do, that I had a possible chance to do what I'm doing now, times more," Coleman said. Coleman, a wide receiver, was in the transfer portal for the second time in two years. His career began at Jackson State in 2022, where he was the SWAC Freshman of the Year. One season at Louisville followed. What he was "doing now" at Louisville was 14 games, 11 starts, 26 receptions, 362 yards and two touchdowns. What he's doing now at Mississippi State (1-6, 0-4 SEC) is blowing past those numbers -- and his stats at Jackson State -- seven games into the 2024 season. Not only has he emerged as MSU's leading receiver by a wide margin but he's also followed a trend from Lebby's offenses. Coleman has 44 catches for 536 yards and four touchdowns. Lebby always has a dominant No. 1 receiver. "When he got the ball in his hands, he was able to do good things with it," Lebby said. "I thought that's the guy that we were getting, also a guy who's able to make plays down the field, which we've seen him do." |
| Sam Pittman believes Mississippi State is a 'scary' team despite record | |
| Arkansas heads to Mississippi State on Saturday, being the first-ever matchup between Sam Pittman and Jeff Lebby. Both teams are fresh off a loss and looking to bounce back. Especially the Bulldogs who are now 0-4 in SEC play and 1-6 overall. Pittman is not looking at Mississippi State's record though, believing they are still a good football team. He cites a tough strength of schedule, already playing the likes of Georgia, Texas, and Texas A&M -- three teams competing for spots in the SEC Championship. Not many teams will face that kind of gauntlet over the entirity of conference play, let alone through four games. The environment of playing in Starkville is never easy either, having to deal with a good atmosphere full of cowbells. "They've got a great football team," Pittman said on Monday. "Everybody looks at somebody's record. Who did they play too? It's his first year in there and all that. He's playing everybody... They're a scary team, now, to go in there and play. The cowbells going off and all that." Mississippi State has ended their last two games against Georgia and Texas A&M with defeats of 10, better than the oddsmakers expected. Texas did have a little more success, winning by 22 points. The main difference has been true freshman Michael Van Buren settling into the offense. Pittman knows Arkansas needs to be careful or they can catch a loss on Saturday, not something the program needs at this point of the season. |
| Banged-up Hogs head to Starkville | |
| A series of midseason changes -- some related to injuries -- has impacted the University of Arkansas offense heading into Saturday's game at struggling but competitive Mississippi State. The Razorbacks (4-2, 2-2 SEC) will have fresh shakeups on the offensive line and in the running back rotation as they prepare to face the Bulldogs (1-6, 0-4 SEC) in their second-to-last road game of the season. Patrick Kutas, an offensive line starter before a back injury took him out during training camp, is in a battle at left guard with Keyshawn Blackstock. The running back reps this week will be shuffled with ace Ja'Quinden Jackson all but ruled out by Coach Sam Pittman with an ankle injury. Pittman said Wednesday that Jackson would probably be listed as doubtful on the SEC availability report, but he has talked as if Jackson won't be available. But no matter who's toting the football or blocking for them, the Arkansas offense understands it needs to rediscover the ground attack it flashed through the first quarter of the season. The health of quarterback Taylen Green's left knee could factor into the Hogs' running success. Pittman said Green got up to 21 mph on his tracking data at practice last week, but he had just three carries for 14 yards before his sack yards were factored in against LSU. |
| Mississippi State seeks 3rd consecutive NCAA berth under Jans, built around guard Josh Hubbard | |
| The Bulldogs played in consecutive NCAA tournaments for the first time since 2008-09 and seek another appearance under third-year coach Chris Jans. MSU won at least five consecutive games twice last season but dropped six of its final eight games with a 69-51, first-round NCAA loss to Michigan State. Back-to-back SEC Tournament wins over LSU and top-seeded Tennessee helped clinch the bid and seal a second-consecutive 20-win season. Jans lost most of his rotation including veteran post player Tolu Smith III but returns 45% of his offense. That's a good start, at least. Josh Hubbard (sophomore, G, 5-11, 17.1 ppg).MSU's top scorer ranked seventh in the SEC and led the conference with a school-record 108 3-pointers on 36% shooting (fifth). Named a preseason All-SEC second team selection by media after coaches chose him for the second team and rookie squad last season. Cameron Matthews (graduate, F, 6-7, 9.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.09 spg). Named to All-SEC Defensive Team by coaches after ranking second in steals and seventh in rebounding. Also blocked a team-best 26 shots. Returned for an extra season of eligibility resulting from COVID-19 pandemic. The Bulldogs open at home against West Georgia on Nov. 4. They visit Memphis on Dec. 21 before opening SEC play on Jan. 4 against South Carolina in the first of two meetings. No. 23 Kentucky starts a four-game stretch of ranked foes on Jan. 11, followed by a visit to No. 11 Auburn (Jan. 14), No. 24 Ole Miss at home four days later and a trip to No. 12 Tennessee (Jan. 21). Preseason favorite and No. 2 Alabama visits Jan. 29. |
| Dawgs Beat Rival Rebels | |
| In front of a crowd of 1,043, the fifth-largest crowd in Newell-Grissom building history, the Mississippi State Bulldogs jumped back in the win column by taking down the Ole Miss Rebels, 3-1. "This is by far the best volleyball we've played this year, and it couldn't have come at a better time or against a better opponent. I feel like this is a pivotal moment for us," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "Having 1,043 fans in here was unbelievable. They were in it the whole time and we look to have them back on Sunday for more volleyball" After a loss in set one, the Bulldogs turned up the heat and took the next three sets. With six lead changes in set two, State took the victory on a block from Kari Schmidt and Rebecca Walk, 25-21. Set three saw 10 tied scores, but the Bulldogs would come out on top again, winning the set 25-20. The Rebels never took the lead or tied the score in the fourth set, as State would take the set 25-19. "After that first set, the team was laser focused on defending their home court," Dennis said. "They were talking about how this was ours and they weren't taking it from us, and finished the game very fierce." The Bulldogs are back home Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The match will be broadcast on SECN+. |
| Weed Wins 'The Ally'; Bulldogs Earn Runner-up Finish | |
| Mississippi State women's golf standout Avery Weed wins the Bulldogs' lone home tournament of 2024, while State earns a runner-up finish at The Ally after shooting a 9-under par for the three-day, three-round event that took place at Old Waverly Golf Course in West Point, Miss. Weed, the first-ever Bulldog to win The Ally, had a tournament to remember. Weed led the event from start to finish after opening the event on Monday by tying an NCAA record with an 11-under par performance and entering Wednesday's final round atop the leaderboard. On the final day of competition, Weed finished 2-over par with three birdies to stay ahead of Vanderbilt's Sara Im, who finished second at 8-under par in the event. This was Weed's second tournament victory of the season and the second of her career after winning the Mason Rudolph Championship in late September. Weed becomes the seventh Bulldog in program history to win multiple individual titles with the victory. 'The Ally' was the final fall tournament for Mississippi State. They will return to the course on Feb. 2, 2025, when they travel to Orlando, Fla., to compete in the UCF Challenge. |
| In era of NIL and transfer portal, Navy and Army are thriving without either. How are they pulling it off? 'We are a unicorn' | |
| On a sun-splashed Tuesday afternoon, along the banks of a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, the Naval Academy's football team practices in their shimmering gold helmets, blue tops and white pants. The Midshipmen are one of nine teams in college football's highest division to have not lost a game at the midway point of the 2024 season. They are 6-0 for the first time since 1979, ranked in the top 25 for the first time in five years and are competing in an ABC nationally televised game this Saturday against No. 12 Notre Dame at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey. Their quarterback, Blake Horvath, is one of two QBs in the country to have at least 10 passing and 10 rushing touchdowns; their offense is the No. 1-ranked red zone-scoring unit; and their defense has given up more than 21 points just once. But amid all of these accomplishments, there is something else of interest here in Annapolis. Not a single Navy football player earns compensation from their name, image and likeness (NIL). None of them have struck an agreement with any booster-led NIL collective (in fact, Navy has no such entity). No player has any deals with a big shoe company or a giant apparel brand. And, perhaps the most startling figure of them all, of the more than 160 players criss-crossing this surface on Tuesday, there is but one, single transfer. "We are a unicorn," said Brian Newberry, in his second season leading the program. There are actually three unicorns in college football: Navy, Army and Air Force -- the three service academies within the Football Bowl Subdivision whose players are enlisted men paid by the government to attend school and prohibited from accepting other forms of compensation. |
| NCAA president decries 'synthetic NIL' from collectives | |
| NCAA president Charlie Baker harshly criticized NIL (name, image, likeness) collectives for preying on college athletes at Axios' BFD event in New York on Tuesday. Collectives have been blamed for turning college sports into a Wild West that ends up harming students. Baker described the brand deals and payments from collectives as "synthetic NIL," in a conversation with Axios' Dan Primack. "They spend a lot of time just circling and chasing kids. It's a very transactional activity." Collectives' biggest goal, according to Baker, is to convince players to enter the transfer portal, which allows athletes to switch schools without losing any eligibility. "They get a lot of kids in the transfer portal with a lot of stories that involve false promises, misrepresentations and all sorts of other things. There's basically no rules governing these things." About a third of students who enter the portal end up without a school, Baker said. "A lot of those kids don't end up anywhere." |
| NCAA President Charlie Baker thinks private equity can fit in college athletics, but it won't be seamless | |
| NCAA President Charlie Baker said on Tuesday that he believes private equity likely has a place in college sports, though he noted it won't immediately be a seamless fit. Speaking at the Axios BFD conference in N.Y., Baker, who previously served as an executive in residence for General Catalyst Partners, said private equity typically wants to move faster than athletic departments are typically used to. "It's usually kind of a three- to five-year window that most people think about," Baker said. "Colleges make decisions on a much broader timeframe than that, they're usually thinking, sometimes, 10 to 20 years. You have to figure out on your table or risks and resources how to make a private equity piece fit into a model that's not used to being designed to deliver returns in three years or five years." That said, Baker noted that the recent House settlement, which includes an athlete revenue sharing component, will already require athletic departments to put more focus on financial strategy. He noted several schools have already told him they need "to get a lot more sophisticated about how they think about what they can do on the revenue side and how they manage the cost side." |
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