| Friday, November 22, 2024 |
| Ole Miss, Mississippi State partner up on accelerated law degree program | |
 | The path for prospective attorneys earning undergraduate degrees at Mississippi State University will soon widen with the school entering a partnership with the Ole Miss School of Law. Both programs formally signed an agreement on Thursday allowing qualified MSU students to enter the University of Mississippi's law school's Juris Doctor program before fully completing a bachelor's degree. "We are excited about this important collaboration with the University of Mississippi School of Law. These accelerated academic pathway agreements significantly benefit MSU students who want to pursue law degrees in their home state," Mississippi State President Mark Keenum said. "It's an exceptional opportunity for students, our institutions, and the state of Mississippi." Per officials, students from MSU made up 10% of the incoming class of 2027 at the Ole Miss School of Law. The program will kickstart in 2025. Mississippi State has a similar agreement with the Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson. |
| Mississippi State, Ole Miss partner for accelerated law degree program | |
 | Mississippi State University (MSU) and the University of Mississippi's (UM) School of Law signed an agreement that allows qualified MSU students to enter UM's Juris Doctor program before fully completing an MSU bachelor's degree. MSU has a similar agreement with the School of Law at Mississippi College. MSU President Mark E. Keenum and UM Chancellor Glenn Boyce signed the Memorandum of Understanding along with MSU Executive Vice President David Shaw, UM Provost Noel Wilkin, UM School of Law Dean Frederick G. Slabach, and UM School of Law Asst. Dean Joseph Tucker. As part of the agreement, UM will waive application fees and other costs for MSU students applying to law school. The program will also kick-start a joint lecture series hosted by Mississippi State that features faculty and alumni from the law school. "Through this partnership, students have the unique opportunity of receiving a joint education from two of Mississippi's universities," said Tucker, assistant dean in the UM School of Law. "Each year, the law school receives a number of students from Mississippi State University, so we are excited to formalize a partnership." |
| MSU and Ole Miss team up ahead of Egg Bowl | |
| The Egg Bowl has garnered a reputation as one of the most bitter rivalries in all of college football, but off the field Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi are working together closer than ever. Thursday, the schools announced a new partnership that will allow MSU students to move on to get their law degrees from UM. Qualified students will be able to enter the Juris Doctor program at UM before completing their bachelor's degree, making the process of getting a law degree a whole year faster. All application costs for MSU students will be waived as a part of that partnership. In order to be eligible for the program, students have to meet all the academic and application requirements and finish three-quarters of their undergraduate coursework. UM Chancellor Glenn Boyce and MSU President Mark Keenum signed off on the agreement Thursday, it officially launches next year. |
| MSU signs partnership with Ole Miss to benefit students pursuing law degree | |
 | Mississippi State University announced a partnership with the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) to help aspiring law students. The two universities signed an agreement on Thursday, Nov. 21. The agreement allows MSU students pursuing a law degree to enter Ole Miss' law school early, pending they complete certain academic and application requirements. Ole Miss will also waive application fees and other costs for qualifying MSU students. Ole Miss School of Law Dean Frederick Slabach said MSU students made up 10% of the incoming class of 2027. |
| Analysis: Agriculture, forestry vital to Mississippi economy | |
 | Agriculture and forestry are Mississippi's top industries, but their significance to the state's economy extends beyond the revenue they generate on their own. An analysis produced by agricultural economists with the Mississippi State University Extension Service found these sectors combined were an estimated $46.2 billion industry in 2022, accounting for 185,744 jobs and more than 14% of the state's total economic activity. Contributors to the publication studied the spillover effect of agriculture and forestry production and processing into other industries in the state, collecting data on the value of production, primary processing activities and value-added products. "Each industry that produces goods and services creates demand for goods and services in other industries," said James Henderson, head of the MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi and Extension forestry economics professor. "This is an updated version of a previous analysis showing the bigger picture of these two industries' contributions to income and employment across Mississippi." Contributors to the publication included Henderson and MSU Extension agricultural economists James Barnes, Ben Posadas, Josh Maples and Will Maples, as well as Extension forestry assistant professor Sabhyata Lamichhane. |
| Mississippi State, Brazilian university to collaborate on programs, research | |
| Mississippi State University (MSU) will begin an international education collaboration with Brazil's Universidade de Rio Verde after the signing of a joint agreement this week. MSU Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw and UniRV President Alberto Barella Netto on Tuesday penned their signatures on a memorandum of understanding, officially acknowledging the academic alliance between the two institutions. "We've made a strong commitment through our strategic plan to develop partnerships for new academic offerings and experiential learning experiences for our students, and this relationship helps us in realizing these goals," Shaw said. "The agreement also includes an expansion of programs for faculty, staff and student researchers, opening even more doors to collaborative efforts in solving not only local, but global challenges." Along with development of academic program and research opportunities, MSU officials said the document includes strong support for both universities to work together on desirable study abroad options that reflect "the missions and mutual commitment to international education, research and service." |
| A quick chat with Dr. Bronson Strickland of the Mississippi State University Deer Lab | |
| Dr. Bronson Strickland sees firsthand how difficult it is for some students to know exactly what it is they want to do with their professional lives once they reach college. Strickland, the St. John Family endowed professor of wildlife management at Mississippi State University, did not experience the stress of that unknown himself. He was in junior high when a friend told him about another friend whose dad was a deer biologist. "When I heard that, my question to my friend was, 'There's a job where you can be a deer biologist'" Strickland said. "I knew from that point on." |
| Trash turns couture at 'Trashion' show | |
 | It took weeks of planning, late nights spent stitching and even a little dumpster diving, but on Wednesday night, the pay off was dazzling. At the annual Trashion fashion show, hosted by the Fashion Board and Fashion House student organizations, art and fashion students from Mississippi State University debuted self-made garments made almost exclusively from trash. Pushing the boundaries of creativity, students created clothes from a variety of recycled materials, from plastic shopping bags and magazine pages to playing cards and old newspapers. "Trashion is our biggest and most exciting show," Susannah Case, MSU senior and president of Fashion Board, told The Dispatch. "We partner with another organization, Fashion House, which is all fashion design majors, and they design garments made out of waste materials and recycled goods." Sheri Worthy, who was named the director of the School of Human Sciences in July, attended Trashion for the first time Wednesday. She was worried the cold weather might affect the turnout but was pleasantly surprised when she saw the crowd of more than 200 waiting for the show to start. The entire event, she said, was spectacular. "My faculty were sitting there pointing out some of the designs and what the students have done in our program," she told The Dispatch. "The best thing was ... when they came out at the end and the designer (walked) with the design they had done on the model." |
| Specialty Orthopedic Group investing $30M, adding 115 jobs in three locations | |
| Specialty Orthopedic Group is investing $30 million with the expansion and relocation of its offices in Oxford and Starkville and an expansion of its Tupelo office. Combined, the projects will add 115 jobs. The company announced the expansion and relocation projects earlier this week. SOG recently started construction on a new location to accommodate the growth and needs of its patient population in the Golden Triangle area. The 12,715 square-foot facility, located at 118 Highway 12 W, Suite C, will feature 16 clinic exam rooms, one procedure room, and will be equipped with two digital x-ray systems. Besides the expanded clinic space, the Starkville facility also includes more than 3,000 square feet dedicated to physical therapy and will offer both physical therapy and occupational therapy services. During construction of the new location, Starkville's current clinic remains open Monday through Friday. Projected completion for the Starkville expansion and relocation is late spring 2025. |
| Koch Foods announces huge expansion in Mississippi | |
 | Food production and distribution company Koch Foods has announced that it is expanding in Mississippi. The Scott County project is a $145.5 million investment and will create 128 jobs, according to the Mississippi Development Authority. Founded in 1973, Koch Foods is a U.S.-based retail, wholesale and industrial foodservice provider that stands out as one of the nation's largest poultry processors. To better serve its customers, Koch Foods is expanding its processing and distribution operations and rehabbing its facility in Morton. "Once again, Koch Foods demonstrates its commitment to Scott County and the state of Mississippi by investing substantially in its Morton operations and creating 128 new jobs. By leveraging the state's popular MFLEX program, Koch Foods is taking advantage of the flexibility and support that make Mississippi an ideal location to grow," MDA Executive Director Bill Cork said in a statement. The MDA is providing assistance through the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive, or MFLEX program. Koch Foods expects to fill the 128 new jobs over the next five years. |
| Koch Foods investing $145.5 million in expansion of Morton facility | |
| The Mississippi Development Authority announced a major expansion by Koch Foods in Scott County on Thursday that will create 128 jobs over the next five years. The project, a $145.5 million investment, will include expanding the company's processing and distribution operations and rehabbing its facility in Morton. Founded in 1973, Koch Foods is a U.S.-based retail, wholesale and industrial foodservice provider that stands out as one of the nation's largest poultry processors. Governor Tate Reeves called the major investment another big win for Mississippi. "Koch Foods' $146 million investment speaks volumes about what's happening in our state," Reeves said in a statement from MDA. "We have a pro-business mindset, skilled workforce and prime location that offers efficient access to major domestic and international markets. There a lot of good things happening here and this is just the latest example!" |
| Mississippi recorded $21.5 million drop in Q3 gaming revenue | |
| Mississippi casinos saw a slight decline in revenue in the third quarter of this year as the nation's gaming industry saw an uptick overall in earnings. Magnolia State has now amassed back-to-back quarters that are not on par with revenue generated over the same period in 2023. After starting 2024 on a high note, generating nearly $20 million more than it had in the final three months of last year, Mississippi's casinos have experienced a 2.3% drop in annual revenue in the second quarter and a 3.5% decline in the third quarter. In July, August, and September of 2023, Mississippi's gaming industry hauled in $627.3 million. In those three months this year, the state earned $605.8 million -- a difference of $21.5 million. A big push in sports betting was carried out at the tail-end of the quarter with college football and the NFL kicking off a new season on the gridiron. In Mississippi, sports betting is legal but must be done within the confines of a brick-and-mortar casino. As markets continue to expand across the map, experts say Mississippi could be more competitive and immediately see a boost in revenue if the state legislature legalized mobile sports betting instead of requiring people to bet on games, races, and events in person at sportsbooks. |
| Discussing the issues: Legislative panel talks key goals for 2025 | |
| As the 2025 legislative session in Mississippi approaches its January 7 start date, members representing Warren County convened Wednesday at the Vicksburg Convention Center for a panel discussion held during the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce's November luncheon. Chiming in on the issues were state Rep. Kevin Ford (District 54), Rep. Jeffery Harness (District 85), Rep. Oscar Denton (District 55) and Sen. Briggs Hopson (District 23). Vicksburg-Warren Partnership President and CEO Pablo Diaz, acting as a moderator for the event, asked the panel to name key issues facing their districts as 2025 approaches, with all four panel members expounding on statewide concerns over redistricting, tax reform and Medicaid expansion, among other top priorities for the upcoming session. Hopson added infrastructure sustainability to the list of topics requiring attention as the new session prepares to convene. "You saw the governor's announcement recently with over $10 million for our local port," Hopson said. "And I do think education and health care, all of these are critical issues. The other thing I feel like is important is an infrastructure sustainability program. We've done really well in the infrastructure over the last 20 years. We've done projects all around the state, but we're going to have to come up with something more sustainable and more predictable for our roads and bridges. We're going to have to come up with something that is consistent." Hopson also said, as always, wise use of tax dollars will be key for progress. |
| Congress poised for another farm bill punt after Senate nonstarter | |
 | House Republicans rejected a farm bill proposal by Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) this week, increasing the likelihood that lawmakers will pass another one-year extension of the massive legislation by the end of the year rather than a new, longer-term measure. A source in Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) office confirmed this week that the GOP-controlled House plans to seek an extension of the 2018 farm bill, the last major version of the legislation signed into law, rather than pursuing a new bill after months of gridlock. The legislation, which has long underpinned the country's agriculture sector and food aid programs, is typically passed in five-year increments, but lawmakers similarly punted on passing a new bill at the end of last year. Major bones of contention in interparty talks surrounding the legislation include reference pricing, the subsidies paid to farmers when the prices of commodities fall below a certain threshold. The GOP-controlled House passed its farm bill text out of committee earlier this year, while Stabenow introduced text for the Senate version this week. Having won a trifecta in the November election, Republicans have considerably less incentive to pass a full new bill by year's end rather than passing another extension and introducing a broadly Republican-supported bill in the next Congress. |
| Trump Considers Warsh Serving as Treasury Secretary -- and Then Fed Chair | |
 | President-elect Donald Trump has floated selecting the financier Kevin Warsh as his Treasury secretary with the understanding that he could later be nominated to lead the Federal Reserve when Jerome Powell's term as chair ends in 2026, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump discussed the potential arrangement with Warsh during a meeting Wednesday at Mar-a-Lago, the president-elect's private club in Florida, some of the people said. Warsh is a front-runner to lead the Treasury Department, but as of Thursday evening, Trump hadn't decided whom he would choose for the pivotal cabinet position. The people familiar with the matter said Trump was still weighing how he would approach the Fed vacancy and likely wouldn't make a final decision until closer to when Powell's term as chair ends in May 2026. Trump is thinking about appointing the investor Scott Bessent to lead the National Economic Council with an eye toward nominating him as Treasury secretary later in his term if Warsh becomes Fed chair, some of the people said. Trump's aides often caution that he is prone to changing his mind. He could decide not to pick Warsh or Bessent for these roles and instead select one of the other top contenders to lead Treasury, such as Apollo Global Management Chief Executive Marc Rowan. Trump has been deliberating behind closed doors for days over his choice for Treasury secretary. |
| Republicans Rally Behind Pete Hegseth Amid Sexual Assault Accusations | |
 | Vice President-elect JD Vance brought two of Donald J. Trump's potential cabinet members to the Senate this week to shore up support for the president-elect's picks, but he's leaving with only one. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration as the next attorney general on Thursday amid allegations of sexual misconduct, one day after Mr. Vance tried to muster support for him on Capitol Hill. His withdrawal came less than 45 minutes after another embattled cabinet pick, Pete Hegseth, Mr. Trump's choice for defense secretary, faced a direct question about his own sexual assault accusations. Concerns about Mr. Hegseth's path to confirmation grew on Wednesday night when a newly released police report provided graphic details about a 2017 sexual encounter, which Mr. Hegseth maintains was consensual. On Thursday, some Republican senators defended Mr. Hegseth, emphasizing that no charges were filed in the case. After meeting with him in Mr. Vance's Senate office, Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee attributed the allegations to "the media's focus on personal attacks," calling Mr. Hegseth "the right guy to inspire the Pentagon." Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, referred to accusations as "press reports." "I think he's going to be in pretty good shape," Mr. Wicker said after meeting with Mr. Hegseth for roughly 20 minutes. |
| Trump picks former prosecutor Pam Bondi for attorney general | |
 | President-elect Donald Trump announced he will nominate Pam Bondi to be his next attorney general, in a social media post Thursday that touted the former Florida attorney general's history as a prosecutor who "was very tough on Violent Criminals." Bondi, if confirmed, would oversee a sprawling Department of Justice responsible for federal criminal prosecution and a wide array of law enforcement. In the role, she could advocate for certain funding priorities, implement internal changes, and shift policy on topics like immigration, voting rights and antitrust enforcement. Bondi would likely be tasked with implementing Trump's plans to remake an agency he fumed at during the campaign trail. Trump's announcement on Thursday came hours after his previous pick for attorney general, former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration. Bondi is a more traditional pick for attorney general than Gaetz, whose push for attorney general was dogged by sexual misconduct allegations and the specter of an unreleased ethics report. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, a member of the Judiciary Committee, offered Bondi congratulations on social media. "I look forward to supporting her nomination in the Senate," Lee said. |
| RFK Jr. weighs major changes to how Medicare pays physicians | |
 | Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his advisers are considering an overhaul of Medicare's decades-old payment formula, a bid to shift the health system's incentives toward primary care and prevention, said four people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. The discussions are in their early stages, the people said, and have involved a plan to review the thousands of billing codes that determine how much physicians get paid for performing procedures and services. The coding system tends to reward health-care providers for surgeries and other costly procedures. It has been accused of steering physicians to become specialists because they will be paid more, while financial incentives are different in other countries, where more physicians go into primary care -- and health outcomes are better. Although policymakers have spent years warning about Medicare's billing codes and their skewed incentives, the matter has received little national attention given the challenge of explaining the complex issues to the public, the technicalities of billing codes and the financial interests for industry groups accustomed to how payments are set. Lawmakers have spent decades questioning why physicians play a role in setting their own federal payments. Trent Lott, the Mississippi Republican who served as Senate minority leader, in 2001 took aim at the lobbying group's influence, calling to strip the AMA's copyright for the codes. Senators say those concerns have persisted. |
| Trump once shunned Project 2025 as 'ridiculous.' Now he's staffing up with them. | |
 | Donald Trump spent his presidential campaign running from Project 2025. Now, he's using it to stock his White House and administration. In recent days, Trump has tapped nearly a half-dozen Project 2025 authors and contributors, including Brendan Carr, who Trump picked this week to lead the FCC; former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, who got the nod for ambassador to Canada; and John Ratcliffe, who was tapped for director of the CIA. One of Trump's first selections -- Tom Homan as "border czar" -- was also a Project 2025 contributor. The next Project 2025 alum to join the administration could be Russ Vought, the president-elect's former director of the Office of Management and Budget, who is being closely considered for a return to the role, POLITICO reported this week. That's despite Trump once calling the group's work product "absolutely ridiculous and abysmal," and the leader of his transition team, Howard Lutnick, saying the group had made itself "nuclear." Not anymore. Now Project 2025 alums are slated to have key roles in his administration -- particularly on the economy, immigration and dismantling the administrative state. And with the most recent round of controversial Cabinet nominees, Cannon quipped, the Trump transition is "doing their level best to make Project 2025 look reasonable." |
| President-elect set to shape 'Trump judiciary' for next generation | |
 | During Donald Trump's first term in office, appointing federal judges became one of his biggest accomplishments. Legal experts predict Trump will move quickly next year to cement and extend that legacy -- and they said he will enjoy some substantial advantages this time around: being able to see how his initial picks performed. "The president will have a ready pool of nominees who he already knows, and is comfortable with," said Jesse Panuccio, a former top official in the Trump Justice Department who now works in private legal practice. Panuccio pointed out Trump is the first president since 1893 to have served nonconsecutive terms in office. He said perhaps not since Grover Cleveland served in the Oval Office, "... the president is going to have the opportunity to see how these appointments, these appointees, have performed on the bench for several years now." Appointees of a president don't always act according to his wishes once they're in a life-tenured post. Now, Trump is likely to be more discerning in trying to gauge whether a nominee is likely to abide by his priorities many years down the line, by examining their records on the bench and their writings. Russell Wheeler, a fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, said if senators go about confirming judges with the same "ferocity" they exhibited during the first Trump administration, Trump will have a good chance to change the makeup of the federal courts "quite dramatically." |
| Beyond evangelicals, Trump and his allies courted smaller faith groups, from the Amish to Chabad | |
| A social-media tribute to Coptic Christians. A billboard in Amish country. A visit to a revered Jewish gravesite. While Donald Trump's lock on the white evangelical vote is legendary, he and his campaign allies also wooed smaller religious groups, far from the mainstream. As it turned out, Trump won by decisive margins, but his campaign aggressively courted niche communities with the understanding that every vote could be critical, particularly in swing states. Voter surveys such as exit polls, which canvass broad swaths of the electorate, aren't able to gauge the impact of such microtargeting, but some backers say the effort was worth it. Republicans also made an aggressive push for Amish voters, particularly in the swing state of Pennsylvania, where they are most numerous at about 92,000 (many below voting age). The GOP has made similar efforts in the past, even though researchers have found that less than 10% of them typically vote, due to their separatism from society. But Republicans used billboards, mailers, ads and door-to-door campaigner to drive turnout in Lancaster County, home base to the nation's largest Amish settlement. Steven Nolt, a history professor at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster College who studies the Amish and their voting patterns, said that while it’s too early to say definitively without further research, he doesn’t see evidence of a larger turnout this year. |
| With Trump as president, can TikTok in the U.S. survive? | |
 | The fate of TikTok in the U.S. has been up in the air since 2020, when President Donald Trump moved to ban the popular video app because of national security concerns. That set off four years of back-and-forth between the app's Chinese owners and the U.S. government, with a possible ban scheduled to go into effect one day before Trump's inauguration in January. One hitch: Trump recently changed his mind, joining TikTok in June and posting on social media, "Those who want to save TikTok in America, vote for Trump." "We're not doing anything with TikTok," he said. That has given some creators hope. "The fact that Trump did a whole 180 and wants to wait and reassess how everything is going with TikTok -- I think we're going to be OK," said creator Kat Vera, 34, who posts fitness and car content and has 457,000 followers on TikTok. But there are factors that complicate the app's position. Several legal experts and tech industry observers said the path forward for TikTok is still precarious. "It's just a huge mess, and it isn't clear," said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. In April, Biden signed a law passed by Congress that would require TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its ownership of TikTok by Jan. 19 or face a ban in the U.S. due to security concerns about the app's ties to China. Biden has the option to extend ByteDance's deadline, but some legal experts said that is unlikely. Changing the law would require approval by Congress, they said. Instead, some believe that the matter could be settled in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. |
| Mississippi universities add new degree programs, cuts others | |
 | During their regular meeting Thursday morning, Nov. 21, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning board voted to add new degree programs to the state's universities while cutting several others. The meeting began with a prayer for Trustee Jeanne Luckey, who passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 7 at the age of 63. She has served on the Mississippi IHL board since 2018. Flowers sat on the desk in front of Luckey's usual chair Thursday morning. Trustee Gee Ogletree gave remarks on his late colleague and led the prayer. "Jeanne was not only a treasured member of our board, but she also brought valuable life experience to our work here," Ogletree said. "Her work, along with perspective and insight she brought to this board, will long be remembered by all of us. So, Jeanne has gone from us far too soon, and we will miss her. And, may the work that we do in the years to come honor her memory." |
| Miss. Board Removes Word 'Diversity' From Public University Policies | |
 | The governing board of Mississippi's public universities voted Thursday to remove the word "diversity" from several policies, Mississippi Today reported. Although the State Legislature has not banned diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices in higher education, as some states have, the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees voted to eliminate the word "in order to ensure continued compliance with state and federal law," according to the board book, which contains the meeting agenda and notes. The trustees excised whole passages from their policy guidelines, deleting the first word from the "Diversity Statement on Higher Education Access and Success." The statement used to say, in part, "One of the strengths of Mississippi is the diversity of its people. This diversity enriches higher education and contributes to the capacity that our students develop for living in a multicultural and interdependent world." Now it says, "IHL recognizes that the effectiveness of our academic community is enhanced by embracing the perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences of all students, faculty, and staff ... All students should be supported in their educational journey through programming and services designed to have a positive effect on their individual academic performance, retention, and graduation." |
| MDE presents award for Science of Reading Excellence to MUW | |
 | The School of Education at The W was recognized by the Mississippi Department of Education today with its Mississippi Science of Reading Excellence Award. The W has also been recognized as a Mississippi Emerging Science of Reading Educator Preparation Program for its commitment to literacy education. The Science of Reading goes beyond teaching students how to read. It involves research into child brain development, psychology, and language development, and the relationship of reading skills to education success. "The research backs it. That is what the Science of Reading is. There are studies that show the connection of students that start kindergarten, if they're ready for kindergarten, they tend to stay on track. But those that start behind, typically stay behind. Those who struggle in kindergarten struggle in 3rd Grade. They struggle in graduating high school, and so, what we are doing is ensuring our teacher candidates have the knowledge and skills to set the trends that don't just impact success in the classroom, but impacts their success in their family, in their jobs, and in the community," said Rose Ford, MWU Assistant Professor of Education. |
| W School of Education receives statewide recognition for preparing future teachers | |
| The School of Education at Mississippi University for Women is "leading the charge" when it comes to preparing future teachers for their careers, Mississippi Department of Education Chief Academic Officer Donna Boone said during an award ceremony Thursday. The W's teacher preparation program is one of two in the state to receive MDE's Mississippi Science of Reading Excellence Award this year for its efforts in implementing teaching principles aligned to the science of reading. On Thursday morning, MUW faculty and staff, public officials and local school superintendents gathered at the School of Education to celebrate the achievement. "To say that we are thrilled to be here today is an understatement because what The W has done in preparing (teachers) for the job (they) have ahead is phenomenal," Boone told the group. "You're leading the charge because not every one of our universities are where you are in embracing the research." The science of reading is a body of research conducted by experts in various fields -- including cognitive psychology, linguistics and neuroscience -- to explain how people learn to read and how to best teach reading, from what happens in the brain while reading to the skills that contribute to proficient reading. In other words, it's more than just reading and writing, Rose Ford, assistant professor of education, explained to The Dispatch. |
| Congenital syphilis is on the rise in Mississippi while other STIs are declining nationwide | |
 | There were over 2.4 million sexually transmitted infections reported in the U.S. in 2023. Yet, the rate of sexually transmitted infections appears to be slowing down, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gonorrhea declined by 7% nationally. In 2022, Mississippi had the worst rate of the disease in the country. Now the state ranks fifth in the nation for the disease, with a 10% reduction in cases. Chlamydia declined across the state by over 30% from 2022 to 2023. In Mississippi, the number of primary and secondary syphilis cases fell by nearly 3%. However, the cases of babies born with congenital syphilis rose by nearly 80%. Dr. Thomas Dobbs is dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. "We have a 40% fatal disease that's almost entirely cured by a single shot of penicillin," he said. "That speaks to a system issue. We've got to do a better job of getting moms into prenatal care and getting them tested and treated because it's really a simple solution." "We have a lot of delayed prenatal care in a lot of counties," Dr. Dobbs said. "I really think that the majority of women are not getting prenatal care in the first trimester for a whole host of reasons." Dr. Dobbs says a lack of health infrastructure and underinvestment could be behind the rise of this disease. Syphilis testing is now required for pregnant people in their first trimester, third trimester, and at delivery as a part of Mississippi's efforts to prevent congenital syphilis in infants. |
| USM's Children's Center for Communication and Development hits 50th anniversary | |
 | The Children's Center for Communication and Development on USM's campus celebrated its 50th anniversary. The center was created in 1974 to work with children with disabilities from birth to 5 years old. For the past 50 years, kids enrolled at the center were provided with therapies customized to each child's communication and developmental needs through a team approach. This could include physical or occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, social workers and more. The center also gives USM students the opportunity to get pre-professional training before going into the field. "The wonderful thing about the Children's Center is because we're situated on the University of Southern Mississippi's campus," said Center Director Sarah Myers. "So, not only are we providing cost free, essential early intervention therapies to young children and families, but we're also training students. "We're training the next professionals for our state and we're really showcasing the ideal, showcasing the model of what early intervention and preschool therapy services should look like for young children with disabilities." |
| HBCU Honoring Distinguished Agriculture Leader with Center Naming | |
| Alcorn State University will honor one of its distinguished alums, Dr. Jesse Harness Sr., by naming its Agriculture and Extension Center after him in a ceremony scheduled for Friday, Nov. 22, at 10 a.m. The event will take place on the university's Lorman campus and celebrate Dr. Harness's remarkable contributions to agricultural education and community development. Dr. Harness, an Alcorn State University's Class of 1967 graduate, has dedicated over three decades to improving agricultural practices and enhancing community engagement throughout Mississippi. He was born in Magnolia, Mississippi, and began his career as a county agent with Mississippi State University after graduating. His journey brought him back to Alcorn, where he held various roles, including horticulture specialist, coordinator for Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity, associate division director for administration, and administrator for the university's Cooperative Extension Program. "It gives me great pleasure to honor Dr. Jesse Harness, Sr., for his many contributions to the field of agriculture," said Dr. Tracy M. Cook, president of Alcorn State University. "He has been a transformative leader who has made a significant impact within Mississippi and beyond through agricultural education and community advancement." |
| U. of Alabama raises record-setting $261 million in 2024 | |
 | The University of Alabama raised more than $261 million in 2024, breaking its own record for fundraising set in 2023. More than 60,000 donors made charitable gifts or pledges in the fiscal 2024 year, which ended Sept. 30. The 2024 fundraising total tops the $226 million UA raised in 2023. The back-to-back record years have put UA at 90% of reaching its $1.8 billion goal for the Rising Tide 2.0 capital campaign. "The generosity of our students, faculty, alumni, friends and partners has led to another record-breaking year for UA," said UA President Stuart R. Bell in a news release. "The momentum behind the Rising Tide 2.0 campaign continues to drive our progress, ensuring that we are building on a strong foundation to support the future of the university and its impact on our community and beyond." Rising Tide is a 10-year campaign designed to boost all areas of the UA campus, from student scholarships and faculty research to campus facilities and athletics. UA has billed Rising Tide as the most successful capital campaign ever for higher education in the state. The original goal of Rising Tide was to raise $1.5 billion, which UA reached in February. After meeting that goal, UA launched Rising Tide 2.0, with the goal increased to $1.8 billion. |
| U. of Florida scientists develop groundbreaking DNA test to combat invasive snakes in Florida | |
 | Scientists at the University of Florida have developed a pioneering tool to bolster Florida's defenses against invasive species: a DNA-based environmental monitoring test that can pinpoint where they've been, aiding eradication efforts. Once a nonnative species gets into an environment, it is often too late to get rid of it, and the focus shifts to containment or long-term management. Both approaches come with heavy costs concerning native wildlife and funding, explained Melissa Miller, lead author on the study and an invasion ecologist at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center (UF/IFAS FLREC). "We hope this novel eDNA sampling tool we have designed will help increase efficiency in invasive species management, allowing for early detection and rapid removal of nonnative species," she said. Known as a tetraplex digital PCR assay, this method of testing allows researchers to use water or soil samples for rapid and precise identification of Burmese pythons, northern African pythons, boa constrictors and rainbow boas from environmental DNA -- which scientists refer to as eDNA -- collected in the wild. The test can identify four invasive snake species simultaneously. That eDNA refers to genetic material shed by organisms into their surroundings. Published in the journal of Ecology and Evolution, scientists at UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences tout this as a significant advancement in detecting invasive snakes and a strategic tool for protecting Florida's ecosystems. |
| Texas Governor Orders New Restrictions on Colleges' Ties to China and Other 'Adversarial' Countries | |
 | An executive order issued by Texas' governor to "protect the state" from China and other "foreign adversary countries" would impose new restrictions and security requirements on public colleges, including potentially barring travel for faculty research and student recruitment to China. The order, by Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, could hobble academic engagement between Texas colleges and a country that remains a major source of international students and a critical research partner. The directive was one of three released this week by Abbott focused on safeguarding state agencies, including higher-education institutions, from the influence of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party. It says that public employees cannot accept gifts from or travel in a professional capacity to countries included on a U.S. Department of Commerce list of foreign governments "engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States." In addition to China, countries designated as foreign adversaries are Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Colleges and other agencies will also have to create policies for employees to report personal travel to such countries, including filing updates after returning from their trips. |
| Welsh reflects on first year as full-time president at Texas A&M | |
 | A little less than a year since becoming ensconced as Texas A&M University's president, Mark A. Welsh III reflected Thursday on the strides the university has taken since and the decisions he's made in his role. "I think it's important every now and then for us to stop, look back and say what's going well," Welsh said at a press conference on campus at the Memorial Student Center. "Those decisions I made a year ago about the quick look assessment, some of them might sour and we'll realize maybe a year or two on that wasn't the right decision and maybe we need to adjust. I don't think falling in love with your past efforts in a large organization is a good thing. It's important to look in the rearview mirror occasionally, be honest about it and then shift back into what's ahead of you." Welsh was promoted from interim president to the full-time job on Dec. 12, 2023. In the time since then, he learned a lot about himself and the university he leads. "I would sum up my first year as I'm still learning and there is a lot to learn," Welsh said. "I try and get smarter every day but I'm going to have to continue that. I have great people who are capable of helping carry me along which has been the joy of this job." Welsh also touched on the renewal of the football rivalry between Texas A&M and the University of Texas. Though there isn't a wager yet between Welsh and Texas President Jay Hartzell, Welsh suggested there might be one made before the game. |
| Is DEI in the Crosshairs at the U. of Michigan? | |
| The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor has one of higher education's most extensive commitments to recruiting and retaining students and faculty from a variety of racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, a distinction that's won it both admiration from beleaguered diversity leaders and criticism from a growing chorus of DEI critics. That includes a scathing almost 10,000-word magazine article published in The New York Times in October, scrutinizing the price and effectiveness of the university's efforts. But a report circulated Wednesday among Faculty Senate leaders suggests that the Board of Regents may be planning significant cuts in diversity, equity, and inclusion programming as early as next month. The faculty leaders are planning a series of meetings to push back against the changes they fear are coming. A letter, written by Rebekah Modrak, the Faculty Senate chair and a professor in the School of Art and Design, warns of "impending threats to the University of Michigan's DEI programming and core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion." Diversity and inclusion efforts are infused across the university, with more than 200 people assigned at least part-time to those roles. Since the strategy was rolled out in 2016, the university has spent more than $250 million on a variety of programs, with each of its 49 schools, colleges, and campus units pursuing their own plans. The expansive reach that's made it a model for other universities has also made it a target of conservative activists who see a giant bureaucracy trying to impose liberal views on the campus. |
| This Year's College Aid Form Is Better, but Still Glitchy | |
| Students and parents completing the revamped college financial aid application are finding the process is better than it was after its troubled rollout -- but still glitchy. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the next academic year is now open to all students. It is the second attempt at a new Fafsa meant to make aid applications easier, but after the first try left the college admissions season in disarray. The form sent out erroneous aid estimates to schools. Delays and confusion were common. Students gave up or got discouraged, potentially costing them aid money. The agency says many of the bugs from the rollout have been fixed. But some applicants say they are still getting booted from the form as they complete it. A small subset will have to complete portions manually. While many issues have been fixed, "there are many more we need to deliver on in the coming months," said Jeremy Singer, Fafsa's executive adviser. Fafsa will be a top challenge for Linda McMahon, whom President-elect Donald Trump this week nominated to run the Education Department. If confirmed, she will inherit the program that helps funnel more than $100 billion of aid distributions each year. The struggles of the new Fafsa's first attempt led to just 46% of high-school seniors completing it, down from 53% in the prior year, according to the National College Attainment Network. |
| The FAFSA Is Live, Tested, and 'Already Working' | |
| The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is now available to all users and running smoothly, the U.S. Department of Education announced on Thursday. You may keep your fingers crossed, if you like. The announcement marks a pivotal moment in the continuing FAFSA saga. Throughout the 2024-25 cycle, technical errors and processing delays stymied students, parents, and college officials, injecting months of chaos into the enrollment process. Everyone with a stake in the federal-aid system has been hoping to avoid a sequel. There won't be one, according to the Education Department. "We now expect the FAFSA to work," Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal said during a call with reporters on Thursday, "because it is already working." Still, several financial-aid experts told The Chronicle on Thursday that while they've seen significant progress in fixing the FAFSA this fall, some parts of the federal-aid engine still aren't functioning properly. Until that changes, the full promise of the revamped process won't be realized for all students, as well as colleges. Education Department officials acknowledged that they have more work to do. Since the beta testing began, on October 1, more than 167,000 students have successfully submitted a FAFSA, the department said. Those forms have been processed and sent to more than 5,200 colleges. On several college campuses, Thursday's announcement prompted praise for the department -- and cautious expressions of hope that there won't be a repeat of the FAFSA crisis of 2024. |
| Student Voter Engagement Efforts Grew in 2024. Student Voting Didn't. | |
| Nicholas Crookston, who leads campus engagement efforts for the civic engagement nonprofit Voto Latino, opened the National Student Voter Summit Thursday morning by announcing how much student voter engagement efforts grew this past election cycle. In 2024, around 900 total minority-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, and community colleges celebrated civic holidays, like National Voter Registration Week, which takes place in early October, he said. And 47 MSIs, rural colleges and community colleges joined the Ask Every Student initiative, pledging to ask every student on campus to engage in the democratic process. Other attendees at the summit, held at the University of Maryland, shared specific examples of engagement from their own campuses: football players helping dozens of teammates register to vote, parades to the polls featuring live music and dancing, student podcasters interviewing local candidates. But despite such efforts, student voting did not appear to soar to unprecedented heights, as many in the nonpartisan student voting space had hoped. Definitive numbers of how many college students voted are not available yet, but an analysis of exit poll data by Tufts University's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) shows youth voting down about eight percentage points from the record high of 2020. |
| Lumumba's hubris shines light on need for anti-corruption reforms | |
| Former State Rep. Nick Bain writes for the Magnolia Tribune: Hubris is defined by Merriam-Webster as exaggerated pride or self-confidence. The Holy Bible is filled with many examples of the trait. The ancient kings of the Old Testament exemplified hubris well. Jesus spoke of hubris many times and said that "pride" is one of the many things that come from within and defiles a man. (Mark 7:21-23) In modern Mississippi, we see no better example of hubris than in Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. ... Mississippi has seen large scale corruption scandals on what seems like a regular schedule. Christopher Epps and other defendants schemed to defraud the state of millions in an MDOC kickback scandal that at the time was the largest public corruption case the state had ever seen. Since then, the state has been rocked by the TANF welfare scandal with far reaching tentacles that have implicated some of our state's most famous citizens. Now the Mayor of Jackson, our state's most populous city, along with the Hinds County District Attorney, are embroiled in a bribery case, the facts of which are ripped from the pages of a John Grisham novel. So, what does Mississippi need to do to curtail these corruption cases? That answer is not an easy one. Hubris will be present in those in authority until the end of time. After all Jesus died as the result of it and Moses parted the Red Sea because of it. However, the state can be more proactive in passing laws that stem the tide of corruption. For example, a long-debated issue has been to remove those convicted of public corruption from the state's retirement program. Allowing the local coroner convicted of fraud to still draw his PERS gives many taxpayers heartburn. |
SPORTS
| No. 1 State Soccer Set To Host Washington In NCAA Round Of 32 | |
| Top-seeded Mississippi State continues its historic season on Friday evening as the Bulldogs host Washington in the NCAA Round of 32. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. CT at MSU Soccer Field, where the Bulldogs will look to extend their perfect home record and secure a spot in the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history. This marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams and Washington's inaugural visit to the state of Mississippi, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown in Starkville. The winner of this match will advance to Sunday's Sweet 16, where they will face the victor of the day's earlier matchup between Kentucky and Notre Dame, set for 2:30 p.m. CT. Sunday's Sweet 16 match is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. CT kickoff at MSU Soccer Field, ensuring fans in Starkville a weekend full of high-stakes action. Mississippi State enters the matchup on the heels of a commanding 7-0 victory over Southern University in the NCAA Tournament First Round. The Bulldogs delivered a performance for the ages, outshooting their opponent 38-0 -- a feat unmatched by any team in the tournament field -- and breaking yet another attendance record at MSU Soccer Field. Over 3,000 fans packed the venue, creating an electric atmosphere that further solidified Starkville as one of the premier home-field advantages in college soccer. |
| Need to know: MSU Soccer's Round of 32 clash with Washington | |
| Mississippi State soccer will look to continue its historic 2024 season this weekend as Starkville hosts an NCAA Tournament regional for the second and third rounds. The Bulldogs (18-2) will square off against Washington (10-6-4) at home on Friday at 6 p.m. following the conclusion of Kentucky and Notre Dame's matchup. They'll hope to battle either the Wildcats or Irish on Sunday for a trip to the Elite Eight, but first, they'll have to overcome the resilient Huskies team. MSU's next opponent hasn't scored a goal yet this postseason, yet they've only lost one of those three matches. The Huskies demonstrated their resiliency and defensive prowess in 0-0 draws against No. 17 Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament and No. 25 Utah State in the NCAA Tournament, advancing past both opponents via spot kicks. The Huskies failed to register a single shot on target last Friday in Logan, Utah, and yet they booked their ticket to the Round of 32 anyway. Armstrong's team will face a tough nut to crack on Friday, but that doesn't mean the Huskies don't have firepower. Top scorer Ioanna Papatheodorou earned a call-up to the Greek national team with her eight goals this season. She is a free-kick specialist as well, helping upset then No. 5 Michigan State with a laser strike around the wall and into the top corner of the net. Washington isn't a high-scoring team, but they are far from easy to score against. That will be the major obstacle for the Bulldogs on Friday as the team hopes to carry its prolific form into the next round. |
| Missouri aims to get back in win column at Mississippi State, which still seeks first SEC victory | |
| Missouri (7-3, 3-3 SEC) is at Mississippi State (2-8, 0-6), Saturday, 3:15 p.m. CT (SEC). Missouri sits just outside the AP Top 25 and looks to rebound from last week's 34-30 loss at South Carolina that dropped the Tigers to midpack in the conference. Mississippi State returns from a bye after losing 33-14 at Tennessee and seeks to end a 10-game SEC losing streak dating to last season. Missouri's defense ranks 18th nationally (311.6 yards per game) and is seventh in both third down percentage (29.1%) and first downs allowed (154). MSU has steadily improved since the beginning of the season and ranks eighth in the SEC with 21.2 first downs per contest. The Bulldogs can also score quickly, with 14 touchdowns in under two minutes and 13 scoring drives of five plays or fewer. Mississippi State safety Isaac Smith and linebacker Stone Blanton are close to becoming the Bulldogs' third consecutive defensive pair with 100 tackles each. Smith, a sophomore, leads the SEC with 101 while Blanton is fourth with 93. Smith made a career-high 20 stops (nine solo) at Tennessee; Blanton, a junior South Carolina transfer, had 14 against UMass. MSU will honor 22 seniors before their home finale. |
| Five keys to victory for Mississippi State against No. 23 Missouri | |
| Mississippi State (2-8, 0-6 Southeastern Conference) is back at Davis Wade Stadium for the final time this season to host No. 23 Missouri (7-3, 3-3) at 3:15 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network. The Tigers are unbeaten at home this year but have struggled on the road, and lost a heartbreaker last week at South Carolina that ended their College Football Playoff hopes. MSU has received the opening kickoff in all 10 games this year. The Bulldogs have turned those opening possessions into six three-and-outs, a turnover on downs, a fumble and just two touchdowns, one of which came against an overmatched Eastern Kentucky team. Head coach Jeff Lebby, unlike most coaches, typically chooses to receive if MSU wins the coin toss, so it will be up to the Bulldogs' offense to throw the first punch. MSU has not led after the first quarter in any SEC game this year, and playing from behind forces teams to scrap portions of the game plan. So scoring first and staying in front is critical for the Bulldogs to grab the upset. With a bowl game out the window, MSU has nothing meaningful to play for Saturday, but the Bulldogs would still like to send their seniors out on a high note, avoid finishing winless in conference play and give their fans something to cheer about -- not to mention build some momentum heading into their rivalry game next week. |
| 'This is St. Louis City football': Familiar faces to meet on the gridiron in Mizzou vs. Mississippi State matchup | |
 | When No. 23 Missouri makes the trip down to Starkville, Mississippi, this weekend, it will be looking for redemption. The Tigers suffered a last-minute 34-30 road loss to South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium this past weekend, putting them in need of a decisive rebound. That could likely come against Mississippi State, which is just 2-8 with an 0-6 mark in Southeastern Conference play under first-year coach Jeff Lebby this season. But the Bulldogs are one of two SEC programs -- Alabama being the other -- that Mizzou has yet to defeat since joining the league in 2012. Pair that with an eager Mississippi State team vying for its first conference win of the season in its final home game of the campaign, and the stage is set for an intense, compelling matchup. To add more fuel to the competitive fire, the contest represents a reunion of sorts for a pair of former prep standouts. Tigers running back Jamal Roberts will compete against his friend and former teammate from St. Mary's High School in St. Louis: Mississippi State standout wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. "You look at the wide receiver, Kevin Coleman, who we know well from his time in St Louis," Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "He's a dynamic wide receiver, really good route runner, really good yard after catch. He is also their punt returner. As challenging a wide receiver as there is in the SEC, in my opinion." |
| Missouri football OL Drake Heismeyer, late in his career, is getting starting opportunity | |
 | Not many players will wait longer for a first career start than Drake Heismeyer. The backup Missouri football offensive linemen arrived on campus in 2020, in a class alongside quarterback Brady Cook and since-drafted NFL corners Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Kris Abrams-Draine. Heismeyer was in one year before the Tigers' three-year starting center Connor Tollison, and has spent most of his career down the depth chart along the offensive line. Don't get it wrong, he's been out on the field for the Tigers. He's appeared in 48 games over the course of his career, mostly on special teams duties. This year, his role was mostly as the backup to Tollison and as part of the middle shield on MU's punt team -- a role Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz said that the O-lineman "takes extreme amount of pride in that." But then he was called up to the offense four games before his five-year college career was over. Not under circumstances he wanted, but under necessity. Tollison is one of his best friends, Heismeyer said, and the pair lived together for multiple years. But Tollison sustained an injury against Oklahoma and was pulled from the game. Heismeyer came in and kept backup quarterback Drew Pyne clean as the Tigers staged a late comeback to beat the Sooners. Tollison's injury required surgery, and the starter was ruled out for the year. Heismeyer was the next man up. He'll get his next chance Saturday against Mississippi State on the road in Starkville. |
| Mississippi State football approved for indoor practice facility, renovations project | |
| Mississippi State has begun the process of building an indoor football practice facility. The university was approved during Thursday's Institutions of Higher Learning board meeting to initiate a project with renovations and additions to the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex, where the team is headquartered and holds its practices. The project includes an indoor practice facility. The project also includes weight room upgrades, locker room renovations, additional offices, nutrition areas and hydrotherapy areas. A budget has not been determined, but Mississippi State anticipates costs to exceed $3 million. $500,000 has already been earmarked for architectural and engineering fees, which will be paid with internal funds. A project timeline hasn't been determined, but Mississippi State said it expects there to be phases over multiple years. The Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex was constructed in 2013 and is named after the former Mississippi State football player. |
| Dan Mullen addresses future in coaching, likelihood he returns to sideline | |
| Dan Mullen hasn't coached since 2021, currently serving as a college football analyst at ESPN. However, with Oklahoma's recent firing of offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, Mullen's name has been floating around the coaching carousel. During an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show on Thursday, Mullen addressed the rumors of his connection to the job. "I love doing the TV. I love the situation I'm at. You never say never to go back to coaching. It would have to be the right head coaching opportunity for me and my family," Mullen said. "When you coach, you're all in. It's life-consuming. "It consumes your life, your whole family's life. So, if the right opportunity ever presented itself, you never know, I might go back. But I'm really enjoying this kind of media, TV life. And, being on your side of things." Mullen was the head coach at Mississippi State from 2009-17 and at Florida from 2018-21. During his time at the helm of MSU, Mullen led the Bulldogs to only their third 10-win season in program history. He also coached quarterback Dak Prescott, who was a two-time First-Team All-SEC member. In his first two seasons at Florida, Mullen led the Gators to a combined 21-5 record. However, Mullen's success took a dip the following year and plummeted in the 2021 campaign, leading to him being fired. |
| Big Ten kickoff times frustrate fans, but as revenues increase ADs say, 'We signed up for this' | |
| Saturday at home against Indiana in a battle of top-five teams, Ohio State will play its fifth of six consecutive games that kick off at noon ET. Some fans of the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes aren't thrilled about the condensed tailgating scene and malaise that often settles inside stadiums around early starting college football games. Fan angst in the Big Ten is on the rise this fall as oddities pop up around trends in kickoff times. In this second season of a seven-year media rights contract, the first with three major networks as full participants, did the Big Ten cede too much control to Fox, its lead broadcast partner? "To be very honest," Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft said, "we signed up for this." In selecting games to televise that maximize ad revenue -- delivered to Big Ten schools in payments totaling $8 billion through 2029, a record in college sports -- Fox, CBS and NBC are acting as league leaders expect. Fox largely deals the cards in this high-stakes game. Decisions made by its executives, from the preseason draft of premier games held among the networks holding league rights to the weekly distribution and selection of kickoff times, impact the menu of available inventory for the other networks. And those choices reverberate on Big Ten campuses. |
| 'You're Forced to Binge-Drink Your Butt Off.' How Early Kickoffs Became College Football's Biggest Buzzkill. | |
| This has been a season for the ages for Indiana University's football team. The Hoosiers are undefeated, have eclipsed 10 wins for the first time in their history, and have a chance to book a spot in the Big Ten championship game and possibly the College Football Playoff. For the team's long-suffering followers, this weekend's marquee showdown at Ohio State should be the best of times. There's just one problem: The game will actually take place at the worst of times. Kickoff on Saturday is set for 12 p.m. ET, which counts as unsportsmanlike conduct for fans who like to tailgate with a drink or five before the big game. "It sucks," said Gabe James, a sophomore at Indiana studying finance. "Our game should have been a night game." In a sport that is defined by its traditions, there may be no ritual more sacred than the time-honored practice of getting completely wasted before a big game. But fans at some of the biggest schools in the country say they're being prevented from guzzling down beers by the growing scourge of noon kickoffs. Even fan bases who can't agree on much of anything are of the same mind when it comes to 12 p.m. starts. They're a giant buzzkill. "The atmosphere is remarkably different," said Zach Rau, a Louisiana State fan who cooks for upward of 60 people for every Tigers home game. "People are obviously a little more rowdy for a night game." |
| 'Run, Forrest, run!': How good a football player was Forrest Gump? | |
| It was 30 years ago this fall that "Forrest Gump," the story of a gentle soul who ended up traveling the globe, meeting presidents and filling the world with wisdom such as "Life is like a box of chocolates," and "Stupid is as stupid does," was running through the box office and toward six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Tom Hanks and Best Director for Robert Zemeckis. If you are a true Gump believer -- and judging by the film's $678 million gross, the 2.5 million copies sold of Winston Groom's book that inspired the film, the brisk sales of its recent 30th anniversary Blu-Ray re-release, not to mention the line of people I recently saw waiting to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Times Square, there are many -- then you also know that this fall also marks 60 years since the kid from fictional Greenbow, Alabama, became an All-America kick returner for Bear Bryant's Alabama Crimson Tide. Forrest Gump, wearing No. 44, scored the very first time he touched the football, a 99½-yard kickoff return against a team that appears to be the Vanderbilt Commodores. He went end zone to end zone, including a crossfield detour mid-return as he ran toward Bryant on the Bama sideline. Then he added at least another 50 yards because he didn't stop after crossing the goal line and kept churning through the Legion Field tunnel and presumably into downtown Birmingham. Now, amid these two very important anniversaries, and as his alma mater runs into Week 13 with an eye on running into the College Football Playoff, we ask a crucial, crimson-tinted question: Just how good at football was Forrest Gump, really? |
| Tommy Tuberville Responds to Pushback Over NIL Player Penalty Proposal | |
| Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) raised eyebrows this week when he suggested that Congress may need to consider ways of penalizing college athletes who break NIL contracts. Public reports of Tuberville's comments, which he offered Monday at the Morning Quarterback Club in Birmingham, drew criticism on social media, where people recalled the former college football coach prematurely abandoning his posts at Texas Tech and Ole Miss without appearing to suffer any financial consequences. Indeed, Tuberville's departure from TTU in 2012 became a textbook example of the historically one-sided expectations of loyalty when it comes to college athletes and athletic departments' existing employees. Tuberville was having dinner with some Red Raiders recruits at the time when he was announced as the next coach at Cincinnati. Reportedly, Tuberville left the recruits mid-meal and did not return. In a telephone interview Thursday, Tuberville said in seeking to stabilize college sports, he is not looking to hold athletes to a different standard of commitment than coaches or administrators. "Everyone should have skin in the game," said the first-term senator. Asked about his own employment history in coaching, Tuberville said: "Here's the deal: I think coaches should be held accountable. ... But, you know, if you can get an AD or a president or a school to give you just a one-way contract -- where, if they fire you, you get paid, but if you leave, you don't have to pay anything -- I mean, you've, you've hit the jackpot. But that's what's happening with colleges. I mean, these kids are coming in, they're not getting a contract, but they're getting promised a certain amount of money. And then, you know, there's no consequences if they get up and leave." |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
