| Thursday, February 13, 2025 |
| Lyceum Series kicks off Thursday with electrifying trio TAKE3 | |
 | Mississippi State's 77th Lyceum Series season continues with a rock/pop performance infused with powerful classical music. TAKE3 performs Feb. 13, 7 p.m., in Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium. The show is free for MSU students, $25 for MSU employees and senior citizens, and $30 for general admission. Purchase tickets at www.events.msstate.edu. TAKE3 is led by violinist/vocalist Lindsay Deutsch, who served as Greek composer Yanni's featured violin soloist in shows across the globe. Deutsch, whose performance of Astor Piazzolla's "Four Seasons of Buenos Aries" with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra was selected for NPR's Symphony Cast Program, can be heard throughout Netflix's "The Witcher" and Hulu's "All About Pam." Her performances on these Sony soundtracks reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts and received millions of streams worldwide. Covering a variety of genres, TAKE3 performances have featured songs by The Beatles, Justin Bieber and Coldplay. The group performs "with body language that speaks loud and clear to audiences raised on rock videos," according to the Los Angeles Times. |
| Future of egg prices uncertain, says MSU Extension Service expert | |
 | The highly-contagious Bird Flu virus has rocked poultry facilities in many states, and resulting supply shortages of eggs and other products have driven up prices to near-record levels. So far in Mississippi, only two flocks tested positive late last December, and led to chickens being put down. Larger depopulation in other states, such as North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan, has caused a significant shortage in the supply of eggs nationwide. Combined with a high seasonal demand, Mississippi State University professor and agricultural economist Josh Maples says consumers are facing a 'perfect storm'. "The period through the holidays, and certainly as we get to Easter, is a really strong demand time for eggs. So what we're seeing right now is a combination of supply challenges and really strong consumer demand." Maples says the future prices of eggs, and other poultry products, remains uncertain. "It's really that uncertainty that's going to drive this wide range of potential outcomes. We could certainly see a situation where we have more cases and prices go up higher, or if cases moderate, we could see production rebound pretty quickly, leading to lower prices at some point in the year," said Maples. "We simply don't know how many HPAI cases we're going to have in the future. And, even then, it matters where those cases are, and whether they affect broiler houses or layer houses, which are the chickens who lay eggs." |
| 28th Magnolia Film Fest to feature more 'female-centric' works | |
 | Filmmakers from all over are working to bring magic to the big screen and a record number of independent films to the 28th annual Magnolia Film Festival. The festival is returning to UEC Starkville Hollywood Premiere Cinemas Feb. 20-22, bringing with it seven world premieres, 18 Mississippi film debuts and an overall 34 films from six countries and seven states. Among these films are entries from Canada, the Netherlands, France, Puerto Rico and Spain. Thomas Easterling, first-year board president of the festival affectionately known as "The Mag," said he hopes the festival acts as a way to share those filmmakers' work with the community. "My great wish is that more people in the community buy tickets and come to The Magnolia so that they can see what the magic of independent film is." The full lineup will include three feature presentations, each about 90 minutes, along with 31 shorts ranging from three to 30 minutes in runtime. The films will be showcased Thursday through Saturday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday. There will also be a family-friendly showing at 11 a.m. Saturday, which will showcase seven independent films rated PG. |
| Hosemann paints Senate plan as 'a sustainable, conservative approach to tax cuts' | |
 | The Mississippi Senate released its long-awaited tax bill Wednesday, a scaled-down version of the House's proposal, but that still includes reductions in the state income and sales tax on groceries as well as an increase on gas taxes to fund road projects. Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R) described the bill as "a sustainable, conservative approach to tax cuts." Total tax cuts equal $538 million over three years under the Senate plan. "The Senate's tax plan is simple but effective," Hosemann said. When asked why the projections are seven years shorter than the 10-year House forecast, he said, after three years, "you enter never, never land." The House bill cuts $1.1 billion in taxes over a decade. Hosemann, flanked by senators, said the legislation is a continuation of the Senate's 2022 tax reform, which cut taxes by nearly $600 million, adding that with this proposal the chamber will have slashed taxes by more than $1 billion. While House leaders said their bill will "totally reform the state's tax system" and called HB 1 "a transformational piece of legislation," Hosemann was more sedate. "We intend to run this state like a business," he said, adding the Senate wants to be prudent in its legislation because the Magnolia State is in the best financial shape "that it's ever been." |
| Senate announces counter tax reform, citing more conservative approach than House bill | |
| Over a month after the Mississippi House of Representatives passed the landmark House Bill 1, or the "Build Up Mississippi Act," a bill that would gradually phase out the income tax and slash the state's grocery tax, the Senate has announced a counter tax bill on Wednesday. The waiting period between the two bills is indicative of what some senators argue is a more measured approach in the construction and expected passage of similar tax reform. While the Senate bill, which is yet to be filed, proposes many of the same tax cut objectives, the chamber led by Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann believes it would accomplish them with less of a heavy hand and in a more direct fashion. The Senate proposal also differs from HB 1 in that it would not address funding for the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), a program currently dealing with an unfunded liability of around $25 billion. But sources inside the capitol said that the Senate is likely to pass separate measures that would funnel revenue to the program in addition to creating a new benefit tier for state employees in Mississippi. According to Senate leaders, their bill proposes a more conservative tax cut plan primarily to significant revenue gaps that would risk deficits -- particularly due to looming expenditure increases. |
| Senate tax cut plan unveiled. See how much it cuts | |
 | There will be a tax cut debate between the House and Senate this year after all. After several days of proverbial hammering from House members, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann unveiled specifics on the Senate's tax cut plan to match what the House passed early in the session. The plan would seek to cut $538 million in tax revenues over a four-year period in both cuts to the personal income tax and the grocery tax, while leaving local funding levels from sales tax diversions in place for municipalities. The plan would also raise the gas tax by 3 cents over three years and would raise it to a total of 9 cents on every gallon. Hosemann said during a press conference at the Mississippi State Capitol Building on Wednesday he expects $212 million to be added from that tax to go toward road and bridge infrastructure. Hosemann said the tax cut proposal would take four years to fully implement, and it would leave the state's income tax at 2.99% and the grocery sales tax at 5%. "One thing that's really important to all of us in the Senate was the fact that we cut taxes immediately and consistently, that there's no bump here for a while and a decrease later on," Hoseman said. "This needs to be a sustainable, conservative approach to taxes." |
| Lt. Gov. Hosemann unveils $326 million 'sustainable, cautious' tax cut plan | |
| Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann on Wednesday unveiled a $326 million tax cut package that reduces the state income tax and the sales tax on groceries and raises the gasoline tax to fund road work. The plan is more austere than the overhaul the House has proposed. That plan would eliminate the individual income tax in Mississippi over the next decade, raise sales taxes and create a new indexed gasoline tax. The House plan would be a net tax cut of $1.1 billion. Flanked by Republican senators, Hosemann said the Senate plan would cut taxes over the next four years while allowing the Legislature to spend tax dollars on core government functions such as public education. "This needs to be sustainable," Hosemann said. "A conservative approach to tax reform. Now, just to do things for one year doesn't mean it's sustainable. This needs to be sustainable." Senate leaders at a Wednesday press conference with Hosemann used the terms "measured, careful, cautious and responsible" when explaining details of the Senate plan. |
| Speaker says school choice bill doesn't have consensus among House GOP | |
| It would appear the sun has set on a debate in the Mississippi House of Representatives to expand school choice in D- and F-rated school districts this year. On Wednesday, just one day before the deadline to pass House bills out of the chamber, House Speaker Jason White, R-West, told reporters there isn't enough support in the House Republican Caucus to pass the House Bill 1433, or the FREE Act. If it were to pass the House and Senate, it would have allowed for students in failing or near-failing school districts to use their state portion of education funding, $6,995, on a private school. The bill had several caveats as well, such as requiring students to first find a school district within 30 miles to educate them before being allowed to access those state dollars for private school tuition. HB 1433 also stipulated that only children whose families made up to 138% the federal poverty line had first priority within the program. "It was tough to find consensus ... And admittedly, we did not spend the time in the off season, like we did on taxes, like we did on health care, all the different things that we spent so much time on and other places, we didn't spend that time on (school choice)," White said. On Wednesday, House Education Chairman Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, passed on bringing up HB 1433 on the House calendar. White said later the bill was likely not being brought up this year for debate on the floor. |
| 'School choice' bill sending taxpayer money to private schools stalls in Mississippi House | |
| A bill that would allow some Mississippi parents to use taxpayer money to pay for private school does not have the support to pass this session, House leaders said Wednesday. The early demise of one of Republican House Speaker Jason White's top policy priorities came after proponents and opponents battled to sway lawmakers. As outside forces lobbied lawmakers, they were themselves engaged in closed-door jockeying. In a private House Republican caucus meeting on Tuesday, White discovered the GOP majority could not reach an agreement. "You probably won't see us take up that bill," White said on Wednesday. "We don't have a consensus." House Education Chairman Rob Roberson's legislation, House Bill 1433, would have allowed students who were enrolled in a district rated D or F within the past five years to use the state portion of their base student cost -- money that would normally go to their local public school -- and use it to pay for private school tuition. Students could only use the money at a private school if there were not an A- or B-rated district willing to accept them within 30 miles of their home. |
| Rep. Thompson on President Trump's executive orders | |
 | U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) addressed President Donald Trump's recent executive orders and the affects they could have on Mississippi. Thompson said the president cannot run the greatest country in the world on executive orders. "That's not what the founding fathers put together. He can only do what members of Congress pass as laws that become law, and then he can carry them out," he said. A key topic Trump campaigned on involved shutting down the U.S. Department of Education. Many are concerned about the impact it could have on the state. Thompson said he's in support of investing in the education system to give kids bright futures. "Either invest now or when it goes bad, you build more jails. I'd rather invest on the front end than the back end," the congressman said. Thompson also said the federal funding freeze could impact Mississippi, because more than 600,000 Mississippians rely on Medicaid for their health care. |
| Medicaid overhaul proves to be politically perilous proposition | |
 | In their quest to pay for President Donald Trump's policy priorities, Republicans are eyeing Medicaid, the largest health insurance program for more than 70 million low-income Americans, as a program ripe for cuts. But they face obstacles that could block any sort of overhaul to the nearly 60-year-old joint state and federal program. Among those obstacles: public opinion, members of their own party in competitive districts, governors who worry about impacts to their state budgets, a closely divided Senate, and maybe one of the most formidable: hospitals and health care providers that carry significant influence in Washington. While House Republicans and some governors are coalescing around "work requirements" in Medicaid as a way to save money, more significant cuts -- and more politically perilous ones -- remain on the table. "That's the one mandatory program that really is open to serious reform," said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. The federal government spent $618 billion on Medicaid in fiscal 2024, making it the largest stream of funding from the federal government to states. "It's pretty natural that Medicaid would get a lot of scrutiny because there's a lot of savings," Cole said. But it also makes significant changes very difficult. States already face Medicaid funding challenges, with rising prescription drug costs and the growing cost of medical care. |
| Republicans Love Trump's Spending Cuts. Just Not in Their States. | |
 | Republicans in Congress have responded to President Trump's unilateral moves to freeze federal spending, dismantle programs and fire civil servants with a collective shrug, staying mostly silent and even praising him as he circumvents the legislative branch. But in recent days, as his slash-and-burn campaign to remake the government has begun to affect their states and districts, some Republicans have tried to push back in subtle ways. They have sought carve outs and special consideration for agriculture programs, scientific research and more, even as they cheered on Mr. Trump's overall approach. Their swift and quiet moves to protect their own pieces of the federal spending pie without critiquing Mr. Trump are an early indication of the political realities that could pose obstacles to the president's push. Many programs he has targeted for cost-cutting have entrenched constituencies in Congress built up by Republicans over many years. It is one reason that shrinking the size of the federal government will be a mammoth task, despite the G.O.P.'s posture of maximum deference to Mr. Trump. Take Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, the successor to Senator Richard C. Shelby, who retired in 2022 at age 88 as one of the last big-time pork barrel legends in Congress. Mr. Shelby, Ms. Britt's former boss, was renowned for his record of steering billions of dollars in federal spending to his state over a 36-year career. Ms. Britt said in an interview that she had recently talked to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Mr. Trump's nominee to be health secretary, to impress upon him the importance of protecting vital medical research taking place in Alabama that she said "ultimately saves lives." |
| As DOGE hammers away at the US government, Republicans stir with quiet objections | |
 | Republican Sen. Katie Britt has been working to make sure the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency doesn't hit what she called "life-saving, groundbreaking research at high-achieving institutions," including her state's beloved University of Alabama. Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran is worried that food from heartland farmers would spoil rather than be sent around the world as the U.S. Agency for International Development shutters. And Idaho GOP Rep. Mike Simpson warns national parks could be impaired by cutbacks at the start of summer hiring in preparation for the onslaught of visitors. "We need to have a conversation with DOGE and the administration about exactly what they've done here," said Simpson, a seasoned lawmaker who sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee. "It's a concern to all of us." Alabama's Britt was far from alone in speaking up about Trump's caps on the National Institutes of Health grant program that hit universities, medical centers and research institutions coast to coast. North Carolina GOP Sen. Ted Budd said he has heard from constituents in his state, home to the Raleigh area's influential Research Triangle. |
| Judge declines to block Trump's resignation offer to federal employees | |
 | After issuing two stays, U.S. District Judge George O'Toole has declined to block the Trump administration's deferred resignation program for federal employees. The ruling comes more than two weeks after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent an email to more than 2 million civilian employees of the federal government with the subject line "Fork in the Road." The email presented government workers with a choice: They could resign now, in exchange for pay and benefits through the end of September, or they could remain in their positions, with the caveat that their jobs are not guaranteed. In his ruling, O'Toole wrote that the plaintiffs -- the labor unions -- lack standing to challenge the "Fork" directive, because they are not directly impacted by it. "Instead, they allege that the directive subjects them to upstream effects including a diversion of resources to answer members' questions about the directive, a potential loss of membership, and possible reputational harm," O'Toole wrote in his decision. "This is not sufficient." O'Toole also stated that the court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction. Federal employees, he noted, are supposed to take their workplace complaints to the independent agencies set up to review personnel matters within the government. O'Toole did not rule on the legality of the deferred resignation program. |
| 75,000 federal workers take President Trump's buyouts as offer expires | |
 | About 75,000 federal employees accepted President Donald Trump's buyout offer, which closed to applicants Wednesday night. The final buyout tally comes after a federal judge lifted a pause on the program earlier in the day. The figure, confirmed by an Office of Personnel Management official, represents about 3.3% of the federal government's 2.3 million workers. That's below the White House's projections of 5% to 10% of the workforce who were expected to accept the buyouts. A federal judge in Massachusetts on Wednesday restored Trump's buyout project, dubbed "Fork in the Road," deciding federal employees unions that sued to stop the program lacked standing to bring their challenge and that his court does not have jurisdiction to hear their complaint. The judge lifted his pause on the buyouts that he first issued last week and denied the plaintiffs' request for an injunction, allowing the Trump administration to move forward with the buyouts. Shortly after the judge's order, the Trump administration closed the program to new applicants effective 7 p.m. ET Wednesday night. On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order instructing heads of federal departments and agencies to undertake plans for "large-scale reductions in force." Layoffs started Wednesday at the General Services Administration, the agency which manages the federal government's real estate portfolio, Reuters reported. |
| Trump Layoffs Push Federal Workers Into Tough Job Hunt | |
 | The Trump administration's effort to slash the federal workforce is pushing employees into a challenging job market. Federal workers skew older than those in the private sector, and their long bureaucratic experience often makes them less competitive applicants for corporate roles, according to career coaches and recruiters. Hiring for white-collar jobs, meanwhile, has slowed in recent years as companies retrench after hiring sprees. Local governments have lots of jobs to fill, but federal workers' experience is often a poor match for the kind of positions that need to be filled, which frequently take place outside office settings. Kenneth Corn, who stepped down in January as the Agriculture Department's Oklahoma state director for rural development, said about 200 recent job applications have yielded just two interviews. "I get rejection letters for almost everything," said Corn, 48 years old. To date, some 65,000 of roughly 2.3 million federal workers have accepted the Trump administration's buyout offer. With the White House moving swiftly to dismantle various federal agencies, many more workers are bracing for possible layoffs and further turmoil. Federal workers are more likely than the American public to have college and graduate degrees, and most have white-collar roles. But hiring for such professional positions, which can range from project management to information technology to accounting, has slumped in recent years, hitting college graduates especially hard. |
| The GSA Plans to Sell Hundreds of Its Federal Government Buildings | |
 | Employees at the General Services Administration (GSA) have been told to sell off 500-plus federal government buildings across the US, sources tell WIRED. WIRED obtained a complete list of GSA buildings, all of which are designated as "core" or "non-core" assets. Of the more than 1,500 assets identified on the list, over 900 are designated as "core" and are thus protected, for now, from sale. The "core" designation applies to buildings like federal courthouses, border inspection stations, or law enforcement facilities. The GSA, according to sources who were granted anonymity because they fear retaliation, plans to sell most of the remaining 500-plus buildings, some of which house government agencies and the offices of US senators. A note on the list of the buildings states that the agency's intention is eventually to reduce the "size of the owned real estate footprint by 50 percent and the number of buildings by 70 percent. Reductions will be focused on the non-core general office space of the portfolio which can be replaced as needed in the private leased market. Moving forward, all non-core buildings will be disposed of and their tenants will be transitioned into leases." |
| Justice, FBI ousters remove longtime experts from daily threats meeting | |
 | Every morning at 9:45, top FBI and Justice Department officials meet to discuss the nation's most pressing threats and update each other on federal law enforcement's biggest investigations. The huddle, in a secure facility on the 6th floor of Justice Department headquarters, dates back through decades of presidential administrations. It has continued since President Donald Trump was inaugurated, but many of the veteran career officials have been removed from their jobs and no longer attend. The top national security deputies from Justice are gone -- transferred from the posts they have held for years to undefined roles dealing with immigration enforcement and "sanctuary cities." The heads of the FBI's criminal division and international terrorism division were pushed out. A longtime deputy in Justice's criminal division focused on international affairs was transferred to sanctuary cities, but opted to retire instead. Devin DeBacker, a national security prosecutor, had started attending the meeting when he stepped in as acting head of the national security division as the Biden administration ended. But he was abruptly removed from that post Monday night and returned to his role leading the division's foreign investment review section. The absences are just one example of how the Trump administration's shake-ups at Justice and the FBI have eroded the continuity on national security matters that has long been a cornerstone of presidential transitions, according to multiple people familiar with the situation. Nearly all the career officials who attended the daily session for years -- including during the first Trump administration -- have been removed from their positions, gutting much of the expertise usually there. |
| Europe braces for a future without the US as a reliable ally | |
 | European allies are bracing this week for the answer to a question they've been dreading to ask: Can they really count on the United States? The continent's officials will have their first face-to-face encounter with the new Trump administration Friday at a gathering of defense leaders known as the Munich Security Conference. The annual event is usually reserved for fortifying alliances and echoing democratic ideals with like-minded leaders. President Donald Trump has offered few specifics about how he would approach the U.S. relationship with European nations since he took office last month. But he has insisted NATO members massively boost their defense spending, dismissed the U.S. military's role in Europe, frozen foreign aid, advocated taking over Greenland, treated Russia as a negotiating partner and threatened to pull support from Ukraine. And while allies have experience navigating the disruptions and uncertainties of the U.S. president, this administration is a more expansionist and aggressive one than they've faced before. "The rules of the game have changed," François-Philippe Champagne, Canada's minister of innovation, science and industry, said in an interview. |
| MUW Speech and Hearing Center receives LAMP certification | |
 | MUW's Speech and Hearing Center has received its LAMP certification which aims to help nonverbal, or minimally verbal people communicate. Janie Cirlot-New, an MUW instructor and clinical supervisor said communication is the key to connecting to the world. "Communication is what really connects us to the world," Cirlot-New said. "To communicate is one of the most important things that we can do as humans." LAMP stands for language acquisition through motor planning. It is a way of communicating that uses a language assistance device. It works using pictures and words on a touch screen which can be pressed in a sequence to form sentences. Lynn McConnell, an MUW instructor and clinical supervisor said Lamp empowers people. "It gives them the power to control their environment," McConnell said. "It gives them the power to make those social connections." |
| IHL approves Vardaman Hall renovations | |
 | Renovations to turn Vardaman Hall into a Student Engagement Center are expected to begin in spring 2026, according to Jacob Batte, director of news and media relations at the University of Mississippi. Vardaman Hall, across from Rebel Market on Dormitory Row W, was constructed in 1929 to serve as a male-only dormitory but was renovated in 1988 to become an administration building. The nearly 100-year-old building was last renovated in 2011. The Student Engagement Center will provide a space for hosting programs and events, according to Batte. Changes will include a complete renovation of both the exterior and interior of the building, according to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. The renovations will also include additions to provide accessibility to all floors. Batte said that plans for the facility were crafted by students and staff. "The university has worked with an advisory committee of students and staff on plans to renovate Vardaman Hall to become a Student Engagement Center," Batte said. "The focus of the center is on cultivating success, strengthening a sense of community and promoting opportunities for all students." |
| Chick-fil-A honors the Auburn College of Education EAGLES program with Inspiration Award | |
| Auburn University's College of Education EAGLES program has helped enrich the paths of many students at Auburn. This year, the annual Chick-fil-A Inspiration Awards helped aid the program's effort with a $75,000 grant. The university's Education to Accomplish Growth in Life Experiences for Success program, known as the EAGLES program, was introduced in 2018 to provide students with intellectual disabilities a more comprehensive and rewarding Auburn experience through a variety of academic and integrated work experiences. EAGLES focuses on improving students' independent living and employment outcomes through a four-semester basic or eight-semester advanced program. In Jan. of 2025, Chick-fil-A, Inc. named EAGLES as one of the 56 True Inspiration Awards grant recipients. As the Auburn EAGLES program continues to grow, this donation will support the EAGLES student's continued success. Fall 2024's EAGLES freshman cohort 7 was the largest class of the program to date, and the program will soon move into the newly-built College of Education building, which is expected to have construction completed by this fall. |
| Alabama House committee approves bill protecting access to dual enrollment programs | |
| A bill aiming to protect Alabama high school students' access to dual enrollment programs won unanimous support in the House Education Policy Committee on Wednesday. HB 102, sponsored by Rep. Jeana Ross, R-Guntersville, prohibits community colleges and universities from denying students access to dual enrollment programs. Ross said the bill aims to expand accessibility to dual enrollment, but added that she did not know of any specific incidents of students being denied access. "The main purpose of this is to just ensure that students have the option and the availability to take dual enrollment classes," she said. A substitute bill from Rep. Marcus Paramore, R-Troy, incorporated universities in the language of the bill. The substitution was adopted unanimously. Although the bill aims to expand access to dual enrollment, Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, said she wanted to see more marketing for dual enrollment courses. "I just find that so many of the students who fit into the criteria don't know the program exists," she said. |
| Kentucky GOP lawmaker revives her effort to ban DEI offices, spending at public colleges | |
 | A Republican state lawmaker has again filed a bill targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs -- also known as DEI -- in Kentucky higher education. House Bill 4, filed Wednesday by Rep. Jennifer Decker, R-Waddy, is similar to bills from last year which would have limited DEI trainings and offices in Kentucky's public colleges and universities. Both House Bill 9 and Senate Bill 6 from 2024 failed to pass. HB 4 would prohibit public colleges and universities from spending any money on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and require those institutions to close DEI offices and eliminate all related staff by June 30, 2025. The bill would also block universities from requiring students or staff to sign a diversity statement, attend a DEI training session, or complete an academic course "dedicated to the promotion of differential treatment or benefits conferred to individuals on the basis of religion, race, sex, color or national origin." In a written statement Wednesday, Decker said DEI policies on college campuses "prioritize race, gender and identity over individual merit and access to education, contradicting our constitution and undermining true equality." Public universities "exist to educate and foster intellectual growth," she added, "not to mandate conformity through DEI policies. Higher education must be a marketplace of ideas, a place where merit takes precedence over bureaucratic policies that cost millions and deliver no results." |
| Knowles sworn in as chief of U. of Florida Police Department | |
 | The University of Florida formally welcomed its new police chief Monday morning during a ceremony at UF's Public Safety Building on campus in Gainesville. The swearing-in ceremony for new Chief Bart Knowles was originally slated for Jan. 22 but was postponed due to Winter Storm Enzo. Interim UF President Kent Fuchs welcomed the crowd in attendance at 1555 Museum Road, including Knowles' family, to the ceremony and shared a few words about the university's continued mission to provide campus safety. "Safety is just critical to everything that we do and that we represent. It is necessary as a foundation for our students, faculty and all our employees, so that indeed, we can study, we can learn, we can do research, and we can grow as individuals," Fuchs said. One of Knowles' biggest goals is to improve on the recruitment and retainment of officers. "We've gone through some periods. We've lost a few officers that have been critical people within our organization, and we've got to do a better job at that at UFPD, and we've got to work to retain those folks," Knowles said. In June 2024, Knowles was named interim chief after former UFPD Chief Linda Stump-Kurnick stepped down to become the assistant vice president of public safety at UF. |
| Texas now has more top-tier research universities than any other state, report finds | |
| The number of top-tier research universities in Texas jumped, according to a new report, making the state home to more such institutions than any other state. The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching released a list on Thursday showing 16 universities in Texas have reached the coveted Tier 1 designation. Other populous states, California and New York, have 14 and 12, respectively. The three states were previously tied with 11. Tier One universities, or R1 institutions, must spend at least $50 million on research and award at least 70 research doctorates on average per year. Many universities seek this status because it can attract more students, faculty and resources. Increasing the number of them is also a goal of many state leaders as they are seen as economic engines for their communities. When Gov. Greg Abbott took office in 2015, there were four R1 universities in Texas. He set a goal to double that. At the same time, the Council and Carnegie have simplified the criteria for the designation. The news is "a testament to the quality of our higher learning institutions and the investment the state has made into education," Andrew Mahaleris, the governor's press secretary, said in a statement to the Texas Tribune. |
| Mardi Gras comes to Mizzou with parish festival | |
 | Mardi Gras will come to the University of Missouri next month, in part thanks to a campus Catholic parish. Newman Parish will hold its Mardi Gras festival on Saturday, March 1. The event will also serve as a sort of kickoff to the Lenten season, which anticipates Easter and officially begins March 5. The festival will include a parade, hot beverages, portions of the traditional king cake, live music and food available from Zydeco's Cajun Kitchen, an area food truck. Those wishing to participate in the parade can join in and the first 150 will receive beads and cups to pass out, according to a news release. Founded in 1963, the Newman Parish serves students at MU, Stephens College and Columbia College as well as the broader community. |
| Endowment Returns Grow Amid Fiscal Uncertainty | |
 | Endowment returns climbed in fiscal year 2024, offering a boost to university coffers at a time when even the richest institutions have been gripped with financial uncertainty amid the Trump administration's attempts to freeze federal funding and change research reimbursements. One-year returns averaged 11.2 percent for FY 2024, according to the latest study by the National Association of College and University Business Officers and the Commonfund Institute -- up from 7.7 percent in FY 2023 and negative returns in FY 2022. The overall 10-year return averaged 6.8 percent, the study found. The endowment study also noted increased philanthropy in FY 2024. Donors contributed $15.2 billion in new gifts to university endowments included in the study -- a nearly 20 percent bump from the $12.7 billion donated in FY23. "While a handful of institutions receive wide public attention for the size of their endowments, the vast majority of colleges and universities are working with a much smaller set of resources," NACUBO CEO Kara Freeman said on Tuesday's press call. "And as we review the total market value, 86 percent was held by endowments with more than $1 billion in assets." NACUBO has conducted annual college endowment studies since 1974. This year's iteration had slightly fewer participants than the 688 who responded last year. |
| The Revamped Carnegie Rankings Are Out. See Which Colleges Entered the New 'Research' Category. | |
 | The first wave of reconceived Carnegie classifications is out, shaking up listings that have long been a coveted source of prestige for colleges. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education, which manage the classifications, posted colleges' research designations on Thursday. There are now three possible research categories that colleges can fall under: Research 1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production (187 institutions): Institutions that, on average in a single year, spend at least $50 million on research and development and award at least 70 research doctorates. Research 2: High Spending and Doctorate Production (139 institutions): Institutions that, on average in a single year, spend at least $5 million on research and development and award at least 20 research doctorates. Research Colleges and Universities (218 institutions): Institutions not on one of the above lists that, on average in a single year, award at least $2.5 million on research and development. The third category, "Research Colleges and Universities," is new, and allows for institutions that conduct some research to get a research designation even if they don't offer doctorates, which wasn't possible in past Carnegie classifications. |
| Ending the Research 1 'Arms Race' | |
| More than 40 new institutions have achieved Research-1 status under a new, simplified Carnegie classification methodology announced Thursday morning. Designed to discourage institutions from deviating from their mission just to achieve R-1 status, the revamped classification requires a university to meet just two criteria -- instead of the previous 10 -- to be awarded the highest designation: spend at least $50 million on total annual research and award at least 70 research doctorates a year. "This will be a major factor for us in attracting and retaining world-class faculty and students," said Andrew Barnard, vice president for research at Michigan Tech University, a newly minted R-1 institution located in the state's rural Upper Peninsula. "R-1 also unlocks different and larger funding opportunities, so we expect to see our research portfolio grow over the next few years. That has a direct impact on our local and regional economy." Since 1973, R-1 status -- which signifies the highest levels of spending and doctorate production -- has endowed colleges and universities with both prestige and opportunity, making them more competitive applicants for the biggest available federal and private research grants and elevating their ability to recruit and retain top students and faculty. Looming over all the optimism about the new classification system and its recognition of the value of research across different institution types is the Trump administration's pledge to slash federal funding, including money universities rely on to conduct research. |
| What NIH funding cuts mean for universities | |
| Most medical research in the U.S. is funded by the National Institutes of Health. But a new Trump administration policy would significantly lower the agency's funding for major research institutions across the country. The policy, currently blocked by a federal court, would limit NIH research funding for "indirect costs," or overhead expenses, to 15%, which is far below what some institutions receive. Harvard's NIH indirect rate was 69% last year, meaning the NIH covered $135 million of its indirect cost expenses. Under the new policy, Harvard would have received $31 million, the university's Vice Provost for Research John H. Shaw said in a legal filing submitted in support of a lawsuit filed by universities against NIH. Research institutions use these grants to maintain buildings and labs, provide supplies and equipment, and pay support staff. University officials across the nation warn the recent move could disrupt critical research. Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the journal Science, recently wrote an editorial in which he called the Trump administration's move a "betrayal of a partnership that has enabled American innovation and progress." Thorp, a chemistry professor and former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, discussed how funding cuts would affect universities and research institutions. |
| Red-state universities push back against NIH funding cuts | |
| Red-state universities are hitting back at the Trump administration's expansive cuts to science and research funding, warning they would be forced to shutter laboratories and lay off staff should they face the sudden elimination of millions of dollars in funding. The blowback, echoed by at least two Republican senators, marks the most widespread political resistance the Trump administration has faced in its rapid sprint to reshape the federal government and its spending policies. The administration has framed its blanket cap on National Institutes of Health funding for research-related administrative costs as reining in elite coastal institutions like Harvard and Yale, which it argues has vacuumed up too much taxpayer money. Yet in a flurry of lawsuits and dire pleas, universities in ruby red states like Alabama and Kentucky warned that the cuts could be devastating to public institutions that are widely regarded as economic engines in their regions. "This change isn't a cost savings; it's a cost transfer," Jeffrey Gold, president of the University of Nebraska system, wrote in a letter to students and faculty predicting the policy would shrink its research capabilities and force the state to fill the funding gap. Universities in conservative strongholds have spent the last few days warning of the drastic economic and scientific toll of the new funding limit, putting fresh pressure on Republican officials to stand up for their states. The episode could also amplify scrutiny of Trump's pick to run the Education Department, Linda McMahon, ahead of her confirmation hearing on Thursday. |
| Trump's pick for education chief seeks approval to lead an agency she would be asked to tear down | |
| Linda McMahon faces an unusual test on Thursday as she seeks Senate approval to lead an agency the president wants her to destroy. If President Donald Trump has his way, his pick for education secretary would be the last in the role. The Republican president has promised to close the agency, saying it has been infiltrated by "radicals, zealots and Marxists." A plan being considered by the White House would direct the education secretary to dismantle the department as much as legally possible while asking Congress to abolish it completely. At a White House news conference last week, Trump said he wanted McMahon "to put herself out of a job." Trump has yet to sign an order on the department's shutdown, and some of McMahon's advisers pressed to delay it until after her hearing. Yet it's expected to be the central subject of Thursday's hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Democrats have been gearing up to grill McMahon on her willingness to execute Trump's plan, which opponents say would undermine public education. Trump hasn't said whether he would preserve the core work of the agency, which sends billions of dollars a year to schools, manages a $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio and enforces civil rights in education. |
| What You Need to Know as Linda McMahon Goes Before Congress | |
| Linda McMahon, President Trump's pick to lead the Education Department, will testify before the U.S. Senate's education committee on Thursday. If she's confirmed, Trump has said her first task would be to "put herself out of a job." Trump has promised to shut down the department in favor of reducing federal spending and putting education in the hands of the states -- a sentiment embraced by conservatives since the department's founding 45 years ago. It's unclear what exactly Trump plans to do with essential functions, such as financial aid, if he closes the department. Some Trump allies have floated moving financial matters, like grants and loans, to the Treasury Department. Civil-rights cases could fall under the Department of Justice, said Kenneth L. Marcus, a lawyer who served as an assistant education secretary for civil rights during the first Trump administration. Trump's attempt to dismantle the department is another example of "unprecedented governmental overreach and intrusion" into higher education, said Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, or AAC&U. Even if the department's responsibilities and funds are transferred elsewhere rather than cut, "it's not clear that there's capacity to handle these enormous tasks," she said. |
| Senators Question McMahon at Confirmation Hearing | |
| President Trump's pick to lead the Education Department, Linda McMahon, will appear today before a key Senate committee to kick off the confirmation process. The hearing comes at a tumultuous time for the Education Department and higher education, and questions about the agency's future will likely dominate the proceedings, which begin at 10 a.m. The Inside Higher Ed team will have live updates throughout the morning and afternoon, so follow along. McMahon has been through the wringer of a confirmation hearing before, as she was appointed to lead the Small Business Administration during Trump's first term. But this time around the former wrestling CEO can expect tougher questions, particularly from Democrats, as the Trump administration has already taken a number of unprecedented, controversial and, at times, seemingly unconstitutional actions in just three short weeks. Our live coverage of the hearing will kick off at 9:15 a.m. |
SPORTS
| Baseball: Weather Forces Opening Weekend Changes | |
| Due to expected inclement weather, the schedule for the opening weekend Mississippi State baseball series against Manhattan has been altered. The Dawgs and Jaspers are now set for a doubleheader on Friday with the first game slated for a noon start. Game two will follow 40 minutes after the conclusion of game one. For baseball, Friday and Saturday tickets will both be accepted for either game of the Opening Day doubleheader. Friday's tickets will have priority in the seating area and premium areas. Only Friday's parking passes will be accepted. The State-Manhattan series will be broadcast on SEC Network+. The games will also be carried on the Mississippi State Sports Network powered by Learfield along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand. |
| Mississippi State baseball schedule 2025: Weather changes opening day to a doubleheader | |
| The 2025 Mississippi State baseball season will begin four hours sooner than anticipated. The schedule for MSU's season-opening series at Dudy Noble Field has been adjusted due to weather. Saturday's game has been moved to Friday, meaning the No. 19 Bulldogs will play a doubleheader Friday against Manhattan. Both games will be nine innings. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for noon while Game 2 will be 40 minutes after Game 1. Sunday's series finale is still scheduled for 1 p.m. Mississippi State and coach Chris Lemonis are looking to build off a return to the NCAA tournament last season. The Bulldogs won the College World Series in 2021. The Bulldogs play at Southern Miss after the Manhattan series on Tuesday (6 p.m., ESPN+). Manhattan is beginning its season with five games in Mississippi. After the weekend, it plays at Alcorn State on Tuesday and then at Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday. |
| Softball: Schedule Altered For The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Presented By Newk's Eatery | |
| Softball returns to Nusz Park this weekend as No. 19 Mississippi State prepares to host The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial presented by Newk's Eatery. With inclement weather forecasted for Saturday, the tournament schedule has been heavily altered to give all teams the best chance to play their games to completion. With five teams playing in 12 games over four days, scheduling remains fluid, and fans should stay tuned to Mississippi State Athletics social media accounts for the latest updates throughout the weekend. Mississippi State will now open the tournament at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday evening against Southern Illinois. An additional neutral game from Sunday has been moved to Friday, making that day have five games on the docket, and game action will now begin at 9 a.m. The Bulldogs' game against North Texas moves back to 2 p.m. on Friday thanks to the additional contest ahead of them, and their first game of the weekend against Bradley will immediately follow it at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, one of four originally scheduled games will move to Sunday and the day's action will again begin at 9 a.m. in hopes of completing play before inclement weather moves into the area. As a result, MSU's second game with Bradley will move up to 11:30 a.m. State concludes the tournament at 2 p.m. on Sunday with a final game against Georgia Tech. |
| Women's Basketball: Bulldogs Travel To Nashville To Take On The Commodores | |
| The Mississippi State Bulldogs will play in their second-straight nationally televised game on Thursday, as they are set to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on the SEC Network. Mississippi State split a pair of matchups last week, defeating Arkansas 78-55 and falling to No. 23/23 Alabama, 80-60. The Bulldogs will be facing off with Vanderbilt for the 62nd time in program history, with Vanderbilt leading the series 37-24. Jerkaila Jordan and Debreasha Powe led State in the last contest between the two teams. Jordan collected 21 points along with six steals, while Powe picked up 15 points on 7-12 shooting. Vanderbilt is led offensively by Mikayla Blakes and Khamil Pierre. Blakes (22.1) and Pierre (21.2) both rank in the top five in the conference and top 15 in the nation in points per game. The duo both are top ten in the conference in individuals steals per game, leading a Vanderbilt team who ranks first in the SEC in steals per game (12.4) |
| Mississippi State set for tough matchup in Nashville against Vanderbilt | |
| Though Mississippi State remains in the projections for the NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs need wins down the stretch to make it there. The women's basketball team has a marquee win over the Oklahoma Sooners, but has missed some other opportunities along the way. Thursday night is another chance for a big win for the resume as the Bulldogs head to Nashville to play the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vandy (18-6, 5-5 SEC) was just recently inside the top 25 after winning four-straight games against Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama and Florida. Last week was a setback for the Commodores as they dropped double digit losses to Ole Miss and Texas. The two losses aren't to fool anyone that the Dores aren't still a major obstacle for State. Coach Shea Ralph has made the team respectable again and it's a tough environment for a team to win. It's no different than any other night to coach Sam Purcell. "It's one game at a time. We're playing in the SEC – it's the toughest conference in the country. We've had some great performances where you're right there," Purcell said. "When you play in this league, you've got to bring it for four quarters. We've Vanderbilt who is playing as well as anybody in the country so let's see if we can bounce back." |
| Chandler Prater adjusting to starting role with Russell coming off the bench for MSU | |
| Chandler Prater made 33 starts as a junior at Kansas two years ago and averaged 9.5 points and six rebounds per game, so she knows what it takes to play valuable minutes right after the opening tip. But Prater's road since then has been anything but linear. She transferred to Oklahoma State for her senior season and played just five games before sustaining a season-ending injury. Now at Mississippi State for her final year of eligibility, Prater started twice at the tail end of non-conference play with Debreasha Powe dealing with an injury, but otherwise has come off the bench for the Bulldogs. That changed on Feb. 2 with MSU in Baton Rouge for a matchup with a top-10 LSU team. Head coach Sam Purcell gave Prater the start on the wing in place of Eniya Russell, and he has kept Prater in the starting lineup for the next two games. "Lineups are determined (by) who I think gives me the best chance to win the game," Purcell said. "Chandler is the glue for my team this year. She reminds me of a kid I coached (as an assistant) at Louisville when we went to the Final Four, Mykasa Robinson, who would play the two through four. Sometimes she started, sometimes she came off the bench. She was just the ultimate team player that year because of what that team needed." |
| College football players sign agreement to be paid for likeness in video games | |
| Hundreds of college football players have signed group licensing agreements for their likeness to be used on video games in what is expected to be the single largest commercial deal in the industry's history, eclipsing $20 million and, perhaps, touching more than hundred schools. Pathway Sports and Entertainment, a new company focused on monetizing athlete NIL rights, is launching into the space by providing players with four-figure guarantees as part of video game NIL agreements, the company's executives told Yahoo Sports this week. Pathway, guided by a three-member leadership team that includes former Altius and NFLPA executive Casey Schwab, has signed up more than 450 players at Alabama, Illinois, Georgia, Texas Tech, Wisconsin and Oregon. Crimson Tide and Illinois players on Monday were the first to strike the agreements during an informational event attended by players, administrators at each school and coaches. Several schools and players confirmed the meetings in statements to Yahoo Sports, including Alabama receiver Ryan Williams, who said Pathway is "helping us get our fair share of royalties from a billion dollar business driven by a video game that is loved around the world." |
| College coaches mull NFL-style OTAs as replacement for spring games amid roster tampering, injury concerns | |
| Spring football as we know it might be nearing its end across college football. Several programs plan to eliminate public spring games this offseason, and prominent coaches are campaigning to transform the allotted 15 days of practices into NFL-style organized team activities in June or July. The idea is nothing new, but it is gaining traction. Sources told CBS Sports that FBS coaches discussed a potential proposal to eliminate spring practices and implement OTAs in the late spring and early summer months at the American Football Coaches Association annual meeting in January. The goal is to better organize rosters before the summer semester and combat tampering before the spring transfer portal window opens in mid-April. Coaches opted not to discuss the topic at length in January, instead focusing their efforts on shrinking transfer portal windows -- 30 days in December and 10 in April -- to a single 10-day period starting in early January. Their proposal was unanimously approved by about 60 coaches in attendance at the meeting, but faces potential roadblocks as it seeks ratification from the NCAA oversight committee and Division I Council. |
| Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss football had $18 million profit, but athletics operated in deficit again | |
| Despite Ole Miss football increasing revenue to $18.1 million, Ole Miss athletics operated at a deficit just under $8 million in fiscal year 2024, according to documents obtained by the Clarion Ledger. It's the third consecutive year Ole Miss has failed to make a profit. Loses totaled $7,714,598 for Ole Miss during the fiscal year starting July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. It is an improvement from the year prior, in which Ole Miss operated at a deficit exceeding $8 million. The deficit in 2022 was $5.2 million. "Obviously I don't think you're ever happy when you have a deficit," athletic director Keith Carter told the Clarion Ledger. "You know, I am glad that we're chipping away at it, even if it's by a small margin. We do have plans in the future to get that all the way down to zero. That's our goal." Ole Miss took in just over $38 million in contributions during fiscal year 2024. It is an increase over the $34.4 million from the previous year. The football program was the biggest driver of the increase, with a year-over-year increase of about $2 million. Non program-specific donations increased, going from $8.7 million to $9.9 million. Carter said he is hopeful Ole Miss can build on that in fiscal year 2025. |
| Alabama bill would exempt NIL dollars from income tax | |
| Alabama has become the latest state to introduce a bill that would create a competitive advantage for its collegiate athletes. Alabama state representative Joe Lovvorn introduced legislation in the House on Tuesday that would make NIL earnings exempt from Alabama's individual income tax. The move follows a similar bill popping up in the Georgia state Senate earlier this month. Alabama currently has a state income tax with rates ranging from 2% to 5%. This bill would also put Alabama and Auburn on equal footing, as Tennessee, Florida and Texas are SEC states with no income tax. Alabama state representatives Danny Garrett and Chris Blackshear helped write the bill, too. If enacted, the legislation would go into effect on Oct. 1, 2025, and would be applied retroactively to Jan. 1, 2025, while remaining in effect through 2027. Alabama is just the latest state to craft a bill that would put its universities and athletes at an advantage against the NCAA. Institutions across the country are operating under a patchwork of state laws. Lawmakers in Missouri and Texas have passed bills in recent years to prevent the NCAA from launching investigations into NIL activities. Missouri's NIL law even allows high school recruits to enter into NIL deals and start earning endorsement money as soon as they sign with in-state colleges. |
| NCAA committee recommends flag football for NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program | |
| One of the fastest-growing sports in America could be coming to the NCAA. On Wednesday, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics recommended that Divisions I, II, and III sponsor legislation to add to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program. After the vote, all three divisions will have an opportunity to sponsor legislation to advance the sport, and the recommendation will move through the NCAA governance structures. "The growth of flag football will be exciting to watch in the NCAA as women's sports continue to generate more visibility and opportunities for female student-athletes to excel academically and athletically," Ragean Hill, chair of the Committee on Women's Athletics and executive associate athletics director at Charlotte said in a statement. "The Committee on Women's Athletics wants to thank RCX Sports Foundation and USA Football for submitting the application. CWA looks forward to flag football being added to the Emerging Sports for Women program and watching the sport's exciting journey to NCAA championship status in the future." According to the NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Database, a sport must have at least 40 schools sponsoring it at the varsity level and meet minimum contest and participation requirements to be considered for championship status. According to the NCAA press release, at least 65 NCAA schools are sponsoring women's flag football at the club or varsity levels this year. |
| Trump NIL twist carries small legal impact. But to some 'it's putting women's sports back 25 years' | |
| The Trump administration's latest directive on Title IX offered athletic departments more certainty about paying players, while suggesting the federal government wouldn't hold schools to rigid requirements to distribute the proceeds equitably between men and women. Though experts say Wednesday's largely expected decision to rescind guidance issued by the Biden administration will have more symbolic than real-world impact on the class-action lawsuit settlement and other issues reshaping college sports, some see that as exactly the reason it's unwelcome news. "Here we are experiencing this immense growth across all women's sports and this sort of says we really don't really believe that's valuable," UCLA women's basketball coach Cori Close said. "It really feels like it's putting women's sports back 25 years, honestly." Had the Biden guidance stayed in effect, colleges would have had to grapple with how to equally distribute up to $20.5 million in NIL payments between men and women. Now that it has been scrapped, schools can go back to their original plan for the House settlement, which in many cases involved funneling most of the money to football and basketball players. "This change is an impact, but it's a 'what-we-expected' impact because schools are going to follow the formula for NIL that they'd been planning all along," said Rocky Harris, the chief of sport performance for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, which has been watching the House settlement closely because around 75% of their athletes come from the college system. |
| Trump Education Agenda Confounds GOP Call for College Sports Stability | |
| The Republican takeover of Washington was advertised as a solution to quell the turmoil in college sports by lassoing the "Wild West" of NIL with federal legislation and ending the existential risk of college athletes gaining employee status. Indeed, for all its fervor in the dismantling of established systems, MAGA Republicanism has shown an increasingly conservative bent when it comes to the post-NIL future of college sports. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the newly minted chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, has repeatedly warned that the mounting "uncertainty" surrounding intercollegiate athletics has put the future of the entire system at risk. Similar points have been made by other GOPers, including Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), the former University of Miami football player who now chairs the House higher education subcommittee, and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), the former college football coach. Though Republicans have not necessarily taken kindly to the NCAA in the past, their rhetoric of stability is in line with that of the association and the college sports interests it represents. Last week, in response to President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women's sports, NCAA president Charlie Baker applauded it for creating a "clear, national standard." However, while that order may have brought some clarity, it is accompanied by a series of other education policy initiatives that are injecting new uncertainty into a college sports landscape already grappling with legal and financial instability. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
