| Friday, November 7, 2025 |
| Bruce and Julie Martin donate $1M to Mississippi State | |
 | Bruce and Julie Martin, supporters of Mississippi State University (MSU), have given $1 million to the university. The funds will be used towards the construction of MSU football's recently-announced Billy W. Howard Sr. Indoor Practice Facility and renovations to the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex. "We're thankful for Bruce and Julie and their tremendous support of Mississippi State," MSU Director of Athletics Zac Selmon said. "We can't thank them enough for their longstanding, unwavering commitment to Mississippi State. It's truly special. We are grateful to call them partners in our quest for new heights for Mississippi State Athletics." The Martins are the owners and family members of MSU's live mascot, Dak, who is formally known as Bully XXII. "Whether it's sharing Dak with our Mississippi State family, or giving back financially to both impact lives as well as help MSU succeed, we want to do what we can to continue pushing our university forward," Bruce and Julie said. "Mississippi State, its people and its programs mean so much to us." |
| Cason native represents MSU ACCESS program at national conference | |
 | Nettleton High School Class of 2023 graduate Addie Swan, who's a junior in Mississippi State University's ACCESS program, represented the school at the State Of The Art Conference held in late October at Syracuse University. The conference gave participants -- including representatives from institutions of higher learning, researchers, parents, program staff members and self-advocates -- the opportunity to learn about the current state of research and practice in the field of inclusive postsecondary education. "It was a four-year postsecondary conference for people with intellectual disabilities," she said. This summer, Swan helped in the planning process of the three-day conference. "I was meeting with people from Syracuse on Zoom calls every Friday to help plan the conference. After I got there, we got to meet and become friends," Swan said. "A lot of responsibility went into it trying to figure out everything." She participated in a college and career fair during the conference and said similar programs from other universities, such as Alabama and Clemson, were also presented. "It was a lifetime opportunity, and I got to represent Mississippi State and encourage other people with disabilities to apply," she said. |
| Monarch butterflies linger on Mississippi's Cat Island instead of migrating to Mexico | |
 | Hundreds of Monarch butterflies are lingering on Cat Island instead of continuing their migration to Mexico, prompting a Mississippi State University researcher to investigate the unusual behavior. Dr. Holley Muraco's Coastal One Health team is studying the butterflies to understand why some are choosing to spend winter on Mississippi's barrier islands rather than completing their traditional migration. "My study is taking a look at habitat use and health of the monarchs that are utilizing our barrier islands," Muraco said. "One of the things we believe could be happening is that some of the monarchs are choosing to spend the winter here on our marshes and on our islands instead of migrating to Mexico." The butterflies are attracted to Groundsel trees on the island, which continue providing nectar as other sources become less available in colder weather. Madison Parks, a graduate student who works under Muraco, said the number of butterflies on the island is overwhelming. "Seeing the butterflies is amazing, there are so many on the island, more than you could ever think," Parks said. "Every time I come out here, I am overwhelmed by the amount of butterflies I see." |
| CampusKnot Raises $1.1M for AI-Powered Teaching Assistant | |
 | Campusknot Inc., an AI-powered teaching assistant platform for higher education, has raised $1.1 million to expand its footprint across the United States and accelerate adoption of its technology among universities. The investment comes from Tulane Ventures, Boot 64 Ventures, Invest Mississippi Impact Fund, Momentum Fund, and Greaux Innovation Ventures, along with several private angels from Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arizona. The funding highlights the growing strength of the Mississippi and Louisiana innovation corridor, where startups combine academic expertise with emerging technology to improve education. Headquartered in Starkville, Mississippi, with operations and partnerships based in New Orleans, Louisiana, CampusKnot is redefining how higher education institutions approach teaching, learning, and engagement through the power of AI. Our vision is to make teaching more effortless and fun," said Rahul Gopal, Co-founder and CEO of CampusKnot. CampusKnot's journey reflects the power of regional collaboration in driving innovation. The company was accelerated through the Invest Mississippi and Idea Village accelerator programs, which helped refine its business model, scale operations, and expand its reach across the Gulf South. The Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach at Mississippi State University also provided early support and mentorship during CampusKnot's formative years. |
| National Folk Festival makes its Deep South debut in Jackson Friday | |
| Thabi Moyo broke into a grin, recalling dynamic blues music that coursed through the crowd as Diunna Greenleaf played at the recent Richmond Folk Festival in Virginia, and the way that one kid on the front row for the infectious Cuban rhythms of Son QBA got so blissfully lost in the music that Moyo was transported right along with him. "I didn't know these people," she said of festival performers that also included a klezmer band and Hawaiian falsetto singers, "but I'll never forget them." Moyo, local manager for the 82nd National Folk Festival, wants fellow Jacksonians and capital city tourists to grab and take away the same thrill, surprise and bliss when the free, three-day festival takes over downtown Jackson Friday through Sunday. The National Council for the Traditional Arts partners with host communities, in this case the city of Jackson, to produce the National Folk Festival around the country, and this is the first one in the Deep South. "It's like the festival is coming home," council Executive Director Blaine Waide said, noting Mississippi artists' frequent presence at different festivals it produces, and the state's impact on American music and musical history. "It's a really appropriate place to have the festival." Jackson remains the host city for the 83rd and 84th National Folk Festivals in 2026 and 2027, laying the groundwork for a locally produced festival after the three-year National Council for the Traditional Arts residency ends. Ergon/Alliant is the presenting sponsor of the 82nd National Folk Festival. |
| Consumer Sentiment Falls Toward Record-Low Levels | |
 | Consumers' moods dropped further in November, according to a monthly survey from the University of Michigan, continuing a slide that has worsened amid persistent price increases and an extended government shutdown. The Michigan survey's headline index fell to 50.3 in November, from 53.6 last month, based on preliminary November responses. Analysts polled by The Wall Street Journal were expecting a milder decline in the index, to 53. "With the federal government shutdown dragging on for over a month, consumers are now expressing worries about potential negative consequences for the economy," said Joanne Hsu, the survey's director. In the survey's telling, consumer sentiment this month has dropped below the lows it hit in the spring, after President Trump first rolled out steep new global tariffs. The reading is now just slightly above the levels that sentiment sank to amid the historic inflation that hit in 2022, some of the lowest results recorded in the survey's decades of history. Survey data have gained resonance during the government shutdown, which has prevented federal statistics agencies from collecting and publishing economic data since the end of September. The best indications from the private sector mainly suggest the economy hasn't changed dramatically since then, when official stats showed modest but rising unemployment of 4.3% and consumer inflation of around 3%. |
| Gov. Tate Reeves weighs on agriculture crisis as farmers struggle | |
 | Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves weighed in on the agriculture crisis that has gripped the farming community and impacts economic development in every corner of the state. Because of the tariff wars since President's Donald Trump's first administration, China has been grooming other countries with agricultural economies to provide row crops on the cheap. Brazil, not the United States, has become the place China is buying most of its soybeans these days. However, on October 30, Trump said he had reached an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping on soybean purchases, among other things. He said the deal would be signed, "pretty soon." At a Nov. 5 press conference on rural health care, Reeves also took a moment to address the farming crisis which is also impacting rural Mississippi. "I want to be as clear as I can be. The agriculture community in our state is struggling," Reeves said. "They are struggling for a lot of different reasons. There is no question that China buying less soybeans hurts soybean farmers in America, and we plant a lot of acres of soybeans in Mississippi." As of Oct. 29, China had not made one order of soybeans from the United States. In addition, China made a large order last week from Argentina. |
| Lawmakers explore cash assistance for new moms, no strings attached | |
| What would happen if every mother in Mississippi -- or in Mississippi's neediest counties -- received no-questions-asked cash assistance during pregnancy and months after a baby is born? Lawmakers pondered these questions at the state Capitol Thursday. The conversation focused on a program called Rx Kids, that started in Flint, Michigan, and is branded as a "prescription to poverty." Dr. Mona Hanna, the program's founder, presented her initiative to Mississippi lawmakers in House and Senate Public Health committees as a way to combat infant mortality. Nationwide, infants die at a higher rate in Mississippi than any other state. Mississippi doctors offered context during the hearing on rising infant deaths. In August, the state health department declared a public health emergency, and this week, doctors urged lawmakers to think creatively in how they choose to address the crisis. "Every hour that goes by, every day that goes by when a baby is born without the resources they need is a failure on all of us -- we can do better," Hanna said. "We don't have to be OK with babies dying because of deprivation. This is not a genius idea, it's not a new idea, it's not a radical idea -- this is just common sense." Senate Public Health Committee Chairman Hob Bryan, a Democrat from Amory, said the program showed "great promise," and House Public Health Committee Chairman Sam Creekmore, a Republican from New Albany, said he intends to "float the idea out to the Legislature." |
| Mississippi Healthcare Collaborative hosts inaugural conference to discuss policy and reform | |
| The Mississippi Healthcare Collaborative (MHC) recently brought together more than 250 leaders from across the state's healthcare landscape for its inaugural statewide conference. The three-day event in Jackson brought together hospital executives, Medicaid officials, physicians, policymakers, and health innovators to discuss the future of healthcare delivery and reform in Mississippi. Featured speakers included Gov. Tate Reeves, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Tom Price, State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney, Mississippi Medicaid Executive Director Cindy Bradshaw, and other senior officials representing hospitals and health systems statewide. The conference covered a range of pressing issues shaping Mississippi's healthcare system, including hospital sustainability, Medicaid operations, PBM reform, 340B programs, Affordable Care Act dynamics, and innovations in telehealth and value-based care. The event also featured a Legislative Outlook panel with 13 Mississippi lawmakers whose committees shape healthcare policy, followed by discussions with Medicaid officials outlining future priorities. The conference concluded with a forward-looking session on rural health transformation, spotlighting hospital leaders working to sustain care in small and underserved communities. |
| Leaders in the town that helped elect House Speaker Jason White just voted 'no' to school choice | |
| House Speaker Jason White continues to champion school choice at the state Capitol, but some of his constituents aren't so sure about the policies. The Kosciusko Board of Aldermen adopted an anti-school choice resolution on Tuesday night, breaking from their representative and the set of proposals that White, a Republican, is aggressively pushing. Kosciusko, 70 miles north of Jackson, is the largest city in White's district, which encompasses parts of Attala, Carroll, Holmes and Leake counties, and it's where his law office is located. Kosciusko joins a handful of cities that have publicly denounced school choice policies, which fund educational opportunities outside of traditional public schools, often with state money. The boards' actions could signal a lack of support among everyday Mississippians, while powerful state lawmakers like White continue their years-long, full-court press for school choice, backed by billionaire-funded national conservative organizations and the Trump administration. Proponents of school choice say there is also a grassroots movement driven by parents that have buoyed their cause. Taylor Spillman, a spokesperson for White, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the resolution. |
| Senate leaders prepare to test Democratic unity on shutdown | |
 | Senate leaders plan to take up a stopgap funding measure in a rare Friday session to test whether a Democratic logjam could finally break to end the longest partial government shutdown in history. But after a long day of closed-door talks, Democrats remained mostly tight-lipped about their intentions, with some suggesting they were prepared to continue the standoff until they secure an extension of expiring health insurance subsidies. Republicans leaders have insisted they would not negotiate on health subsidies until the government is reopened. "The plan is to reopen the government and lower health care costs," said Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., a senior appropriator who has negotiated with Republicans on a shutdown exit. "As soon as we have a clear path to that, we're going to take it." Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said only that his caucus held "a very good, productive meeting" on a shutdown strategy. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, took a more forceful stance to continue the fight. "I would hope that every Democrat stands firm and understands there cannot be an agreement until we make sure that health care premiums are not raised to outrageous levels," Sanders told reporters. |
| Vance is the frontrunner for 2028, Rubio privately confides | |
 | Secretary of State Marco Rubio is privately telling confidants that JD Vance is the frontrunner for the 2028 Republican nomination and that he'd support the vice president if he chose to run, according to two people close to the administration. Rubio's private comments are a vivid example of how some Republicans are already gaming out a post-Trump succession battle, less than one year into the president's term. "Marco has been very clear that JD is going to be the Republican nominee if he wants to be," said a person close to the secretary, noting that Rubio has expressed that sentiment privately and publicly. "He will do anything he can just to support the vice president in that effort," said the person close to Rubio, who was granted anonymity to share the secretary of state's private conversations. President Donald Trump has repeatedly named Vance and Rubio as his two most likely successors, even suggesting last week that the pair should run on the same ticket. Both men have insisted they are good friends and there is no rivalry, even as speculation grows over who can inherit the MAGA mantle. Vance is the leading favorite among those who voted for Trump in 2024, according to a new POLITICO Poll conducted Oct. 18-21. Thirty-five percent say he's the person they'd most like to see run for president in 2028. |
| The Crack-Up at the Heritage Foundation Is a Warning Sign for MAGA World | |
| The Heritage Foundation is no ordinary think tank. Since the days of Ronald Reagan, it has been the conservative movement on the march, delivering ready-made policies and battle-hardened pundits to Republican presidents. Heritage spoke proudly with "one voice," insisting that its scholars take a unified stand on key issues. Today, that almost military discipline has collapsed, and many current and former staffers blame Kevin Roberts, who took over as the foundation's president in 2021. They joke that the group's operating principle is now more of a "one man" policy, with Roberts moving aggressively to align the think tank with the Make America Great Again movement. As Democrats revel in their electoral success this week, the divisions at Heritage highlight growing fractures facing President Trump's winning 2024 coalition. =The long-simmering conflict between Roberts and the institute's old guard spilled into public view in recent days. The immediate cause was a video posted by Roberts late last month defending Tucker Carlson, who drew widespread condemnation for his respectful interview with the right-wing influencer Nick Fuentes, an avowed white supremacist and Holocaust denier. Roberts is now facing the biggest threat to his leadership in his four years at the helm of Heritage. His handling of the unfolding crisis is a test not just of the MAGA right's entanglement with antisemitism but of its often hostile relationship to longstanding Republican principles. |
| Trump administration appeals order to pay full November SNAP food benefits | |
 | The Trump administration is appealing a judge's order for it to provide full SNAP food aid benefits to states by Nov. 7. The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal Nov. 6 -- the same day Rhode Island federal Judge John McConnell ordered the administration to make full payments of November SNAP benefits to the states within a day. McConnell instructed officials to use a combination of contingency funds and other funds he said were available to make the full payments during the federal government shutdown. The two-page appeal document filed in McConnell's court didn't explain the government's reasons for challenging the order. However, the administration previously told McConnell it wouldn't use its discretion to tap into the non-contingency funds in order to make full November payments. It said in a Nov. 6 court filing that Congress meant for those other funds to be used for child nutrition programs, which it said would face "an unprecedented and significant shortfall" if the money were redirected for SNAP benefits. The judge wrote in his order that any disruption to child food assistance is "hypothetical" and not projected to occur before May of 2026, "if at all." Congress could replenish those funds before May, he noted. By contrast, a failure to pay SNAP food aid presents "the very real and immediate risk of children being deprived of their food assistance today," McConnell wrote. |
| Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh to conservative law students: Don't give up | |
| Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh had a message Thursday for conservative law students: Keep up the fight. Speaking at an annual Federalist Society gala in Washington, Barrett zeroed in on conservative women, urging them not to heed criticism for career or personal choices at odds with their liberal classmates. "In truth, being a conservative woman in law school, particularly, takes a lot of courage and independence, and in many ways, shows more feminism than just falling into some predetermined vision of what a woman should be," Barrett said during a joint, onstage interview with Kavanaugh. "I admire your courage for facing that." Barrett said she regards her decision to have seven children as one of many "counter-cultural things" she's done. She said social media may be contributing to women feeling "suffocated" by the expectations at law schools, but they should still try to reject that pressure. "All women should feel free to truly choose whatever it is they want, whether it is to be conservative or to be liberal or to have large families, to not get married, whatever it may be. ... There is no stereotype of what a professional woman should look like," Barrett said. "You don't have to fit into any box." |
| Supreme Court weighs longshot appeal to overturn decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide | |
 | A call to overturn the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide is on the agenda Friday for the justices' closed-door conference. Among the new cases the justices are expected to consider is a longshot appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the court's 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. Davis had been trying to get the court to overturn a lower court order for her to pay $360,000 in damages and attorney's fees to a couple whom she denied a marriage license. The justices could say as early as Monday what they'll do. In urging the court to take up her case, Davis' lawyers repeatedly invoked the words of Justice Clarence Thomas, who alone among the nine justices has called for erasing the same-sex marriage ruling. Thomas was one of four dissenting justices in 2015. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito are the other dissenters who also remain on the court. Roberts has been silent on the subject since he wrote a dissenting opinion in the case. Alito has continued to criticize the decision, but said recently he was not advocating that it be overturned. |
| ICE is sending a chill through the construction industry | |
 | For years, the construction industry -- in which on average one in three workers is foreign-born -- has struggled with a yawning labor shortage that President Trump's immigration crackdown is making worse, industry officials warn. In D.C., for example, that has meant Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) checkpoints that have swept up Latino workers on their way to and from work. "I personally saw a checkpoint here on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway," Rurick Palomino says. "All construction pickups. So, it's happening." "People are scared," he continues. A Peruvian immigrant who came to the United States 25 years ago, Palomino -- a U.S. citizen -- built his construction firm from scratch after earning an engineering degree and learning the trade firsthand. As ICE agents fan out to detain and deport undocumented immigrants, their enforcement actions are creating unease among both undocumented and documented workers on building sites across the U.S., deepening the already severe labor shortage, slowing the pace of construction and driving up costs, industry officials and contractors say. |
| MUW reports highest enrollment growth in the state | |
 | After recent numbers were released, Mississippi University for Women had the highest percentage of growth in the state. Mississippi University for Women is reporting an 8% increase in enrollment for the Fall 2025 semester. MUW president Nora Miller said it's fulfilling to see those in the state are choosing their university. "It just shows that people are making a choice to be here and that we are serving a very important need for the state of Mississippi," Miller said. "Mississippi wants to get to 55% of adult students and we are serving a very important part of that." Another thing that stands about The W is the fact that the average student age is 24. That's higher than most. Non-traditional students have long been a focus at MUW. For some it's beginning a new career, for others it's gaining more education to advance. The W leaders said seeing improvements in enrollment after facing recruiting hurdles in recent years is exciting. |
| Mississippi universities going head-to-head to fight food insecurity | |
| The University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University are going head-to-head in a friendly competition to help fight food insecurity. Grove Grocery, the student-run food pantry at Ole Miss, is hosting the Egg Bowl Food Fight. It's a competition to see which school can raise the most support before the Nov. 28 Egg Bowl game. The campaign invites the community to donate essential food and hygiene items this holiday season through a GoFundMe. According to a Healthy Minds survey reported by Ole Miss, 28% of students say they struggle with food insecurity in some way. |
| Magnolia Mornings: Rare Warhol originals come to USM | |
| The de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at The University of Southern Mississippi announced Thursday its receipt of a bequest from Diana Klemin, longtime art director at Doubleday and friend of the de Grummond. Included in this bequest are three unpublished picture book manuscripts illustrated by Andy Warhol, as well as dozens of originals and prints Warhol gifted to Klemin. Klemin passed away at the age of 100 on July 24, 2023. She was one of the first people the collection's founder, Dr. Lena Y. de Grummond, reached out to in her letter-writing campaign asking for original materials. That initial contact formed a decades-long bond between the art director and curators of Southern Miss's growing children's literature collection. After donating a variety of materials in her lifetime, Klemin bequeathed to de Grummond the entirety of her collection of books and art, including original pieces by one of the best-known artists of the 20th century, Andy Warhol. The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation helped facilitate the bequest, honoring Klemin's intent to see her collection preserved and shared through the de Grummond. |
| Georgia economy suffers from lack of financial aid for low-income students, advocates argue | | |
| Nearly every state in the country gives college students financial aid based on financial need. Georgia is among the two that do not. Advocates who want to see that changed contend the policy is harming the economy by reducing the number of college students who earn a degree after suffering academic setbacks, and by driving high school graduates to attend college in other states, forever forsaking Georgia. Georgia has a lottery-funded scholarship, but HOPE is distributed based on academic performance in high school rather than financial need, and students lose the scholarship if their college grade point average drops too far. That is what happened to Jordan Winfrey, a Kennesaw State University student who testified at a legislative hearing Thursday about the affordability of higher education. Winfrey wants to be a nurse, in a state that needs more of them, but she struggled with chemistry. Her grade point average fell, she lost HOPE and now, a junior, she works 30 hours a week to cover the loss. She has been trying to improve her grades and recover HOPE but has found that difficult while holding a job. "If I were able to work fewer hours, I'd be able to focus more on my classes and see my grades improve," said Winfrey, a native Georgian and the first in her family to attend college. |
| Young Democratic Socialists of America demands U. of Florida end ICE agreement | |
 | The University of Florida chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America on Nov. 5 called on the university's administration to end its partnership with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and declare the university a sanctuary campus for immigrant and international students. A handful of police officers stood at the edges of a crowd of about 100 students who attended the protest at Turlington Plaza. Attendees, some draped in flags from Nicaragua, Mexico and Colombia, held signs that read "I stand with immigrants" and "ICE off campus now." Organizers led the protesters through campus to the university's administration building where they hoped to engage with officials. In April, the University of Florida Police Department entered into a 287(g) task force model agreement with ICE. The agreement allows UFPD to act as immigration enforcers on campus. UFPD voluntarily signed the agreement on April 15., a few days after UF Colombian international student Felipe Zapata Velásquez was arrested by the Gainesville Police Department for driving with an expired license and registration tag. Velásquez was in the U.S. on an F-1 student visa. He was detained by ICE and self-deported. |
| 'Hands off Vandy.' Vanderbilt students, stakeholders protest Donald Trump compact proposal | |
 | Vanderbilt University stakeholders rallied on Nov. 5, hoping to pound home their message to school administration about a controversial higher education offer from the Donald Trump administration. The on-campus protest that included chants like "hands off Vandy" and signs that read "listen to our students, faculty, & staff" involved an estimated 250-300 Vanderbilt students, staff and faculty outside Kirkland Hall. Demonstrators demanded school leaders reject the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education that offers preferential access to federal funds for adopting Trump's higher education policies. Opponents of the compact rules criticize anti-transgender language and measures that would further threaten diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. There are also concerns the compact is biased toward conservative ideas and threatens academic freedom. "This compact is basically asking us to sign away our free speech in exchange for preferential federal funding," Jade Miller, a Vanderbilt graduate worker in biomedical sciences, said over chants and speakers using a megaphone at the demonstration. "And that's not what higher education anywhere should stand for." |
| Student group's lawsuit against Choi will move forward | |
 | A federal court denied UM System President Mun Choi's request to dismiss the Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine lawsuit against him. The lawsuit accuses Choi of violating the First Amendment when he barred the group from participating in the University of Missouri's 2024 Homecoming parade. In September, a federal court ruled that the group was allowed to participate in the 2025 Homecoming parade. The group is now seeking compensatory and nominal damages for the violations of its rights and the costs associated with preparation for the 2024 Homecoming Parade. In a ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough denied Choi's claims that he is entitled to qualified immunity, which protects government officials from liability for civil damages when they violate an individual's constitutional rights. MSJP filed its lawsuit against Choi in August, with representation from the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Court documents say that Choi personally denied MSJP's application in 2025, citing safety concerns with the group's former president and campus violence elsewhere in the U.S. last year. |
| High school, college students are excited about AI, not dreading jobs impact | |
| The recent wave of white-collar layoffs may have employees and job seekers rattled, but according to New York University Stern School of Business professor Robert Seamans, his current class of MBA students isn't worried. "I don't get a huge sense that they're dreading the job market or that they think there are going to be dramatic changes," Seamans told a gathering of technology executives at last week's CNBC Technology Executive Council Summit in New York City. "These students have been in the job market already before coming back to school and they're used to the ups and downs of being in the workforce." Seamans said his focus in the classroom is making sure students have the skills they need when they graduate, and that includes generative AI and more generally, machine learning. Running experiments using AI in group settings is one way he gets students used to the technology, its advantages, and its limits. For instance, he recently asked students to write a short paper on whether return-to-office mandates are good or bad for the workforce. He then had them select a large language model of their choosing to strengthen their argument. The second part of the assignment had students writing another paper, but this time asking the LLM to respond in an adversarial way with critical feedback -- what Seamans calls a "black sheep" approach. "I'm trying to get them to understand that they can interact with AI in a variety of ways," Seamans said. |
| Higher Ed Feels 'Cumulative Exhaustion' of Longest Shutdown | |
 | As the current government shutdown claims the mantle of longest in American history, uncertainty is ratcheting up for faculty, students and their institutions trying to budget for the weeks, months and years ahead. Five weeks in, the federal government's closure has disrupted nearly all aspects of campus life, including research, basic needs support and military-affiliated students' access to tuition assistance. On Monday, North Carolina State University joined a growing list of institutions that have limited spending and faced research disruptions as a result of the government's inaction. The university said the ongoing shutdown has delayed payment for federally funded research activities worth more than $25 million per month, according to an internal memo reviewed by Inside Higher Ed. While federal payments remain suspended, federally funded researchers at NC State won't be able to spend money on new hires, nonessential travel, consulting services, and supplies and materials among other things. Meanwhile, it's still not clear when the government might reopen. |
| Graduate Programs Will Soon Feel the Brunt of Loan Caps as Changes to Federal Aid Advance | |
 | The Education Department has reached consensus on a suite of changes to federal aid that could upend the viability of some graduate programs. The changes interpret the budget-reconciliation law Congress passed this summer, which imposes limits on how much money students can borrow from the government for graduate education. The law eliminated the Grad PLUS loan program, which for the past 20 years has allowed graduate students to take out unlimited federal loans up to their full cost of tuition. Perhaps the most contentious issue of the week centered on defining a "professional" versus "graduate" program. According to the consensus definitions, approved Thursday after two rounds of negotiated rulemaking, a degree will be considered professional if the field requires skills beyond those needed to receive a bachelor's degree. The distinction matters: Professional students will be able to take out $50,000 in loans per year, or $200,000 total, more than double that of a graduate student. A graduate degree, meanwhile, will be defined as a program that is "above the baccalaureate level" and awards a "graduate credential." The classification could affect whether students will be able to afford graduate school, particularly master's programs, and how much colleges, which have traditionally seen master's degrees as revenue generators, will be able to charge for tuition. |
| Who gets student loan relief? Experts say new Trump rule intended to harm his political opponents | |
 | A new student loan battle is underway after the Trump administration made a change to a popular repayment plan that opponents say will allow the Education Department to deny relief to its political opponents. The department said it will change the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, a repayment plan for government workers or nonprofit employees that allows full loan forgiveness after 10 years of payments, to deny those involved in "unlawful activities." But after defining "unlawful activities" to include those involved in transgender care and some immigration services, two lawsuits were filed, and advocates are gearing up for a fight. "I think it's pretty concerning. I think it opens up far too much, too great a possibility that employers will be targeted based on their politics or their ideology to make their employees ineligible for PSLF," said Neil McCluskey, director for the Center for Educational Freedom at CATO Institute. "I think we need to look particularly at this idea that the secretary of Education only needs a preponderance of evidence to decide that some employers are doing things that are largely illegal, and then they can cut them off. And so, it strikes me that there's far too much leeway where employers disfavored by whoever's in the White House, but in this case disfavored by the Trump administration, could lose this PSLF eligibility," he added. |
| Congress Tackles College Cost Transparency | |
| After passing a sweeping higher ed overhaul in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Congress now has its sights set on reforming college cost transparency. In a hearing Thursday, members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions questioned experts on how to make college pricing -- and how costs compare to student outcomes -- more understandable to families. "You don't buy a car without comparing prices, quality and finance options. The same is true for buying a home. Why can we not do this for higher ed?" asked Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who chairs the committee and recently issued a request for information about the cost of higher education. The hearing follows a House hearing in September on the same topic---and including one repeat witness, Justin Draeger, senior vice president of affordability for Strada Education Foundation. At Thursday's hearing, lawmakers and witnesses alike stressed how little information is available to students about the price of college, with research showing that most students overestimate the price of a public college education. Witnesses also brought up parents' and families' confusion about aid offer letters, which the Government Accountability Office has found often understate or fail to include the net price students will actually be paying. |
| U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations | |
| Scientists and research advocates in the United States are mobilizing to fight a bill that would essentially prohibit researchers with any ties to China and other countries deemed hostile from receiving federal funding. Nearly 800 academics signed a 29 October letter opposing the ban, part of a bill passed recently by the U.S. House of Representatives that sets spending priorities for the Department of Defense (DOD). A coalition of higher education and research advocacy groups has also urged Congress to strike the language as members reconcile the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with what the Senate adopted last month. Final passage is expected by the end of the year. The Securing American Funding and Expertise from Adversarial Research Exploitation (SAFE) Act would deny federal funding to any U.S. scientist who collaborates with anyone "affiliated with a hostile foreign entity," a category that includes four countries: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding. |
SPORTS
| State Receives $1 Million Gift From Martin Family | |
| Bruce and Julie Martin have long been generous, ardent supporters of Mississippi State. The family continues to help push MSU forward courtesy of their latest gift. The Martins have given $1 million towards the construction of State football's recently-announced Billy W. Howard Sr. Indoor Practice Facility and renovations to the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex. It's a contribution that continues State's forward momentum as the department meets the demands of a new era of college athletics. "We're thankful for Bruce and Julie and their tremendous support of Mississippi State," MSU Director of Athletics Zac Selmon said. "We can't thank them enough for their longstanding, unwavering commitment to Mississippi State. It's truly special. We are grateful to call them partners in our quest for new heights for Mississippi State Athletics." The Martins, who reside in the Meridian area, have ties to MSU that date back decades. Mississippi State's fundraising efforts continue as it seeks to support its bold vision for the future. To learn more or support State's initiatives, visit StateExcellenceFund.com and HailState.com/HowardIPF. |
| Football: First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Georgia | |
| On the heels of a huge Southeastern Conference win at Arkansas, Mississippi State is back at home and hungry for more. To get it, they'll have to go through one of the nation's best. MSU (5-4 overall, 1-4 in Southeastern Conference play) hosts No. 5 Georgia (7-1, 5-1) at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday. The game will be televised by ESPN. A victory on Saturday would be huge for Mississippi State in more ways than one. Not only would it add to the program momentum that has been building all season long, but it would also make MSU bowl eligible. The last time State was bowl eligible was in 2022, the final season in the head coaching career of the late, great Mike Leach. MSU is also attempting to accomplish something that hasn't happened in over a decade. State is seeking its first victory over an Associated Press top-five team since the Maroon and White topped No. 2 Auburn in 2014. That win earned MSU the school's first-ever No. 1 ranking when the AP poll was released the following day. Georgia comes to Starkville as a team that just keeps finding ways to win. Georgia has trailed in five of its six SEC games this season, but has come from behind to win all but one of them. Georgia rallied to beat Tennessee and Auburn on the road, then outscored Ole Miss 17-0 in the fourth quarter to top the Rebels in Athens. Most recently, Georgia fought from behind to defeat rival Florida 24-20. Georgia's only loss came in a 24-21 game against Alabama. |
| No. 5 Georgia visits a much-improved Mississippi State in an all-Bulldog affair | |
| Georgia and Mississippi State have a Bulldog mascot in common -- and not much else. Georgia coach Kirby Smart's No. 5 Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 SEC) have had four consecutive 10-win seasons and seven of eight. He's brought home two national championships and three Southeastern Conference titles during his tenure. Jeff Lebby's Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-4, 1-4) have won one SEC game in two seasons and have spent the last couple years dwelling near the bottom of the league standings. The good news for MSU fans is that their team has shown considerable signs of progress, something Smart was quick to note as Georgia prepared to visit Starkville on Saturday. "No. 1, it shows hard work pays off," Smart said. "They've continued to work hard. They've stayed true to themselves. ... They've been in every game. They've had several games they should've won, could've won, but didn't. "Obviously it didn't slow them down because every game they've been in," Smart continued. "They score a ton of points. They're a hard team to beat. It shows you what kind of competitive character they've got that they've sustained that in every game regardless of the outcome." |
| Mississippi State seeking milestone against powerhouse | |
| Mississippi State has an opportunity to check an important box on Saturday. The Bulldogs' next win would make them bowl eligible for the first time since 2022 and the first time in the Jeff Lebby era. "I think for us, we've talked about it a ton, being postseason eligible as soon as possible," Lebby said. "And so now it takes one more, and our guys understand that." "The faster you do that, the better bowl game you're going to be able to get, and that's our goal this week, is to go 1-0," quarterback Blake Shapen said. "That doesn't change our mindset on anything, but we definitely want to get to a bowl game and be bowl eligible as fast as possible." Lebby often looks at this year's team and sees a product that, compared to last year, is night and day. Making a bowl game would underscore that significantly. "We haven't got the results that we've wanted non-stop, but our football team and the belief in the way we're playing the game is a Mississippi State football team, and I'm proud of that," he said. "We've got a lot left out in front of us. Our guys can see that and feel that, and we've got to go find a way to be plus one on Saturday." |
| Inaugural Diamond Dawg Classic Set For Friday | |
| Dudy Noble Field will be the place to be Friday night as dozens of Mississippi State greats and thousands of faithful fans descend on the Carnegie Hall of College Baseball for the Farm Bureau Diamond Dawg Classic powered by The Bulldog Initiative. Two of the biggest legends to ever don the M-over-S, Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro, return to their alma mater to manage two squads of fellow MSU baseball alums aptly named Team Thunder and Team Lightning. First pitch for the seven-inning contest is slated for 7:15 p.m. and will be streamed live on SEC Network +. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. with pregame festivities beginning at 6:35 p.m. Standing room only tickets remain available, and a clear bag policy will be in place. There are more than 50 Bulldogs that played or are currently playing professionally participating in the event, including 17 that reached Major League Baseball. Among those are seven MLB All-Stars, six first round draft picks and four World Series champions. There will also be 41 players that reached the College World Series during their careers at State including nine members of the 2021 national championship team, 17 All-Americans along with several unannounced special guests. |
| Hubbard and new cast of Bulldogs show promise in season-opening win | |
 | A couple of moments nearly brought the house down on opening night at Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday. In the first half, sophomore Sergej Macura had two attempts at a dunk go awry. The first was a foul, seeing the ball bounce back off the rim, and the second, though through contact, was simply a miss. "I want to say, I don't usually miss dunks," the Slovenian said through a laugh in his postgame press conference. "My teammates know that, and that's why they're trolling me now and in the locker room." It wasn't the last time, either. Twice teammates missed his run to the hoop for a potential slam or alley-oop, and once came in the final minute as a certain section of fans had an interest in MSU adding just one more point in the 86-62 win over North Alabama. Macura's debut may not have had a memorable play, but it was a positive performance from him and his fellow newcomers to Starkville in front of a packed student section. "The first home game was amazing," Macura said. "I really liked the crowd, the way they connected with us. The way we were feeding off their energy was just amazing. The 12 rebounds are a mirror reflection of the energy of the team, the crowd, everything. We tried to play hard, and they helped us do that." |
| Track & Field: Wright Named Rhodes Scholar Finalist | |
| Mississippi State senior track and field athlete Tafada Wright has been named a finalist for the prestigious international Rhodes Scholarship. The scholarship provides full financial support for students pursuing postgraduate education at the University of Oxford -- the first institution of its kind in the English-speaking world and one of the world's leading institutions of higher learning. "I am incredibly honored to be a finalist for this prestigious award," said Wright. "It's a reflection of the hard work that I've put forward academically, and I'm committed to making the most of this opportunity. I am motivated to keep striving for excellence and give back to the community that has poured so much into me." Selection as a Rhodes Scholarship finalist is based on a combination of factors including academic achievement, leadership, and a commitment to serving others. Wright, a senior thrower on the track and field team, has been a shining star for MSU during her time in Starkville. The President's List scholar has been a leader both on the track, in the classroom and beyond. "It's an extraordinary accomplishment to be named a Rhodes Scholarship finalist, and we couldn't be prouder of Tafada," Mississippi State Director of Athletics Zac Selmon said. "She reflects the very essence of what it means to be a Mississippi State student-athlete, pursuing greatness in competition, academics and service." Wright is one of three Rhodes Scholarship finalists from Mississippi State University this year. |
| Cowboys QB Dak Prescott admits Marshawn Kneeland's death a 'triggering day' | |
| With the Dallas Cowboys in the midst of their bye week, there had been limited public reaction from their players in the aftermath of Thursday morning's announcement that defensive end Marshawn Kneeland had died. That changed Thursday evening, when the team's most prominent figure, aside from owner Jerry Jones, spoke about his fallen teammate. "It's been a very tough day," quarterback and team captain Dak Prescott told CBS News Texas from a ceremony at his high school in Haughton, Louisiana. "Tragic loss. I hurt. Heavy, heavy heart today. I hurt for Marshawn. I hurt for his family. I hurt for his girlfriend. I hurt for every single one of my teammates. It's just a pain that you don't wish upon anybody. You wish none of us had to go through this. You wish Marshawn didn't have to go through what he went through. Just thankful for each moment we have in this life and don't take it for granted." The Frisco (Texas) Police Department is investigating Kneeland's death as a "possible suicide," saying he suffered an "apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound" after leading police on a vehicular chase outside of Dallas and "had expressed suicidal ideations." Prescott's older brother, Jace, died by suicide five years ago. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. |
| Why is Texas Tech's tortilla toss tradition banned? | |
| When No. 8 Texas Tech takes the field this Saturday against No. 7 BYU (12 p.m. ET, ABC), the on-field action between the two top-10 Big 12 teams may seem familiar, but something will be missing from the game's opening kickoff aesthetic: tortillas won't be flying in Jones AT&T Stadium. The signature sign a Red Raiders football game is taking place has been around since the late 1980s -- home or away. It reached its peak during the 1990s and has since become cemented in college football lore. While meant for Texas Tech fans, even some players have taken part in the tradition. Most recently, during Colorado's 2024 matchup against the Red Raiders in Lubbock, former two-way Heisman Trophy winner and current Jacksonville Jaguars WR/CB Travis Hunter snagged a tortilla that landed a few inches in front of him on the field seconds before a Texas Tech snap and stuffed it in his pants. Midgame snack? Perhaps. But the tradition seems to be over after the Big 12 doubled down on a cancellation. |
| What makes Notre Dame students go wild during home games? Father Pete's call to Mass | |
 | They turn toward the Notre Dame Stadium video board at the end of the third quarter, knowing what's coming and hopeful for it all the same. Atop the south end zone, a video rolls, a priest facing his congregation in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, just across campus. Only his green vestments show. A 90-second sermon begins, both an advertisement for Notre Dame and an invitation to Mass. On its own, this call is not a new tradition. The stadium has been welcoming fans to become postgame parishioners for years, long before the video board changed the medium. But those bygone invitations, played over the stadium's public address system, were met with the enthusiasm of a flight attendant asking passengers to review the safety instructions card in the seat pocket in front of them. They were background noise. Reverend Pete McCormick helped change all that. Thirty seconds into the video, the camera shows Father Pete -- to call him anything else is to barely know him -- striding into the Basilica. He's as identifiable by his buzz cut and black-rimmed glasses as he is by his perpetual smile. Sunlight follows him through the doors. That's when the student section loses its collective mind, cheering as if running back Jeremiyah Love just went for another 98-yard touchdown. This is the recent tradition at Notre Dame, an embrace of the school's assistant vice president for campus ministry. From the confessional to the DJ booth, he seems to be everywhere all the time, exactly when he's needed. |
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