| Tuesday, June 17, 2025 |
| State awards MSU $2.2M to further AI development | |
 | As artificial intelligence continues to grow in popularity, so does the need for improved infrastructure and a larger workforce. A new Mississippi program is looking to address this need through $9.1 million in grants awarded to colleges and universities for the development of AI and machine learning infrastructure, knowledge and workforce training, including $2.2 million to Mississippi State University. MSU is one of seven institutions of higher learning in the state to receive a grant through the newly established Mississippi AI Talent Accelerator Program, which Gov. Tate Reeves announced June 12. The $2.2 million MSU received through the program will be used to establish an endowment for AI workforce and research initiatives, including two new faculty lines and the development of a new Data Center Construction graduate certificate program, MSU's press release said. "Certificate programs are important to allow people in the workforce to get the training they need and to get the (credentials) they need to successfully pursue and land a job in these data centers," said Sid Salter, MSU's vice president for strategic communication and director of public affairs. |
| Crunching numbers with purpose: Real world math at MSU solves community problems | |
 | Mississippi State Instructor II Kim Walters is using her Math in Your World class to teach students that math is more than problems in a textbook -- it's a practical tool with everyday applications, starting right here in Starkville. As part of her informative math course, Walters partners with local organizations to help students engage with their community while putting math concepts into practice. This past semester, students collected and analyzed data at Starkville Strong's "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" event, speaking with community members and volunteers to better understand what services were most helpful. Starkville Strong is a local nonprofit focused on helping people in the community. Students surveyed volunteers and clients, asking questions such as how many people were in a household, which times of year were most difficult financially, and whether the event location was accessible. Volunteers were asked about their motivations for helping, whether they would recommend the organization to others, and whether their experiences had shaped their views on food insecurity. |
| Area students chosen as MSU orientation leaders | |
 | Two area students have been selected among the 25 Mississippi State University students to be 2025 Orientation leaders. The 15 summer orientation sessions will welcome more than 10,000 admitted students and family members to the campus. Sarah Todd Adcock, a sophomore biomedical engineering major from Brookhaven, and Ella Glass, a junior kinesiology major from Summit, were selected among this year's leaders. Orientation Leaders are chosen through a competitive selection process and have an integral role alongside the Division of Academic Affairs staff. They attend a three-credit-hour course in the spring and additional training to prepare for Orientation and other on-campus recruiting events. They also receive a summer stipend, housing and meal plan. The Orientation Leaders host incoming freshmen and transfers who are officially becoming part of the Bulldog family. The events include a variety of information sessions and MSU resources to help new students prepare for college life at the university. |
| A Life Skills Academy was held at Mississippi State University | |
 | The Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated Delta Upsilon Sigma Starkville Graduate Chapter held an event to teach young men life skills. At the Academy, station leaders informed attendees about the importance of interviewing tips, College Preparation, Business and financial management, and much more. Participants were also educated on the importance of having good hygiene, etiquette, and oral communication skills. The widow of one of the founders of the Life Skills Academy, Maggie Cooks, said the goal is to give back to the community and to help the younger generation. "His whole goal for starting this was to help, he said, if he only helped one young man, he would feel like he accomplished something," said Cooks. "We are trying to teach them life skills that they can always rely on," said Eddie Myles, Life Skills Academy Organizer. The Boys to Men life skills academy was held at the Shira Fieldhouse at MSU, and it was for young men ages ten to eighteen. Organizers also said they are planning to add more to next year's event. |
| Community Profile: Still making stained glass after 40 years | |
| If you come across a brightly-colored window catching sunlight in Mississippi, whether it be in a chapel, a bathroom or even an Applebee's, there's a good chance it passed through Kathryn Davis' hands first. Davis, owner of Alley Kat's Glass in Starkville, has been working with stained glass for more than 40 years. Since transitioning to full-time craftsmanship, Davis has completed hundreds of commissions across Mississippi and has mentored dozens of apprentices along the way. "I'm still teaching people all the time," Davis said. "... There are no secrets. Some people think that there are, but my gosh, it's been going on for thousands of years." One of her apprentices, Ken Willeford, is a retired Mississippi State University professor of biochemistry. Willeford took up the craft about a month ago to create a piece to display above the door of his home office. "There's stained glass here, but there's very few people that actually do it, and there's less people that teach it," Willeford said. "... I didn't know Alley Kat, but I had heard of her. I found a phone number, and she was just so welcoming. She'd never met me, but she still said, 'Sure, come on down.'" |
| Protesters gather in Starkville to oppose Trump administration, military parade | |
 | Hundreds of Mississippi State University students, alumni and Starkville community members gathered near The Hub on Main Street on Saturday as part of a nationwide protest against the Trump administration and the military parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. armed services held that evening in Washington, D.C. The protest, one of over 2,000 planned across the country and seven in Mississippi on Saturday, was part of a large-scale movement called No Kings. The movement's website describes the purpose of the day as "taking action to reject authoritarianism" and encouraging "a nationwide day of defiance." Dr. Raymond Overstreet, a psychiatrist from Columbus, said that he attended the protest in opposition to several policies enacted during Trump's second term. "I'm against almost everything he does, particularly the attack on democracy," Overstreet said. Susan Grzadzielewski, a jewelry maker from Eupora, said she came to the protest because she was very upset about the direction in which she felt the country was headed. "I've been working as, you know, as a citizen making changes that I thought were progressive and good for humanity, and Trump has just turned that all around," Grzadzielewski said. |
| Entergy CEO talks data centers, economic development | |
| Entergy Mississippi CEO Haley Fisackerly said Monday that data centers headed to the Magnolia State could benefit residential customers, potentially lowering their energy bills and upgrading infrastructure. Speaking at the Stennis Capitol Press Forum, Fisackerly said the ABCs of rates are based on the cost of electricity divided by the kilowatt hours (kWh) consumed or sold. For years, he said, the kWh for Entergy has been stagnant. However, with power-gulping data centers, that could change, leading to a residential rate decrease. Another benefit of the data centers, Fisackerly said, is upgrades in infrastructure. Within the next five years, a third of Entergy's power generation will be retired, including a coal-fired plant outside the state and another power plant in Mississippi. Fisackerly said Amazon Web Services' contract calls for two megawatt stations and one solar plant. While not going into great detail of the contract or AWS electric rates, he said those new plants will be beneficial to Entergy's customers. Fisackerly added that economic development has changed over the last decade. Today, the key is speed to market. |
| What Amazon and Nissan have to do with former Levi's plant near Jackson | |
 | Amazon and Nissan are the gifts that keep on giving when it comes to economic development in Madison County, specifically, and the Jackson area in general. That includes the former Levi's plant building in Gluckstadt, which recently closed. A Wisconsin investment company, F Street Group, has bought the property as an investment for an undisclosed price and intends to recruit businesses to fill the space. F Street Group founder Scott Lurie told the Clarion Ledger that proximity to Amazon and Nissan played a pivotal role in his company wanting to buy the property. "We saw this as an opportunity based on the size, the market demand and the vacancy rate," said Lurie, who was in Mississippi on June 16 at the 750,000 square-foot facility. "Also, the material investment that is being made in the area by Amazon as well as Nissan, played a large role." Despite news that Nissan is scaling back in many places throughout the United States, Lurie is bullish on the Canton factory, which has been linked to many potential ways it could expand over the next several years. "Despite what the media has said, it appears to us that (Nissan) is making further investment into the (electric vehicle) facility there," Lurie said. |
| Agriculture commissioner to take 'Make Mississippi Healthy Again' campaign across the state | |
| An effort to reduce Mississippi's troubling obesity and chronic disease rates, support local farmers, and incentivize folks to eat healthier is underway statewide. Andy Gipson, the state's GOP agriculture commissioner who recently announced a 2027 bid for governor, is using his "Make Mississippi Healthy Again" initiative to promote health and wellness practices in one of the nation's unhealthiest states. Working in lockstep with President Donald Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" executive order to curb chronic disease rates, especially among children, the Mississippi version will serve to utilize local food sources to help address healthcare issues. The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce plans to spotlight the state's farmers and producers as "essential partners" in the mission to ensure residents have access to the healthiest, most abundant, and most affordable food possible. "If you eat junk food, you're going to have junky health. If you eat healthy, farm-raised food, you're going to be healthier," Gipson said on Mornings with Richard Cross. "Healthier food with a healthier lifestyle makes for healthier people, and that's what we want to have. 'Make Mississippi Healthy Again' is about having a healthier Mississippi." |
| Sen. Roger Wicker urging Mississippi education board to keep history test in public schools | |
| U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, along with Mississippi Education Board member Mary Werner, are making a push to keep the history assessment as part of the state's public school curriculum. History is currently not one of the three federally mandated subject matters (algebra, biology, and English) required to be tested before graduation. The Mississippi Education Board's Commission on School Accreditation voted in April to eliminate the test, requiring a final vote later in June. While passing a U.S. history course would still be required for high school students to graduate, Wicker and Werner argue that mandatory testing of the subject emphasizes a critical piece of education to create informed and engaged citizens. "[A student receiving their diploma] is a symbol of one generation bestowing the responsibilities of citizenship onto the next," Wicker and Werner said in a joint release. "In Mississippi, those duties come quickly. We hold elections every single year. Within one of two cycles, all the graduates will have had a chance to exercise their fundamental right to vote. It would be reassuring to know they are equipped with the civic and history knowledge they will need to choose wisely in the ballot box." |
| Here's what's in the Senate GOP's version of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' | |
 | The Senate Finance Committee on Monday unveiled its portion of President Trump's "big, beautiful bill," containing provisions on Medicaid, taxes and green energy tax credits. The committee's text is the final piece of the upper chamber's version of the bill to be released, and was the most highly anticipated. It contains some of the thorniest provisions that Senate GOP holdouts have expressed concerns about, and the issues that could set the upper chamber on a collision course with the House. The House narrowly passed its version of the legislation last month. Here's what's in the Senate's bill. The bill makes many of the core elements of their 2017 tax cuts permanent but scales back additional cuts from what the House passed. The bill creates new deductions for taxes on tips, overtime pay and car loan interest -- a priority of Trump's that he campaigned on -- but doesn't make them fully deductible. The bill would raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, instead of the $4 trillion increase adopted by House Republicans. |
| Senate Republicans cool to Finance Committee's tax plan | |
 | Senate GOP leaders are facing early pushback over a key plank of their "big, beautiful bill" just hours after rolling it out, underscoring the work that remains to bring the legislation to the floor next week. Signs of discontent within the Republican Conference came as Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo privately briefed his colleagues Monday night on his portion of the megabill central to enacting key elements of President Donald Trump's domestic agenda. Crapo's committee is responsible for some of the most politically consequential components of the party-line package, including changes to Medicaid, the fate of clean-energy energy tax credits and the state-and-local tax deduction that is important to high-tax state House Republicans. The briefing Monday was designed to explain the panel's rationale, answer questions and alleviate any anxieties. But immediate reaction from lawmakers across the ideological spectrum upon that meeting's conclusion indicated leadership has a ways to go -- especially as Republicans still hope to meet their self-imposed July Fourth deadline for clearing the larger bill for Trump's signature. |
| Security concerns shake Congress in the wake of Minnesota slayings | |
 | Joseph D. Morelle has fielded a torrent of calls in the days since one Minnesota legislator and her husband were shot and killed, and another and his wife were seriously injured. The highest-ranking Democrat on the House Administration Committee said he's been in touch with the Capitol Police and sergeant-at-arms, as well as members of Congress who are shaken by the events. "I think people are concerned and there's some anxiety," Morelle said. "But I think they're very grateful, as I am, for law enforcement." After a nearly two-day manhunt, suspect Vince Boulter was apprehended late Sunday night. It was a relief for lawmakers around the country, particularly those who learned their names may have appeared on lists connected to the alleged killer. They include prominent Democrats like Sens. Tina Smith of Minnesota and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. Rep. Hillary Scholten of Michigan postponed a scheduled town hall after her name surfaced, while Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio said he heard from Capitol Police over the weekend. "On Sunday morning, Capitol Police contacted my office to inform me that the FBI had found my name among the evidence collected during the search for a suspect in Minnesota -- who is accused of murdering and seriously injuring lawmakers," Landsman said in a statement. "We are relieved the suspect has been arrested." But the fear and anger on Capitol Hill are far from over. The episode comes as law enforcement grapples with rising threats against members of Congress, and it's reignited lingering questions about safety both at and away from the Capitol. |
| Trump officials reverse guidance exempting farms, hotels from immigration raids | |
 | The Department of Homeland Security on Monday told staff that it was reversing guidance issued last week that agents were not to conduct immigration raids at farms, hotels and restaurants -- a decision that stood at odds with President Donald Trump's calls for mass deportations of anyone without legal status. Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including its Homeland Security Investigations division, told agency leaders in a call Monday that agents must continue conducting immigration raids at agricultural businesses, hotels and restaurants, according to two people familiar with the call. The new instructions were shared in an 11 a.m. call to representatives from 30 field offices across the country. ICE and HSI field office supervisors began learning about a likely reversal of the exemption policy Sunday after hearing from DHS leadership that the White House did not support it, according to one person with knowledge of the reversal. ICE has been under significant pressure from White House officials to ramp up arrests in an effort to fulfill Trump's goal of enacting the largest domestic deportation operation in history. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said last month that the administration wants ICE to make a minimum of 3,000 arrests a day. Trump had been pulled in two directions on the issue, recently coming under pressure from executives in the agriculture and hospitality industries to loosen up on a sweeping deportation policy that was costing them migrant workers. |
| Trump Struggles to Press Deportations Without Damaging the Economy | |
 | When federal agents raided Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, Neb., last Tuesday, they arrested about 75 of the meat processor's workers, roughly half of the production line. The following day, the plant was operating at about 15% of capacity, and a skeleton crew strained to fill orders. Chief Executive Gary Rohwer can't see a future that doesn't include immigrant workers. "Without them, there wouldn't be an industry," he said. President Trump's aggressive deportation push has slammed into an economic reality: Key industries in the U.S. rely heavily on workers living in the U.S. illegally, many of them for decades. That presents a major challenge for the administration unfolding in real time, with business leaders urging a softer approach while anti-immigration hard-liners demand more deportations. The conflict could be difficult to untangle -- and public signs are emerging of a clash within the administration. The Department of Homeland Security late last week directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels, stressing that sweeps should focus on people in the U.S. illegally who have criminal backgrounds. "Severe disruptions to our food supply would harm Americans," wrote Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on X Sunday. "It took us decades to get into this mess and we are prioritizing deportations in a way that will get us out." At the same time, DHS appeared to walk back its own directive from last week. |
| PR firm could be tapped to help keep MSMS at The W | |
| The Mississippi University for Women Foundation is trying to hire a public relations firm to help better cast the future location of Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science as a "statewide issue." In short, the firm will work to convince the public and the legislature to leave the residential high school at MUW, rather than move it to Mississippi State University. Lowndes County supervisors approved a resolution Monday to commit up to $15,000 to the effort, with Columbus City Council expected to do the same at its meeting this evening. The resolution reads that relocating MSMS "would be an economic and cultural detriment" to the city, county and MUW. The firm's contract would be for $36,000 over six months, with the city, county and MUW Foundation each expected to put up one-third, Board of Supervisors President Trip Hairston told The Dispatch. "There may be some incidentals over that, excess travel, whatever it may be, so that's why we put in $15,000 instead of $12,000," Hairston said. Hairston would not identify the public relations firm Monday, since the contract was not final. MUW President Nora Miller was off-campus Monday and unavailable for comment, per Tyler Wheat, the university's communications director. |
| Saarnio reflects on 13 Years at the helm of the U. of Mississippi Museum | |
| After more than a decade of leading the University of Mississippi Museum, Director Robert Saarnio is stepping down, leaving behind a legacy defined by accessibility, growth and national recognition. Saarnio arrived in Oxford in the fall of 2012, trading the beaches of Honolulu, Hawaii, where he had spent six years at the Honolulu Museum of Art, for the historic charm of Mississippi. After arriving in Oxford for his interview at the university, it didn't take long for him to know he was meant to be in Oxford. "The University invited me to stay for at least two days, maybe three, and I got to meet so many people and see so much of the city, and the museum, of course," Saarnio said. "The Bailey Woods Trail was the last thing I walked before I got on the plane back to Hawaii, and I thought, 'Oh my God, if they offer this job, I will so come to Mississippi.'" Originally from Minnesota, Saarnio admits that the South wasn't on his radar as a place to settle. I'd never lived in the South, and I never imagined living in the South, but now it's my home. The southern hospitality was so genuine and on full display," he said. "The warmth of my welcome just completely powered past any culture shock." |
| UMMC's records system asks if patients are citizens, but hospital won't say why | |
| The electronic system that manages patient information for the University of Mississippi Medical Center now includes a field for "citizenship," but the medical center won't say why it added the category. The field was not added by Epic, the electronic health record system used by UMMC, a spokesperson for the software company told Mississippi Today. "Each organization configures Epic's software to meet their specific needs," the spokesperson said. The field is optional and UMMC staff are not required to input the information or ask patients about their citizenship status, a clinical staff member told Mississippi Today. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity due to job concerns. A UMMC spokesperson declined to answer Mississippi Today's questions about the change. Mississippi does not require hospitals to collect citizenship information from patients. Baptist Medical Center and St. Dominic Hospital, two other large hospitals in Jackson, both use Epic but do not have a field for citizenship in the system, nor do they ask patients for that information, spokespersons for both hospitals told Mississippi Today. |
| Jackson State students, faculty install 150 Ring doorbells for capital city residents | |
| Students of Jackson State University are helping make a difference in the capital city community. Students and faculty with JSU's Office of Community Engagement recently partnered with a local neighborhood association, Pecan Tree Park, to install Ring doorbells for 150 Jackson residents for free. This was made possible through a $50,000 Home Depot Retool Your School Community Project Grant. "We're extremely grateful to have secured the resources from Home Depot to cater to the needs of our community. We hope that by having access to the Ring cameras, our neighborhoods surrounding JSU will feel more joy about keeping their properties pristine," said Heather Denne, Ph.D., director of Community Engagement at JSU. "We're thankful for Home Depot, Pecan Tree Park, and each citizen who allowed us into their homes." "It's a great help to those who probably can't afford it. Anything that can help us see what's going on around us is a real blessing," said West Jackson resident Emmitt Powe, 81. "It makes me proud, and I appreciate those who decided to make this gift to the senior citizens." |
| WCU announces new leadership at the Winters School of Music | |
 | Leadership changes are coming to the Winters School of Music at William Carey University. Dr. Brandon Hardin is the new dean of music. Dr. Travis Coakley is the new associate dean of music. These changes follow Dr. Wesley Dykes's promotion to a newly created role as WCU's vice president for student engagement. Before then, Dykes had served as dean of the Winters School of Music since 2018. Hardin joined WCU in 2020 and served as the chair of operations and worship studies at Winters School of Music before his promotion. He is a music graduate of Delta State University and has a master's degree in conducting from Southern Oregon University. He also earned a Doctor of Educational Ministry degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. "God is doing something special at Carey, and I am grateful to be a part of it. My goal for students is to equip them to become the best version of who God has called them to be," Hardin said. |
| U. of Alabama names Ohio State's Peter Mohler as new president | |
 | The University of Alabama, the state's largest flagship public university, has named Peter Mohler of the Ohio State University as its next president. Mohler currently serves as the vice president for research at Ohio State, where he also served as the college's acting president in 2023. His research portfolio includes more than 275 publications, including award-winning studies on heart arrhythmia in children. Mohler's appointment also comes as college campuses nationwide brace for federal funding cuts and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion programming. As of May, Alabama colleges lost at least $35 million in grant funding, AL.com found. "We are at a pivotal moment in higher education and as a public flagship, we must recommit ourselves to our unique public mission -- one that I believe is in the fabric of our country," Mohler said. "This is a place for civil discourse, a place for exploring new ideas, and a place for changing lives... What we do has a transformational ripple effect that cannot be measured." Mohler said the University of Alabama is "distinctly positioned" to become the nation's "premier public flagship university." |
| Whistleblowers say Auburn University race-based admissions allegations tip of the iceberg, includes vice president | |
| Allegations have emerged against Dr. Joffery Gaymon, a senior member of Auburn University's administration, who has allegedly employed race-based employment practices for years and actively encouraged race-based admission and scholarship programs within the departments under her oversight. Her actions have prompted calls for university president Christopher B. Roberts and the board of trustees to take decisive corrective action before the university finds itself in the crosshairs of an unforgiving Trump administration. In early May, Auburn University's student paper, The Plainsman, detailed numerous claims of wrongdoing in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions led by Phil J. Verpil. Almost in passing, the report on Verpil said, "He reports directly to Joffery Gaymon, Auburn's vice president of enrollment." Sources familiar with the matter told 1819 News that The Plainsman report featuring Verpil was mainly accurate, but it failed to recognize that Gaymon was the impetus behind the chaos. According to the university's website, "Gaymon was named Vice President of Enrollment in March 2019 and oversees the areas of communications, recruitment, and admissions for future students as well as scholarships for future and current students." |
| Students with visas can attend U. of Tennessee. But what about visa applicants? | |
 | International students who already have visas should be able to return to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville for the fall semester, even as President Donald Trump's latest immigration policies aim to prevent nationals of 12 countries from entering the United States. University data shows 78 students from countries being targeted by the president were enrolled at UT for the fall 2024 semester. The university isn't "completely certain" how pending visa cases will be handled by U.S. Embassies, according to its International Student and Scholar Services office. UT expects pending visas to be denied "based on the order to consular officers" but noted exceptions for all A-1 visas, as well as H-1B visas for Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The proclamation applies to all types of visas, and anyone with a visa who has been in the United States since before June 9 should not have their status revoked, UT advised in an immigration update to the campus community. As immigration policies evolve under Trump, the international student office shares updates about how the university is navigating changes at international.utk.edu. The office, part of the Center for Global Engagement, oversaw the sudden change in immigration status of nine international students in early April. |
| Cuts loom to programs that support first-generation students | |
 | Federal funding cuts proposed by the Trump administration threaten several programs at the University of Missouri that provide essential support for low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students. Programs like TRiO Student Support Services, MU PREP and Federal Work-Study, which offer academic advising, tutoring, financial aid assistance and opportunities for extracurricular engagement face the possibility of elimination if Congress approves the proposed budget. Mizzou spokesperson Christopher Ave reassured students and staff that the university is actively following the series of proposed cuts. "We continue to monitor the situation, and should funding be cut, we will develop strategies leveraging the many student success initiatives we have available to all students," Ave said. Even if TRiO funding is cut, the program's services won't be affected until the 2026-27 school year. Many of the resources TRiO currently offers, including academic advising, tutoring and mentoring, will still be available to all students through other university programs. In addition to these support systems, the university is expanding opportunities for undergraduate research. |
| Facing Research Cuts, Officials at U. of Iowa Spoke of a 'Limited Ability to Publicly Fight This' | |
 | The National Institutes of Health's announcement in late February that it would cap indirect research funding at 15 percent sent universities across the nation into a panic. Emails obtained by The Chronicle via a public-records request offer a glimpse into how one research-intensive institution reacted in the immediate aftermath of the unexpected news -- with confusion, concern, and at times, a sense of powerlessness. Asked by a faculty member what he and his peers could do to help, the University of Iowa's interim vice president for research suggested only "acting as a private citizen to call our legislators and tell them what a bad idea this is (from your own phone or using your own email)." The campus's location in a solidly red state hindered it from fighting the policy change, Lois J. Geist seemed to imply in her reply. "Being located where we are we have limited ability to publicly fight this as faculty or as an institution." While the funding cap is frozen pending a federal judge's ruling, the messages exchanged between Geist and other top officials at the University of Iowa provide a rare and revealing glimpse into internal conversations on a campus facing millions in cuts -- and clear incentives to stay quiet. |
| AAUP Report: Faculty Salaries Rise Again, Though Not to Pre-Pandemic High | |
 | Colleges and universities participating in the American Association of University Professors' annual faculty pay survey have reported a promising trend: For two years in a row now, the inflation-adjusted average salary for continuing, full-time faculty has increased. Continuing faculty are those who have been employed at the same institution for two consecutive years. From fall 2022 to fall 2023, their average salary in real dollars increased 1.5 percent, and it rose another 1.8 percent from fall 2023 to last fall, according to the report, which the AAUP released today. But looking at fall 2024's real average salary among both continuing and new full-time faculty, the last two years of progress weren't enough to fully recover from three consecutive years of decline, the report shows. Faculty pay hasn't yet returned to the high mark of the last quarter century, which was set in fall 2019. Historic inflation took its toll. "Real average salaries have still not fully recovered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and remain about 6.2 percent lower than they were in fall 2019," the report says. It further notes the significant financial headwinds institutions now face, leading to budget issues that might leave less room to increase faculty pay." |
| Judge rules some NIH grant cuts illegal, saying he's never seen such discrimination in 40 years | |
 | A federal judge ruled Monday it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants, adding that the cuts raise serious questions about racial discrimination. U.S. District Judge William Young in Massachusetts said the administration's process was "arbitrary and capricious" and that it did not follow long-held government rules and standards when it abruptly canceled grants deemed to focus on gender identity or diversity, equity and inclusion. In a hearing Monday on two cases calling for the grants to be restored, the judge pushed government lawyers to offer a formal definition of DEI, questioning how grants could be canceled for that reason when some were designed to study health disparities as Congress had directed. Young, an appointee of Republican President Ronald Reagan, went on to address what he called "a darker aspect" to the cases, calling it "palpably clear" that what was behind the government actions was "racial discrimination and discrimination against America's LGBTQ community." After 40 years on the bench, "I've never seen government racial discrimination like this," Young added. He ended Monday's hearing saying, "Have we no shame." |
| Senate Republicans Reduce House's Proposed Endowment Tax Hike | |
| The Senate Committee on Finance is proposing to raise the endowment tax on private colleges and universities, but not to the extent the recently passed bill in the House calls for, according to a draft plan released Monday. The less dramatic excise tax tops out at 8 percent for the wealthiest institutions, compared to 21 percent in the House plan, but the Senate's proposal keeps the House's tiered rate structure, with some colleges paying more depending on the value of their endowment per student. The current rate for affected institutions is 1.4 percent. Institutional lobbyists and college presidents have warned that the sharp increase in the House plan would hurt their ability to provide need-based aid and be debilitating for some low-income students. Although the Senate's iteration offers some relief, it's not as much as they hoped for. "The Senate version of the so-called endowment tax is better, but it's still bad and harmful tax policy," said Steven Bloom, assistant vice president of government relations​​ at the American Council on Education. "They're going to take money that would likely have been devoted to financial aid and research and other academic purposes on campus, and they're going to send it to Washington, where it's used largely for purposes unrelated to higher education." |
| Energy Department seeks to roll back Title IX protections for women's, education programs | |
| The Trump administration is seeking to rescind key civil rights protections for sex discrimination in sports and education programs through a swift regulatory process at an unlikely agency: the Department of Energy. Buried in a list of more than three dozen regulation changes published in May, the DOE is moving to rescind regulations that oversee sports participation and sex discrimination protections for students in education programs. The direct final rules align with a series of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year that seek to ban transgender athletes from women's sports and one that proclaimed there are only two sexes -- male and female. While DOE isn't the main enforcer of Title IX, the federal education law that bars sex-based discrimination, the agency's Office of Economic Impact and Diversity monitors and enforces compliance among educational programs at institutions that receive federal funds or grants from the agency. The office has long used the law to close the gap between men and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, and the agency's Office of Civil Rights investigates sex-based discrimination. Civil rights advocates argue the agency is circumventing the traditional notice and comment rulemaking process to remove protections that have been around for decades under Title IX. They're concerned about the precedent it could set for how other agencies overhaul their civil rights enforcement guidelines, especially since more than two dozen agencies enforce Title IX. |
SPORTS
| O'Connor aiming for sustained success as new Mississippi State skipper | |
| Brian O'Connor was named the 19th head coach in Mississippi State baseball history just over two weeks ago. Since then, he's begun addressing a mountain of tasks to set the foundation of success for his maiden voyage in 2026 -- and for many years to come. There's been little time for shaking hands and kissing babies. As soon as the veteran coach was tabbed to lead the maroon and white, the pressure to return the Bulldogs' to baseball glory was immediate. "I love the fast pace of it, trying to put everything together to have the best team and program that we can have at Mississippi State," O'Connor told SportsTalk Mississippi. "I feel really good about what we've done in two weeks to retain the current roster. We've been consumed with that in building those pieces to build out that roster for next year and beyond." O'Connor's first action item was meeting with players on the 2025 roster who had remaining eligibility. The former Virginia head coach wasn't alone in the roster retention effort, with two of his top assistants, Matt Kirby and Kevin McMullan, making the move with him from Charlottesville to Starkville. Four support staffers who had previously worked under O'Connor will be joining the crew at MSU. Further continuity was held with Justin Parker being retained as the program's pitching coach. |
| Zimmerman aims to recruit best from around the world | |
| "Our winning football coach." Starkville Rotary Club Vice President Susan Seal introduced Mississippi State soccer head coach Nick Zimmerman with a zinger at the club's weekly meeting on Monday. Football -- the most common name for the sport -- isn't so foreign in Starkville anymore after a remarkable campaign spurred by the team's growing crop of international recruits helped establish the Bulldogs as a power in the Southeastern Conference. While he is in his first year as head coach, Zimmerman had a big hand in building and developing the winningest team in program history, culminating in an undefeated SEC championship in 2024 and a No. 1 seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Zimmerman's visit with Rotary was to promote the program through a summary of its recent success on the field and in recruiting, but he also shared his enthusiasm for the community and desire to maintain the level of support that the team received in 2024. "It's the people that when we talk to recruits, that's what makes Starkville special," he said. |
| Main, Symmonds Called Up To U.S. Soccer Women's College ID Camp | |
| Mississippi State junior Zoe Main and freshman Adia Symmonds are among the 42 players called up to U.S. Soccer's Women's College Talent ID Camp set to begin on Wednesday. The first-of-its-kind camp will be held June 18-22 in Atlanta, Georgia, and is part of the growing U.S. Youth National Teams' scouting strategy with the objective of increasing programming opportunities for college-specific players with high potential. Mississippi State is one of 11 colleges with multiple players represented, and only two schools had three. Main, a Second Team All-SEC selection last season, ranked third on the team in goals in 2024 and fourth in points. Three of her goals were game-winners and two came in the NCAA Tournament. Main was among the player pool for the provisional roster for the U.S. U-23 Women's National Team squad that played friendlies in Germany earlier this month. Most recently, she played in The Soccer Tournament with Austin Rise FC, scoring the target-score-time goal in the squad's 5-0 win over Angel City FC. Symmonds, who has previously trained with English side Arsenal's U-21 squad, enrolled early for the spring semester in Starkville. She played at Sunlake High School in Florida where she tallied 45 goals and 37 assists in three seasons. On the club circuit, she was and ECNL First Team All-Southeast Conference selection in 2023 with Florida Premier FC which went on to win the ECNL Championship in 2024. In 2022, she was tabbed to the U.S. Soccer Olympic Development Program National Training Camp. |
| Louisiana is poised to hike its sports betting tax to help colleges pay their athletes | |
| Louisiana is poised to hike taxes on sports betting to pump more than $24 million into athletic departments at the state's most prominent public universities. Legislation pending before Gov. Jeff Landry would make Louisiana the first state to raise taxes to fund college sports since a judge approved a landmark settlement with the NCAA allowing schools to directly pay athletes for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). Anticipating the court's approval, Arkansas this year became the first to waive state income taxes on NIL payments made to athletes by higher education institutions. More states seem almost certain to adopt their own creative ways to gain an edge -- or at least keep pace -- in the rapidly evolving and highly competitive field of college sports. "These bills, and the inevitable ones that will follow, are intended to make states 'college-athlete friendly,'" said David Carter, founder of the Sports Business Group consultancy and an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California. But "they will no doubt continue to stoke the debate about the `perceived' preferential treatment afforded athletes." |
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