| Wednesday, December 10, 2025 |
| New plaza, roundabout planned for MSU campus | |
 | Commuters passing through Mississippi State University's campus will have to reroute next week as two major infrastructure projects get underway. Hardy Road will close Monday as construction on Hardy Plaza begins. The $1.7 million project will convert the gated street into a "safer, greener and more connected corridor for pedestrians and cyclists," according to an MSU press release. The project was paid for in part with a $5 million private donation and was supplemented by university beautification funds, Sid Salter, vice president for strategic communications and director of public affairs, told The Dispatch. ECON Construction will handle the project, which is expected to be completed by May. A portion of Stone Boulevard, stretching from the Highway 12 Bypass to B.S. Hood Road, will also close beginning Dec. 17. The closure will occur while a new traffic circle is installed at the intersection of Stone Boulevard and Bost Drive. The traffic circle, which will be installed by Burns Dirt Construction, will cost about $1.4 million, the bulk of which was supplied through the federal Transportation Alternatives Program. About 20% of the funding was supplemented by the university, Salter said. Construction of the traffic circle is expected to be completed in July. |
| MCC, MSU to host fall graduations | |
 | Students at Meridian Community College and Mississippi State University-Meridian will receive their diplomas later this week as both institutions host fall commencements. Students at MSU's Meridian campus will graduate Thursday at the MSU Riley Center, with doors opening at 10 a.m. Each graduate will be given six tickets for guest seating, and only those with tickets will be allowed in, university officials said. For those attending the downtown graduation, free parking is available in the arts district parking garage at the corner of Eighth Street and 24th Avenue. Commencement exercises at MCC will be split up across two days as more than 180 students prepare to graduate. Joseph Knight, Vice President for Workforce Solutions at MCC, said the college has previously held graduations at the Temple Theater and Evangel Temple but is working to bring the ceremonies back to the school's campus. Cedric S. Gathings, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said college faculty and staff look forward to these ceremonies, noting the hard work and dedication behind each student's journey. |
| Robert St. John talks Starkville flavor, food memories and holiday cheer | |
| When Robert St. John talks about food, it's impossible to separate it from the people and places that shaped him. During a recent visit to Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library for a Book & Authors talk hosted by Starkville Friends of the Library, St. John reflected on his long-standing connection to the city -- a relationship that stretches back decades, filled with restaurants, games, and memories of the community that make this corner of Mississippi feel like home. While "Mississippi Christmas" blends recipes and neighborhood memories from St. John's Hattiesburg childhood, the Starkville audience got a glimpse of his culinary perspective and local experiences. He spoke warmly of the way food connects people and keeps memories alive, from the home kitchens of his youth to the restaurants he has run across the state. During the event, Mayor Lynn Spruill asked if he would ever open a restaurant in Starkville. St. John noted that the idea has crossed his mind several times over the years. "There have been two or three times I was ready to pull the trigger on Starkville," he said. "We were planning to bring Ed's Burger Joint up here a few years back and just couldn't work out the property situation, but you never know. One thing I like about coming here is I can go to a game without any work pressure. We have an apartment in New Orleans, which is one of the top two or three restaurant cities in the country. So for me, that's like mecca. I don't have (a restaurant) there purposefully, so I can enjoy it. But it doesn't mean there won't be one here one day." |
| Mississippi farmer says $12 billion in federal aid is critical bridge for struggling operations | |
 | Your breakfast cereal, your baby's formula, your livestock's feed all start on farms like Ted Kendall's in Hinds County. But the fifth-generation farmer says he's not sure how much longer other farmers like him can keep going. Kendall grows cotton, corn and soybeans on his family's farm. Those crops end up in everyday products Americans rely on. But right now, he and farmers across the country are struggling as tariffs cut into export markets. "We as farmers don't like being in this position, don't like needing help, and if we could get our export markets and things like that in better shape and prices better, that'd be better for everyone," Kendall said. Kendall is also the vice president of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation of Central Mississippi. The Trump administration announced Monday $12 billion in emergency aid for American farmers. Of that total, $11 billion will go to row-crop farmers like Kendall who grow corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and other commodities. For many farmers, the aid couldn't come at a more critical time. "There are lots of farmers who need this bridge to even build a farm next year," Kendall said. "Conversations are being had between farmers and bankers on operating loans and things like that. And without some help, there are some good farmers who won't be able to go again next year." |
| Mississippi farmers face financial pressure. Will farm aid plan help? | |
 | Farmers across Mississippi are facing unprecedented financial pressure. Many are worried about the future of their family operations. Rising fuel, fertilizer and equipment prizes have made it increasingly difficult to break even, especially after multiple years of financial losses. "The last three years have been very difficult, and a lot of people have lost money three years in a row. So, we did get one government payment earlier this year, and we're told we're getting another one, but it's still not enough to make up for the last three years," said Douglas Warren, a row crop farmer. The pressure is widespread. Warren said he's heard alarming statistics about just how many farms may not survive the year. The Trump Administration announced a $12 billion package to help struggling producers, but the money hasn't started going out yet. Warren said even when it does, it won't solve the underlying problems. "We need them to push for more trade deals with China. We need to use more ethanol and corn in the U.S. to make corn prices go up and hold these equipment companies, chemical companies, accountable and not let them keep going up on us," Warren stated. |
| Mississippi farmers speak out on Trump aid as tariffs take toll on ag economy | |
 | Some Mississippi farmers who have been negatively impacted by the economic decisions of President Donald J. Trump in regard to tariffs on row crops aren't particularly impressed with aid that was announced on Dec. 8. The aid unveiled was a $12 billion package for farmers hurt by ongoing trade wars and inflation, particularly when it comes to China. "This relief will provide much-needed certainty to farmers as they get this year's harvest to market and look ahead to next year's crops," Trump said in announcing the farm aid during a White House event with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, lawmakers and farmers. However, the ongoing trade war has hampered Mississippi farmers whose soybeans have been bought by China in the past. Jeremy Jack, who runs his family farm, Silent Shade Planting Company, near Belzoni just off U.S. 49, along with his wife, sister and an array of employees, isn't sure the aid will make much of a dent for Mississippi farmers. Jack said of the near 250,000 bushels of soybeans he will get out of the fields on his 3,000 acres, 100% will go to overseas markets. Virtually 100% of the beans grown in Mississippi will go to the export market, which has been stagnant. |
| U.S. Senate confirms Chamberlin, Maxwell to federal judgeship in Mississippi's Northern District | |
| A Trump-appointed judge has received a green light from the U.S. Senate to operate on the bench at the federal level in north Mississippi. The Senate voted 51-46 on Tuesday to approve Robert Chamberlin to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. Chamberlin, a current member of the Mississippi Supreme Court, won an open seat for the post in 2016 and ran unopposed during the 2024 election cycle. He previously served as a circuit court judge for the 17th Circuit District and as a state senator representing DeSoto County, and was appointed by the commander-in-chief to hold a federal judgeship position back in August. On Tuesday, the Senate also approved the nomination of Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James Maxwell II. Like Chamberlin, Maxwell was appointed by President Donald Trump to serve in the same courthouse. Maxwell was appointed to the state's high court in 2016 and won re-election later that year before running unopposed in 2024. Before reaching the state's high court, he served as a judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals and worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi. |
| Senate approves Mississippi nominations to federal bench | |
 | After a delay of nearly two months, two Mississippi Supreme Court justices have been approved to become federal judges. The U.S. Senate approved Robert P. Chamberlin, of Hernando, and James Maxwell, of Oxford, Tuesday afternoon by identical 51-46 partisan votes. "It was completely along party lines," said Carl Tobias, the Williams Chair in Law at the University of Richmond. "It was all Republicans (voting in favor). I don't think they got any Democrat votes." The Chamberlin vote happened before lunch Tuesday, while Maxwell did not get his official nod until after 5 p.m. central time. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) said she was pleased that both men confirmed to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. Trump nominated Chamberlain and Maxwell on Sept. 2 to fill the vacancies left in the Oxford and Aberdeen divisions when Judge Michael Mills took senior status in November 2021 and when Judge Sharion Aycock took senior status in April 2025. That left the district that covers the 37 counties on the north half of the state with a single active federal judge, Debra Brown of Greenville, and three senior status judges. But the two judicial nominations, as well as nominations for U.S. Attorney in both north and south Mississippi, were held up for weeks as political leverage between Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker (R) and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis (R). |
| At the first stop on his affordability tour, Trump mocks affordability | |
 | He had charts that he read from, touting economic data. The stage around him was filled with signs reading, "Lower Prices Bigger Paychecks." He introduced Pennsylvanians who he said had more take-home pay because of his policies. But if he was supposed to launch a speaking tour to connect with Americans struggling with higher prices and stagnant wages, President Donald Trump didn't hesitate to veer off course. He mocked the word "affordability," touted how high the stock market had risen and said Americans didn't need so many pencils. He launched into a number of digressions to disparage the country of Somalia, the concept of climate change and the news media in the back of the room. Trump spoke from a 1,200-capacity ballroom at the Mount Airy Resort and Casino in the Pocono Mountains for what White House officials have suggested would be a kickoff to promote Trump's economic policies -- and an attempt to wrangle an issue that has become a political liability ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Instead, the 90-minute speech was a greatest hits of his campaign trail appearances -- complimenting the power of his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and "the lips that don't stop" of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt -- with occasional nods to the current economic anxieties. |
| Trump Plans Final Interviews With Fed Chair Candidates in Coming Days | |
 | President Trump is planning to start his final round of interviews in the coming days with candidates to be the next Federal Reserve chair. Trump and some of his aides are scheduled to interview former Fed governor Kevin Warsh on Wednesday, according to senior administration officials. Other candidates, including Trump's National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett, are soon expected to meet with the president, the officials said. One of the officials cautioned that the interviews, similar to a recent round of expected meetings with Vice President JD Vance, could be canceled and postponed as the president continues to deliberate who he will announce to be Fed chair. Trump's team suddenly canceled interviews scheduled for last week with Fed chair contenders and Vance, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. Trump has said in recent weeks that he has already made up his mind and echoed that sentiment Tuesday when asked about the selection. "We're going to be looking at a couple of different people, but I have a pretty good idea of who I want," Trump said on Air Force One. The news of the coming meetings was earlier reported by the Financial Times. |
| Trump aides and allies float potential Noem successors as speculation grows over her tenure | |
 | The White House says Secretary Kristi Noem isn't going anywhere. That hasn't stopped people from floating possible replacements. Fox News contributor and former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, whose term ends in January, are among the names being discussed inside the Trump administration and on the Hill as potential Noem successors, according to an administration official and two people close to the administration. The conversations about potential replacements come amid heightened speculation that Noem's days as a key executor of President Donald Trump's mass deportations agenda may be numbered. There is increasing frustration with how she's managed the agency, fear she's bungled the billions of dollars in new funding her agency received this year from Republicans' domestic policy and tax legislation. In addition, there are also concerns about Corey Lewandowski's outsize role at DHS, and the tensions between Noem and Trump Border Czar Tom Homan about how to best execute the president's immigration agenda. Even as frustrations mount at the White House, a decision to remove her would ultimately have to come from Trump, who has repeatedly praised Noem in public for her leadership. |
| Kamala Harris to stop in Jackson for her '107 Days' book tour | |
| As Jackson's Thalia Mara Hall moves toward reopening, the list of those ready to take the stage is growing by the day -- with former Vice President Kamala Harris bringing her book tour to the venue next month. The City of Jackson announced Wednesday morning that Harris is scheduled to stop at Thalia Mara on Jan. 14 as part of her "107 Days" book tour. The New York Times bestseller was published by Harris in September and recounts the short amount of time she had to try to win the 2024 presidential election after being thrust into the race when Democratic President Joe Biden suspended his campaign. Harris ultimately fell short to Republican President Donald Trump but is not ruling out a political comeback. During the stop in Jackson, there will be opportunities to meet Harris, take a photo with her, and receive a signed copy of "107 Days." She will also use the opportunity to openly discuss the book, her experience as the first woman to serve as vice president, and her bid for the Oval Office. Tickets go on sale Thursday, Dec. 11. |
| Rod Paige, nation's first African American to serve as secretary of education, dies at 92 | |
 | Rod Paige, an educator, coach and administrator who rolled out the nation's landmark No Child Left Behind law as the first African American to serve as U.S. education secretary, died Tuesday. Former President George W. Bush, who tapped Paige for the nation's top federal education post, announced the death in a statement but did not provide further details. Paige was 92. Under Paige's leadership, the Department of Education implemented No Child Left Behind policy that in 2002 became Bush's signature education law and was modeled on Paige's previous work as a schools superintendent in Houston. The law established universal testing standards and sanctioned schools that failed to meet certain benchmarks. Roderick R. Paige was born to two teachers in the small Mississippi town of Monticello of roughly 1,400 inhabitants. The oldest of five siblings, Paige served a two-year stint the U.S. Navy before becoming a football coach at the high school, and then junior college levels. Within years, Paige rose to head coach of Jackson State University, his alma mater and a historically black college in the Mississippi capital city. There, his team became the first -- with a 1967 football game -- to integrate Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, once an all-white venue. After serving as education secretary, Paige returned to Jackson State University a half century after he was a student there, serving as the interim president in 2016 at the age of 83. |
| Mississippi College nursing students honored in pinning ceremony Thursday | |
| Dozens of Mississippi College nursing students who will graduate from the University this December will be formally recognized into the nursing profession during a pinning ceremony scheduled for 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11, in Nelson Hall's Swor Auditorium on the Clinton campus. Jordan Owen, instructor in the MC School of Nursing, said the ceremony marks a transition period for the students. "Pinning is always an exciting time for our students as it symbolizes them stepping out of the role of the student and into the role of the nurse," Owen said. "To many nursing students, it is as important as the actual graduation ceremony." Dr. Caley C. Stogner, an MC School of Nursing alum and the 2025 Nursing Young Alumna of the Year, will serve as the event's keynote speaker. An assistant professor of nursing at the University of Mississippi Medical Center's School of Nursing, Stogner is a specialist in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. In addition to the distinctive nursing pin, each graduating student will receive a yellow rose, an emblem rooted in the MC School of Nursing. Roses were presented to members of the first graduating class of nurses more than 50 years ago, and they have remained a tradition championed by MC alumnus Susan Richardson, a member of that original class, ever since. |
| Hinds CC and Western Governors University partner with credit transfer agreement | |
| Hinds Community College and Western Governors University (WGU) have partnered to make it easy for Hinds graduates to pursue an online bachelor's degree. WGU, an accredited, nonprofit online university, will provide Hinds graduates and employees unique pathways to make the transfer process less time-consuming and more affordable. The university offers more than 120 bachelor's and master's degrees and certificate programs in business, technology, healthcare, and K-12 education. "I appreciate Western Governors University coming to us about this. It aligns with much of what we do," Hinds President Dr. Stephen Vacik said at a Dec. 4 signing ceremony on Hinds' Raymond Campus. "There are many students who have been in online classes their entire careers, and this is going to be a nice transition for them." WGU's asynchronous, competency-based programs are designed to fit into busy work and home schedules and create affordable pathways to opportunity. The university has more than 190,000 students enrolled nationwide, including nearly 1,100 in Mississippi. |
| LSU students present projects for Entergy, other industry partners during AI showcase | |
 | Overlooking Tiger Stadium and the Mississippi River, students in LSU's artificial intelligence capstone course presented their business-focused AI solutions to industry partners in the Baton Rouge area. One project envisioned an AI-driven career mapping tool for Entergy employees. Another proposed a single entry point for Our Lady of the Lake's AI tools, embedded in Microsoft Teams. A third presentation called for Generative Engine Optimization, enabling businesses to structure their online presence to maximize visibility in AI-generated answers. "If AI can't find you, your customers won't be able to, either," LSU junior Reese King summarized for the crowd. In lieu of a final exam, the students explained their semester-long projects as part of the LSU College of Engineering AI Showcase, which took place Monday night before an audience of peers, alumni and industry professionals. LSU partnered with BASF, Entergy, Our Lady of the Lake and Performance Contractors Inc. for this cohort of the capstone class. The students also heard from university and private-sector leaders about entering a job market destabilized by the mass adoption of AI across industries. |
| The Conservative Overhaul of the U. of Texas Is Underway | |
 | In a state dominated by conservatives, the University of Texas at Austin stood out. Its leadership had often been a thorn in the side of the state's politicians, resisting efforts to erode faculty power and championing diversity efforts. The university successfully defended its race-conscious admissions policy all the way to the Supreme Court in 2016. It has long been a magnet for liberal students and student activism. Today, the conservatives are winning. State Republicans have passed laws to curtail what is taught in college classrooms and installed new university administrators with partisan affiliations, among a host of new strategies to remake a public higher education system that they argue has been held hostage to left-leaning ideas and become hostile to conservative ones. The University of Texas is one of their main targets. The campus is no longer led by an academic, but a Republican lawyer who worked for the state's attorney general, Ken Paxton. The president has promised curricular changes, and the system is now conducting an audit of all gender studies courses, after a State House bill passed in May enshrined in state law that there are effectively only two genders. Another piece of legislation, Senate Bill 37, gutted faculty control of universities, tightened a grip on what can be taught and gave appointed governing boards the power to approve academic leaders, including academic deans. A similar story is playing out across Texas. |
| U. of Texas school merger under consideration to create 'center of excellence' | |
| The University of Texas's School of Information could merge into a new school housed within the College of Natural Sciences, according to an email sent by university administrators to students in November. The new school would combine the Computer Science, Statistics and Data Sciences and Information fields of study with an aim to "provide one consolidated center of excellence." But the proposal raises questions about the future of the School of Information, which has existed under different names since 1948. College of Natural Sciences Dean David Vanden Bout and Interim Dean of School of Information Soo Young Rieh announced the potential change in an email to both college communities before Thanksgiving, writing that the new school will combine related fields of study to "optimize" the impact researchers and students can have. The deans said "many details remain under development" but the leaders are committed to keeping all current academic credentials for current and prospective students intact and to preserving "departmental autonomy." The College of Natural Sciences is one of the largest science colleges in the nation, boasting the largest undergraduate research program at a single university with 12 departments, 13,000 students and 15 undergraduate majors. |
| How the political tide turned on Mark Welsh, the four-star general ousted as Texas A&M president | |
| At first glance, Mark Welsh III's credentials appeared unimpeachable. An Air Force Academy graduate turned four-star general who served as the military branch's highest-ranking officer. Dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M for seven years. Aggie blood ran through him -- his father, siblings, and four children all graduated from the College Station university. But almost immediately after he was named interim president in mid-2023, some members of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, who oversee the university, were raising concerns. "We really need to vet this guy," John Bellinger, a university regent appointed earlier that year, wrote to then-Vice Chair Robert Albritton. "From what I have heard along with this and other articles, I have many questions." Bellinger shared a link to a post from Texas Scorecard, a conservative website read by many of the state's Republican elected leaders. The post highlighted Welsh's public statements advocating for boosting women in the military and diversity in the workforce. Just weeks earlier, the same website emphasized that it was former President Barack Obama who appointed Welsh to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, overseeing 660,000 service members of the U.S. Air Force. The regents weren't the only ones who were apparently bothered. |
| U. of Oklahoma modern languages department to consolidate five programs into World Languages and Culture degree | |
| The University of Oklahoma's modern languages department chair confirmed the department encouraged Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education's deletion of five language majors for the creation of one consolidated degree. On Monday, state regents approved the termination of 16 OU degree programs and the suspension of three others. The release wrote that the decision followed a review of 357 low-producing degree programs across the state. Some of the terminated programs include bachelor's and master's degrees in French, bachelor's and master's degrees in German, a bachelor's degree in Chinese, a bachelor's degree in Arabic and a Doctor of Philosophy in French. Karin Schutjer, acting chair of the OU Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, wrote in an email to OU Daily Monday evening that the deletion of the bachelor of arts programs was requested by the college's faculty. "The Regents did not delete Arabic, Chinese, French, German, and Italian BAs as the result of a low productivity study," Schutjer wrote. "The faculty in those five programs proactively created a consolidated major called World Languages and Cultures with concentrations in those languages that will substitute for the old BAs. (Therefore, we requested the deletions.)" |
| A $200,000 grant will help expand U. of Missouri undergraduate nursing program | |
 | A $200,000 state grant could expand the University of Missouri's undergraduate nursing program, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance. Mizzou spokesperson Travis Zimpfer said in an email that the funding could potentially allow the Sinclair School of Nursing's Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to educate more aspiring nurses in the future. "The university continues to see exceptional students eager to become a Mizzou nurse, but instructor limitations and physical space constraints restrict our ability to admit them," Zimpfer said in an email. "With this funding, we hope to explore new pathways, including an evening and/or weekend option." The funding is intended to address the acute care nursing shortage in Missouri. "(The shortage) cannot be solved unless nursing programs have a reliable stream of nursing graduates," Amy Ackerson, Missouri State Board of Nursing's director of education, said in the release. "Nursing programs are facing a shortage of both nursing students and qualified nursing faculty and (are) struggling to maintain clinical placements in urban areas." |
| After 12 years at helm, Clemson president Jim Clements to step down | |
 | In a surprise announcement, Clemson University President Jim Clements -- leader of the school for 12 years -- said he will retire Dec. 31. His departure caps a fraught year for the university, marked by federal funding cuts, national headlines -- and a lawsuit -- over the firing of two professors, and a real estate scandal that has prompted questions over political influence and conflict of interest. The Clemson Board of Trustees called an emergency meeting for Wednesday, Dec. 10, to choose an interim president. Clements sent a letter to students, faculty and parents on Dec. 9 announcing his decision. Board Chair Kim Wilkerson also shared a letter, in which she said the recommendation would be to have Bob Jones fill in as interim president, postponing his retirement as provost. In her letter, Wilkerson praised Clements and said the board would celebrate his accomplishments at its Wednesday meeting. Under Clements, Clemson has pushed its endowment past $1 billion, hit record levels of student enrollment and set in motion the creation of a $289 million veterinarian school, the state's first. A spokesman for the school told the newspaper that Clements said he is leaving to focus on his health and his family. |
| College Students Stress About Cost of Living Postgraduation | |
 | Graduation typically brings feelings of jubilation, but with the high cost of living and a competitive job market facing college graduates, students report feeling more anxious about their future prospects. A recent Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab found that nearly one in five college students say their top stressor is affording life after graduation. A similar share worry that they don't have enough internship or work experience to be successful. The survey, fielded in August, includes responses from over 5,000 college students, including 1,000 two-year and nearly 2,000 first-generation college students. "Stability is really important to this generation of job-seekers," said Shawn VanDerziel, chief executive officer at the National Association of Colleges and Employers, citing the organization's own student surveys. "For the last several years, students regularly report to us that, in their first job, the most important thing is stability." That means having a reasonable living standard as well as an employer who provides sufficient benefits, work-life balance and assurances against layoffs, VanDerziel said. |
| 'Come North!' Canada Makes Play for H-1B Visa Holders With New Talent Drive | |
| Canada is making an aggressive effort to attract highly skilled researchers from around the world, including H-1B visa holders in the United States who are coming under growing pressure because of the Trump administration's restrictive immigration policies and cuts to research funding. The Canadian government on Tuesday said it would spend more than $1 billion over the next few years to attract and retain scientists from around the world, including those at major hospitals and universities. It also said that in coming months it would create an "accelerated pathway" for U.S. H-1B visa holders. H-1B visas are issued to highly skilled people working for American companies and are concentrated in major industries that compete for global talent, such as technology and medicine. "As other countries constrain academic freedoms and undermine cutting-edge research, Canada is investing, and doubling down, on science," Mélanie Joly, Canada's Industry minister, said in written comments to the press, without explicitly mentioning the United States. |
| Justice Department Will No Longer Investigate Claims of Systemic Racism, Sexism | |
 | The Justice Department said on Tuesday it will no longer investigate accusations of systemic racism or sexism, drastically limiting how college students, parents, and employees can accuse a university of discrimination without proof of intent. Officials said they would eliminate disparate-impact liability from its Title VI rules, a decades-old legal concept that allows individuals to claim that race- and sex-neutral policies are discriminatory if they disproportionately harm certain groups or result in significant disparities. Tuesday's announcement continues the Trump administration's efforts to upend the ways college leaders have traditionally defined and addressed discrimination. "Our rejection of this theory will restore true equality under the law by requiring proof of actual discrimination, rather than enforcing race- or sex-based quotas or assumptions," Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's civil-rights division, said in a statement. Notably, while the Justice Department said it would stop investigating accusations of systemic race and sex-based discrimination, it failed to mention how it would handle accusations of antisemitism. The department has accused several colleges of antisemitism for the ways they have handled protests against the war in Gaza. |
| The record potential for college aid applications | |
| High school seniors for the class of 2026 are getting a jump start on applying for cash for college. More than a million federal financial aid applications, known as FAFSAs, have been completed by these students to date, signaling a potential record year for application completion. It helps that the Education Department launched the financial aid form ahead of the mandated Oct. 1 deadline for the first time, allowing students to file the form earlier than they have in previous years. It's a stark contrast from 2023, the year when the form wasn't released until Dec. 30 -- a rollout that continued to be complicated by technical glitches. The delayed release of the form prompted an intervention by lawmakers, who passed a law in 2024 mandating the FAFSA Oct. 1 release date. Early data from the National College Attainment Network's FAFSA Tracker shows that more than 27 percent of all high school seniors completed the form through Nov. 28, a nearly 6 percent increase compared to the class of 2023 through the same time period. The tracker uses data from the Federal Student Aid Data Center, which is updated each Friday. A rise in the number of high school seniors completing FAFSAs would mean more students will know how much money they might have to help pay for college. Completing the form is often one of the strongest indicators of whether a high school senior will attend college. |
| College Sports Commission seeks adoption of member agreement | |
| The College Sports Commission has vetted a huge volume of NIL deals through its NIL Go clearinghouse, approving $87.5 million of value from more than 12,000 agreements through its first five months. But the next near-term priority, College Sports Commission CEO Bryan Seeley said, is the approval of a membership agreement to serve as the foundational document delineating rights, governing enforcement and dispute resolution. "Right now, I'll tell you there's perception among a lot of people that everyone is cheating -- I hear this a lot," said Seeley, speaking Tuesday at SBJ's Intercollegiate Athletics Forum presented by Learfield in Las Vegas. "Signing that agreement gets us another step to strong, fast and fair enforcement. That's what people want." The agreement, which is being drafted by the Power Four commissioners with input from their conference schools, is intended to "put meat on the bones" of the House settlement's initial framework. The document is now on its second iteration. "That agreement was quite a bit weaker than the first agreement," Seeley said. "So, a lot of the input from the schools was to make it less stringent." |
| Guardrails or gravel? Why America and Mississippi must get AI regulation right in 2026 | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: If you've ever watched a road crew resurface a state highway in Mississippi on a scorching summer day, you know there's a difference between laying a steady bed of asphalt and dumping gravel that rattles the chassis. That's about where we are with artificial intelligence. States are laying down rules -- some smooth, some rough -- and the question for 2026 is whether a patchwork will keep traffic moving or throw a wrench into the engine of American innovation. By late 2025, virtually every state legislature in the country had taken a swing at AI -- introducing over a thousand bills and enacting scores of new laws from deepfake crackdowns to transparency requirements. National trackers show that 38 states adopted around 100 measures in 2025 alone, with most focusing on consumer protection, government use, or specific risks such as synthetic media. That's real momentum -- but it's also real fragmentation. In Mississippi alone, 16 AI-regulating bills were introduced. Of those, 14 failed and two were enacted into law. ... Where does Mississippi fit? This fall, state leaders brought the Artificial Intelligence Legislative Task Force to Mississippi State University -- walking through the MSU Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems labs, looking at MSU's supercomputing capabilities, and hearing how the state is uniquely positioned with power and space to build next-generation AI infrastructure. |
SPORTS
| Football: Thompson And Jones Earn Coaches' All-SEC Honors | |
| On Tuesday, the Southeastern Conference announced its 2025 Coaches' All-SEC Teams, with both Brenen Thompson and Kelley Jones representing Mississippi State on the third team. This is the second straight season that State has had an All-SEC receiver after not having one since 2016. It's also the second consecutive season with an All-SEC defensive back/corner. Thompson, who earned third-team honors as a wide receiver, concluded the regular season with 53 receptions, 948 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 17.89 yards per reception and 79.0 yards per game. His 948 yards tied for the second-most in the SEC and are tied 21st nationally, while his 17.89 yards per catch average ranked fourth in the SEC and 19th nationally. He leads the SEC in receptions of 40+ yards (9) and is tied for 1st in receptions of 50+ yards (4). Jones, who earned third-team honors as a defensive back, has had a breakout season in 2025. Jones, who started just four games in the previous two seasons, started all 12 games at corner this year. He set career marks in tackles (30), pass breakups (11) and interceptions (2). His 11 pass breakups are tied for the most in the SEC while tying for 14th nationally. Mississippi State's 2025 season will continue Jan. 2, 2026, at 7 p.m. CT when the Bulldogs take on Wake Forest at the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. |
| Mississippi State Brings Home Elite Recruiter And Mississippi Native Kevie Thompson | |
| Mississippi State football has added one of the state's most respected defensive minds and recruiters to its staff, as head coach Jeff Lebby announced Monday the hiring of Kevie Thompson as the Bulldogs' Assistant Defensive Backs Coach/Nickels. A Raleigh, Mississippi, native with deep ties across the state, Thompson returns home after spending the 2025 season at Oklahoma State as a defensive coach. Widely regarded for his recruiting acumen, player development track record and long-standing relationships throughout Mississippi, Thompson brings more than a decade of defensive coordinator experience at the university, junior college and high school levels. A fixture in Mississippi high school football early in his career, Thompson spent two seasons as defensive coordinator at Starkville High School, helping guide the Yellow Jackets to a 24-5 record, a Class 6A North State championship and a Region 2-6A title from 2017–18. His 2017 defense allowed just 11.8 points per game and produced 36 turnovers and 40 sacks. He also coached in the 2018 Bernard Blackwell All-Star Game. Thompson began his coaching career at his alma mater, Raleigh High School, in 2010. He later held roles at Madison Central High School and Taylorsville High School, where he mentored players such as longtime NFL veteran Donte Moncrief and 2012 Mississippi interceptions leader Isaiah Pugh. |
| Kevie Thompson joins MSU staff as defensive backs coach | |
| Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby continued his coaching staff shakeup with the addition of Kevie Thompson as a defensive backs/nickels coach. Touted as a talented recruiter as well as defensive mind, he is the second defensive hire since the end of the regular season following the return of Zach Arnett as defensive coordinator. "Kevie has recruited this state at an elite level, he's developed players everywhere he's coached, and he brings a deep understanding of Mississippi's players, coaches and talent pipeline," Lebby said. "His credibility, coaching experience and relationships across this state make him a perfect fit for our program." Thompson joins the Bulldogs from Oklahoma State, where he was a defensive backs coach working with safeties and nickel corners. He has 15 years of coaching experience as a defensive coordinator, special teams and position coach at the high school, junior college, FCS and FBS level. "Coming home to Mississippi and joining this staff is an incredible honor," Thompson said. "Mississippi State is a place I've believed in for a long time, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to be part of what Coach Lebby is building." |
| MSU soccer welcomes 3rd coach in 3 years as O'Brien begins transition | |
| Lipscomb came to Starkville with a gameplan to try and nick a goal on what they expected to be very few attacking possessions, dig in and try to repel a Mississippi State team with a reputation for controlling possession and tempo in the NCAA Tournament First Round last month. The visitors, led by head coach Kevin O'Brien, knew that they would be limited in their opportunities, so they embraced it. A team that went undefeated at home and averaged nearly two goals and 14.3 shots per game swallowed its pride and dug in on their trip to Starkville. It worked. Bella Carapazza scored on the team's first shot on target -- one of just three shots all game -- and goalkeeper Karina Cesar and her defense held off a second-half siege to upset the Bulldogs, 1-0. "For us, the script couldn't have played out any better," O'Brien said after the game. He took time to share his thanks for the hospitality at Mississippi State on his third visit as an opposing coach, as well as the atmosphere that welcomed the team, before getting into the winning moment. "Bella's goal, phenomenal for her to make the 60-yard from the center circle," O'Brien said. "The first touch, the finish was class." Twenty-two days later, O'Brien sat in the same room at the MSU soccer field house, having left the program he called home for 14 years to meet his new team of Bulldogs. |
| Volleyball: Mangelson Earns AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention | |
| Mississippi State outside hitter Lindsey Mangelson was tabbed as an AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention, announced by the AVCA this morning. "I am so proud of Lindsey," said head coach Julie Darty Dennis. "She has put in the work and is so deserving of this recognition. We know we have more work to do, but this is such a great place to start for year one of Lindsey's career here. Hail State!" Mangelson adds All-Region Honorable Mention to her long list of accolades from her freshman season. In addition to the AVCA award, she was also named to the All-SEC Second and Freshman teams, as well as earning two SEC Freshman of the Week awards this season. In her freshman season, the Fishers, Indiana, native led the team in points scored, points per set, kills, kills per set and total attack attempts. While the team was in season, she was consistently one of the top freshmen both in the NCAA and SEC offensively. By the end of State's season, Mangelson was the top freshman in attacks per set and points per set in the NCAA. |
| Army-Navy: Inside the many traditions of America's Game | |
| When Navy quarterback Blake Horvath returned to his dorm room during Army-Navy week last season, he found pictures of Army quarterback Bryson Daily taped all over his door. Elsewhere, banners had mysteriously appeared in the dining hall, reading, "GO ARMY, BEAT NAVY." The likely suspects? West Point cadets spending a semester in Annapolis, Maryland, as exchange students. It's a program that will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year -- one of several enduring traditions between the two academies. "I can neither confirm nor deny if that was us that evening," Army senior cadet Jayram Suryanarayan said, "but I can say we were up to some shenanigans -- so it could have been." The shenanigans were unfolding simultaneously in West Point, where the Navy exchange students' clothes and uniforms had disappeared and been replaced by costumes -- including a smelly fish outfit and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle -- to wear the entire week. After spending a semester at their rival school, the tradition culminates when the exchange students stand front and center on the 50-yard line ahead of the Army-Navy football game in what is casually referred to as a "prisoner exchange." The men and women on the field who annually participate in that program embody everything that follows in the global game -- tradition, respect, pageantry, precision -- and a deep understanding that one of college football's longest and strongest rivalries is also about an immeasurable bond that infiltrates beyond the field. |
| Notre Dame AD still upset with ACC and CFP committee, calls for expansion to 16-team playoff field | |
| Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua thinks there's a simple solution to politicking for College Football Playoff spots: expansion. He was still upset Tuesday about the selection committee's decision to bypass the Fighting Irish from the 12-team playoff field and the public campaigning by the Atlantic Coast Conference to get full-time league member Miami a spot. He then called a 16-team format the perfect number. "It should be 16 teams in my opinion, with five automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large teams," Bevacqua said as he fielded questions for nearly 40 minutes. "What I like about 16 is it creates more opportunity, more narratives around schools and yet it preserves the integrity and importance of the regular season." Bevacqua did not back off the complaints that have permeated college football ever since the CFP participants were revealed Sunday. But two days after Notre Dame decided to skip the bowl season altogether, he also tempered his words. Big 12 Conference Commissioner Brett Yormark, speaking at the Sports Business Journal's Intercollegiate Athletics Forum in Las Vegas, criticized Bevacqua and Notre Dame. "I didn't like Notre Dame's response," Yormark said. "I think it was very egregious. I think (Bevacqua) was totally out of bounds, and if he was in the room, I'd tell him the same thing. You have to accept it." |
| Sources: University of Utah nearing landmark private equity deal expected to generate $500 million | |
| Private equity has officially arrived in college athletics. The University of Utah is on the cusp of striking the industry's first partnership with an equity firm in a marriage that features a nine-figure capital infusion and the creation and shared ownership of a for-profit entity to operate athletics business and financial elements outside of the traditional university framework. The new venture is expected to generate as much or more than $500 million in capital -- a groundbreaking and innovative move that may pave the way for more schools and conferences to pursue such a concept. Finalization of the project is expected soon pending authorization on Tuesday from the University of Utah Board of Trustees. The board is granting the university permission to move forward with the agreement with Otro Capital, a New York-based sports private equity firm. At the center of the project is the creation of a private, independent offshoot of the athletic department -- Utah Brands & Entertainment LLC -- in a first-of-its-kind partnership between a university athletic department and an equity partner. An executive team from Otro Capital, combined with athletics department personnel, will lead the creation and operation of the new company, which will live within the university's foundation. |
| Charlie Baker Says NCAA Is 'Ready to Fight' As SCORE Act Stalls in Congress | |
| No one would begrudge NCAA president Charlie Baker for being in a dour mood while navigating the hallways of a number of Sin City's sprawling hotels and casinos for a slew of meetings this month which have become a staple of the business in recent years. Certainly not after the U.S. House of Representatives failed to bring a vote to the floor last week on one of the landmark pieces of legislation that he has been championing for at least a year in the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements Act -- better known as the SCORE Act. Instead, however, he is on the opposite end of the spectrum about his willingness to defend the organization -- and the rest of college athletics -- with everything he's got at his disposal no matter what may happen in Washington, D.C., over the coming months. "We don't have a choice. That's why we're up to our eyeballs in court cases" a passionate Baker says Tuesday. "We're going to fight them all." That fight is in reference to the slew of eligibility lawsuits which have popped up on the NCAA's radar seemingly every week the past few months, something the SCORE Act is designed to address in part. Some have been high profile, such as Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia's case regarding junior college years he played which has captured the public's attention, to other more mundane suits involving athletes across a number of different sports and jurisdictions. |
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