| Tuesday, January 2, 2018 |
| Mississippi State reflects on another year of growth, research | |
 | Mississippi State University made headlines in 2017 for its achievements in areas such as agriculture and forestry, computer science, engineering, social sciences, and the arts and humanities. In addition to achieving numerous top rankings in 2017, MSU research teams are leading projects with local and global impact, developing agricultural solutions to solve world hunger, creating more sustainable beaches and barrier islands on the Gulf Coast and formulating better vaccines to combat pandemic influenza, to name just a few. "We have tremendous momentum right now," MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. "Our university teams are leading more than 50 percent of all funded research in our state, contributing greatly to Mississippi's $8 billion agricultural and forestry industries, and working with major companies to bring new investments and new high-skill, high-paying jobs to our region." |
| Mississippi State research momentum continues into new year | |
 | Mississippi State University might dub 2017 as the year of research. It embarked and sustained projects with local and global impact -- in agriculture and forestry, computer science, engineering, social sciences, and the arts and humanities. Heading into 2018, MSU research teams are developing agricultural solutions to solve world hunger, creating more sustainable beaches and barrier islands on the Gulf Coast and formulating better vaccines to combat pandemic influenza, to name just a few. "We have tremendous momentum right now," MSU President Mark E. Keenum said in a news release. Mississippi State maintained its ranking among the nation's top 100 research institutions by the National Science Foundation. It is also a hub for the nation's aerospace research and development programs. |
| 2018 PRIORITIES: MSU-Meridian builds programs, blended delivery of education | |
 | The Meridian Star invited some community leaders to write about their top three priorities for 2018. Today's column is from Terry Dale Cruse, administrative director and head of campus of Mississippi State University-Meridian: "The completion of each year provides a time to focus on the accomplishments of the past and opportunities for the future. It has been a great year for MSU-Meridian, and I am thankful for the work of our faculty, staff and students. Their dedication helped us reach new heights. As we look to the future, three main goals top the list for 2018." |
| MSU's George Hopper honored with national leadership excellence award | |
 | Photo: George Hopper, third from left, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station director and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences dean at Mississippi State University, accepts the 2017 Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Stations Directors ESS Excellence in Leadership Award during the APLU's recent annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Congratulating him are, from left, Gary Thompson, Experiment Station Section chair and associate dean for research and graduate education for Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences; Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity at Purdue University; (Hopper); and Ian Maw, vice president of food, agriculture and natural resources at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. |
| Poultry again leads state's $7B ag industry | |
 | Agriculture continues to do its part to boost Mississippi's economy as it remains a $7 billion industry in 2017. Agricultural economists with the Mississippi State University Extension Service said the top two agricultural commodities are still poultry at $2.8 billion, an increase of 13 percent, and forestry at $1.4 billion, a decline of 8 percent. MSU Extension cotton specialist Darrin Dodds said growers expressed their faith in cotton by expanding acreage in 2017. Growers planted about 625,000 acres, compared with 435,000 in 2016. "Most yields will be down about 200 pounds per acre, but we still made a good crop," Dodds said. "Unfortunately, it was a very expensive crop to produce because of issues like controlling pigweed and worms." |
| Forestry remains steady despite 2017 challenges | |
| Despite a slow housing market and other lingering effects of the recession, Mississippi's forests remain the state's second most valuable agricultural commodity for 2017. John Auel, an assistant Extension professor of forestry at Mississippi State University, estimates the value of forest products is $1.4 billion, which is a decrease of 8.6 percent from 2016. However, 2017 numbers are almost 40 percent higher than they were in 2009, when the industry experienced its lowest valued harvest of the 2007-2009 recession. "All timber categories, except oak sawtimber, have seen a decrease in price. That could be due to wet weather in late spring and early summer," Auel said. Extension experts said they believe the outlook for 2018 is positive. |
| Poultry, egg industries report strong 2017 | |
| Early figures from the Mississippi State University Extension Service show the state's poultry industry grew at an estimated 13.4 percent from its 2016 value. The value increase is primarily being driven by increased prices for broiler hens. "Pounds of production are actually down a little this year, but prices are up, and that is what is actually driving the value," said extension agricultural economist Brian Williams. "Average price per pound in 2017 was 7 cents higher than prices in 2016." The state is estimated to produce 4.6 billion pounds of broilers this year, slightly down from last year's 4.7 billion pounds. The estimated decrease in amount is mainly due to several poultry companies growing slightly smaller birds. Egg production increased even more from 2016, up an estimated 18.6 percent. |
| Mississippi's Agriculture Industry | |
 | Agriculture is continuing to boost Mississippi's economy, remaining a $7 billion industry in 2017. Agricultural experts at the Mississippi State University Extension Service released a year-end estimate on the value of state crops. The top two agricultural money-makers, are still poultry and forestry. Mississippi remains the national leader in catfish production. |
| Airport board approves partnership with MSU flight research lab | |
 | The Clarksdale-Coahoma County Airport Board has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Mississippi State University-Raspet Flight Research Laboratory (MSU/RFRL) for the purpose of establishing flight coordination and approval procedures for unmanned (drone) aircraft systems (UAS) flight operations from Fletcher Field. |
| Mississippi State alumnus receives patent | |
| A Mississippi State University MBA alumnus on faculty at North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota, has invented a new device for the 3-D printing industry. The system, currently called an imaging-based 3-D printing quality control system, was designed by NDSU assistant professor of computer science Jeremy Straub, along with coinventors Benjamin Kading and Scott Kerlin. The device works by taking multiple pictures of a 3-D-printed product at different stages of production and scanning for cracks or flaws to prevent parts from breaking off and posing a hazard. The device can be used to detect both accidental and deliberate flaws in 3-D printed products. The images are then compared with what is expected to identify any discrepancies. He said while his time in the MSU MBA program was primarily spent taking online classes, he was glad for the opportunities the program had given him. |
| 2017: Year in review for Starkville and Oktibbeha County | |
 | Starkville and Oktibbeha County saw a bustling year in almost every facet of life in 2017. From a contentious, bitter-fought campaign to sell or lease the county hospital to unprecedented success for Mississippi State women's basketball or the arrival of new elected officials into public life, the community has had no shortage of changes and activity throughout the year. The Mississippi State University women's basketball team enjoyed a year of unprecedented success in the 2016-17 season, eclipsing even expectations set by a strong 2015-16 season that ended in a Sweet Sixteen loss to the University of Connecticut. The Bulldogs returned to the postseason, notching victories over the University of Washington and Baylor University in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, respectively. They then avenged their loss against Connecticut with a 66-64 overtime victory in the Final Four in Dallas, Texas, thanks to a Morgan William buzzer-beater. The victory snapped Connecticut's nation-leading 111-game win streak. |
| Starkville looks to implement salary adjustments for city employees | |
| The Starkville Board of Aldermen will look at possibly implementing a two-phased salary adjustment at its meeting on Tuesday. The board tabled the discussion of the adjustments at the last meeting. City of Starkville Human Resources Director Navarrete Ashford said these salary adjustments stem from a study from the John C. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development, which was approved by the last board. "What we decided to do, was to do more of a compression of local municipalities," Ashford said. Ashford said the goal of the study was to identify city employees and bring them to the 95th percentile of pay with cities within Starkville's region. With the study, Ashford said it compared Starkville to cities like Columbus, Tupelo, Oxford and West Point, which are places people in the area would travel to. |
| Unemployment rates continue to trend down | |
| For economists, 4 percent is considered full employment. After October unemployment numbers were revised, Oktibbeha County has hit that magic number for two consecutive months while the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate came in at 4.8 percent, the lowest rate for the state since January 1976. Seasonally adjusted data removes the effects of events that follow a regular pattern each year such as the influences of weather, holidays, the opening and closing of schools, and other recurring seasonal events. Amounts are seasonally adjusted at the national and state levels only. The Mississippi Department of Employment Security released its preliminary unemployment report for the month of November and while the change in the jobless rates were minor compared to October, the strong downward trend in unemployment continues throughout the Golden Triangle, state and nation. |
| MHP numbers show quiet weekend in Golden Triangle | |
| Mississippi Highway Patrol responded to eight vehicle accidents, with no fatalities, in Troop G over the New Year's holiday weekend, according to troop Master Sgt. Criss Turnipseed. None of the accidents appeared to be alcohol related, Turnipseed said, officers in Troop G arrested made nine arrests in separate incidents for misdemeanor driving under the influence during the holiday weekend, which began at 6 p.m. Friday and lasted through midnight Monday. Troop G includes the Golden Triangle and surrounding counties. |
| Starkville Parks and Rec employee arrested for embezzlement | |
| A former administrative assistant employed by the City of Starkville has been arrested for embezzlement. Dianne Evans, 61, of Starkville, turned herself in to Starkville Police Department Thursday after a felony warrant was issued for her arrest, according to a SPD press release. The release said Evans was working for the City of Starkville Parks and Recreation Department when she embezzled money from the department. SPD did not release the amount of money Evans allegedly took. Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said she didn't know the exact amount of money involved and that investigators are still looking into the incident. |
| Lows drop to single digits as cold invades Deep South | |
 | Temperatures plummeted overnight to 2 degrees in the north Georgia mountains, 14 in Atlanta and 26 as far south as New Orleans as the Gulf Coast felt more like Green Bay. In Mississippi, a low of 15 degrees early Tuesday tied the record low for the date, which was set in 1979. In Alabama, overnight lows dropped to 8 degrees near Cullman and 20 degrees in Mobile. Warming shelters were open across the South as freeze watches and warnings blanketed the region, including hard freeze warnings for much of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. |
| Exiting Mississippi: Census finds state again loses people | |
| For the third year in a row, the Census Bureau estimates that Mississippi's population fell, as more people moved away from the Magnolia State than moved in. The estimate shows that Mississippi lost about 1,300 people from July 1, 2016, to July 1, 2017, falling to 2.98 million people. While Mississippi had 6,500 more births than deaths during the year, the state lost almost 8,000 people to out-migration. Mississippi is the only southern state besides West Virginia seeing out-migration. Only West Virginia and Illinois have lost population for more years in a row. John Green, a University of Mississippi professor who directs the school's Center for Population Studies, says people are leaving Mississippi in search of better opportunities. |
| Analysis: 2018 could bring substantial debate in Mississippi | |
| Mississippi legislators are starting the third year of a four-year term, which means they have a chance to accomplish goals without the immediate pressure of election-year politics. Leaders are already discussing the possibility of rewriting the education funding formula, enacting a long-term plan to pay for better highways and bridges and creating a state lottery. Discussing these issues and committing to them are two vastly different things -- and there is plenty of debate to be had on the faults and merits of those issues. Legislators also threw words at them in 2017, and no big changes occurred. The three-month session begins at noon Tuesday. |
| 2018 session begins with same issues as 2017 | |
| The issues confronting members of the Mississippi Legislature during the 2018 session, which starts at noon today, will be essentially the same as the ones they faced in the 2017 session. They include: efforts to enhance spending on transportation to deal with what many say is a deteriorating transportation system, attempts to deal with sluggish revenue collections resulting in budget cuts, and an attempt to rewrite the state's school funding formula. Included in the committee vacancies not only is the key post of House Education Committee, but also Senate Judiciary A chair. The vacancies will result in a reshuffling of a number of committee assignments. |
| Mississippi legislators set to wrangle with ed funding | |
| Mississippi's Republican-controlled Legislature could spend much of the next three months wrangling with two complex questions: How much does it cost to educate a child? And how should the state determine that amount? Those are questions the state thought it had answered before with the 1997 implementation of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. In practice, if fully funded, the formula aims to give schools enough funding to obtain at least a C ranking on the state's accountability system. But legislators have fallen short of the required amount, underfunding schools by more than $200 million for the current fiscal year, according to figures compiled by the Parents Campaign, a state-based public education advocacy group. |
| Legislature to again try to tackle transportation | |
| How to improve what many say is a crumbling state transportation system is the issue that continues to confound Mississippi legislators. Legislators in recent sessions have spoken of the need to make transportation repairs, but they have not been able to come up with a source of money to address the problem. The issue is likely to be talked about again in the 2018 session, beginning Jan. 2. Going into the session, though, there is still no consensus on where to turn for revenue to fix Mississippi's roads and bridges. Said Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, "I just got my pickup truck lined up. And after driving down here (to the state Capitol in Jackson) today on (U.S. Highway) 25, it needs to be lined up again." |
| Mississippi lawmakers to convene 2018 session: a look at issues | |
| Lawmakers convene the 133rd regular session of the Mississippi Legislature at noon on Tuesday, with the session scheduled to run through April 1. Here's a look at some of the major issues legislators are expected to tackle this session. |
| Understaffed MDOC hopes to avoid further budget reductions | |
| The Mississippi Department of Corrections is still hamstrung by lack of corrections officers and guards, largely because of low pay, that has led recently to the closing of some units at the South Mississippi Correctional Institution. "Seeking better wages for our employees, who are among the lowest paid in the country, will always be a priority of my administration," MDOC Commissioner Pelicia Hall said in a statement. However, Hall knows it will be a tough sell to get lawmakers to approve more money for additional pay raises. In early 2016, the starting pay for a correctional officer was $22,639 a year and $26,459 for a parole/probation officer. |
| Legislator expects to see 'big topics' in the year ahead | |
 | With the a new year laid before them, policymakers from across Mississippi will soon make their cyclic pilgrimage to Jackson. Tuesday marks the official start of a new legislative assembly, and District 39 Sen. Sally Doty, R-Brookhaven, who serves Lincoln, Lawrence and portions of Copiah and Walthall counties, anticipates a relatively hectic schedule. "I think it's going to be a very busy session, because we have some big topics to discuss," she said. One of the most contentious issues up for debate is the possible creation of a state lottery. District 92 Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, who serves Copiah, Lawrence and Lincoln counties, is in favor of a statewide game of chance. "In 1992, the people of Mississippi voted to have a lottery," she said. "And I'm not going to step on the will of the people." However, not every local legislator supports the initiative. District 53 Rep. Vince Mangold, R-Brookhaven, who serves Franklin, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Lincoln and Pike counties, is still unsure of how he'll react if the lottery comes to an official vote. |
| Session outlook | |
| House District 73 Rep. Cory Wilson has big plans in store for the 2018 legislative session. Among Wilson's top priorities are education funding, student testing, a more effective legislature and more efficient Medicaid. Last year, Wilson was successful in passing the ABLE Act, campaign finance reform, and more government transparency and efficiency. "I was so pleased to see (the ABLE Act) signed by the governor," Wilson said. "Once that program is set up in Mississippi, it will provide Mississippians with disabilities and their families a real way to save more of their own money and lead better lives. I'm real proud to have worked with Sen. Kevin Blackwell to lead (the bill) through." Campaign finance reform was another accomplishment that Wilson worked on during the 2017 legislative session. |
| Coastal Legislators Look For Unity On BP Settlement Bill | |
 | A bill that would have created a Restoration Reserve Fund for the $750 million settlement passed the Senate in the last legislative session, but died in a House committee. At a coastal legislative preview in Biloxi earlier this month, it was clear lawmakers and business leaders were hoping for a different outcome this year: "I would like to see the entire coastal delegation get behind a single piece of legislation, just as was proposed here today, and I think we will," said Representative Charles Busby, a Republican from Jackson County. Still, there continues to be some debate on what the plan should look like -- whether to create a trust, for example, or leave the decisions in the appropriations process. But lawmakers seemed to agree that unity among the delegation was critical. |
| What is the top need of Mississippi businesses? | |
| Finding an educated workforce to fill openings is a persistent problem for Mississippi businesses, a survey by the secretary of state's office shows. More than 1,800 business owners (of the almost 100,000 contacted) responded to the survey, which included nine questions focused on business needs, employee qualifications and other Mississippi business barriers. The responses revealed common hurdles to starting a business, investing and expanding operations in Mississippi. Chief among them: continued lack of an educated workforce. "We need more jobs, higher wages, and greater opportunities for all Mississippians, but the message businesses are sending us is clear. We will fail to accomplish these goals if we do not have an educated workforce," Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said in a news release. |
| Mississippi seeks parity, but academic achievement gaps grow | |
| Mississippi has an ambitious plan to close academic achievement gaps among student groups by 2025, but last year's results won't help -- most gaps grew wider. Black and Hispanic students fell further behind their white counterparts in proficiency in English language arts and math. Poor students fell further behind those who aren't poor. And students with disabilities fell further behind students without disabilities. It's the second year the state has produced a report on achievement divides , part a federal push to make sure high scores among some students don't disguise problems among disadvantaged groups. State Superintendent Carey Wright, in a Board of Education meeting earlier this month when the data was released, urged districts to use the data to target areas for improvement. |
| Mississippi Medicaid receives nation's first 10 year federal waiver | |
| The federal government has granted its first ever 10-year waiver to Mississippi's Division of Medicaid. The waiver, which is for family planning services, is one in a series of anticipated moves by the federal agency to increase the autonomy of state Medicaid programs. The decision, announced Friday by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will allow Mississippi Medicaid to continue providing family planning services such as birth control and emergency contraception to residents with incomes up to 194% of the federal poverty level. Previous federal waivers in this state and others had maxed out at five years. Giving states more leeway in how they run their Medicaid programs has been an oft- expressed goal for the Trump administration. This could be a popular result for Mississippi's elected officials who have previously tried and failed to change aspects of the program. |
| Doing Less With Less: Mental Health Care in Mississippi | |
| The state of mental health care in Mississippi has been in freefall for years. As a consequence of the ripple effects of the financial crisis, Mississippi saw its state support for mental health care slashed by $42 million from 2009 to 2011, roughly 15 percent of the Department of Mental Health's budget. The state, which had 1,156 psychiatric beds in 2010, has just 486 today. In 2016, after years of failing to heed warnings from federal prosecutors, Mississippi was sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to deliver adequate care to its residents. The cutbacks in funding, however, have only continued, with another $14 million of cuts coming in 2017, amounting to another 6 percent of the Department of Mental Health's budget. The consequences have been grim. |
| As Thad Cochran ages, a legacy -- and speculation -- grows | |
| As Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell celebrated with Republican senators early Wednesday morning just after 51 Republicans voted to pass sweeping tax reform, Sen. Thad Cochran was already on his way home. Ten minutes before the votes were tallied, Cochran stood near the back of the chamber, flanked by Mississippi's junior senator Roger Wicker and legislative assistant Ty Mabry, and raised one finger in the air to signal to the clerk an affirmative vote. After his vote was recorded, he shook Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's hand and exited the chamber with Mabry. For any 80 year old, 12:30 a.m. is a late night. But for Cochran, who has fought several health ailments in recent weeks, there would be no celebrating with his colleagues. "He's certainly not 30 anymore, but I think he could hold his ground with any other 80 year old," said Brad White, Cochran's chief of staff. "I think people would be very surprised." |
| What happens if Senator Thad Cochran retires? | |
| If Sen. Thad Cochran retires, it would likely launch the ultimate game of musical chairs in Mississippi politics. States choose how to handle vacant U.S. Senate seats, and in Mississippi, the solution in this case would be straightforward: Gov. Phil Bryant would appoint a temporary replacement for the seat, effective immediately, and a special election would be held on Nov. 6, 2018. The winner of that race would serve the remainder of the term through 2020. Four names lead the field of potential replacements, according to several handicappers: Gov. Phil Bryant himself, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann and U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper. Thus the game of musical chairs extends from the Governor's Mansion, through the Capitol and state office buildings to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. |
| The 10 must-watch candidates of 2018 | |
 | President Donald Trump's name won't be on the ballot in 2018, but his influence will be everywhere. Just look at the types of candidates who are running: The polarizing president has lured scores of Democratic recruits itching to challenge him and his policies, as well as Republican hopefuls taking up Trump's "America First" banner. Moderate candidates in both parties will also have to figure out how to best position themselves vis-à-vis a commander in chief loathed or loved by their respective grass roots. As the midterm election year gets underway, here are 10 candidates you should be watching in 2018 races for House, Senate and governor, in alphabetical order: 8. Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel (R). |
| GOP intraparty clash poised to shape U.S. Senate contest in Mississippi | |
 | Mississippi's 2018 U.S. Senate race is poised to be the next possible front in the fight between rival wings of the Republican Party, a campaign that could test how the GOP's populist and establishment forces engage in the aftermath of this month's bitter Alabama contest. If state Sen. Chris McDaniel, the hard right's top recruit for the seat, decides to challenge Sen. Roger Wicker (R), he will be up against the incumbent's well-funded allies and President Trump, who has pledged Wicker his support. Those dynamics could trigger a broad intraparty clash such as the one that played out in Alabama, where the GOP lost a Senate seat for the first time in a quarter-century. But Mississippi's insurgent faction faces brisk head winds in its bid to topple another incumbent. |
| Chawla family: Construction to resume on Cleveland hotel | |
| Chawla Hotels has answered reports that its most ambitious hotel project in the Delta has been stalled for months with reassurances that the $21 million project in Cleveland is still on go. Since the Delta-based hotel operation signed a deal with the Trump hotel organization in June on the Cleveland hotel -- originally called the Lyric and now called the Scion -- the project's plans have had to undergo major revisions, according to Suresh Chawla, president and chief executive. In an email to the Mississippi Business Journal on Wednesday, he said: "We continue to stay committed to our SCION and American IDEA hotel projects and have been working diligently and collaboratively with the Trump team in New York and our local teams in Cleveland to create the very best experience for our future guests." |
| Ole Miss alumnus creates scholarship to help incoming freshmen | |
 | A lifelong Rebel has given back to Ole Miss to provide opportunities for incoming freshmen. Ole Miss Alumnus Buddy Shaw recently presented a gift of $110,000 to establish a scholarship at the university. The Norman E. Shaw Scholarship Endowment is available to full-time entering freshmen from Mississippi, selected on the combination of high merit and financial need. |
| Oxonian proves she's 'not a quitter,' receives diploma at 87 | |
| When Oxford resident Bettye Butler decided she was going to finish her bachelor's degree after a 38-year hiatus from the University of Mississippi, she picked up the phone one morning to ask about her remaining few credits. "I'm not a quitter," she told Billy Crews, development officer for the UM School of Education. Days later, after a little digging and transcript analysis, Butler learned from Crews that due to shifts in university curricula and degree requirements since her last enrollment in 1979, she no longer was six credits short of qualifying for a bachelor's degree in education. Education Dean David Rock could authorize her graduation based on her existing credits. "This is truly an amazing story," Rock said. Butler, 87, was presented her Ole Miss diploma by Rock at a private ceremony Dec. 1 in Guyton Hall, with her children and friends by her side. |
| JSU to appeal judgment in former coach's lawsuit | |
| Jackson State University is planning to appeal a federal judge's order awarding $382,000 in damages to the school's former women's basketball coach in 2014, despite the school already spending more than $200,000 in attorney fees. Last month, U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate refused to throw out or reduce the award made in 2014 to former coach, Denise Taylor Travis, who went by the last name Taylor during her time at JSU. "To have closure is very gratifying to me and my family," Travis said after Wingate's ruling. "I want to return to coaching." Last week, JSU attorney Latoya Merritt filed a notice of appeal to the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. |
| JSU's University Communications wins at 2017 HBCUgrow LEAD Awards | |
| Photo: Jackson State University director of social media Spencer McClenty (left) and executive director Maxine R. Greenleaf (right) accepts an award from Me'chelle Degree on behalf of Jackson State University. The school's Department of University Communications were recently presented with three LEAD Awards for outstanding work in social media advertising, viral profiles of "People of JSU" and the university's main website. JSU won a gold award for the campus website, www.jsums.edu. JSU also earned silver awards for "People of JSU" and marketing. The LEAD Award levels were platinum, gold, silver and bronze. HBCUgrow is dedicated to assisting HBCUs with enrollment and alumni giving and tackling challenges in the changing landscape of marketing. |
| Education reform internships expand to students at Mississippi's HBCUs | |
| Shamara Butler always dreamed of attending a historically black college, and a choir scholarship to Rust College made that dream a reality for her. This opportunity gave her a chance to explore a different region outside the comfort zone of her home state of Minnesota. Adding to that experience, Butler participated in an eight-week, paid internship last summer that focused on strengthening education reform. "It [the program] gave me more than I really expected," said Butler. The United Negro College Fund, the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for students of color, teamed with the Walton Family Foundation for a leadership and development paid internship for African-Americans at historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, who are interested in education reform. |
| Salary announced for new U. of Alabama official | |
 | The University of Alabama's new vice president of financial affairs will have an annual base salary of $400,000. The UA System board of trustee's compensation committee approved the appointment of Matt Fajack on Dec. 19 during a meeting by phone. Fajack is scheduled to begin work Feb. 15. He replaces Lynda Gilbert, who announced plans to retire this spring after leading the division for 12 years. Fajack's appointment was announced Dec. 12. As part of the salary and benefits package approved by the committee on Dec. 19, Fajack will also receive a vehicle allowance and standard retirement and healthcare benefits, UA President Stuart Bell said. |
| Auburn University programs for grade-school students expanding in January | |
 | New year, new instrument? Or new year, new language? Auburn University's music and foreign language classes for area grade school students begin a new semester in January. The Auburn University Music Project launched in 2015 under the direction of assistant professor Guy Harrison. The program has offered instruction in orchestral string instruments for children in grades 3-5, but will expand for the spring semester to include beginner lessons for brass, percussion and wind instruments for fifth- and sixth-graders. "There aren't many public school string programs in Alabama," Harrison said. "And we want to give our students as much teaching experience as possible prior to moving out to their internships." The AUMP solves both of those issues, providing children with the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and Auburn University music students with teaching experience. Four undergraduate students teach in the program right now. |
| LSU and the anthem? Lawmakers threatened state funding if players protested, spokesman says | |
 | A Washington Post column about Republican attitudes toward colleges on Friday includes an anecdote about Louisiana state legislators allegedly threatening funding for LSU if any player took part in the "take a knee" protests during the national anthem. LSU players aren't on the field during the "Star Spangled Banner," and it's unclear who was among the "group of Louisiana legislators" who made the threat that LSU President F. King Alexander described in the column. A university spokesman said the threat came in a phone call but wouldn't name the legislators involved. In the column, which ran under the headline "Why do so many Republicans hate college?," writer Catherine Rampell describes a dinner in New York last month that "about a dozen" college presidents attended. Rampell introduces the LSU anecdote as an example of "showdowns with peacocking, publicity-stunting politicians." |
| John Friscia named LSU Student Media Director | |
| John Friscia was officially announced as the University's Director of Student Media in a tweet by the Manship School of Mass Communication Wednesday afternoon. Friscia had held the interim position since February. Friscia has been a member of the Manship School faculty for 18 years, serving as the chief broadcast engineer and technician, according to his biography on the Manship School's website. Friscia previously spent eight years working at the United Nations headquarters as a broadcast and sound engineer. Prior to that he was a maintenance engineer for Battery Studios, a division of Jive Records. Friscia was hired by Dean of the Manship School, Jerry Ceppos, after he was recommended by a search committee. |
| Family, friends of LSU's Max Gruver mourn loss, build legacy with anti-hazing org | |
| The last time Rae Ann Gruver saw her son Max, he enveloped her in a hug that she'll treasure forever. The "gentle giant," as she called him, towered over her at almost 6 feet 2 inches tall, so he rested his chin on her forehead and she locked her wrists around his waist. In that moment, they both closed their eyes and smiled, standing in the parking lot of LSU's South Hall dorm, Max's new home for the year. Max moved in to LSU on Aug. 15 to start his freshman year and his journey into adulthood. He died only one month later following what police described as a fraternity initiation at the Phi Delta Theta house, among people he had hoped would become his friends and brothers. Four days before Christmas, Rae Ann and Stephen Gruver invited an Advocate reporter to their home to talk about the recent death of their son. |
| Vanderbilt chancellor calls tax bill an 'unprecedented government intrusion' on tax-exempt universities | |
 | Vanderbilt University's chancellor applauded Congress' removal of taxes on graduate school tuition credits in its tax overhaul. But Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos also blasted the Republican-led Congress' bill for falling short in other ways, namely a 1.4 percent excise tax on certain university endowments. "It is an unprecedented government intrusion and taxation of tax-exempt universities that will result in fewer resources for student financial aid," Zeppos said. Vanderbilt, he said, spends $270 million on student financial aid each year, of which the endowment funded one-third. Donations also would be affected. The legislation could have long-term impacts on America's future prosperity, he said. |
| U. of Tennessee system, Knoxville campus calculated different outsourcing savings | |
 | The savings that would be achieved under a controversial facilities outsourcing plan were calculated differently by University of Tennessee system administrators and those at the state's flagship campus in Knoxville. System administrators also expressed concerns about the numbers before Knoxville Chancellor Beverly Davenport presented her decision to the UT board of trustees that she would not outsource. And they were concerned about "false information" causing fear and disruption among employees, according to emails obtained by USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee through a public records request. As one of the first major decisions made by Davenport since she took office, the outsourcing outcome may speak to what her leadership will look like going forward. President Joe DiPietro and members of the board of trustees openly criticized the process by which Davenport made her decision. |
| Four hazing deaths nationwide lead U. of Kentucky trustees to ask: What's going on here? | |
 | Last year, the University of Kentucky chapter of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity got kicked off campus for five years for hazing practices that included forcing pledges to drink until they threw up, then doing calisthenics in the pools of vomit on the floor. Fraternity members admitted that they sometimes made pledges watch gay porn and wouldn't let them sit on furniture or take showers. Hazing and alcohol abuse are a constant worry for all universities, particularly this year. Nationwide, four students have died in alleged hazing incidents, leading to the suspension of numerous fraternity and sorority chapters, and in some cases, eliminating Greek life completely. The issue is so much discussed in higher education circles that the UK Board of Trustees recently asked for an update of UK's policies from dean of students Nick Kehrwald, who says, "There is a lot of discussion and concern with the sort of environment that fraternities and the Greek system are creating." |
| Arkansas Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz Takes Seat with APLU Board | |
 | Joseph E. Steinmetz, chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, has been named to the board of directors of the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities as a member at large. Steinmetz is serving a three-year term as one of seven at-large members on the 27-member board. |
| Texas A&M research program to fund seven more projects | |
 | The Texas A&M College of Science has big plans for its participation in a university-wide collaborative research initiative in 2018 with goals to provide up to $600,000 in support for teams participating in the Strategic Transformative Research program. The program, which began earlier this year and offered $504,882 in funding to 11 research concepts, has already selected seven proposals to receive seed funding totaling $344,155 in fiscal year 2018. It is jointly funded by the College of Science and the Office of the Vice President for Research. Other colleges -- including the Colleges of Medicine, Engineering and Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences -- participate through a cost-sharing partnership. Funding awards for the 18 individual projects supported thus far have ranged from $25,000 to $50,000. |
| U. of Missouri researchers awarded $450,000 grant to study 'flipped classrooms' | |
 | A team of University of Missouri researchers will use a half-million-dollar grant in order to study a new, opposite-style teaching method called "flipped classrooms." Flipped classrooms are when teachers send students home with a video of a lecture, question or problem and then use class time to work on homework, projects or discussions. The $450,000 grant paying for the study came from the National Science Foundation. Principal investigator Zandra de Araujo and co-principal investigator Samuel Otten, along with Ze Wang, James Tarr and a team of research assistants, will spend two years on their study. They will spend time in 40 middle and high school algebra classes throughout Missouri, 20 flipped and 20 traditional. |
| Wealthy colleges face uncertainty as they seek ways to avoid new endowment tax | |
 | Picture a mad scramble at wealthy private colleges and universities in the days after the Republican tax reform plan passed Congress, as officials scurried to find ways to dodge or minimize the new excise tax on their endowments. With the legislation kicking in for taxable years starting after Dec. 31, there would have been little time to lose. The tax reform package places an annual 1.4 percent excise tax on net investment income at an estimated several dozen colleges and universities. Specifically, the tax will apply to institutions with at least 500 students and net assets of $500,000 per student. That includes some of the nation's wealthiest colleges, such as Harvard, Stanford and Princeton Universities, but also some that fall under the tax in large part because they have relatively small student bodies, such as Claremont McKenna College. |
| Starting the new year with a list (of grievances) | |
| Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "Jolly Rancher-flavored Pop Tarts. The very thought is disgusting. Kind of like crushed peppermint on scrambled eggs. Happy 2018! Many people start new years with lists, usually resolutions or pledges. This is a list -- of grievances. The aforementioned breakfast pastries are grievance No. 1. ...Grievance No. 2: U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. There's just something about this guy. ...Grievance No. 3: Directly related to grievance No. 2. ...Grievance No. 4: Government is seen as Santa Claus." |
| New Year economy pivotal for Republican leaders | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "The New Year promises to be a pivotal year for Republican leaders in Mississippi. With 'job creation' tax cuts in place at both the state and federal levels, voters will be looking for Mississippi's moribund economy to take off. But, that's not what Mississippi's state economist Dr. Darrin Webb forecasts. 'Mississippi's growth will not catch the national growth' in the near future, he told the Legislative Budget Committee in November. 'That is not likely to happen.' ...All this makes 2018 the year to watch for Mississippi politics. Will Republican leaders' investments in business tax cuts pay off and spur economic growth? Or will their lack of investment in education, infrastructure and health care hold Mississippi back?" |
| Streamline college student absentee voting | |
| Senator David Blount (District 29-Hinds County), vice chairman of the Senate Elections Committee, and daughter Susanna Blount, a freshman at Georgetown University, write in The Clarion-Ledger: "Mississippi's current absentee voting process for college students is antiquated, needlessly complicated and expensive, and needs to change. Mississippi is losing more of its young people and college graduates than any other state. We must send a clear signal to our college students that their voices are important and their state government wants them to be part of the process. Too many of our voting laws were designed to thwart voter participation. We need a process that is clear and simple." |
| Universities support state's target sectors for economic development | |
| Mississippi Commissioner of Higher Education Glenn Boyce writes: "The Mississippi Development Authority, the economic and community development agency for the state, has identified eight target industries that are an excellent fit for Mississippi's assets, human and natural resources and business climate. The eight industries include: advanced manufacturing, aerospace, agribusiness, automotive, forestry and energy, health care, shipbuilding and tourism and film. Mississippi Public Universities support these eight industries in numerous ways." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State men open SEC play tonight vs. Arkansas | |
| While the Southeastern Conference has enjoyed a mild resurgence in men's basketball, Mississippi State has spent most of the season in the shadows. The league has four ranked teams, while three others earned the distinction earlier in the season. Meanwhile, MSU and Auburn share the best records in the league at 12-1. While Auburn is 29 in the NCAA's Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), which measures a team's strength, MSU's best start since the 2011-12 season has it at No. 74 in the RPI. The fast start includes 11 home games. At 8 tonight, MSU will have a chance to prove it is worthy of added consideration when it plays host to No. 22 Arkansas (11-2, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) in its league opener at the Humphrey Coliseum. "I think it's time to play some games in the Southeastern Conference," MSU junior guard Xavian Stapleton said. "We are a better basketball team than a lot of people think. We are probably even better than we have shown. Now, it's time to play some big-time opponents. We are going to keep getting better." |
| Bulldogs begin league play against Arkansas | |
| Mississippi State coasted through its non-conference men's basketball schedule with a 12-1 record. The Bulldogs went a perfect 11-0 at home and their lone loss came on the road at now No. 19 Cincinnati. Tonight MSU will try to keep their streak alive inside Humphrey Coliseum as it hosts 22nd-ranked Arkansas at 8 p.m. on the SEC Network to begin league play. "It's a whole new season that begins now," said MSU coach Ben Howland. "Now every single opponent is more like Cincinnati than anybody else we had in our non-conference schedule in terms of their size and athleticism." Mississippi State enters tonight's contest against the Razorbacks leading the SEC in fewest points allowed at 62.6. |
| Bulldogs begin SEC play at home against Razorbacks | |
| A sharp Xavian Stapleton may be just the shot in the arm the Mississippi State Bulldogs need going into Southeastern Conference play. Stapleton is coming off a career-high performance of 16 points as the Bulldogs won their final non-conference game over North Florida 109-81 last Saturday. MSU men's basketball coach Ben Howland likes the way the now-healthy Stapleton is playing going into Tuesday night SEC opener against Arkansas. The tip at Humphrey Coliseum is set for 8 p.m. and will be televised by the SEC Network. "Xavian was set back with those two weeks plus that he was out with his knee and to get the confidence back," Howland said. After taking on Arkansas, the Bulldogs will go on the road Saturday to face rival Ole Miss that knocked off South Carolina in its first league opportunity. |
| Arkansas vs. Mississippi State: Road to challenge ranked Hogs | |
| The Arkansas Razorbacks are ranked in The Associated Press top 25 poll for the first time in three seasons, but they've got work to do on the road this week to stay there. The No. 22 Razorbacks (11-2, 1-0 SEC) play at Mississippi State (12-1, 0-0) tonight and at Auburn (12-1, 0-0) on Saturday. The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville beat Tennessee 95-93 in overtime Saturday to earn its first AP ranking on Monday since being No. 18 in the final poll of the 2014-2015 season. Arkansas takes a six-game winning streak into Humphrey Coliseum -- where the Bulldogs are 11-0 this season -- but all of those victories were at home. Mississippi State is going for its third consecutive victory over Arkansas and returns four players who combined to score 62 points when the Bulldogs won 84-78 in Walton Arena last season. |
| Mississippi State women zip past Georgia | |
| Teaira McCowan had 26 points and 13 rebounds to help No. 5 Mississippi State remain unbeaten with an 86-62 win over Georgia on Sunday in the Southeastern Conference women's basketball opener for both teams. McCowan scored nine of Mississippi State's (15-0, 1-0 SEC) 16 points in the first quarter when not much else was going right. She gathered in 12 of her 13 rebounds in the first half. Victoria Vivians added 20 points for Mississippi State while Roshunda Johnson had 16. Georgia never mounted a serious threat down the stretch. |
| No. 5 Mississippi State women sharing wealth on offense | |
| Caliya Robinson admits life will be hard for post players who have to go up against Teaira McCowan and the Mississippi State women's basketball team. At 6-foot-3, Robinson is one of the most athletic posts in the Southeastern Conference. Paired with 6-2 forward Mackenzie Engram, Georgia has one of the most versatile front-court tandems in the league. But McCowan has shown an uncanny ability to negate the strengths of opponents. MSU's 6-7 junior center continued her hot streak Sunday by posting game highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds in an 86-62 victory against Georgia in the SEC opener for both teams at Stegeman Coliseum. MSU will try to continue to execute at a high level at 8 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network) when it plays host to Arkansas in its SEC home opener at Humphrey Coliseum. |
| Mississippi State earns bowl win, focuses on 2018 with new coach Joe Moorhead | |
| Mississippi State enjoyed nearly a decade of stability and success under former coach Dan Mullen, who left the program last month to take Florida's head coaching job. Mullen moving elsewhere was jarring for the 24th-ranked Bulldogs, but Saturday's impressive win over Louisville in the TaxSlayer Bowl provides some proof that the good times might not be over in Starkville. Mississippi State finished its season with a 9-4 record after beating Louisville 31-27 in Jacksonville, Florida. Now the Bulldogs can focus on the process of continuing to build under new coach Joe Moorhead, who was hired two days after Mullen's departure but didn't coach in the bowl game. Moorhead inherits a talented roster that will have plenty of veterans in 2018. |
| New Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead has long do-list | |
| Joe Moorhead spent Christmas back in Pennsylvania and tidying up some loose ends before arriving in Jacksonville on the eve of the TaxSlayer Bowl. The new head coach experienced his first Mississippi State game day observing from John Cohen's skybox at EverBank Field and watched his future team secure a 31-27 win over Louisville. Now the program fully belongs to him -- and there was plenty on the agenda when he arrived back in Starkville on Sunday. "There's a long list of things to do," Moorhead said. "It's compartmentalized, it's organized. We just have to knock them down one at a time." |
| Meridian's Robert Bell: From trailblazer to honoree at Mississippi State | |
| In 1969, Robert Bell, along with his girlfriend, Rosie, loaded into his green-on-green 1969 Chevy Malibu and made the trek from Meridian to Starkville. Bell's parents, Joe Bell and Eddie Mae Bell, followed. Bell had recently concluded a successful prep football career at Meridian High School that resulted in a scholarship to Mississippi State University. The 96 miles clicked by like historic mileposts. Robert Bell was on his way to becoming one of Mississippi State University's first two African-American football players. Although Mississippi State fielded its first football team in 1895, Bell and Tupelo's Frank Dowsing Jr. were finally about to break through the color barrier. Forty-eight years later, Bell and Rosie, the girl in the green Malibu now his wife, returned to Starkville with a different type of anticipation. This time, more than two dozen family members accompanied them. On Nov. 23, before the Egg Bowl, Mississippi State University honored Bell, now 66, and the late Dowsing with the dedication and naming of Dowsing-Bell Plaza at the north end of Davis Wade Stadium. |
| Former USM coach Jeff Bower enjoying College Football Playoff role | |
 | Like millions of college football fans, Jeff Bower will have a television tuned to Monday night's semifinal games of the College Football Playoff. The following Monday, Bower and wife, Debbie, will be in Atlanta at the Mercedes-Benz Dome for the CFP championship game. And while the former Southern Mississippi football coach doesn't have a dog in the hunt, so to speak, he will be watching from a rather unique point of view. After all, he helped select the four-team bracket that will crown college football's new champion. For the past two years, Bower has been one of the 13 members of the CFP selection committee that is charged with sifting and evaluating a mountain of metrics to come up with the four teams that will compete for the title. "The question always is: Did we make the right call?" Bower said. "Probably the biggest thing that I can tell you is that it's important to all of us that we make the right call for college football. It's simply the best four teams, this year, and you can't imagine how many times that is brought up." |
| Georgia and Alabama set for national championship showdown | |
 | And so they meet again. Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. Georgia and Alabama. The protege against the mentor. Their teams go head to head for the first time next Monday in the national championship game. No. 3 Georgia's 54-48 double overtime win over No. 3 Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl coupled with No. 4 Alabama's 24-6 victory against No. 1 Clemson in the Sugar Bowl sets up a national title game showdown at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. |
| Nick Saban says 'sometimes people try to put a little hate on the SEC' | |
 | Alabama will play for another national championship in a season when it failed to win its conference, let alone its division. And for the second time, Alabama will be part of an all-SEC national championship game. "We were fortunate several years ago to play LSU right here in the same kind of circumstance and the same kind of situation," Alabama coach Nick Saban after his team's 24-6 Sugar Bowl win over Clemson on Monday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Alabama (12-1) and Georgia (13-1) will play next week in Atlanta, with the winner to be the ninth SEC team to win a national title in 12 seasons. "I think sometimes people try to put a little hate on the SEC because of some of the success that we have," Saban said. "And I don't think that is really fair because I think it's a great competitive league with a lot of great coaches and a lot of great institutions." |
| PETA protesters arrested on Belk Bowl field | |
| Three protesters were arrested during the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday. The trio was arrested after they ran onto the field following Texas A&M's first touchdown in their bowl game against Wake Forest. The protesters were wearing sweatshirts and holding signs that read "TAMU: Stop Cruel Dog Tests." They walked around the field for several minutes before police escorted them off of the premises, a press release stated. |
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