| Wednesday, January 8, 2025 |
| MSU's Hyatt to receive NACA Founder's Award | |
 | The National Association for Campus Activities is recognizing Mississippi State Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt with the 2025 Founders Award, the organization's highest honor. NACA's Founders Award recognizes individuals whose contributions of time and talent have significantly impacted this leading organization for professionals, student leaders, entertainers, agents, vendors and others involved in campus event planning and activities. Recipients demonstrate professional integrity and conduct, achieve distinction in their field and work to advance campus activities programming. Hyatt will be honored Feb. 14 during the NACA Live conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since 2015, Hyatt has led MSU's Division of Student Affairs, overseeing a wide range of programs and departments focused on supporting student success, well-being and growth. "My involvement with NACA was integral to my success as a student affairs professional," Hyatt said. "Serving on committees, planning conferences and eventually serving on the board of directors helped me to develop skills that I have used throughout my career. I am honored to be recognized with the Founders Award and grateful for the incredible colleagues who I worked with through NACA over the years." |
| Who owns that restaurant? The answer can affect food safety in unexpected ways, researchers find | |
 | Mississippi State University's Chelsea Sherlock and Erik Markin write for The Conversation: Imagine going on a road trip and passing several seemingly identical McDonald's restaurants. Despite their uniform appearance, their ownership may vary widely: One might be run by a family, another by an individual entrepreneur, and others owned directly by the corporation. This is possible because McDonald's, like many other well-known fast-food restaurant chains, operates a under a franchise business model. Franchising allows companies to grow by licensing their brand to independent operators, who then manage day-to-day operations. Ownership structure can significantly affect performance, profitability and other business outcomes, research shows. As professors who study family businesses, we were curious whether it could also be linked to health and safety outcomes. We hypothesized that family-operated franchises would receive fewer health code violations compared with nonfamily-operated restaurants. Our reasoning was grounded in previous research showing that family-owned businesses often prioritize maintaining a strong reputation over short-term profits. |
| 'Suspicious activity' on SOCSD network keeps teachers, students off school internet | |
 | Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District started the spring semester Tuesday without internet access thanks to a disruption to its computer service. In a message sent to parents Monday morning, Communications Director Haley Montgomery said the discovery of "suspicious activity" during the winter break prompted the district to shut down network resources. While students, teachers and staff are currently unable to access the network, Montgomery said the district is working quickly to resolve the issue. "We are working diligently with third-specialists to investigate the source of this disruption, confirm its impact on our systems, and to restore full functionality to our network as soon as possible," she wrote in a statement to The Dispatch. As to what exactly the disruption is, Montgomery gave no specifics. She neglected to confirm whether it is a cybersecurity issue or if student data was accessed without authorization. Once the district became aware of the disruption, the information technology team immediately shut down network resources, including internet access, in response, Montgomery wrote in the message to parents. |
| Condos get green light for construction closer to Hancock Circle homes | |
| A variance allowing condos' construction closer to homes on Hancock Circle got the green light from aldermen Tuesday night, despite objections from neighbors who say the closeness will affect their properties. The board voted 5-2 in favor of granting the variance Tuesday, with Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins and Ward 7 Aldermen Henry Vaughn opposed. The property sits behind Highway 12's Quality Inn and Burger King, and it abuts with five residences on Hancock Circle. Aldermen in support of the variance said the housing would be a good use for the commercial property and might shield Hancock Circle from the noise of the highway and hotel tenants. "This is a commercial property, and this is a better use for it," Ward 3 Alderman Jeffrey Rupp said. "And it will screen those properties once it gets built. Having been out there on the site today looking at it and seeing the condition, I think this will be a benefit." City code typically requires commercial properties to be setback by 50 feet from detached residential properties from the rear and sides and 10 feet from the sides of other kinds of structures. Property co-owners Mark Shapley and Jason Ishee sought a variance to build eight condos within 20 feet of the Hancock Circle residences and to build their parking lot five feet from their neighbors to the south. The plan would also include a small mixed-use development on South Montgomery Street with ground floor retail or offices and more apartments on the second story. It would intrude on the standard 50-foot setback as well. |
| Parts of Mississippi could see snow, be under freeze warning this week | |
 | A winter storm system is set to sweep across the southern U.S. this week and is expected to bring snow and some ice and wintry mix to states along the Gulf coast. Parts of Mississippi could see freezing temperatures and some snow, though previous forecasts calling for wintery weather in most of the state have been updated. The latest forecasts look like central and north Mississippi will have the strongest chances for snow, sleet and freezing temperatures. Northern areas of the Magnolia State are under a winter storm watch Thursday and Friday. The NWS is predicting rain and snow chances in Greenwood, Oxford and Columbus/West Point/Starkville starting after midnight Thursday night and through Friday evening. The Hattiesburg forecast now calls for showers Thursday night through Friday night. The overnight low Thursday is 35 degrees. Friday weather has a high of 46 and a low of 31. The NWS New Orleans office issued a freeze warning Wednesday night for Gulfport. That area is set to get rain Thursday and Friday, but temperatures are expected to stay above freezing. |
| Southern states bracing for their biggest snowstorm in years | |
 | Areas from Texas to the Carolinas will experience their first major winter storm in years from Thursday into the weekend -- with snow stretching as far north as New England, and into areas pummeled by a storm earlier this week. In advance of the new storm, winter storm warnings, watches and advisories spanned 10 southern and central states as of early Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, significant snow accumulation is expected in northeastern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, northern Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, North Carolina and western South Carolina. This will lead to treacherous travel conditions and the potential for road closures, flight delays and cancellations, and school and business disruptions. Among the cities that could receive the most snow through Friday night are Dallas and Texarkana, Texas; Broken Bow, Oklahoma; Little Rock and Pine Bluff, Arkansas; Southaven and Tupelo, Mississippi; Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Bowling Green, Kentucky. Fueling the storm is a complex interaction between three atmospheric disturbances. The way these ingredients merge will determine how much snow falls and where, so the forecast details may still shift. |
| What this week's winter wallop means for farmers across the U.S. | |
 | A nasty dose of winter weather has pummeled much of the U.S. from Kansas to the East Coast, leaving many Americans to dig out of the blizzard -- including farmers And more is on the way, with the polar air expected to continue to grip some places until at least Friday. Farmers always watch the weather, but depending on where they're located and what they produce, winter always presents mental challenges for growers, said Carolyn Olson, an organic farmer in southwestern Minnesota who is also vice president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors. Producers know that the timing and amount of winter moisture affect farming conditions for the rest of the year. It's also a time for planning ahead -- something becoming increasingly difficult as climate change ramps up variability in snowfall, rainfall and other weather conditions that can make or break an operation. "They're doing that stressful part of making those decisions on how they're going to farm this year, what they're going to grow," Olson said. "It's just a lot of pressure on agriculture at this time of the year." |
| Can Madison County hang on to Nissan? 2025 poses development opportunities, challenges | |
| Amazon Web Services made waves in January of 2024 when it announced it will occupy two Madison County locations for the historic buildout of hyperscale development centers. Everyone knew it was a big deal when Mississippi lawmakers completed the $259 million incentive package for the Amazon Web Services' $10 billion project in Canton and Madison County. The long-term impacts may end up having as much impact as the immediate jobs and economic inflow. As the Madison County Economic Development Authority moves into 2025, executive director Joey Deason says big moves from last year should not dampen expectations for this year. "Obviously 2024 was a very successful year," Deason said. "Like every year, the next year comes and there are more expectations. I think the next thing we want to do is to make sure we stay focused with AWS and the construction of these two data center campuses that are under construction right now." There have also been multiple reports surrounding the future of Nissan, which employs nearly 4,000 people at the 2.8 million-square-foot plant, located on a 1,400-acre site in Madison County. "Obviously, there are things here in Madison County that are not in our control," Deason said. "The automotive industry, the interest rates and inflation have taken a bite out of, not just Nissan, but the entire automotive industry. With that, there are companies that are looking to make changes." |
| 2025 Legislative session begins | |
| Day one of the legislative session is about the formalities of gaveling in and gearing up for 90 days of policymaking. Before everyone was in the chambers, Governor Tate Reeves put in his two cents on support for full income tax elimination. That's shared by House leadership but with a plan to phase it out. "I think it's something that we can do because we have a track record going back almost 10 years now," said Rep. Trey Lamar. "Started this whittling away of the income tax back in 2016. We're about 10 years into that, and I think responsibly, another eight to 10 years, we can get it done and eliminated." But there may not be the same enthusiasm on the other side of the building. Senate Democrat David Blount said this when asked about eliminating the income tax. "I think it's reckless, and it's irresponsible," noted Blount. "I mean, just this year in Mississippi right now, our revenues are down almost 3%. We're down more than $100 million this year. Right now, every state in the country is seeing their revenue slow down." Republican Senator Josh Harkins noted the Senate's more cautious approach to the issue. "I think the way you do it matters, and obviously, there are stories of states that have tried to do it in short order and wound up regretting that," noted Harkins. "So, I think that we're going to take the diligent approach to make sure that we can maintain the budget and do the things that are expected of us while also lessening the burden on Mississippi taxpayers." |
| Businessman Tommy Duff launches PAC, adding to intrigue over potential bid for Governor | |
| Businessman Tommy Duff announced the launch of Duff PAC this week, advancing speculation that the tire magnate is eyeing a run for governor in 2027. For his part, Duff has done little to quell whispers, acknowledging widely that he is strongly considering the race, appearing at the Neshoba County Fair, and beginning to make speeches at local civic clubs around the state. The Duff PAC website does not, by itself, signal Duff's intent, with a mission statement that reads "Duff PAC is dedicated to supporting conservative candidates and advancing policies that promote opportunity, freedom, and prosperity across Mississippi." Jordan Russell, the Executive Director of the PAC told Magnolia Tribune, "Tommy Duff is a longtime supporter of conservative candidates, officeholders, and causes. He founded Duff PAC to better organize and increase his political activity ahead of the 2025 municipal and potential legislative special elections." Russell said the PAC wants "to support conservative candidates and advance policies that promote opportunities, freedom, faith-based values, and prosperity across Mississippi." While campaign finance reports from election cycles past show giving, neither were among perennial top donors. Instead, much of the Duffs' past giving has come in the form of philanthropy, with some $50 million in public pledges to Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss. |
| Billionaire Tommy Duff forms Republican PAC as he weighs gubernatorial run | |
| Billionaire Tommy Duff, as he considers a run for Mississippi governor in 2027, has formed a political action committee to help elect Republicans to city and legislative offices this year, likely to increase his influence as a political powerbroker. Jordan Russell, a longtime Republican operative who has led several federal and state campaigns, is director of the PAC, which was formed in December. Russell told Mississippi Today in a statement that Duff founded the PAC to support conservative candidates and advance policies that promote "opportunities, freedom, faith-based values and prosperity across Mississippi." Duff, a Hattiesburg resident and the co-wealthiest Mississippian along with his brother Jim, has been involved in state politics for decades, but mostly behind the scenes as a megadonor and philanthropist. He recently finished an eight-year stint on the state Institutions of Higher Learning Board, first appointed by former Gov. Phil Bryant. He's travelled around the state in recent months meeting with political and business leaders, potentially laying the groundwork for a gubernatorial run. Duff also appeared at last year's Neshoba County Fair and made the rounds at the state's premiere political gathering. |
| Auditor White asks for $1 million less from Legislature, considering run for governor | |
 | State Auditor Shad White wants a little less from the State Legislature this year-about $1 million less. White announced Tuesday he's requesting about $1 million less from the state's general fund for the office of State Auditor. That would decrease White's budget from about $9 million to more than $8 million. White was in the Hub City to speak to the Rotary Club of Hattiesburg. "The reason we're able to do that is over the past six years in my time as state auditor, we've tried to be frugal, we've eliminated unnecessary spending, all the way down to cutting off wi-fi hot spots that we don't use," White said. "We've also stored away money that we get from the federal government in audit fees." White also spoke about his plans for election year 2027. "I've been pretty blunt about saying I'm seriously considering running for governor and part of the reason is what we're talking about today," White said. "We identify all this waste in the state auditor's office and all this inefficiency in government, but as auditor, I'm not allowed to change anything." |
| Show-cause hearing delayed as Public Service Commission investigates Holly Springs Utility Department | |
| Mississippi's public service commission planned to move forward with a show-cause hearing against the city of Holly Springs following a recent ruling by the state's supreme court, but a lower court's ruling has stymied the process. Back in November, the commission scheduled the public hearing concerning utility services provided by the Holly Springs Utility Department (HSUD) to take place on January 7. The city of Holly Springs, which manages the HSUD, filed a petition seeking to reschedule the meeting to a date after the 2025 Mississippi legislative session wraps up. Petitioners first went to the commission to have the hearing delayed. That request was denied. The attorney representing the city of Holly Springs, State Sen. Bradford Blackmon, took to the Mississippi Supreme Court seeking relief, largely due to the fact that he has a conflict of interest and is constitutionally obligated to be present during the session. Nonetheless, the state's high court denied the city's petition, allowing for proceedings to be carried out at the Woolfolk Building in downtown Jackson as originally scheduled. But the court's order left the door open for Holly Springs' legal counsel to seek a temporary restraining order in the Hinds County Circuit Court -- and that they did. "The city has not been cooperative," Commissioner Chris Brown, a former state legislator, said on The Gallo Show. "We actually sent a subpoena to try to get to the bottom of it. We subpoenaed four or five of the city employees. They had a motion to quash, so they did not even show up. They don't even want to talk to us or anything else." |
| Deportations, housing and abortion: The biggest state policy fights of 2025 | |
 | State lawmakers and governors will be crucial in determining how sweeping the country's policy makeover proves to be under President-elect Donald Trump's administration. They'll spend the coming months debating controversial changes on hot-button issues like immigration, AI, the affordable housing crunch and education vouchers. Lawmakers in red states will be seeking every opportunity to grease the policy wheels and help deliver on the president-elect's grand campaign promises, while their blue state counterparts will be looking for ways to put sand in the gears. The end result is likely to be a further widening of the gap between how red states and blue states address the most controversial and consequential policy debates. With Republicans taking complete control in Washington after sweeping the November elections, Congress will be eager to push through a far-reaching agenda aligned with Trump's priorities. But with tiny congressional majorities -- particularly in the notoriously fractious House -- it's likely that they'll struggle to enact major changes. That's why state policymakers are likely to prove key. One party has total control in 38 out of 50 states -- 23 held by Republicans; 16 by Democrats -- and they often enjoy far larger legislative majorities than on Capitol Hill. That means they're likely to have a much easier time enacting bold policy agendas. |
| Congress welcomes Jimmy Carter to the Capitol for the final time | |
 | The footfalls of a military honor guard echoed Tuesday across the Capitol Rotunda as Congress paused to welcome the late President Jimmy Carter for the last time in a ceremony steeped in his deep Christian faith, military service and post-presidency work. "Today, we gather to celebrate the life of a man whose works will echo for generations to come, a man from Plains, Ga., who grew up without electricity or running water and served as the 39th president of the United States of America," Vice President Kamala Harris said. "And [he] lived every day of his long life in service to the people." The silence as Carter's casket was placed on the Lincoln catafalque, draped in a black cloth, was a jarring change from just moments earlier, when military cannons fired 21 times in a salute to the former commander in chief and Navy veteran. The explosions reverberated inside. Senate Chaplain Barry Black opened the service by praising Carter for living a "laudable life," adding: "Lord, he made the world more palatable" and worked to "make the world better than he found it." Black's baritone voice bounced off the legislative hall's thick walls as he prayed. With evening votes in both chambers set aside, Republican and Democratic lawmakers, along with Carter family members and others, gathered in the ornate room under the building's tall dome, black bunting adorning its doorways. They had earlier waited in somber silence as a horse-drawn caisson brought Carter's casket onto the Capitol grounds, a riderless horse following behind. |
| In exclusive sit-down, Biden reveals his biggest regret and the compliment Trump gave him | |
 | President Joe Biden, both reflective and defensive as he discussed his legacy, told USA TODAY he believes he could have won his reelection bid -- but isn't sure he would have had the vigor to complete four more years in the Oval Office. "So far, so good," he said. "But who knows what I'm going to be when I'm 86 years old?" In an exit interview about policy, politics and family, the president also said he hasn't decided whether to take one more momentous action before he leaves office in two weeks: preemptive pardons, something only three presidents have done before. A fire crackled in the fireplace on a cold Sunday afternoon, a massive portrait of FDR hanging above the mantle. Sitting at the historic Resolute desk, his presidential hero in his line of sight, the 46th president seemed determined to define his own record in office, and he discussed what he might do in his final days. It has been more than a half-century since Joseph Robinette Biden, a garrulous 28-year-old lawyer, won his first election by ousting a Republican incumbent for a seat on the New Castle County Council in Delaware. Now, at 82 and after 35 years in the U.S. Senate, eight years as vice president and four as president, he clearly isn't looking forward to leaving his final elective office. |
| Justice Dept. says it won't yet release Trump classified document report | |
| The Justice Department said it would not publicly release special counsel Jack Smith's findings on Donald Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents until the ongoing litigation against his co-defendants concludes, according to a filing in a federal appeals court Tuesday morning. But prosecutors said Attorney General Merrick Garland does intend to release a portion of Smith's report outlining his investigation into Trump's efforts to undo the results of the 2020 election and will allow members of Congress to review the portions withheld on the classified documents investigation. "This limited disclosure will further the public interest in keeping congressional leadership apprised of a significant matter within the Department while safeguarding defendants' interests," the filing from federal prosecutors says. Those assurances arrived a day after Judge Aileen M. Cannon, a federal judge in Florida, barred the release of the special counsel's entire report for at least three days. |
| Trump Imagines New Sphere of U.S. Influence Stretching From Panama to Greenland | |
 | President-elect Donald Trump's calls to take control of Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal reflect his fascination with a 21st-century version of an old idea -- that great powers should carve out spheres of influence and defend their economic and security interests by imposing their will on smaller neighbors. In a press conference Tuesday, Trump outlined a second-term foreign-policy agenda that rests not on global alliances and free trade but on economic coercion and unilateral military might, even against allies. With the Panama Canal and Greenland, he suggested he could use force to take them over. With Canada, he suggested he would hit the U.S.'s northern neighbor with extreme tariffs, leaving it no choice but to submit to annexation. Taking control of Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal through military or economic force would be a departure from decades of U.S. foreign policy as pursued by presidents of both parties. If Trump does even a portion of what he described -- each of which is extremely unlikely -- it could mean far-reaching changes in America's global role, emboldening adversaries and forcing allies no longer assured of Washington's backing to seek new security and economic arrangements, analysts said. Some current and former Trump advisers said those comments shouldn't be taken at face value. |
| Trump's idea to rename Gulf of Mexico resurfaces memories of Mississippi lawmaker who suggested it first | |
| President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he would move to try to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" when he retakes office later this month. But wait, doesn't that idea sound a bit familiar? To many Mississippians, it might. Back in 2012, state Rep. Steve Holland introduced a bill in the Mississippi Legislature calling for the part of the Gulf of Mexico bordering Mississippi to be renamed to – yep, you guessed it – the "Gulf of America." The populist Democrat who held office in Mississippi for over three decades made national waves as the proposal was reported by outlets ranging from Fox News to ABC and every local newspaper and station in between. It also received hefty criticism, specifically from the Latino population with some suggesting Mississippi should have to give up the namesake of the Mississippi River if it's going to try to change the four-century-old label graced upon an international waterway. While Holand's bill was destined to die before the ink even dried as the lawmaker later claimed it was a spoof on "immigration crap" and "to be silly," Trump's proposition may have a little more seriousness behind it. The Republican, who will soon become the second president to take office for nonconsecutive terms, told reporters that the "Gulf of America" has a "beautiful ring to it." Like many on Trump's growing list of ideas -- such as making Canada a state, taking control of Greenland, and demanding Panama return the Panama Canal -- it's always easier said than done. |
| Fundraiser proceeds bolster student wellness efforts at Ole Miss | |
| The Sigma Chi fraternity chapter at the University of Mississippi has donated the $60,000 proceeds of a recent fundraiser run on campus to support the work of the Thomas Hayes Mayo Lab at the William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing. The Mayo Lab helps those battling substance misuse and mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. Thomas Mayo, of Oxford, was a 21-year-old Ole Miss junior who died April 14, 2022, from fentanyl poisoning. The Sigma Chi chapter organizes the annual fundraiser in memory of their former fraternity brother. "I believe this event helps keep us all together," said Coy Stiles, the chapter president. "It keeps us in touch with the Mayo family and gives us a way to make something positive out of a tragedy by helping other people." This year's fundraiser attracted nearly 100 participants for a 1-mile run and more than 500 for a 5K event. |
| U. of Texas President Jay Hartzell stepping down to be SMU's next leader | |
| SMU is hiring University of Texas President Jay Hartzell as its next leader, a major shakeup in higher education that will open a vacuum at one of the state's most influential public institutions. The Southern Methodist University Board of Trustees unanimously voted to name Hartzell its next president, university officials announced Tuesday morning. He will take over June 1. "You've seen a lot of really big news made by private universities in great cities," Hartzell said in a Tuesday news conference. "SMU is on that journey. I am thrilled with the chance to see what I can do to help accelerate that trajectory." SMU's longtime President R. Gerald Turner said in August he was stepping down after 30 years, a tenure during which he restored the university's football program with a membership to the Atlantic Coast Conference and secured the George W. Bush Presidential Center. Hartzell's decision to leave UT and its nearly 54,000 students for SMU is a coup for the private campus of roughly 12,000 students. UT is celebrated as the state's flagship, offering a range of prestigious academic programs, including engineering and computer science. SMU is sought after for its business school and entrepreneurship programs. SMU trustees praised Hartzell's commitment to diverse academic disciplines and intercollegiate athletics, as well as his deep understanding of the role universities play in boosting the economy. Throughout more than four years at the helm in Austin, Hartzell oversaw growth in graduation rates, research dollars and philanthropy. |
| Decoding nature's chorus: U. of Missouri researcher eavesdrops on bugs | |
 | Inside a laboratory at Tucker Hall at the University of Missouri, Rex Cocroft adjusts his headphones, fine-tuning a device that looks a bit like a DJ's mixing board. He clips sensors onto a plant that has tiny bugs on it. "Listen," he whispers, handing over a pair of headphones. Through them comes a loud, purring sound that goes "bdddddrrrr" over and over, like a clucking hen. It's the love song of the treehopper -- an insect smaller than the size of your fingernail. For more than 30 years, Cocroft has been eavesdropping on these tiny insects, who "talk" to each other using vibrations transmitted through plant stems and leaves. His path to becoming one of the world's leading experts in insect vibrational communication did not begin in the lab. Cocroft said the reason for choosing his study focus was "a combination of intellectual curiosity about communication and the auditory enjoyment of how animals use sounds to communicate." Where others heard only the buzzing of insects, he heard melodies -- written not in sheet music, but in the very fabric of the living world. |
| What do FAFSA completion rates look like post-pandemic? | |
| Federal student aid in the U.S. depends on one form -- the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or the FAFSA. But not every student fills it out. Recently, researchers at The Century Foundation, a left-leaning think tank, looked closely at completion rates for the FAFSA and cataloged some surprising trends. Among them: Completion rates for low-income students have mostly rebounded after dips seen during the pandemic, while completion rates for most other income groups have declined. Middle-income students, in particular, still have lower completion rates than they did pre-pandemic. "Reaching middle income families remains a difficult problem to solve even as low-income communities are doing relatively well," said Peter Granville, co-author of the research and fellow at The Century Foundation. Much of the concern around FAFSA completion rates is about low-income students not getting all of the aid that they're entitled to. In turn, less aid can prevent students from attending college or succeeding once there. The pandemic depressed overall FAFSA completion rates, as some students reconsidered higher education in the face of widespread remote learning and a strong labor market. |
| A looming 'demographic cliff': Fewer college students and ultimately fewer graduates | |
 | Pickup trucks with trailers and cars with yawning trunks pulled up onto untended lawns in front of buildings from which people lugged books, furniture, mattresses, trophy cases and artwork. Anything else of value had already been sold by a company that specializes in auctioning off the leftover assets of failed businesses. At least one of the buildings was soon to be demolished altogether, its red-brick walls dumped into its 1921 foundation. This was the unceremonious end of Iowa Wesleyan University, a 181-year-old institution that closed in 2023 after financial losses due in part to discounts it gave out as it struggled to attract a shrinking pool of students. This "demographic cliff" has been predicted ever since Americans started having fewer babies at the advent of the Great Recession around the end of 2007 -- a falling birth rate that has not recovered since, except for a slight blip after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the downturn isn't just a problem for universities and colleges. It's a looming crisis for the economy, with fewer graduates eventually coming through the pipeline to fill jobs that require college educations, even as international rivals increase the proportions of their populations with degrees. |
| At large online colleges, students struggle to earn degrees | |
 | Demand for remote degree programs has surged in the past decade, and especially since the COVID-19 pandemic normalized the online classroom. But for students in many exclusively online programs, eight-year completion rates often fall below 50 percent, according to data on outcome measures from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. At Southern New Hampshire University, one of the largest and oldest online institutions in the country, only 36 percent of students who enrolled in 2015 graduated in eight years. At Grand Canyon University, four times as many students attend online as in person---100,000 compared to 25,000 at the Phoenix campus this fall. But only 46 percent of the nearly 26,000 online and in-person students who enrolled in 2015 had earned a degree by 2023, according to IPEDS data. Liberty University, a private Christian college, was an early adopter of remote degree programs; in 2022, 15,500 students enrolled at the Lynchburg, Va., campus while 115,000 enrolled in online courses. But the IPEDS data shows that only 42 percent of all Liberty students who entered in 2015 received an award or degree after eight years. The average eight-year national completion rate for all students is around 65 percent, according to a December report from the National Student Clearinghouse. Low completion rates have always plagued online-only learners, but numbers below 50 percent are usually associated with for-profit institutions. |
| At last, some welcome news on college costs. Tuition has fallen significantly at many schools | |
| The cost of college keeps spiraling ever higher, right? Not necessarily. New research indicates students are paying significantly less to attend public universities than they were a decade ago. And tuition increases at private colleges have finally slowed after years of hefty rises. Figures compiled by the nonprofit College Board indicate the average student attending an in-state public university this year faces a tuition bill of $11,610, which is down 4% from a decade earlier when taking inflation into account. But the real savings come in what the average student actually pays after getting grants and financial aid. That's down 40% over the decade, from $4,140 to $2,480 annually, according to the data. That reduced cost means less borrowing. Just under half of students attending in-state public universities are graduating with some debt, down from 59% a decade earlier, according to the College Board figures. And among those who do borrow, the average loan balance has fallen by 17%, to $27,100. Meanwhile, at private colleges, tuition continues to rise, but at a much slower rate. It has increased 4% over the past decade, when taking inflation into account, to an average $43,350, according to the College Board. That's a big change from the two decades prior, when tuition increased 68%. Costs are coming down as Americans question whether college is worth the price. Surveys find that Americans are increasingly skeptical about the value of a degree, and the percentage of high school graduates heading to college has fallen to levels not seen in decades, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet research still finds that, over time, a degree pays off. Americans with a bachelor's degree earn a median of $2.8 million during their careers, 75% more than if they had only a high school diploma, according to research from Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce. |
| Colleges prepare for new legal and political terrain under Trump | |
 | Colleges and universities are preparing for new legal and political territory as President-elect Trump returns to office. Concerns for international students, GOP attacks on higher education and increased protests on campus are just some of the worries on administrators' minds. "I think we're obviously preparing," said Todd Wolfson, national president of American Association of University Professors. "It's a new legal terrain, it's a new political terrain for higher education and for universities and colleges. And certainly, the Trump administration has signaled that they are going to engage colleges and universities in a different manner." One of the pillars of Trump's 2024 campaign was a pledge for the largest mass deportation effort in history, which could hit both the student and staffer populations of colleges. He has vowed to target undocumented individuals and potentially go after the legal status of many currently in the nation in accordance with the law, including those with with Temporary Protected Status or student visas. But if they are considering moves to help shield their students from deportation, schools are keeping quiet about them. The Hill has reached out to more 30 colleges and universities about potential plans for if Trump targets college students with his immigration efforts, and none have offered comment. |
| As Trump inauguration approaches, uncertainty for foreign college students | |
| In the hours after election night, Abigail Rivera's sobs woke her younger sister, and the two lay together in the darkness wondering what the results would mean for them. In the weeks since, they have talked about what they would do if someone in their family were detained or deported; maybe they would all move back to Mexico, a country her parents left when she was a baby. Now 21 and a junior at the University of Houston, Rivera is one of many foreign-born college students who are feeling heightened anxiety and uncertainty as Inauguration Day approaches on Jan. 20. Some were brought to the country illegally as children and fear President-elect Donald Trump's campaign pledges of mass deportations. Some hold visas to study in the United States, but worry that there will be changing rules, delays or travel bans that could disrupt their education. "It's the unknown things that might happen that cause very real fear," Rivera said. Spokespeople for Trump did not respond to requests for comment, but his platform has strongly emphasized border control. Trump has also said at times that he would like to find a solution for the "dreamers," who were brought to the country illegally as children. There are more than 400,000 undocumented students in U.S. higher education institutions. Trump also suggested last year that his administration might give green cards to some international students who graduate with a U.S. college degree. With uncertainty ahead, some schools have urged international students and scholars on winter break to return to the United States before Inauguration Day. |
| Advocates call for federal guidance on cost of attendance | |
| For nearly four decades, the federal government had no authority to regulate cost of attendance, a figure calculated by colleges and universities that estimates how much a student will pay to attend the institution. COA, which includes tuition and course materials as well as living costs like housing and food, impacts how much aid a student can receive, meaning miscalculations can have major consequences for a student's ability to go to college. But a provision in the FAFSA Simplification Act passed in 2020 reversed that restriction, allowing the Education Department to begin regulating cost of attendance if it so chooses. Now, advocates for college affordability and basic needs access are calling on the department to take advantage of that power. A new report from Temple University's Hope Center for Student Basic Needs argues that the department should issue guidance -- and eventually develop regulations -- for how to more accurately calculate COA, pointing toward a study using 2013–14 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System data that shows around half of institutions miscalculated living costs by at least 20 percent in either direction. Underestimations are twice as common as overestimations. But financial aid offices don't feel regulations are the way forward, according to Sarah Austin, regulatory specialist for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. While she agrees that COA miscalculations are a major issue, she said she "wouldn't necessarily go as far as saying the department should regulate cost of attendance." |
| Mississippi 'yellow dog' Democrat remembers Carter's moderate stance on race, strong faith | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: Native Mississippian Wilson Golden is a proud "yellow dog" Democrat. A Marshall County product with strong ties to Clarksdale and Greenville, Golden's connections to the presidential campaigns of former President Jimmy Carter are significant. Carter died Dec. 29 at age 100 after a lengthy illness at his home in Plains, GA. Golden, 77, now resides in Gainesville, GA, after successful careers as an attorney, lobbyist, state government staffer and Democratic party operative. In 1976, Golden was a young Mississippi Democratic National Convention delegate for Carter at Madison Square Garden in New York. He later served as a DNC delegate for both Bill and Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and was a member of the Democratic National Committee in the early 1990s. In Mississippi, Golden was a key legislative staffer for the late William Winter. Golden draws strong parallels between the political careers of Winter and Carter. "Their careers were great transitional times. In the South, it was difficult for Democrats to sidestep the issue of segregation and civil rights regardless their actual beliefs. But at some point, both Carter and Winter grew weary of having to nod to segregation," Golden said. "Both had lost campaigns over the issue, and both decided to be who they were – which coincided with some of their greatest campaign victories," he said. "They shared the traits of moderate, progressive stances on race, and they shared a strong religious faith." |
SPORTS
| Men's Basketball: No. 14 Mississippi State survives late Vanderbilt rally for road win | |
| Mississippi State appeared on its way to a second straight blowout win to start Southeastern Conference play, leading Vanderbilt by as many as 22 points with 14 minutes left. But the much-improved Commodores did not make life easy on the No. 14 Bulldogs. Vanderbilt made a furious run and closed within five points just ahead of the four-minute mark before MSU found a few key baskets late and closed out a 76-64 victory at Memorial Gymnasium. "It took all 40 (minutes)," MSU head coach Chris Jans said. "We had a comfortable lead, and like every team in this league, especially when they're at home, no one's going to go away. There's too much talent, there's too much riding on each and every game. We certainly talked about all that stuff in the huddles, but unfortunately that happens sometimes. They did a tremendous job of fighting and scratching and clawing." With the shot clock winding down out of the final TV timeout, Claudell Harris drained a 3-pointer over the Commodores' Grant Huffman to put the Bulldogs (14-1, 2-0 SEC) back up by eight. MSU then trapped A.J. Hoggard in the corner and KeShawn Murphy came up with a steal, leading to a Cameron Matthews dunk on the other end to make it a 10-point game. |
| Mississippi State basketball vs Vanderbilt final score: Bulldogs earn first SEC road win | |
| Mississippi State basketball was cruising in its first SEC road game of the season until it took a turn for the worse. The No. 13 Bulldogs led Vanderbilt by 22 points in the second half but saw their lead shrink to five with four minutes to play. However, they were able to hold off the Commodores surge for a 76-64 win Tuesday night at Memorial Gymnasium. It's Mississippi State's eighth consecutive win and best record through 15 games since the 2003-04 season. RJ Melendez led the Bulldogs with a season-high 19 points. Cameron Matthews also scored a season-high with 16 points. Josh Hubbard had just nine points, ending a 23-game streak of scoring in double figures. Mississippi State hosts No. 7 Kentucky (12-3, 1-1) at Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday (7:30 p.m., SEC Network) where it goes for its first regular season win against the Wildcats since 2009. |
| Former Bulldog big man Tolu Smith signs two-way contract with Detroit Pistons | |
| Following a strong run of play for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League, former Mississippi State star post player Tolu Smith signed a two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Smith will split time between the Pistons and their G League affiliate, the Cruise. After playing at Western Kentucky under former Bulldogs head coach Rick Stansbury as a true freshman, Smith transferred to MSU and scored at least 10 points in each of his first eight games as a Bulldog. He started all 34 games in 2022-23 before missing the start of his final season in Starkville with a foot injury. Smith returned prior to the start of Southeastern Conference play and averaged 15 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Smith earned All-SEC First Team honors in each of his final two seasons at MSU, but was not selected in the 2024 NBA Draft. He joined the Pistons for the NBA Summer League, then signed with Detroit on a training camp contract in September. The Pistons waived him on Oct. 17, but he joined the Cruise later that month. Now, he will be able to provide the Pistons with post depth and help Detroit, which is currently 18-18, try to make the postseason for the first time in six years. The Pistons have already exceeded their win total from last season. |
| Is the Deep South's college football reign over? | |
| In the college football-crazed Deep South, David Cutcliffe is a recognizable face, perhaps even a regional celebrity. After all, he attended the University of Alabama, spent nearly three decades as an assistant with the Tennessee Volunteers and was head coach of Ole Miss and Duke for a combined 20 years. In fact, he's currently working at the Birmingham-based SEC headquarters as a special assistant to commissioner Greg Sankey. So, naturally, as he shuffles through a central Alabama grocery store, he's often interrupted by football fans of the SEC. Lately, the interruptions have grown more intense. "I can't go to the grocery store without getting a, 'Hey! What's wrong with us!?'" Cutcliffe said. In the region of the country deemed as "the Deep South," folks these days are feeling some type of way. For the second consecutive season, after nearly two decades of dominance, a college team from this rather small region of the country -- six states in all and the heart of the Southeastern Conference -- will not win the national championship. But as the College Football Playoff semifinals arrive this week, the Deep South is nowhere to be found. |
| The Football Coach Who Wins Every Game -- Except the Ones That Matter | |
| Penn State football fans have a nickname for head coach James Franklin. They call him "Big Game James." It's not a compliment. Since Franklin was hired in 2014, he has taken charge of 15 games against opponents with a top-five ranking -- and has lost 14 of them. That unfathomably poor showing against elite competition has left Penn State as a program that still counts among the best in the country, but stubbornly remains stuck outside the highest echelon of college football. It's also why this week is so critical. The Nittany Lions are one victory away from advancing to the national championship game for the first time since 1986. The only thing standing in their way is a semifinal contest Thursday against Notre Dame, the ultimate opportunity for Franklin to finally shed a reputation for big-game letdowns that he just can't seem to shake. "That's the job," said Matt McGloin, Penn State's starting quarterback from 2010 through 2012. "Nobody is satisfied with coming close." By almost any measure, Franklin has put together an impressive résumé during his time with Penn State: a .711 overall winning percentage, six New Year's Six bowl game appearances and a Big Ten title in 2016. But for some of the die-hard denizens of Happy Valley, that success isn't enough -- because of what Franklin has repeatedly failed to accomplish. |
| Popular TikTok creator banned from Clemson after stadium trespassing | |
 | On Nov. 8, 2024, a social media personality who describes himself as "the internet's stadium tour guide" showed up on Clemson's campus ready to film some content. That afternoon, Garrett Fedewa, better known on TikTok and other social media platforms as "GFed," did what he's done at dozens of other schools: Find an open entrance at their football stadium, walk in without permission and take a personal tour, all while filming his journey to post online. This time, though, his "Walk-On Challenge" resulted in a trespassing notice. The Clemson University Police Department issued Fedewa a formal trespass notice for gaining unauthorized access to Memorial Stadium on Nov. 8. He is now banned from campus indefinitely, as first revealed by Fedewa and confirmed by The State. A CUPD incident report stemming from the encounter, obtained by The State via public records request, says Fedewa was not arrested or criminally charged. But he was found to be engaging in "suspicious activity" and was issued a trespassing notice before leaving the scene "without incident." Clemson's football program and athletic department have won national awards for their cooperation with the media. The school generally makes an effort to accommodate all requests to highlight specific players, teams and venues. In Fedewa's case, the main issue appeared to be a lack of prior communication. |
| College athletes were ready for unions before Trump's win. What now? | |
| In March, Dartmouth basketball players made history with a 13-2 vote to unionize and be classified as college employees -- the first successful union election by student-athletes in US history. After Dartmouth rejected the bid, the two sides began litigating the path forward. But last Tuesday, well before any contract was reached, the players ended their union efforts by withdrawing their federal labor petition. The athletes "have pushed the conversation on employment and collective bargaining in college sports forward," said Chris Peck, president of Service Employees International Union Local 560, in a statement. "While our strategy is shifting, we will continue to advocate for just compensation, adequate health coverage, and safe working conditions for varsity athletes at Dartmouth." The immediate cause of the withdrawal was almost certainly political. With President-elect Donald Trump set to fill two vacancies on the National Labor Relations Board after Senate Democrats failed to confirm the current Democratic chair for another term, the Dartmouth basketball union opted to preserve their earlier victory rather than risk an adverse ruling from what will likely be a more employer-friendly board. Trump is also expected to replace NLRB general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, who has been notably supportive of college athletes' collective bargaining rights, potentially on his first day in office. |
| With NIL era ending, college sports is on verge of seismic change. How will schools adapt with industry in upheaval? | |
| On the wall in Ted Carter's office is a framed picture of two fighter jets in mid-flight against a blue sky. "I'm in one of those," he says. No university president in the country can claim the exploits of Ohio State's leader. In 38 years of active military service, Carter, 65, logged more than 6,300 flying hours, flew 125 combat missions, received more than two dozen awards and retired in 2019 as Vice Admiral, the third-highest rank of the 25 positions in the U.S. Navy. Given the life-saving missions and life-risking aerial shows of his military career, his next great assignment seems to pale in comparison. But, in certain circles, it may be the most important mission yet: keep Ohio State football relevant in the age of athlete revenue sharing. "I've been thinking about it since the day they hired me," Carter said from his office during an interview with Yahoo Sports in late November, his 15th month on the job. "The landscape was obviously changing already and now we're at the doorstep." This murky, three-plus year period of college athletics -- the "NIL Era," as it's known -- comes to an end, fittingly, with some of the sport's most valuable programs battling for the national championship. On Friday night in Dallas, Ohio State (12-2) meets Texas (13-2) in a collision of, arguably, college football's two biggest brands with a trip to the national title game on the line. The meeting is a clash between two schools spending more on their football programs and football rosters than, perhaps, any others in America, a pair of blue-blood powers whose investments within the NIL Era have vaulted them to this position. But can they stay there? |
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