| Monday, June 2, 2025 |
| MSU choir members take the stage in London for collaborative performance | |
 | Sixteen members of Mississippi State's choral program are traveling to London for a collaborative performance and cultural learning opportunities. The choir members take the stage June 8 at Cadogan Hall to perform "Missa Deus Nobiscum," by British composer Philip Stopford, in collaboration with London's Surbiton High School. Featuring combined choirs, a soprano soloist and an orchestra, the concert is conducted by Phillip Stockton, assistant teaching professor and associate director of MSU's choral activities. "We are looking forward to the collaboration for the performance, as well as the many cultural experiences we will have during our time in London," Stockton said. "As always, we are thankful to our administration, Dean Teresa Jayroe and Department Head Daniel Stevens for their support in this endeavor as we Hail State from across 'the pond!'" In addition to performing, the MSU students will explore cultural sites and take a day trip to Cambridge, where they will attend an Evensong service at the famous King's College of Cambridge. |
| Pilgrim's Pride adds to MSU feed mill's construction nest egg | |
 | Pilgrim's Pride has donated a major gift toward constructing a new poultry feed mill facility at Mississippi State University (MSU). The company's US$100,000 gift marks another chapter in demonstrating its longstanding relationship with the university's poultry science department. Pilgrim's -- which also partners with MSU for internship and mentoring programs -- produces fresh, frozen and value-added products from its operations across 14 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the U.K. and Europe. The company likewise supports MSU through involvement in courses, advisory boards and primary sponsorship of the poultry science department's annual crawfish boil and tailgate. "Pilgrim's is proud of our role in the development of the new Mississippi State University Feed Mill," said Fabio Sandri, Pilgrim's CEO. "We have a strong, longstanding partnership with the MSU poultry science department, and we look forward to continued support of the next generation of poultry professionals and the advancement of our industry overall." Since 1948, MSU's poultry science graduates, including many employed by Pilgrim's today, have seen a 100% job placement rate. |
| Wettest May in a decade leads to crop loss, bug infestations, financial loss | |
| The Golden Triangle has seen more rainfall this month than any May in the past decade. Local farmers are feeling the downpour with drowned crops, muddy rows and swarms of bugs gorging themselves on stressed plants. Bill Miller, who lives and farms on 750 acres along Old West Point Road in Oktibbeha County, said it's too early to tell the extent of damage from this month's rainy weather. "We keep getting rain like this, it may be a good crop, but it'll be floating down in New Orleans," Miller said. Miller took his first hit earlier this month when golf-ball sized hail hurled onto his farm, wiping out all of his greens and much of his potato crop. Now, Miller said, extensive rainfall has drowned out the rest of his potatoes and peas. "We're going to lose our potato crop, and we had to replant peas -- all the peas drowned," Miller said. Although he has begun replanting some crops, Miller said the continued rain may prevent anything new from sprouting. Mary Tuggle, who farms about an acre of land off of Mac Davis Road in Lowndes County, said that even crops that make it through May's showers may not be in the clear come drier days. Josh Tilley, Lowndes County Extension agent, said Tuggle's forecast isn't far off. "Our plants are getting a lot of rain right now, and those roots aren't required to go very deep into the soil," Tilley said. "Now to go from one extreme to the other, if we turn out on a very dry note, it could be a bad thing for our crops. It's going to require those roots to go deeper into the soil to find moisture." |
| TSB Realty Brokers Sale of 802-Bed Student Housing Community Near Mississippi State University | |
| TSB Realty has brokered the sale of HELiX Starkville, an 802-bed student housing community located near the Mississippi State University (MSU) campus in Starkville. Columbus Pacific sold the property to a joint venture between Pumphouse Residential Group and WeldenField for an undisclosed price. SPM, an affiliate of PRG and WeldenField, will provide comprehensive property and construction management services for the community. Delivered in 2016, HELiX Starkville offers fully furnished units in a mix of one-, two- and four-bedroom floorplans on the southeastern edge of the MSU campus. Amenities include a two-story fitness center, resort-style pool, clubhouse with billiards, study enclaves and community TVs, tanning, gaming and coffee lounges and an outdoor grilling area. The property was 95 percent occupied at the time of sale. |
| JOHN M. HAIRSTON: President/CEO of Hancock Whitney Corp.: An accomplished and passionate leader for the Mississippi Gulf Coast region and beyond | |
| The name John M. Hairston has become synonymous with success and dedication in the Mississippi -- and Southern -- business community. As President and Chief Executive Officer of Hancock Whitney Corporation, the $35 billion parent company of Hancock Whitney Bank, since 2006, Hairston has guided the organization with a firm hand, earning the company recommendations as one of America's strongest, safest financial institutions from BauerFinancial, Inc. -- the nation's leading independent bank rating and analysis firm -- for 141 consecutive quarters. But, beyond his unquestionable business acumen, Hairston has also become known as a true Mississippi visionary. "John Hairston is a leader's leader for the Mississippi Gulf Coast and, indeed, the entire State of Mississippi," said friend and fellow businessman Dave Dennis, President of Specialty Contractors and Associates in Gulfport. With an impressive list of accomplishments and appointments, Hairston is active in business, community, economic development, and educational initiatives throughout Mississippi. ... "When Dad's health stabilized, I landed at Mississippi State University. I absolutely loved engineering, loved college, but had no financial support due to the situation. I learned from Dad that quitting anything was no option, and there was always a path to finishing if someone worked hard enough." |
| Economic impact the State Games of Mississippi has on the Queen City | |
 | The State Games of Mississippi is one of Meridian's most significant events, attracting thousands of people from all around. The opening ceremony is set to kick off Friday, June 6th, and many businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, and downtown shopping areas around the city of Meridian, are excited to welcome all the people, as this will boost the economic impact of the Queen City. Executive Director of VisitMeridian, Laura Carmichael, talks more about the economic impact of tourism and how, with tourism, their mission is to give everyone a great experience."I hope that everybody who comes to Meridian gets a sense of pride and community and support and hospitality, that's what we're all about. And if you haven't attended the State Games opening ceremonies, it's so much fun." With new businesses opening up in the city, Carmichael says this is a great way for them to gain even more revenue from non-residents who come here for the State Games of Mississippi. "We get our funding from hotels and people who stay in the hotels, but it also translates to maybe eventually somebody moving here, investing here, deciding they want to start a business here and the really good thing about it too is we've got new businesses that for those coming in to see what Meridian is all about." |
| 'Let's Break New Ground:' MDA's new marketing strategy and collaboration will help promote state's innovative economy | |
| Coming off of a couple of years of economic development wins that have made Mississippi the envy of neighboring states, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) recently announced a new brand and marketing campaign developed in cooperation with The Ramey Agency called "Let's Break New Ground." MDA Executive Director Bill Cork said while the brand of the past five years, Mighty Mississippi, has served the state well, the new brand was designed to be more aspirational, imply more collaboration and promote the state's innovation economy. "We tell the story of our state's pro-business policies and favorable business environment," said Cork. "Companies considering a project in Mississippi want to know that we are going to be here for them now and help them in the future. We wanted a brand that aligned with that. All we do is execute our plan, and we have a good one. We have a robust pipeline of new projects we are working on. The companies ultimately decide and there are global and national economic factors the companies also have to consider." The focus of the campaign is to emphasize speed to market by streamlining incentive programs and facilitating connections with partners such as government officials, companies and colleges providing workforce training opportunities. |
| The South Is Having Second Thoughts About Trading Pine Trees for Solar Panels | |
 | unters, botanists, residents worried about water quality and people citing Scripture lined up to oppose the installation of 2,100 acres of solar panels next to a wildlife preserve. But it was the plight of the local black bears that doomed the proposal from Silicon Ranch, one of the South's largest solar operators. The 300 or so bears that roam the Oaky Woods Wildlife Management Area and adjacent timberland are already so hemmed in by highways and development that they are inbreeding and born missing ears and tails and with odd numbers of testicles. Silicon Ranch said it would keep more than half of the roughly 4,700-acre property free of solar panels and leave wildlife corridors between the arrays, which would generate enough electricity for about 50,000 homes. Houston County commissioners were unswayed and withheld a zoning permit for the $300 million project last year. Silicon Ranch rolled up its blueprints and went scouting for other locations. It was a reception much different from when the Nashville, Tenn., company arrived in 2020 to build a 705-acre solar farm along Interstate 75 south of the county seat, said Chief Executive Reagan Farr. The solar farm, built on freshly logged timberland, was hailed as a shining example of rural economic development. "We were met with open arms," he said. Solar farms have proliferated across the South, replacing swaths of timber and enriching land owners who have struggled with two decades of depressed log prices. Lately, though, solar developers are encountering obstacles -- and not just bears. |
| Hosemann, White vow to focus on school choice, teacher pay, K-12 issues in '26 | |
| One day after concluding a raucous special session to pass a state budget, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Jason White told reporters they're planning to focus on K-12 education policy next year during the 2026 session. Hosemann, the Republican leader of the Senate, said he wants to pass legislation to give public school teachers a pay raise and find a way to allow retired teachers to work in the classroom again. "Without an educated workforce, Mississippi's momentum will not continue," Hosemann said at a press conference on Friday. State law sets the salary for public school teachers based on how much college education they have received and how long they have taught. The last time the Legislature raised teacher salaries was during the 2022 session. White, a Republican from West, conducted a press conference Friday, but he excluded some media outlets including Mississippi Today. But according to a recording of the press conference in his Capitol office, White intends to push lawmakers, again, to consider school choice legislation and will form a study committee to conduct hearings on the issue during the summer. "Our sister states surrounding us here in the South all have basically open enrollment now," White said. "Now, are we ready to go that far? Do we have the votes to go that far? I don't know that. But it's time we have a real conversation about what is best for kids and parents and not the status quo or what might upset somebody somewhere." |
| Hosemann, White recap special session, address tension between chambers | |
| At the end of regular legislative session in April, Governor Tate Reeves (R) said lawmakers needed "to go to their corners, get some water and towel off" before he called a special session to finish the state budget, a nod to the tension between the two chambers. When the special session gaveled in Wednesday of this week, the nearly two-month cooling off period was not long enough, as shortly into the session, division between the chambers was evident and tempers flared. With a budget on the governor's desk, Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R) partially joked Friday at his end of session press conference, saying, "Maybe we need a six-month cooling-off period." Hosemann said senators were upset over several aspects of how the budget process developed this year. First, he said, there was an agreement made between him, House Speaker Jason White (R), and Governor Reeves to handle only with appropriation bills during the special session. However, three bills were on the calendar that did not deal with appropriations. For Speaker White, that is a head scratcher, as he said Friday at his own press conference that two of those bills originated in the Senate, one to reduce the auditor's office budget and the other to fund Methodist Rehab Center for $1.9 million which could impact the state's Medicaid program. |
| Lawmaker impasse means millions won't be spent on Coast projects this year | |
 | One of the last things the state Legislature does at the end of the session is allocate millions of dollars to Coast projects through Tidelands, GOMESA and Gulf Coast Restoration Funds. Not this year. That leaves Coast cities and counties without the money they expected for sewer improvements, piers, new economic development grants and dozens of other multi-million dollar projects. Instead, the Legislature reallocated the millions of dollars that were approved in prior years but still aren't spent. Use it or lose it is the message Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and other senators have for Coast cities and counties. As part of the process of drawing up the list of projects to fund, the Legislature goes back and reviews the progress -- or lack of progress -- of projects approved under GCRF, Tidelands and Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, Wiggins said. "Last year, we found that there were a fairly significant amount that had not drawn down their money," he said. "And our question to them is, 'Why haven't you?'" Senate Appropriations Chairman Briggs Hopson, while presenting the budget on floor this week, said the lack of progress spending grant money is not a problem just on the Coast. Funds from American Rescue Plan and other grants are facing deadlines across the state. Local leaders should pay attention, Wiggins said. |
| Legislature adds $16 million to education funding formula, other areas of the K-12 budget | |
| The budget for the K-12 public education system in Mississippi has been set, with lawmakers increasing the student funding formula by $16 million over the prior year. State Senator Dennis DeBar (R), Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, presented HB 42 on the floor of the Senate during this week's special session. DeBar explained that the bill keeps most appropriation line items at level funding from last year, with some adjustments. "First off, most everything is level funded. The funding formula was fully funded this year. Actually, it was an increase of about $16 million over last year," DeBar added. That additional $16 million to the Mississippi Student Funding Formula, which replaced the Mississippi Adequate Education Program last year, brought the total appropriation for education to $2.9 billion. "I feel good about the education budget," DeBar said. "It could be better, but it definitely could be a lot worse, put it that way." This year's allocation includes $2.1 million for a distance learning program in partnership with Mississippi Public Broadcasting. A dozen teachers annually will be cycled in to provide instruction on courses categorized as having critical shortages in teachers, such as calculus and chemistry. The distance learning program will utilize MPB to bring those courses to the classrooms of schools across the state who do not have those teachers on staff. |
| USDA faces billions in cuts | |
 | The Trump administration is requesting $23 billion for USDA for fiscal 2026, a cut of nearly $7 billion from the current year, according to budget documents released late Friday. The proposal follows President Donald Trump's release earlier this month of his "skinny budget," which outlined proposals for billions of dollars in cuts to food, forest and conservation programs and increased funding for the "Make America Healthy Again" initiative. This more detailed release signals the spending priorities of the White House, which may not be fully embraced by Congress. f Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and the Trump administration get their way, USDA would deeply reduce nearly all of the department's major initiatives, from the Risk Management Agency to Rural Development to the Forest Service to the Office of Civil Rights. The budget request seeks to eliminate programs like the Source Water Protection Program, Dairy Business Innovation initiatives, direct loans for rural single-family housing, conservation technical assistance and the Rural Business-Cooperative Service. The request aims to reduce the Farm Service Agency, which supports farm loans, conservation and disaster assistance, by $372 million. It would shrink the Natural Resources Conservation Service from $916 million to $112 million. The Forest Service would decrease from $16.8 billion last year to $4 billion, as Rollins looks to transfer wildland fire management appropriations to Interior to create a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service. USDA's research arm would also take a budget hit. |
| USDA HQ employees told to work remotely so office building can house soldiers in upcoming military parade | |
| The Agriculture Department on Wednesday directed some employees in Washington, D.C., to work remotely for three weeks because one of its headquarters buildings will be used to house soldiers who are part of the upcoming parade celebrating the Army's 250th anniversary, which coincides with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. The email obtained by Government Executive says that access to USDA's South Building will be restricted to essential employees from June 1 through June 20 and that maximum telework is recommended for individuals who work in the building. The parade is scheduled for June 14. Despite the directive, the Trump administration has largely ended telework flexibility for federal employees, with officials arguing that the practice promotes inefficiency. In fact, some USDA employees on Wednesday were notified where they are being assigned to report for in-person work with a compliance deadline of June 2. The Washington Post previously reported that service members participating in the parade would stay in General Services Administration and Agriculture Department buildings. An Army spokesperson also told the news organization that the event would cost an estimated $25-$45 million. |
| A surprising coalition of GOP senators holds all the megabill leverage | |
| The Senate's deficit hawks might be raising the loudest hue and cry over the GOP's "big, beautiful bill." But another group of Republicans is poised to have a bigger impact on the final legislative product. Call them the "Medicaid moderates." They're actually an ideologically diverse bunch -- ranging from conservative Josh Hawley of Missouri to centrist Susan Collins of Maine. Yet they have found rare alignment over concerns about what the House-passed version of the GOP domestic-policy megabill does to the national safety-net health program, and they have the leverage to force significant changes in the Senate. Based on early estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, 10.3 million people would lose coverage under Medicaid if the House-passed bill were to become law -- many, if not most, in red states. That could spell trouble for Majority Leader John Thune's whip count: He can only lose three GOP senators on the expected party-line vote and still have Vice President JD Vance break a tie. Thune and Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) have already acknowledged that Medicaid, covering nearly 80 million low-income Americans, will be one of the biggest sticking points as they embark this month on a rewrite of the megabill. They are talking with key members in anticipation of difficult negotiations and being careful not to draw red lines publicly. |
| GOP Senator Draws Red Line on Trump Megabill | |
| Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) is used to watching his fellow GOP senators look at their shoes during closed-door meetings when he waves his charts and digs in his heels on the fiscal policies that are the foundation of his political career. But when lawmakers return to work this week, he is determined to make them look up and pay attention. The three-term Republican is insisting on deeper spending cuts in President Trump's "big beautiful bill," saying his party is doing too little to address the country's debt burden. His hard-line stance threatens to complicate passage of the GOP's multitrillion dollar measure, which the Senate is turning to now and Trump wants on his desk by July 4. "I'm saying things that people know need to be said," said Johnson, 70 years old. "The kid who just exposed that the king is butt-naked may not be real popular, because he kind of made everybody else look like fools, but they all recognize he was right." In the Senate, Johnson said, he would "like to think at least that my colleagues respect my passion, my genuine desire to do the right thing, to fix these problems." He takes issue with GOP colleagues' claims that economic growth from the new tax cuts will rein in the deficit, instead siding with official scorekeepers who say the deficit will expand. He said he appreciates that Trump's ideas, such as no tax on overtime, are "directed toward working men and women, but there's nothing growth-incentivizing about his tax proposals." |
| Can Trump fix the national debt? Republican senators, many investors and even Elon Musk have doubts | |
 | President Donald Trump faces the challenge of convincing Republican senators, global investors, voters and even Elon Musk that he won't bury the federal government in debt with his multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package. The response so far from financial markets has been skeptical as Trump seems unable to trim deficits as promised. "All of this rhetoric about cutting trillions of dollars of spending has come to nothing -- and the tax bill codifies that," said Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank. "There is a level of concern about the competence of Congress and this administration and that makes adding a whole bunch of money to the deficit riskier." The White House has viciously lashed out at anyone who has voiced concern about the debt snowballing under Trump, even though it did exactly that in his first term after his 2017 tax cuts. The tax and spending cuts that passed the House last month would add more than $5 trillion to the national debt in the coming decade if all of them are allowed to continue, according to the Committee for a Responsible Financial Budget, a fiscal watchdog group. To make the bill's price tag appear lower, various parts of the legislation are set to expire. This same tactic was used with Trump's 2017 tax cuts and it set up this year's dilemma, in which many of the tax cuts in that earlier package will sunset next year unless Congress renews them. |
| DOGE vowed to make government more 'efficient' -- but it's doing the opposite | |
 | Somewhere in the world last month, a State Department employee began the routine process of hiring a vendor for an upcoming embassy event -- but quickly ran into a problem. The vendor was refusing to sign paperwork certifying that it did not promote diversity, equity and inclusion, or "DEI," a new requirement under President Donald Trump's executive order eradicating DEI from the government. The State employee -- who spoke on the condition that neither he nor the location of his embassy be named, for fear of retaliation -- sighed. Then he got busy: The work-around, he knew, would take time. First, he got his ambassador's signed approval to hire the vendor anyway. Next, he filled out an Office 365 form justifying the expense in 250 words before selecting which "pillar" of necessary spending it fell under, choosing from options including "Safer, Stronger, More Prosperous." After submitting that to higher-ups and getting their sign-off, he filled out yet another form -- this one destined for political appointees back in Washington. A week later, the vendor was secured. Under any previous administration, it would have taken one day, the employee said. Similar layers of new red tape are plaguing federal staffers throughout the government under the second Trump administration, stymieing work and delaying simple transactions, according to interviews with more than three dozen federal workers across 19 agencies and records obtained by The Washington Post. Many of the new hurdles, federal workers said, stem from changes imposed by the U.S. DOGE Service, Elon Musk's cost-cutting team, which burst into government promising to eradicate waste, fraud and abuse and trim staff and spending. |
| MUW Foundation celebrates 60 years of supporting university, students | |
| Deborah Hodges could not have gone to college if she hadn't gotten a centennial scholarship from the Mississippi University for Women Foundation. Hodges was a first-generation college student, who started her freshman year in 1986 and had to work jobs to pay for all her other expenses. But she never had to worry about her tuition, thanks to the foundation's "Century of Excellence Fund." "You hear about life changing gifts. It was a life-changing gift for me," Hodges told The Dispatch on Thursday. "For six decades, the MUW Foundation has made a lasting impact on our students, faculty and campus," Nora Miller, president of The W, said in a press release from the university. "We are grateful for the vision of those who created the Foundation and for the continued generosity of donors who believe in our mission." The foundation began with two gifts of $1,000 each in 1965, holding its first board of directors meeting in August of that year and beginning its work. Since then, the foundation has grown its endowment, which was valued at more than $69 million by the end of Fiscal Year 2024. |
| Ole Miss, Cornell researchers partner to uncover what makes a hand clap pop | |
 | Nearly every human culture uses clapping to cheer, protest, pray or perform, but a new study reveals that the familiar gesture is as much a scientific event as it is a social one. Researchers from Cornell University and the University of Mississippi partnered on a study published in Physical Review Research that delved into the science behind a round of applause. "This is the first time we have had a systematic study where we integrate physical experiments and theoretical modeling, and it's only possible because of the collaboration between our universities," said Likun Zhang, associate professor of physics and senior scientist at the National Center for Physical Acoustics. "The point was not to look just at the acoustics, or the flow excitation or the collision dynamics, but to look at them all simultaneously. That's an interdisciplinary effort that allows us to really understand how sound relates to hand clapping." Contrary to what many believe, the noise of a clap is largely not the sound of two hands smashing into each another, the researchers said. It's actually a complex acoustical phenomenon that involves a cavity of air being compressed and pushed out of a small space. |
| Southern Miss, MGCCC unveil Coastal Pathways Scholarship | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) unveiled the new Coastal Pathways Scholarship, a collaborative effort designed to create a clear and affordable route for MGCCC graduates to complete their bachelor's degrees at Southern Miss. This new scholarship opportunity offers $5,000 annually to qualified transfer students from MGCCC and is renewable with continued eligibility. "We are proud to launch the Coastal Pathways Scholarship in partnership with MGCCC," said Southern Miss President Dr. Joe Paul. "This program creates a seamless and supportive path for community college students to complete their degrees at Southern Miss. By reducing financial barriers and providing a direct connection between our institutions, we are investing in the future of our students and our coastal communities." Students must also enroll in at least 15 credit hours per semester, including a minimum of nine credit hours of face-to-face instruction on the Gulf Park campus, and maintain a 2.5 GPA to remain eligible. |
| Itawamba Community College's Stevenson, Harris complete prestigious MCCLA | |
| Itawamba Community College's Chris Stevenson of Fulton and John Wayne Harris of Shannon have recently completed the 2024-25 Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy. A member of the ICC family since 2010, Stevenson, who is the dean of Academic Instruction, previously served as American History instructor and chair of the Social Science Division. He earned the associate's degree from ICC, bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University and master's degree from the University of Mississippi. Harris, who is the director of Physical Plant Operations, joined the ICC family in 2008. His previous positions include sound technician, maintenance technician/energy manager and director of projects and energy management systems. He earned the associate's degree from ICC and the bachelor's degree from Everglades University. The Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy was developed in the spring of 2009 to address the projected need for upper-level leaders in the Mississippi community college system. The MCCLA is organized around the practical needs for future community college leaders, specific to the Mississippi community college system. |
| WCU month closer to opening new primary-care facility | |
 | Medical students at William Carey University are one month closer to stepping into a new facility dedicated to rural and primary care. Crews broke ground on the 60,000-square-foot facility in December 2023. The building is mostly finished and is expected to open by the fall semester. Students will have access to state-of-the-art simulation labs geared toward osteopathic medicine. Opportunities also will be available to connect with members of the local and state medical community. "It's going to focus on primary care education, as well as rural education," said Dr. Italo Subbarao with the College of Osteopathic Medicine. "For us, it's going to be where most of our medical students do their training. "We're also going to engage with community physicians and residency programs that will come in and do additional training." |
| U. of Georgia announces changes for vice president of academic affairs and provost | |
 | Soon after Jack Hu resigned his position as University of Georgia's Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, UGA President Jere Morehead had selected his replacement. Hu, who left to become chancellor of the University of California, Riverside, will have his key position in the president's office filled by Benjamin C. Ayers. Hu, who served for six years in the position, will soon lead a university on a 1,200-acre campus with more than 26,000 students and 1,100 faculty members. Riverside is located west of Los Angeles. The hiring was also announced by UC Riverside noting that since Hu began serving as provost at UGA, the university invested in multiple interdisciplinary faculty hires and increased its research expenditures each year to exceed $620 million in 2024. Morehead also noted in a released statement that he has "no doubt that Dr. Hu is well prepared" to lead UC Riverside as its new chancellor. Ayers has been with the UGA Terry College of Business since 2014 and will assume his new role on June 30. As the dean at Terry College, Ayers led a business college with more than 11,000 students and 400 full-time faculty and staff, according to UGA. |
| RELLIS director shares campus update with Texas A&M Board of Regents | |
 | Texas A&M University's RELLIS campus has seen transformational change since the first academic building opened there in 2019. More is on the way. Kelly Templin, RELLIS's executive director, told the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents about how more change is coming during Friday's workshop and provided an update on several different projects going on at the campus. RELLIS will be home to the Texas Semiconductor Institute as well as the location where four companies will create small modular nuclear reactors. The semiconductor institute will be on the west side of the campus. Templin said the biggest challenge RELLIS has faced with the four nuclear companies is that each one has different utility needs and different land impacts. "There is a lot of innovative technology that has come to the forefront here. It's a very exciting frontier to be on now," Templin said of small modular nuclear reactors. "I think it's going to be the future, not just for the state of Texas but I think the West is going to power themselves this way. All four companies have very interesting cutting-edge models, and I tell students your kids are probably going to see [small modular nuclear reactors] as a common thing." |
| 'It's part of the craft': Chalk in academia is not going anywhere | |
 | As an undergraduate student, Kyle Loftus watched his math professors in awe as they etched equations on the board with chalk. Now, he has a fixation on the writing tool. One of the motives to use chalk, for Loftus, is rooted in memories. Loftus is a mathematics graduate student at the University of Missouri and was brought up using chalk. "It doesn't seem like there's much reason to change," Loftus said. In the U.S., writing with chalk on its co-partner, the blackboard, dates back to as early as 1801. Loftus' office is a gold mine for chalk. When he teaches, he prefers rooms that have chalkboards and sometimes trades his chalk for a small fee to get his classes covered. His colleagues even come to him requesting chalk for their master's thesis defense or department-wide lectures. "Word slowly got around," Loftus said. He has white and multicolor chalk. Though the writing tools are tucked away on his desk, butts of chalk scatter the floor and decorate the tray of his office chalkboard. Rankeya Datta's grandfather, an anatomy professor, gave him leftover nubs of chalk as a child. He later stored the chalk "like a treasure." Datta, a mathematics professor at Mizzou, said his affinity for chalk is associated with memories extending past childhood. They are memories from graduate school. |
| Trump Proposes Cutting Pell Grants in Order to Avert Shortfall | |
 | The Trump administration wants to lower the maximum Pell Grant by $1,685 for the 2026–27 academic year as the program faces an estimated $2.7 billion shortfall. The proposed cut, detailed in budget documents released Friday evening, would drop the maximum Pell Grant to $5,710, reversing more than a decade of efforts to steadily boost the award, which helps low-income students attend college. The proposed budget keeps overall funding for the Pell Grant level compared with the current budget, adopted in fiscal year 2024. But the cut to the maximum award is necessary, Trump officials wrote, to address "an untenable shortfall." In addition to an increase in fraud, the administration blamed Congress for this problem. Over the years, Congress has steadily boosted the maximum award and expanded eligibility for the Pell Grant without putting more money into the program, which historically has run a surplus. Republicans in Congress have proposed their own cuts to the Pell Grant, though that same plan also puts $10.5 billion into the program over the next three fiscal years. About 30 percent of students receive the Pell Grant each academic year. |
| Community Colleges Fear Proposed Changes to Pell | |
| The House budget bill passed in May threatens to bring major changes to federal financial aid for low-income students -- and community colleges are bracing for impact. If the One Big Beautiful Bill Act goes into effect as is, community college leaders expect hundreds of thousands of students to lose their Pell Grants, causing enrollments to plummet. They're hoping the Senate rejects proposed changes to the program. While the reconciliation bill promises to dole out about $10.5 billion over three years to the Pell program, addressing a $2.7 billion shortfall, it also limits eligibility, dealing a blow to part-time students, who make up more than two-thirds of community college enrollees nationwide. The reconciliation bill would increase the amount of coursework required for students to get the maximum Pell Grant, from 24 to 30 credits per year, or 15 credits per semester. More than half of all students currently enrolled in higher ed institutions across the country would fall short of a full course load and see their grants shrink under the House's proposal, the Congressional Budget Office estimated. In a more drastic change, the budget also seeks to eliminate Pell Grants entirely for students attending college less than half-time. With the proposed changes, many students would see their aid reduced or lost. |
| In Franklin's words: 'Rebellion to tyrants in obedience to God' | |
| Columnist Bill Crawford writes: In these patriotic days of remembrance between Memorial Day and D-Day, perhaps we should give ample thought to why so many Americans made such heroic sacrifices -- defense of freedom and opposition to tyranny, the bastions of American heritage. Such thoughtfulness is surely appropriate given our current situation -- a congress ignoring its constitutional duty to serve as check and balance to a president's tyranny of executive orders and erratic behaviors. That leaves only a Supreme Court reluctant to deal with political issues as the final safeguard. After leaving the White House as chief of staff during Donald Trump's first term, retired Marine Corps General John Kelly described the president as a "person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about." In such circumstances, the role of the congress as a check and balance on executive power becomes critical. The following passages suggest the consequences of inaction, something our congressional delegation should heed. "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." Founding father Benjamin Franklin recommended this phrase to be the motto for the Great Seal of the United States. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State Hires One Of College Baseball's Greats In Brian O'Connor | |
| One of college baseball's most tradition-rich programs is turning to one of the sport's most decorated leaders to guide its next chapter. Brian O'Connor, a 2024 Hall of Fame inductee and the all-time winningest coach at Virginia, has been named the 19th head baseball coach in Mississippi State history. A proven winner with 917 career victories, seven College World Series appearances and a national title, O'Connor brings a championship résumé and national credibility to Starkville. Mississippi State will formally introduce Coach O'Connor at a public welcome event set for 7 p.m. CT on Thursday at Dudy Noble Field. Fans, supporters, letterwinners and media are invited to attend as the Diamond Dawgs officially usher in a new era. Additional details will be announced in the coming days. "At Mississippi State, we have a long tradition of success in baseball. The "M over S," the Maroon and White, and hosting postseason in Starkville is woven into the very fabric of who we are and what we expect of our baseball program. Brian O'Connor is an elite level coach that aligns perfectly with our elite level program. His past certainly speaks for itself, but his clear understanding of the evolution and future of college baseball is clear. We are in the pursuit of championships. I am thrilled for Coach O'Connor, our student-athletes and Bulldogs everywhere as this is a historic day for Mississippi State," MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. |
| MSU hires Brian O'Connor as next head baseball coach | |
| Mississippi State announced the hiring of the 19th head baseball coach in program history on Sunday, naming Hall of Famer Brian O'Connor shortly after the conclusion of MSU's NCAA tournament run. O'Connor joins the Bulldogs after 20 years as head coach at Virginia, where he led the Cavaliers to their only national championship in 2015. "Mississippi State represents everything I love about college baseball: tradition, passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence," O'Connor said in a university release. "I've coached against this program and followed it closely for years. The atmosphere at Dudy Noble Field is nationally recognized as the best in the sport. I'm incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead a program with this kind of legacy and fan base. Mississippi State has set the standard in college baseball, and I can't wait to get to work, build relationships and compete for championships in Starkville." O'Connor boasts a 917-388-2 career record as a head coach, winning three National Coach of the Year awards. He was named head coach at UVA in 2004 after a decade as an assistant coach with Creighton and Notre Dame. He oversaw the most successful period in Cavaliers baseball history, including a national championship in 2015, seven College World Series appearances and two ACC championships. |
| Brian O'Connor to lead MSU baseball | |
| Mississippi State has tabbed Brian O'Connor to be its new head baseball coach. The school announced the hire via social media on Sunday night. O'Connor has been the skipper at Virginia since 2004. He has won two ACC regular season and conference tournament titles, is a five-time ACC Coach of the Year and three-time National Coach of the Year with a career record of 917-388-2. O'Connor has been to the NCAA tournament 18 times and the Super Regional Round nine times. He also has seven College World Series appearances and won it all in 2015. He was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2024. "Mississippi State is built to win at the highest level, and Coach O'Connor knows what that takes," MSU athletics director Zac Selmon said in a statement. "From elite player development to consistent success on the national stage, his résumé speaks for itself. He understands the standard here and embraces the opportunity to elevate it even further. This is a defining moment for Mississippi State Baseball and a powerful step forward for our program, our players and our fans." |
| Brian O'Connor Named Mississippi State Head Baseball Coach | |
| Barely an hour after its season ended on Sunday evening in the Tallahassee Regional, Mississippi State announced its hiring of longtime Virginia head coach Brian O'Connor, who is the ninth skipper in program history. O'Connor quickly became a primary target for Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon following the school's dismissal of former coach Chris Lemonis in April. O'Connor emerged as the clear favorite to earn the job on Thursday. O'Connor, 54, is one of the nation's most accomplished active head coaches. One of the longest-tenured active head coaches in the nation, O'Connor has been at the helm with the Cavaliers since 2004. After missing the NCAA Tournament this year, he was promised increased resources for baseball but ultimately chose to pursue an SEC opportunity. Mississippi State's decision to hire O'Connor comes with championship expectations and nothing less, a reality that was made clear throughout the hiring process, according to multiple sources. Those expectations come on the heals of the Bulldogs' late-April decision to fire Lemonis, who won the national championship in 2021. |
| Mississippi State baseball hires longtime Virginia coach Brian O'Connor | |
| After 22 years in charge of Virginia's baseball program, seven College World Series appearances and a national title, Brian O'Connor is leaving the Cavaliers. O'Connor is departing to become Mississippi State's baseball coach, the Bulldogs announced late Sunday night. "Mississippi State represents everything I love about college baseball -- tradition, passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence," O'Connor said in a statement. "I've coached against this program and followed it closely for years. The atmosphere at Dudy Noble Field is nationally recognized as the best in the sport." At UVa, O'Connor built the Hoos into a perennial power. Multiple sources since then and through Saturday told The Daily Progress that O'Connor had yet to make a decision about whether or not the gig at Mississippi State was worth leaving behind the only head coaching job he's ever known. But sources said there was at least some fear at UVa that SEC resources and Mississippi State's willingness to pour those resources into baseball would be too much for the Hoos to overcome. Earlier in his career, O'Connor was linked to other SEC jobs -- notably Texas A&M at this time last year and also Auburn, Texas, Florida and LSU previously during his more than two decades as Cavaliers boss -- but he always stayed in Charlottesville. Until now. |
| Why new Mississippi State baseball coach Brian O'Connor can be a quick winner | |
 | Brian O'Connor last started from scratch 22 seasons ago. He was 32 years old when he was hired as the Virginia baseball coach before the 2004 season, his first time as a head coach. A lot has changed since then. The transfer portal has players switching teams fluidly. Players can now be paid for their name, image and likeness, and soon are expected to receive revenue-sharing money with the pending approval of the House settlement. It's all completely flipped how programs are built. O'Connor will attempt to do it again, hired as the Mississippi State coach on June 1 after 22 seasons at Virginia. The hire was announced an hour after the Bulldogs (36-23) suffered a season-ending loss to Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional final. Mississippi State is a storied program with 41 NCAA tournament appearances, 12 College World Series and a 2021 national championship while playing in the grueling SEC. Based on the circumstances, MSU shouldn't be heading for a deep rebuild under O'Connor. MSU should be able to win and do so quickly. |
| Baseball: Bulldogs drop heartbreaker to Seminoles in regional final | |
| Mississippi State pitchers Karson Ligon and Luke Dotson had combined to throw more than 150 pitches by the seventh inning against Florida State on Sunday, but the Bulldogs held a narrow 2-0 lead thanks to solo shots from Gehrig Frei and Joe Powell. Then, Myles Bailey stepped up to the plate. The freshman sent a 2-2 pitch to deep center for a double, setting up Cal Fisher to send the very next pitch over the right field fence to tie the game. An exhausting six innings of clutch pitching and defensive work were suddenly all for naught. Though the game wasn't over yet, it certainly felt like it. The Seminoles jumped on reliever Ryan McPherson, pitching on just two days of rest, in the eighth, loading the bases with no outs and eventually plating the final three runs in what would eventually be a 5-2 FSU win. With the win, the Seminoles booked their place in the Super Regional round for the second year in a row and sent MSU home to Starkville. The Bulldogs have seen their season end in the regional round each of the last two years. "Just went to war out there today with guys that were on fumes," interim head coach Justin Parker said, "and we just came up a little short to a good ball club." The Bulldogs won a close 3-2 battle with Northeastern in an elimination game earlier in the day, a game that was their sole focus after the Saturday loss to FSU. |
| MRA's EJ Dampier Makes 12-Player USA Basketball 16-and-Under Team, A First for Legendary Coach Richard Duease | |
| Madison-Ridgeland Academy boys basketball coach Richard Duease is the winningest basketball coach in Mississippi history, the second winningest active boys basketball coach in the country, and is a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. But this week, Duease has a new first -- one of his players made a team for USA Basketball. MRA rising sophomore EJ Dampier -- son of former Mississippi State and 16-year NBA center Erick Dampier -- has earned a spot on the 12-player USA National Under-16 Team. The 6-foot-10 Dampier is the second youngest player on the team. He won't turn 16 until Oct. 22. Dampier was one of 36 players who tried out for the camp at the USA Basketball headquarters at Colorado Springs, Colo. The team is scheduled to play in the 2025 FIBA Americup in June 2-8 in Juarez, Mexico. "This is just the tip of the iceberg for Damp," said Duease, who has won 1,858 games (1,266 boys and 572 girls) and will start his 51st season as a head coach, the last 44 at MRA, next season. |
| Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott announces birth of his second daughter | |
| Dak Prescott made a heartwarming announcement regarding his family ahead of the 2025 NFL season. The star quarterback of the Cowboys welcomed his second daughter into the world earlier this month, he revealed on Saturday afternoon. "Thank You God! Welcome, Aurora Rayne! May 22, 2025. God is Great. I love you @sarahjane and the Family we've created," Prescott posted on Instagram, accompanying a photo of his wife and his now two daughters. Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram shared a photo of Prescott with his children. In addition to his second daughter, Prescott's football family added a new member this offseason. The Cowboys traded for wide receiver George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Finding a second option to CeeDee Lamb was an offseason priority for the team, and they feel as if their mission was accomplished. We got to hear Prescott's thoughts on Pickens for the first time earlier in May. He provided a nice breakdown of the skillset coming to Dallas after doing some personal tape study. Overall, you can tell Prescott is happy with the move. "We've connected," Prescott said. "I'm excited. You turn on the tape, you see a guy that can catch the football. You put the football anywhere in his vicinity, very strong hands." |
| Top 2 seeds Vanderbilt, Texas ousted from NCAA baseball regionals | |
| Hours after Wright State held off Vanderbilt in the ninth inning to knock the No. 1 national seed out of the NCAA tournament with a 5-4 victory Sunday in the Nashville Regional, No. 2 national seed Texas was eliminated by UTSA in the Austin Regional championship. This is the second time since national seeds were introduced in 1999 that the top two seeds were both eliminated in regionals, 2014 being the other (No. 1 Oregon State, No. 2 Florida). In Nashville, Tennessee, Griffen Paige gave up two runs on one hit across eight-plus innings, and Boston Smith and Luke Arnold hit back-to-back homers early to propel Wright State, the No. 4 regional seed out of the Horizon League, into the final, where the Raiders fell to Louisville 6-0 later Sunday night. The Commodores became the first No. 1 national seed to fail to reach its regional final since the tournament went to its current format in 1999. In Austin, Texas, the Longhorns were hosting a regional for the 38th time in program history. Norris McClure went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer in the first inning, and UTSA added five runs in the third to advance to the program's first super regional. The Roadrunners were 0-6 in their first three NCAA tournament appearances before winning three straight this season, including a 9-7 victory over the Longhorns on Saturday. |
| As Deloitte's 'NIL Go' Draws Heat, Other Athletic Work Stays Low-Key | |
| Last September, Deloitte and the University of Kansas announced a "first-of-its-kind" partnership between the consulting giant and a college athletic department. The $200,000 deal was unveiled by KU months before Deloitte was publicly identified as the firm tasked with administering a digital clearinghouse for college athlete NIL deals, as stipulated in the pending House v. NCAA settlement. Notably, the concept of such a clearinghouse was broached in a Wall Street Journal sponsored column in January of 2021 -- seven months before the NCAA ever adopted its interim NIL policy. The article, authored by three Deloitte principals and titled "Colleges Brace for New Student-Athlete Sponsor Rules," envisioned "a clearinghouse for NIL payments with a means for estimating fair market value of NIL opportunities." That vision is now close to becoming reality, with Deloitte set to play a central role in administering the athlete deal information center known as "NIL Go." With the settlement process having hit headwinds in its final stages, Deloitte's prospective engagement in the NIL system is facing heightened scrutiny amid newly surfaced details. At the same time, Deloitte's other athletic department work has made little noise in the nine months since the KU partnership was announced. For years, Deloitte has maintained an extensive presence in both the athletics and higher education sectors. However, the prospect of one arm of the firm specifically advising athletic departments on NIL issues while another plays a role in evaluating or adjudicating athlete NIL deals at those same schools raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest. |
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