| Thursday, January 9, 2025 |
| Multinational data center company to build $10 billion campus in Meridian | |
 | Mississippi's swell of economic momentum got another big surge on Thursday after Compass Datacenters announced a $10 billion development in Lauderdale County. The Dallas-based multinational data center developer is making Meridian the home to its first campus in the region and one of the largest hyperscale data center development in the southeastern U.S. Eight data centers will make up the full campus, which is expected to be constructed over an eight-year period. Thousands of jobs will be created in the project, which will also include other information technology equipment from future third party tenants. "The $10 billion megadeal is huge for Lauderdale County and the entire state as we continue an impressive economic development streak that is unprecedented in Mississippi," Gov. Tate Reeves said. "Compass Datacenters' multi-billion investment in Meridian marks yet another monumental economic development win for Mississippi, and it is the result of many factors that position our state as a hub or these high-tech projects," MDA Executive Director Bill Cork said. "Speed to market, the availability of a shovel-ready site in Meridian I-10/59 Industrial Park, and the capabilities of Mississippi Power were key to Compass Datacenters choosing Lauderdale County." |
| Compass Datacenters coming to Meridian with $10 billion data center investment, Gov. Reeves announces | |
| Governor Tate Reeves, speaking at the Mississippi Economic Council's Capital Day on Thursday, announced to an audience of business and elected leaders the latest economic development notch on his belt -- a $10 billion investment by Dallas-based Compass Datacenters for a new data center to be located in Lauderdale County. Reeves said the new venture by the multinational data center developer is locating its hyperscale data center campus in Meridian. The development comes after Amazon Web Services announced last January it would also invest approximately $10 billion to build two data facilities in Madison County. Construction of the primary facility off Highway 22 outside of Canton has been feverish. The operation is expected to create 1,000 direct jobs. The last year has seen a number of large scale technology and aerospace investments outside of data, including a $1.9 billion joint venture project in Marshall County called Amplify Cell Technologies. Once completed, that facility will be the largest manufacture of electric battery cells for heavy trucks in the U.S. |
| Compass Datacenters project generates $10 billion in Lauderdale County | |
 | Dallas-based Compass Datacenters, a multinational data center developer, is locating its next hyperscale data center campus in Meridian, according to Gov. Tate Reeves, who announced the project at the Mississippi Economic Council's Capital Day Thursday. The campus will consist of eight data centers that will be constructed over an eight-year period. Upon occupancy, Compass Datacenters' campus will represent an investment of $10 billion, including future tenants' information technology equipment. Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance for site preparation. MDA also will certify Compass Datacenters as a data center operator, which will provide the company with 10-year state income and franchise tax exemptions, as well as a sales and use tax exemption on construction materials, equipment and software and hardware replacements. The city of Meridian, Lauderdale County, and electrical utility provider Mississippi Power Company also are assisting with the project. Mississippi Power will supply approximately 500 megawatts of power to the facility. |
| AI-related executive order signed by Governor Reeves | |
| On the second day of the 2025 legislative session, Governor Tate Reeves (R) signaled the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in state government with the signing of Executive Order No. 1584. "AI can help Mississippi continue its momentum and help us attract even more record-breaking (private sector capital) investments," said Reeves, referencing Amazon's $10 billion private-sector capital investment announced last year, as an example. "We're excited for AI's potential in Mississippi." Flanked by Senate Technology Chair Bart Williams (R) and House Technology Chair Jill Ford (R), Governor Reeves highlighted the state's commitment to leveraging emerging technologies to streamline government operations, enhance efficiency, and protect taxpayer dollars. To achieve that goal, Reeves encouraged expedient collaboration between lawmakers, agency leaders, and private-sector partners. Senator Williams pointed out that he and Rep. Ford traveled the country in the "off season" seeking to better understand AI initiatives and best practices, coming away with the realization that Mississippi is already "a technology destination." "We're poised to continue to leapfrog" over other states as a technology powerhouse, Williams said. |
| Mississippi blanketed by winter storm warning as officials urge preparation | |
| Weather and public safety officials are encouraging Mississippians to prepare for a possible winter storm forecasted to cover much of the state in snow, sleet, or freezing rain on Thursday and Friday. Freezing temperatures began blasting the Deep South after a cold front rolled in on Monday following a string of tornadoes. Since then, the frigid conditions have held and are projected to mix with precipitation late in the week. The National Weather Service in Jackson warned the public Wednesday that temperatures could reach the low 20s starting Thursday morning, with wind chills as low as 15 degrees. The agency says that drop could mark the beginning of a two-day spell of ice, snow, and sleet. From central to north Mississippi, a mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain is "likely," with heavy snow possible in the uppermost portion of the state. With winter storms bringing conditions rarely seen in the Magnolia State and for which many are unprepared, hazardous driving conditions, utility pipe damage, and power outages are probable. |
| Overnight warning shelter opens at Oktibbeha Safe Room | |
 | The county opened its storm shelter Wednesday evening as an overnight warming shelter as freezing weather blankets the area. The Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency announced on its Facebook page Wednesday that it would open the Community Safe Room at 985 Lynn Lane, across from McKee Park, as a warming center. That will remain in operation from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 8 a.m. Thursday and from 8 p.m. Thursday to noon Friday. "They open it up for inclement weather whether that's tornados or cold weather like we're facing now. It's centrally heated," said Marvell Howard, president for the Oktibbeha board of supervisors. "... It can hold around 900 people, and normally we have things like hot coffee set up. But we do normally advise individuals to bring chairs or whatever you need, because we don't supply beds or anything like that." Opening the shelter relies on volunteers to man it. Brandi Herrington, Starkville Strong's executive director, told The Dispatch it had already found 10 to 12 potential volunteers by Wednesday afternoon. "When there's a crisis that affects the whole town, the community rallies immediately," she said. "It's just a matter of the informational gap, making people aware in as many ways as possible and getting the word out." |
| Mississippi Legislature to take Friday off due to winter storm concerns | |
| The Mississippi House of Representatives and Senate are each planning to take Friday off ahead of the potential for a winter storm currently forecast to swarm the Magnolia State, specifically northern counties. On Tuesday, the opening day of this year's session, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann briefly mentioned the probability of allowing senators to adjourn early Thursday to get a head start traveling back to their home districts to weather the storm. The chamber went on to solidify that plan on Wednesday. "We have significant weather issues for our senators from north Mississippi. We're very hopeful to complete our work promptly in the morning, so those of you from north Mississippi -- in light of the weather that we'll be getting -- will be able to get to your homes for the weekend," Hosemann said upon gaveling in Wednesday. Over in the House, Speaker Jason White and company joined in on the idea but not without a playful jab at their cross-chamber counterparts. "I don't anticipate us not being here very many Fridays, but we will adjourn tomorrow for the week and go home and mirror our Senate counterparts. I hope it's one of the only things we mirror them on this session," White joked, getting a collective laugh from his chamber. |
| December tax collection report sparks mixed reaction from state leaders | |
| Mississippi's December tax receipts were 16 percent below projection, hindered mainly by corporate income tax collections that came in $146.6 million under legislative estimates. The December report sparked mixed reactions from state leaders. During a news conference on Wednesday, Governor Tate Reeves (R) said the figures do not concern him. "I don't ever get concerned about one month of anything ... it doesn't make a trend," the Governor said. A committee of elected officials and economists annually estimate the revenue the state is projected to receive to plan a budget. The revenue estimate for the fiscal year that began on July 1 was for $7.61 billion in general fund revenue, or approximately $80 million more than the previous fiscal year estimate. With December's decline, year-to-date collections are $80 million behind pace six months into the current fiscal year. House Speaker Jason White (R) told Magnolia Tribune that two recent changes in law, one that allowed certain limited liability companies to report "pass through" income as personal, instead of as corporate profit, and another that allows companies to fully deduct equipment expenses that in the past were subject to a depreciation schedule, could be impacting corporate tax collections."Still, some state leaders are advising fiscal restraint as lawmakers prepare to craft the next state budget. The office of Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R) said December's revenue numbers should serve as a "yellow light" for lawmakers to cautiously make fiscally responsible, conservative decisions with the state's expenditures or tax cuts. |
| Vicksburg native Todd Gee resigning as U.S. Attorney for Southern District of Mississippi | |
| Vicksburg native Todd Gee announced Wednesday that he will step down from his position as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi. In a news release, Gee said his resignation will be effective Jan. 17 at 11:59 p.m. He has served as a U.S. Attorney since October 2023. He was appointed by President Joe Biden and approved by an 82-8 vote in the Senate. Biden's term will end Jan. 20, and it is not uncommon for many U.S. Attorneys to resign or be replaced when a new presidential administration takes over. As United States Attorney, Gee supervises the investigation and prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in which the United States has an interest. Mississippi's Southern District is comprised of 45 counties in the southern half of the state, including Warren, Hinds, Sharkey, Issaquena, Yazoo and Claiborne counties. Gee is a graduate of George Washington University and Tulane Law School. He is the son of Anne Bullard Gee and the late Lt. Col. Robert William Gee. "The opportunity to serve as a United States Attorney in my home state of Mississippi has been the highest honor of my over 17 years of public service in the United States Department of Justice," Gee said in a statement. |
| Senate appears poised to move forward on immigration bill | |
 | Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., has told Senate Republicans that enough Democrats appear to be in support to move forward on legislation seeking to impose stricter measures on undocumented migrants who commit crimes in the United States, her office confirmed on Wednesday. The measure known as the Laken Riley Act has the needed "eight Democrats who are currently expected to vote yes on the initial procedural vote" on the legislation, Britt spokesperson Grace Evans said. The motion to proceed requires support from 60 senators to overcome a filibuster, and there are currently 52 Republican senators in office. The eight Democratic senators Britt's office named as considered to support advancing the bill are John Fetterman of Pennsylvania; Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona; Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan; Jacky Rosen of Nevada; John Hickenlooper of Colorado; and Jon Ossoff of Georgia. A procedural vote in the Senate is expected on Thursday. The House on Tuesday voted 264-159 to pass that chamber's version of the legislation. Although the House passed a similar bill last year, the Senate, when it was still under Democratic control, did not take up the measure. Fetterman is a supporter of the bill, and on a Fox News appearance called the bill common sense. "If you're here illegally and you're committing crimes, I don't know why anybody thinks that it's controversial, that they all need to go," Fetterman said. |
| Delays fuel GOP blame game over Trump nominees | |
 | With less than two weeks until Donald Trump takes the oath of office, only a small handful of his nominees appear on track for immediate confirmation -- sparking tensions between the Senate GOP and Trump's inner circle. At a private lunch on Tuesday, Republican senators discussed whether they should -- or even could, under law and Senate rules -- advance Trump nominees without final FBI background checks, financial disclosures and other paperwork, according to a person in the room. They discussed whether they could at least hold confirmation hearings without documents submitted, holding off on final action until the process is complete. And the subject of nominations could come up again Wednesday evening, when Trump meets with Republican senators on Capitol Hill. The internal debate surrounds what has become an obsession for the president-elect and his top allies. Soon after his victory in November, Trump and his allies pushed to get as many of his top officials confirmed on Day One as possible. Transition chair Howard Lutnick privately pushed Senate Republican leaders to make a splash with a bunch of Inauguration Day confirmations, according to a GOP aide, who like others interviewed for this story was granted anonymity to describe private discussions. Trump loved the idea and proceeded to quickly announce key nominations for that very purpose. Yet several committee chairs have suggested it could be a week or more after the inauguration before key appointees see real progress, and a blame game is breaking out behind the scenes. |
| Jimmy Carter honored with Washington funeral before burial in his Georgia hometown | |
 | Jimmy Carter, who considered himself an outsider even as he sat in the Oval Office as the 39th U.S. president, was honored Thursday with the pageantry of a funeral at Washington National Cathedral before a second service and burial in his tiny Georgia hometown. The first speaker was Joshua Carter, the former president's grandson, who recalled how Carter regularly taught Sunday school after leaving the White House. "He built houses for people who needed homes," Joshua said. "He eliminated diseases in forgotten places. He waged peace anywhere in the world, wherever he saw a chance. He loved people." Jason Carter, another grandson, praised his grandfather and his wife Rosalynn, who died in 2023. "They were small-town people who never forgot who they were and where they were from no matter what happened in their lives," said Jason, who chairs the Carter Center, a global humanitarian operation founded by the former president shortly after leaving office. Days of formal ceremonies and remembrances from political leaders, business titans and rank-and-file citizens have honored Carter for decency and using a prodigious work ethic to do more than obtain political power. After the morning service in Washington, Carter's remains, his four children and extended family will return to Georgia on a Boeing 747 that serves as Air Force One when the sitting president is aboard. |
| Carter's Funeral Brings Five Presidents Together, a Rarity | |
 | The five living presidents are making a rare simultaneous appearance on Thursday at former President Jimmy Carter's funeral. It is unusual for five living presidents to be together in one place. Before 1991, there was only one other period in United States history, around 1861, when more than five presidents were even alive at the same time. On Thursday, Donald J. Trump, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are together for the first time since 2018. On Dec. 5, 2018, the funeral of George Herbert Walker Bush was attended by five former presidents, including Mr. Bush's son George W. Bush. While presidents seem to most often set aside their differences for a funeral, they also have gathered for library dedications. Five presidents appeared together at the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas on April 25, 2013: Mr. Obama, Mr. Clinton, Mr. Carter and the elder Mr. Bush. The younger Mr. Bush told the crowd of thousands that "people can disagree." "It's fair to say I created plenty of opportunities to exercise that right," he said. "But when future generations come to this library and study this administration, they're going to find out that we stayed true to our convictions." |
| Trump, Obama exchange pleasantries at Carter funeral after long-standing rivalry | |
 | President-elect Trump and former President Obama had an extended friendly exchange as they sat next to each other at the funeral services for former President Carter on Thursday. Cameras captured Trump and Obama at Washington National Cathedral exchanging pleasantries, with Obama laughing at something the incoming president was saying. They appeared to chat for several minutes before the funeral services began. When Trump entered the cathedral, he shook hands with other rivals of his, including former Vice President Mike Pence, and the two men exchanged some words. Trump also shook hands with former Vice President Al Gore, who was seated next to Pence. Trump did not appear to stand up when Obama went to greet him, but after taking his seat, Trump and Obama spoke to each other in what seemed from afar to be a friendly manner. Carter's funeral brought together all four of the living American presidents: Trump, Obama, President Biden, former President Clinton and former President George W. Bush. But the moment between Trump and Obama was particularly notable given their longtime animosity toward each other. |
| TikTok Case Before Supreme Court Pits National Security Against Free Speech | |
| When the Supreme Court hears arguments on Friday over whether protecting national security requires TikTok to be sold or closed, the justices will be working in the shadow of three First Amendment precedents, all influenced by the climate of their times and by how much the justices trusted the government. During the Cold War and in the Vietnam era, the court refused to credit the government's assertions that national security required limiting what newspapers could publish and what Americans could read. More recently, though, the court deferred to Congress's judgment that combating terrorism justified making some kinds of speech a crime. The court will most likely act quickly, as TikTok faces a Jan. 19 deadline under a law enacted in April by bipartisan majorities. The law's sponsors said the app's parent company, ByteDance, is controlled by China and could use it to harvest Americans' private data and to spread covert disinformation. The court's decision will determine the fate of a powerful and pervasive cultural phenomenon that uses a sophisticated algorithm to feed a personalized array of short videos to its 170 million users in the United States. For many of them, and particularly younger ones, TikTok has become a leading source of information and entertainment. As in earlier cases pitting national security against free speech, the core question for the justices is whether the government's judgments about the threat TikTok is said to pose are sufficient to overcome the nation's commitment to free speech. |
| Snow predictions now 2 to 4 inches with a glazing of ice expected | |
| According to the National Weather Service, a little less snow and a little more ice is now expected for Lafayette County tonight through Friday. The winter storm has reportedly moved a bit more north than first expected. On Wednesday, meteorologists were calling for 4 to 6 inches of snow in our area with little to no ice expected. However, that forecast changed Wednesday evening. But this is north Mississippi where weather reports can quickly change, sometimes hour to hour. The NWS is now forecasting our area to receive 2 to 4 inches of snow along with .1-.05 inches of ice. The ice will make driving more hazardous and local officials are telling folks to stay home if they can. City, county and University of Mississippi emergency management officials have been meeting, along with road departments and other local departments, monitoring the weather and making plans on how to best tackle clearing the roads where possible. Local schools have not yet announced whether they are closing on Friday. That decision is expected to come later today or in the early morning hours. |
| Landry makes appointments to Louisiana higher education boards | |
| Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has appointed two new members to the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors and three new members to the Louisiana Board of Regents. Landry also reappointed two Regents to another term and five members on the UL System board. The new members to the UL Board are Lee Jackson and Keith Myers. Jackson is a river pilot and owner of an offshore transportation company. He is the third Black river pilot ever commissioned in Louisiana and the seventh nationwide. Jackson is a political donor who has primarily supported Democrats, including former state transportation secretary Shawn Wilson, Landry's opponent in the 2023 gubernatorial election. Myers is a health care executive who founded the LHC Group. He and his wife Ginger have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Landry's campaign and political action committees supporting him. The three new members on the Board of Regents are Ted Glaser, Dallas Hixson and Christy Reeves. Glaser is a farmer who owns thousands of acres of land in Pointe Coupee Parish. Hixson owns multiple car dealerships in Louisiana. He contributed to Landry in 2017 when he was attorney general but did not donate to his gubernatorial campaign. Reeves is an executive with the Ochsner health system. |
| Athens school closures due to severe winter weather: Is the University of Georgia closing on Friday? | |
 | Yes, the Athens Campus will be closed, with modified operations on Jan. 10. There will be no in-person classes, campus events, or activities, according to an email to UGA students/faculty. Students will also receive an extension for the drop/add deadline to 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 13. All dining halls and UGA residence halls will stay open on Friday. Dining halls will, however, be delayed by one hour for opening. Campus Transit will stop on Friday at 3 a.m. and will only resume services if weather allows. To stay alert and aware on UGA news, visit emergency.uga.edu. North Georgia is already under a Winter Storm Watch that begins Friday morning and lasts until early Saturday. Up to 3 inches of snow is expected in the North Georgia mountains, whereas Athens, Atlanta and metro areas could see 1 to 3 inches of snow. |
| Some California Colleges Close, Cancel Classes Amid Wildfires | |
 | As multiple wildfires rage in and around the Los Angeles metro area and scorch thousands of acres, many colleges and universities in the region are canceling events or classes, closing, or providing shelter. Santa Monica College, Pasadena City College, Ventura College and Glendale Community College closed their campuses through the rest of the week while California Institute of Technology, Occidental College and others canceled classes Wednesday and Thursday. Most of the colleges are still on winter break, so many students aren't on campus. Still, as firefighters struggling to contain the blazes and new fires starting in the region, Los Angeles area colleges are closely monitoring the situation. Pepperdine University closed its Malibu campus, near where the Palisades fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses, to make way for emergency vehicles, and told employees to work remotely. The deadly Palisades fire has so far consumed more than 15,000 acres but, as of Wednesday evening, doesn't pose a threat to the university. Meanwhile, the University of Southern California canceled its spring event to welcome new students. The University of California, Los Angeles, said Wednesday evening that it would "curtail campus operations, cancel undergraduate classes and move graduate courses to remote instruction" through Friday. |
| Watching Their Words: Faculty Say They're Self-Censoring | |
| Newly released results from a wide-ranging survey of U.S. faculty indicate scholars are self-censoring in their communication -- both inside and outside the classroom. More than half said they've often or occasionally "felt concerned" about their ability to express what they "believe, as a scholar, to be correct statements about the world." Over half said they've often or occasionally "altered language" in something they've written out of worry "it might cause controversy," while 45 percent said they've "refrained from expressing an opinion or participating in an activity that would draw negative attention from external stakeholders" that could hurt their jobs. Perhaps surprisingly, survey results also suggest faculty feel more constrained in their conversations with one another than with their students. The University of Chicago's NORC (formerly the National Opinion Research Center) conducted the survey of faculty at two- and four-year public and private nonprofit institutions from Dec. 7, 2023, to Feb. 12, 2024. The survey, released Wednesday, was done on behalf of and in conjunction with the American Association of Colleges and Universities and the American Association of University Professors, which back in 1940 joined forces to produce the landmark Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure. |
| Many College Professors Say Their Academic Freedom Is In Decline, Study Finds | |
 | More than a third of faculty members feel like they have less academic freedom than they did six or seven years ago. The data comes from a report released Wednesday by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, or AAC&U, which teamed up with the American Association of University Professors to survey 8,458 instructors from two- and four-year colleges on how they perceive the state of academic freedom and civil discourse on their campuses. The report comes at a time when several states have passed laws taking aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, leading many free-speech advocates and those who work in academe to worry that government overreach is threatening academic freedom. The Israel-Hamas war has also tested the limits of what speech and activism are protected under the principles of academic freedom. A majority of faculty members reported that they at least occasionally refrain from using certain words out of fear that they might offend colleagues or students. "What we saw consistently throughout the report was regardless of who faculty were talking to -- colleagues, students, administrators, stakeholders on their campus -- faculty have a running narrative in their mind about what they can or cannot say, or at least they're mindful of that," said Ashley Finley, vice president for research and senior advisor to the president for the AAC&U. |
| Biden Leaves Behind a Graveyard of Higher Ed Policies | |
| Nearly four years ago, President Biden took office with ambitious plans to relieve millions of borrowers from student debt, protect trans students from discrimination and crack down on for-profit institutions. Getting that done required the president to use executive power to issue new rules and regulations and rewrite those put in place by the Trump administration. But now, with Trump set to take office again in less than two weeks, many of the current Education Department's most pressing agenda items, particularly those aimed at bolstering consumer protections for students, remain dead in the water. Even rules that survived the gantlet of public comment and legal challenges -- such as ones that hold institutions accountable and increase scrutiny over college mergers -- could quickly be rolled back under Trump, landing in the graveyard alongside the rules that the Biden administration proposed or plan to pursue over the last four years. Combined, the dead regulations and significant modifications are a disappointing end, particularly in light of the Biden administration's and advocates' ambitious hopes. |
| Why Trump wants to 'close' one of Jimmy Carter's top accomplishments | |
 | In 1979, former President Jimmy Carter oversaw the creation of the modern U.S. Department of Education -- an accomplishment the Biden administration has hailed as a hallmark of Carter's legacy in the wake of his death. Nearly a half-century later, as the 39th president lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, the future of that very agency may be under greater threat than at any point in history. President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to take office on Jan. 20, has repeatedly promised to "close" the department, which he has likened to a "bloated and radical bureaucracy." The juxtaposition merits a look back at how the department came to be, and how it has changed in its five-decade history. While the incoming president hasn't provided specifics about how he would muster the legislative support to shutter the federal agency, he has a greater chance of bringing such a plan to fruition now that Republicans control both chambers of Congress. In some ways, Trump's criticisms of the Department of Education mirror the opposition lawmakers voiced at its founding. Though education is largely under state and local control in the U.S., conservatives have opposed the idea of even marginal federal involvement in schools for years. In other ways, Trump's ideas about education reform would require a larger federal role in schools, not a smaller one. That tension -- between conservatives' alternating view of the department as a punching bag and a tool -- helps explain a lot about why it's still around. |
| State Legislatures Ready To Put Higher Education On The Hot Seat Again | |
| Lawmakers are beginning to return to their statehouses as new legislative sessions kick off across the nation. And as in recent years past, higher education is proving to be high on the agenda in several states. Legislators are pre-filing bills and announcing their priorities, and while perennial favorites such as bills limiting tenure, defunding DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs, ending participation in intercollegiate athletics by transgender students, and attacking critical race theory are still likely to be introduced, the action appears to be shifting to broader curricular and governance issues. This year may be the time when more state legislatures challenge the traditional role of faculty senates in university governance. For example, in Texas, Gov. Dan Patrick has tasked state lawmakers with investigating and recommending potential changes to the role faculty senates play in university governance, curriculum development and institutional decision-making. The concept of shared governance, in which faculty and administrators engage in a collaborative process for making important university decisions, has come under increased attack in recent years through various legislative and even university attempts to curtail faculty's authority in such matters. Texas will be watched closely to see if it succeeds in restricting the role of faculty in shared governance. |
| Trump vows war on DEI at 'woke' colleges. GOP-led states offer preview | |
| Nearly a decade ago, intense protests over racial injustice rocked the University of Missouri's flagship campus, leading to the resignation of two top administrators. The university then hired its first-ever vice chancellor for inclusion, diversity and equity. Tensions were so high that football players were threatening a boycott and a graduate student went on hunger strike. Today, the entire diversity office is gone, an example of changes sweeping universities in states led by conservatives, and a possible harbinger of things to come nationwide. "I feel like that is the future, especially for the next four years of Trump's presidency," said Kenny Douglas, a history and Black studies major on the campus in Columbia, Missouri. As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, both conservative and liberal politicians say higher education changes in red parts of America could be a road map for the rest of the country. Dozens of diversity, equity and inclusion programs have already closed in states including Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas. So far, nearly all of the threats to DEI have come from state legislatures, said Jeremy Young, of the free-expression group PEN America. "There hasn't been much support at the federal level to do anything," he said. "Now, of course, that's going to change." |
| Lt. Governor Hosemann upbeat about the future | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann was full of optimism speaking before a packed crowd at the Stennis Press Forum at Hal & Mal's restaurant in downtown Jackson. "The future's so bright here," Hosemann told the crowd of journalists, lobbyists and movers and shakers. "The things we are doing are so positive here. Mississippi is in its best financial condition it's ever been in." ... Mississippi state workers are down 1,000 people since Hosemann became lieutenant governor four years ago. He expects to reduce, through attrition, state employees another 10 percent -- an additional 1,000 fewer state employees. "We cut the state budget this year over last year with inflation going up two percent. We were one of the first states when we got our covid money in to match the cities on putting water and sewer in. Almost a billion dollars went into water and sewer." ... PERS system reform is underway, Hosemann said, noting that PERS is currently $25 billion underfunded. "$25 billion dollars, just the interest on that at four percent is a billion dollars a year." The new plan will increase the contributions to PERS gradually up to 19.5 percent. The state has hired four different actuary groups to study the PERS situation and make proposals. After a lot of hard work, Hosemann said, PERS and the state have agreed to a proposal that will gradually eliminate the PERS funding gap. |
SPORTS
| Women's Basketball: Bulldogs Welcome No. 10/11 Sooners To Town | |
| The Mississippi State Bulldogs will play their third straight game against a ranked opponent on Thursday, as they welcome the No. 10/11 Oklahoma Sooners to town. The game is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. on SECN+. The Bulldogs and Sooners will face off for just the third time in program history on Thursday and the first time as SEC opponents. This will be the first meeting in Starkville. Oklahoma leads the series 2-0. State is 6-1 at home this season. Mississippi State is 0-2 against ranked opponents this season. The Bulldogs last ranked win came against No. 9 LSU on January 29, 2024. In the latest bracketology, Mississippi State was a projected 9-seed. Sam Purcell led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in his first season as head coach of the Bulldogs, something no other coach has done within their first two seasons in program history. Oklahoma enters the matchup against the Bulldogs after taking down No. 16 Tennessee 87-86. Reagan Beers leads the Sooners in field goal percentage at 69.1 percent and ranks third nationally and second in the conference behind State's Madina Okot. |
| Mississippi State takes on No. 10 Oklahoma after Jordan's 24-point outing | |
| Mississippi State faces No. 10 Oklahoma Thursday, 6:30 p.m. CST, in Starkville after Jerkaila Jordan scored 24 points in Mississippi State's 95-68 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Bulldogs are 6-1 on their home court. Mississippi State ranks sixth in the SEC with 41.6 points per game in the paint led by Jordan averaging 13.0. The Sooners are 1-1 in SEC play. Oklahoma averages 22.4 assists per game to lead the SEC, paced by Nevaeh Tot with 4.0. Mississippi State scores 77.6 points, 13.7 more per game than the 63.9 Oklahoma allows. Oklahoma averages 8.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.9 more made shots on average than the 6.7 per game Mississippi State allows. The Bulldogs and Sooners face off Thursday for the first time in SEC play this season. Debreasha Powe is shooting 45.5% from beyond the arc with 2.1 made 3-pointers per game for the Bulldogs, while averaging 8.9 points. In the last 10 games, the Bulldogs: 7-3, averaging 75.5 points, 35.4 rebounds, 16.6 assists, 7.5 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.9 points per game. |
| Women's Basketball: Can Mississippi State rebound from another 0-2 start to SEC play? | |
| After two blowout losses against ranked teams to open Southeastern Conference play, Mississippi State finds itself in an all-too-familiar position. The Bulldogs also dropped their first two SEC games last season, but they played their best basketball of the season over the following month. MSU won seven of its next eight, highlighted by a victory over a top-10 LSU team in front of a sellout crowd at Humphrey Coliseum. Thursday night presents the Bulldogs (13-3, 0-2 SEC) with another opportunity at home against a top-10 team, SEC newcomer Oklahoma, and MSU is already running out of time to get its season back on track. ESPN's Charlie Creme has the Bulldogs as a 9-seed in his latest bracket projections, but MSU will have to prove it can beat quality opponents to remain in the projected field. "You always feel confident about turnarounds," head coach Sam Purcell said Wednesday. "Every game is a marathon; it's not a sprint. It's all about staying focused and staying the course on the next opponent. We work way too hard to come in here and think anything else but to win." |
| Florida AD Scott Stricklin addresses student ticket mishap vs UT: 'We disenfranchised those kids' | |
 | The Florida men's basketball team earned one of its biggest regular-season wins in recent history with a 30-point demolition of No. 1 Tennessee on Tuesday night. However, the Gators athletic department received flack due to its handling of student tickets. UF's ticket office allotted 900 student tickets for the game vs. the Volunteers. Florida students are on winter break until the spring semester begins January 13, and the same number of tickets were allotted for the two other home games during the break vs. North Florida (December 20) and Stetson (December 28). That allotment of 900 is about half of the normal allotment of 1,800 (700 in the lower bowl between sections 7 and 15). Instead, tickets in the student section were sold to the general public. Usually, the area is reserved for just students. As such, many students who returned to Gainesville a few days early and waited hours to get into the O'Connell Center were refused entry. Others who took seats in the student section were escorted out by UFPD officers as non-students had tickets in those seats usually reserved for students. Multiple students told the Sun on Tuesday night that they were not informed of the reduced student ticket allotment. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin addressed the controversy on "The Tailgate" radio show with Jeff Cardozo and Pat Dooley on Wednesday. "We would have handled it differently knowing what we know today," Stricklin said. "These decisions were put in place in early November." Due to this mishap, Stricklin announced the lower bowl, the home of the "Rowdy Reptiles," would be reserved for students only for every conference game. The news was confirmed in an email sent from the Gators Ticket Office to students on Wednesday night. |
| Texas and Ohio State arrive for CFP semifinal at Cotton Bowl ahead of a winter storm | |
| The games have been stacking up for Texas, which after playing in the Southeastern Conference championship game had to win two extra games in this expanded College Football Playoff to get back to the same spot they were last season. At least the Longhorns didn't have to travel far Wednesday for this CFP semifinal, their 16th game this season. It was only about a 45-minute flight from their campus to North Texas, where they play Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night. "You can't take it for granted. Most people don't get opportunities to still be playing, and then to still be playing, I mean, down the road from Austin, that's another blessing," All-America cornerback Jahdae Barron said after the team's arrival. Both the Longhorns (13-2) and Buckeyes (12-2) got to the Dallas area as scheduled ahead of an expected winter storm that was forecast bring 2 to 4 inches of snow Thursday, along with sleet and rain. With the game played inside at AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, the weather won't have any direct impact on the actual game that determines which will advance to the national championship. Penn State and Notre Dame will play the other semifinal Thursday night at the Orange Bowl. |
| James Franklin stresses CFP uniformity: 'Everybody should be in a conference' | |
| While discussing the opportunity that awaits Penn State in the College Football Playoff, coach James Franklin said Wednesday that the showdown against Notre Dame is about "representing our schools and our conferences." Franklin then caught himself, realizing Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was sitting just to his right. "Or our conference, excuse me," Franklin said. Penn State will be representing the Big Ten against FBS independent Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Hard Rock Stadium. The Nittany Lions reached the Big Ten championship game before earning a No. 6 seed in the first 12-team CFP, while the Fighting Irish made the playoff as an at-large and earned the No. 7 seed despite playing in one fewer game. Franklin said he thinks a larger CFP ultimately requires more uniformity around college football, including every team to be part of a conference and playing the same number of league games. Notre Dame, one of three remaining FBS independents, sees its status as central to the school's identity and has resisted chances to join the Big Ten and other conferences over the years. The Fighting Irish compete in the ACC for most of their other major sports, and they have a scheduling agreement with the ACC in football. |
| Doc: Power conferences seeking more control over NCAA championships, governance | |
| A proposal from the power conferences stands to potentially remake the NCAA governance and championship structure, shifting more authority to the power leagues over rule-making, policy decisions and, even, postseason events. The proposal, a collaboration of the four power leagues, would grant the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC rights to manage postseason championships, such as the men's and women's basketball tournaments, assuming control over events that have long been operated by the national association. The proposal is described only as a "working document" and is not a complete or approved product. However, as the NCAA works to establish a new governance model to coincide with the landmark settlement of the House antitrust case, the document indicates a clear direction from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC. They want an expansion of their previously existing autonomous legislative powers, not only for rule-making and policy decision-making but for NCAA championships as well, controlling concepts like tournament format, revenue distribution and selection committee process. Yahoo Sports obtained portions of the document. When reached, each power conference confirmed the existence of the proposal. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey cautioned that the proposal is only a conversation-starter as all of Division I leaders examine a new governance model. |
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