| Friday, April 20, 2018 |
| Big weekend on deck for Starkville | |
 | There won't be any shortage of things to do this weekend in Starkville as the city and Mississippi State University gear up for the 33rd annual Super Bulldog Weekend. Super Bulldog Weekend will begin in earnest on Friday, with the Hail State Family Party to celebrate the MSU women's basketball team's second consecutive run to the NCAA Championship game. Jennifer Prather, director of tourism for The Partnership, said that event is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. on Main Street near City Hall. Super Bulldog Weekend will continue Saturday with the Cotton District Arts Festival, which runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Cotton District, and judging for the pig cooking contest which will run from 9 a.m. to noon, with sampling at noon in the north parking lot of the Howell building. Softball will play again at 1 p.m. The annual Maroon/White Spring Football game is set to kickoff at 3 p.m. at Davis Wade Stadium, and baseball will continue its series at 6 p.m. |
| Bee population ups and downs | |
 | It appears the state's bee population is doing better despite pressure on the population in recent years. Experts at Mississippi State University say honey bees are the most important agricultural pollinator in the world. But ongoing research and improvements have helped the bees make a comeback. WTVA 9 News caught up with one local beekeeper who says there's still one pesky problem that researchers are working on preventing. The Varroa mite. "They're getting more technology and more ways to control it. So it's something that you really have to watch," explained Roger Hussey, a Lee County beekeeper |
| The Max gives sneak preview with 8 days to go | |
 | It's crunch time at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience in Meridian as painters, electricians and carpenters are putting final touches on the center. The Max, located at Front Street and 22nd Avenue, will open next week beginning with a black-tie gala on April 27. The 58,000-square-foot museum, which will celebrate the state's rich artistic heritage, will open to members on April 28 and officially open to the public on April 29. The final exhibits are expected to arrive from New Orleans on Monday, April 23, Mark Tullos, the MAX's CEO, said during a media tour of the museum on Thursday. The trucks carrying the exhibits will return to New Orleans with construction equipment used during the building of the MAX, he said. "This is a 'do touch' museum," he emphasized during the tour, describing a large stained glass painting in the museum's church display. |
| Mississippi Supreme Court Rejects Zoning for Costco Store | |
 | A unanimous Mississippi Supreme Court says a suburb acted improperly in rezoning property for what would be Mississippi's first Costco store. The court on Thursday reversed a lower court ruling. It ruled that the city of Ridgeland hadn't proved that the rezoning was justified and had illegally tailored its decision to aid the developer. The plan for the 45-acre site just north of Jackson has been subject to repeated rounds of litigation. Homeowners in nearby affluent subdivisions say they're worried about traffic and other nuisances. |
| Manufacturing pushes state's economy for February | |
 | The Mississippi Manufacturing Employment Index surged in February by 6.4 percent over January -- the largest monthly increase in nearly a quarter century, according to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning's University Research Center. That was 2.6 percent higher than a year earlier, according to the report. "The average weekly hours of work of production employees climbed 5.8 percent for the month to its highest level in two years," the report stated. The average hourly wage in Mississippi manufacturing in February was $20.38. Manufacturing was the primary driver in increasing by 1 percent the Mississippi Leading Index (MLI) -- with its seven components, including five state indicators and two national indicators, according to the Research Center's monthly "Mississippi's Business" report for April. |
| Jason Shelton, Mike Espy first to qualify in Senate special election | |
 | The two Democrats who have announced they are running in the special Senate election to replace Thad Cochran are the first two candidates to officially qualify for the contest. Both Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton and Mike Espy, a former U.S House member and secretary of agriculture, filed qualifying papers Thursday in the office of Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. Shelton, who was the last of the four announced candidates to confirm he is running in the Nov. 6 special election, sent out a news release announcing he would arrive at the Secretary of State's office in Jackson at 1:30 p.m. Thursday to file his qualifying papers. Shelton was met by some members of the media as he filed to run for the office. Earlier in the day, Espy, a Jackson area attorney, quietly walked into the Secretary of State's office, to officially qualify for the office. |
| Petition asks Democratic party to block candidate over GOP donations | |
 | The Mississippi Democratic Party received a petition Thursday calling for the disqualification of Democratic candidate Howard Sherman, but the challenge comes too late in the race to be considered. The petition questions Howard's past donations to Republican candidates and that he has a home in California, neither of which likely warrants disqualification, according to Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Bobby Moak. Sherman, the husband of actress Sela Ward, gave $5,000 to Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker last summer. But he did it to help protect the seat from then-prospective candidate state Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, Sherman said Thursday. Attorney Sam Begley filed the petition, urging the party to consider the prospect of Sherman winning the primary and facing an opponent he financially supported. |
| Brookhaven Sen. Sally Doty stands strong at debate | |
 | Brookhaven Sen. Sally Doty had a strong showing at Wednesday night's congressional debate, providing specific answers and sobering analysis while her opponents mostly repeated Republican talking points and dreamed out loud. Doty used the two-hour debate among the six Republican candidates running for the 3rd Congressional District to set herself apart as the only competitor with law-making experience, showcasing her inside knowledge of government and previous success in writing and passing legislation. Her answers to the pointed questions from moderators seldom matched the intensity and idealism of her opponents, but the straight talk went far to establish her as a knowledgeable, capable contender. |
| Comey Memos Provide Intimate Look Into Trump Presidency | |
 | President Trump spoke in intimate and candid terms to the former F.B.I. director James Comey about some of the most sensitive matters before the agency, including the salacious dossier detailing Mr. Trump's ties to Russia and the investigation into Michael T. Flynn, the president's first national security adviser, according to Mr. Comey's closely guarded memos. The redacted and declassified memos -- running 15 pages in total, and sent to Congress from the Justice Department on Thursday night -- detail a series of phone calls and encounters between the two men in the months leading up to Mr. Comey's firing. They offer an extraordinary look at the private interactions among leaders at the highest levels of government. |
| Tupelo's Shane Hooper takes over as College Board president | |
| Tupelo's Shane Hooper will be serving as president of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning when the panel convenes for its next monthly meeting. On Thursday, during the April meeting, outgoing College Board President C.D. Smith of Meridian "passed the gavel" to Hooper who has been serving as vice president during Smith's tenure. The 12-member College Board oversees the state's eight public universities. "Through both university-specific initiatives and collaborative efforts, Mississippi's public university system advances the state and provides an excellent return on investment for the taxpayers," Hooper said in a news release. "For every dollar the state invests in Mississippi Public Universities, the Mississippi economy grows by $3.21. I am excited to take on this new role as we continue to meet the needs of our students, serve all Mississippians and move the state forward through education, research and outreach." |
| Tuition to rise about 4 percent; universities point to 'scarce' state funding | |
 | Tuition could creep up again for students at Mississippi's public universities entering the 2019 academic year. The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning unanimously approved on Thursday to raise public universities' tuition by an average of 4 percent, or about $309, in academic year 2019. At the meeting, Mark E. Keenum, president of Mississippi State University, said increasing tuition would not be necessary if the state funded its universities at the same level as they did fiscal year 2016, so they would be able to cover inflation costs and provide pay raises, he said. "Obviously, we didn't receive those type of increases," Keenum said. "We didn't get cut, which is a blessing ...but it did necessitate us to do a modest increase in our tuition." |
| Pine Belt businessman elected to Mississippi Power Board of Directors | |
 | Mississippi Power announced that Thomas Duff, a local businessman in the Pine Belt, was elected to the company's board of directors Thursday, April 19. Mississippi Power President and CEO Anthony Wilson says Duff's leadership and business acumen will be a huge asset to the board. The Columbia native is currently the co-owner of Duff Capital Investors, which is one of the largest private companies in Mississippi. The company is made up of multiple companies that operate in more 100 locations across the United States and approximately 10,000 workers. Duff also serves on the board of trustees of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning and the advisory board of Trustmark National Bank in Hattiesburg. |
| UPDATE: No charges filed against MUW assault suspect | |
| A man faces no charges following a reported assault on the campus of Mississippi University for Women. Columbus Police Chief Fred Shelton tells WTVA 9 News the suspect, who surrendered to police Wednesday night in order to explain his side of the story. The alleged assault happened Tuesday evening. The university sent out an alert warning those on campus. Shelton says there was no physical evidence to support the domestic assault allegation against the suspect. The suspect was given a verbal warning that if he causes any problems on MUW's campus, he will be charged. |
| Symphony concert to feature MUW piano faculty Saturday | |
| The Starkville-MSU Symphony, which will feature Mississippi University for Women piano faculty, will be in concert Saturday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. in Rent Auditorium, Whitfield Hall, on the MUW campus. This concert is the sixth and final of the 2017-2018 season, and will feature works including Brahms Symphony 1, Op. 68 and Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365. Barry Kopetz, head of the Department of Music at Mississippi State University, will serve as conductor. The performance will feature Julia Mortyakova, chair of The W's Department of Music, and Valentin Bogdan, assistant professor of music at The W, as the soloists on Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365. The event is free and open to the public. |
| Gov. Bryant linked Ole Miss with scrutinized British data firm | |
| Gov. Phil Bryant used his friendships with Brexit leaders to help a data firm -- whose business practices are being investigated in the United Kingdom -- do business with the University of Mississippi. Bryant's office referred U.K.-based Eldon Insurance Services to the university's business incubator Insight Park. Eldon, along with a firm called Big Data Dolphins, are owned by a British businessman named Arron Banks. University of Mississippi spokesman Ryan Whittington downplayed any connection this week, saying the university "has neither received nor analyzed any data from Big Data Dolphins Limited or Eldon Insurance Services Limited or any entities affiliated with these companies." But Whittington acknowledged that Eldon Insurance signed a lease agreement for space in the university's Insight Park, an incubator for businesses to access the university's academic and research resources. |
| Gov. Phil Bryant introduced Brexit firm now under scrutiny to Ole Miss | |
| A British firm that allegedly replicated Cambridge Analytica's controversial data mining tactics set up shop at the University of Mississippi after consulting with Gov. Phil Bryant, a spokesman for the Governor's Office confirmed Thursday. Cambridge Analytica is the political data analysis firm hired by President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign that gained access to private information on more than 50 million Facebook users without their permission. Brittany Kaiser, the former business development director for Cambridge Analytica, testified Tuesday before the British Parliament that the University of Mississippi partnered with a British group, Eldon Insurance, to use Facebook user data to create a new data research firm called Big Data Dolphins. "Upon learning that Eldon Insurance was planning to begin a new research effort at the University of Scotland, Gov. Bryant suggested to Eldon leadership they should look into doing research at a Mississippi university," Knox Graham, a spokesman for Bryant said in a statement. "Ultimately, they were connected with the University of Mississippi. Gov. Bryant has full confidence in the University of Mississippi to make any decisions regarding their relationship with Eldon Insurance." |
| Pedestrian suspension bridge highlights new USM Marine Center | |
 | It's almost like a treehouse with bounce, and it's the part of the newest family attraction opening in South Mississippi this weekend. The pedestrian suspension bridge at the Marine Education Center in Ocean Springs was the hit of a ribbon cutting held Monday for dignitaries. University of Southern Mississippi's new Marine Education Center replaces the JL Scott Aquarium in Biloxi that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. It is a quantum leap from that Biloxi aquarium, said Gordon Cannon, vice president for research. The center is designed so children and adults can learn more about the coastal environment and the work at the Gulf Coast Research Lab. It's also designed to make learning fun. On one side of the bridge are outdoor classrooms with barely-there walls to let in the natural surroundings and screens to keep out the bugs. |
| Meridian Community College schedules 4 open forums for presidential finalists | |
| Meridian Community College has scheduled open forums as part of the process of finding a new president. MCC faculty/staff and community members will be able to hear a presentation by each finalist and ask questions, according to a college news release. The forums are open to anyone interested in learning more about the people interested in becoming MCC's next president. All of the forums are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays in MCC's McCain Fine Arts Theater. "We have scheduled the forums because the operative word in MCC's title is 'community,' and we want to provide both members of our campus community and the community at-large a chance to learn about the experiences and credentials of each of our top-notch finalists," said Alex Weddington, chairman of the college's board of trustees. |
| Teens are obsessed with Fortnite, and it's driving schools crazy | |
 | On one day this winter, more than 3.4 million people around the globe played online video game Fortnite simultaneously. And many of them were teens. "It's kind of hard to explain how popular it is," said Ulysses Minaya, 13, a seventh-grader at George G. White Middle School in Hillsdale, N.J. "Everyone in my school is playing it. Everyone is talking about it." The result is addictive -- and, for educators, an enormous distraction. Fortnite started as a cooperative game where players team together to fend off a zombie apocalypse sparked by a world-ending storm. In September, Cary, N.C.-based Epic launched Fortnite Battle Royale, a free-to-play version featuring the popular game style battle royale, which essentially puts a contest like The Hunger Games into a video game. By late March it was the top-selling iPhone app in the United States, the United Kingdom and 11 other countries, according to PC Games News. |
| Trustees get glimpse into the future of Auburn Research Park | |
 | Auburn University Board of Trustees members got a taste of what the next decade could entail for the area during Thursday's work session. Larry Fillmer, on behalf of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation, gave the trustees a presentation on the future of the research park. The board is expected to vote today on whether to authorize the formal incorporation of three acres on South Donahue Drive into the research park, for the purpose of creating a health sciences facility. "What we see is that the Auburn metropolitan area, which includes Lee County and Opelika, is the fastest-growing area in the state of Alabama, outside of Huntsville," Fillmer said. "It is growing four times faster than any other area in the state. So the growth rate over the next 10 years is to be significant, projected to be a population of about 180,000 by the year 2025." |
| U. of Tennessee names new provost and senior vice chancellor | |
 | David Manderscheid has been named the University of Tennessee's new provost and senior vice chancellor, Chancellor Beverly Davenport announced Wednesday. Manderscheid most recently served as executive dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and vice provost for arts and sciences at Ohio State University. He will begin working July 1 on an at-will contract. He will make $408,000 per year, plus the university's standard benefits package. "Coming from Ohio State, where he provided leadership for its largest college, David understands our land-grant mission and the breadth and scope of a large nationally ranked public institution," Davenport wrote. Manderscheid was the lead dean in translational data analytics at OSU, and Davenport expressed her hope that he would be a leader in UT's initial cluster hiring with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. |
| Interest in Tennessee's tuition-free program for adult students exceeds expectations | |
 | When Tennessee launched its free community college program four years ago, some questioned why recent high school graduates were the only ones to benefit. Then last year, Bill Haslam, the state's Republican governor, announced an expansion of the widely heralded tuition-free benefit to all adult residents, in an initiative called Tennessee Reconnect. Higher education officials in Tennessee expected 8,000 adults would apply for the scholarship. But as of April 18, nearly 12,000 have applied. "Tennessee Promise changed the conversation about going to college in our state, and Tennessee Reconnect may be the next logical phase for having more Tennesseans with a college degree," said Mike Krause, executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Tennessee isn't alone in trying to eliminate tuition for adult students. |
| Fraternity at U. of Missouri denies liability for attack on freshmen | |
 | A University of Missouri fraternity closed after reports that two pledges beat up two freshmen denied in court filings it had any responsibility for the attack that left one student with a broken jaw and brain injuries and another with a broken tooth. Sigma Phi Epsilon's MU chapter was closed by its national organization after the Sept. 22 attack and all members living in the fraternity house at 405 Kentucky Ave. were ordered to vacate. In probable cause statements filed in the criminal cases against the alleged attackers, Nikolas Childress and Zachary Barbasz, Childress admitted striking Sean Freihaut and Benjamin Poss and police said Barabasz is identifiable on security video participating in the attack. Freihaut and Poss are suing the fraternity, its national organization, Childress, Barbasz and fraternity president John Tocco. |
| U. of Missouri med students help rural communities address their health needs | |
 | University of Missouri third-year medical student Brieanna Kroeger thought of herself as kind of a weird kid. Growing up in Smithton, Missouri, population 560, where kids had little exposure to medicine or medical education, she remembers loving science and the human body. "(I was) just a strange person," she said. Her family didn't have health insurance for a long time and went years without a doctor after their family doctor retired. There were other physicians in town, but no one wanted to take new patients. So role models were hard to come by. And yet, Kroeger still dreamed of studying medicine and decided in third grade to be a physician one day. That lifetime goal brought her to MU's School of Medicine, and her commitment to serving people in rural areas drew her to the Community Integration Program. As a first-generation college student, she made it part of her personal mission to spread the word among high school students that becoming a physician isn't an unrealistic goal, no matter your beginnings. |
| Career training legislation seems stalled in Congress | |
| With bipartisan talks over a Senate bill to renew the Higher Education Act seemingly stalled and a polarizing House bill having gone nowhere after a party-line committee vote, Congress seems increasingly unlikely to reauthorize the key higher education law in 2018. Legislation to extend the federal government's primary law on career and technical education, however -- desperately desired by many employers, educators and lawmakers -- would appear to give lawmakers a chance for bipartisan accomplishment in postsecondary education. But even that "no-brainer" bill, as one member of Congress called it, is proving too divisive for the current Congress. The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act was approved on a voice vote by House lawmakers last year. And 59 senators from both parties last fall urged key committee leaders to take up the legislation But negotiations have gone nowhere in months, thanks to serious philosophical differences between Republican and Democratic senators charged with negotiating a new career education bill. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State baseball faces 4th-ranked Arkansas for Super Bulldog Weekend | |
| What has become the new normal for the Mississippi State baseball team's corner outfield positions could change at any given moment. Frankly, most involved hope it does. Through the first half of Southeastern Conference play, MSU's use of left field and right field can only be described as an unplanned rotation, as four players have started in left, three have started in right and a couple have been inserted into the lineup as designated hitters. MSU (19-19, 5-10 SEC) is still looking for the results at the positions and will keep doing it until they come; the next opportunity starts with Super Bulldog Weekend and the series with No. 4 Arkansas (28-10, 10-5 SEC) beginning 6:30 p.m. Friday (SEC Network+). |
| Mississippi State hosts No. 3 Hogs for Super Bulldog Weekend | |
| There is always a buzz around Mississippi State's baseball program each year when Super Bulldog Weekend rolls around. Thousands of MSU fans will once again make their spring pilgrimage to campus to watch the Bulldogs' spring football game and also attend the Diamond Dogs' series against No. 3 Arkansas. "I think anytime we play at home the kids are excited," said MSU interim head coach Gary Henderson. "We've got great fans and a great ballpark. Is it more because it's a certain opponent or it's Super Bulldog Weekend? I don't know but I think the kids will do a good job getting ready for the weekend and it should be exciting." The last time State hosted the Razorbacks at Dudy Noble Field it resulted in a sweep by the Bulldogs that also clinched the 2016 SEC Championship. |
| Not road Hogs: Bulldogs in the way for series victory | |
| The No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks handled their business at home with a 9-1 record at Baum Stadium and North Little Rock's Dickey-Stephens Park over a two-week stretch. The next order of business for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville: Winning a road series. The Razorbacks (28-10, 10-5 SEC) will try to win their first road series of the season this weekend at Mississippi State (19-19, 5-10) starting tonight at 6:30 at Dudy Noble Field. The Razorbacks and Bulldogs have exchanged regular season sweeps the last two seasons, with Mississippi State winning 7-0, 5-1 and 9-4 in Starkville, Miss., in 2016. |
| Coach Moorhead starstruck by phone call with Dak Prescott | |
| Joe Moorhead still gets starstruck. He felt it when he called Dak Prescott. Prescott is one of three former Mississippi State football players coming back to Davis Wade Stadium for the Maroon & White Game Saturday as guest captains, joining cornerback Johnthan Banks and offensive lineman Gabe Jackson. Banks is back in Starkville now as an assistant coach at Starkville High School while Jackson continues his career as an Oakland Raider, and Moorhead credited associate athletic director of communications Bill Martin for reaching out to them and getting them on board. Moorhead took securing Prescott into his own hands. "I called Dak, got him on the phone and he was very gracious with his time and willing to come. I'm anxious to meet him," Moorhead said. "To have four Bulldog alumni of that caliber and prestige come back for my first spring game means a lot to me and our program. |
| No. 19 Mississippi State softball faces No. 5 Florida in critical conference series | |
| Mississippi State freshman catcher Mia Davidson does not know how she will handle her first Super Bulldog Weekend. If her track record in Starkville is any indication, the Hillsborough, North Carolina native will handle everything just fine. "I know this is the biggest weekend of our season," Davidson said. "I am really excited to see what it is all about. The place is going to be packed and everybody is going to be pulling for us. It will be an exciting time for all of us." No. 19 MSU (33-12 overall, 6-9 Southeastern Conference) welcomes No. 5 Florida (38-7, 12-3) for a three-game Super Bulldog Weekend three-game SEC series this weekend. The opener is at 6 tonight at Nusz Park. When it comes to Super Bulldog Weekend, coach Vann Stuedeman has a pretty good track record, too. |
| If your family loves MSU, Ole Miss and the Saints, you'll be in a pickle this Thanksgiving | |
| Mississippi football fans are sure to experience a hectic Thanksgiving night this year. The Egg Bowl battle featuring Ole Miss and Mississippi State and the Saints-Falcons game are two of the most intense football rivalries in the Southeast. It just so happens that both games will be played this season on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22. Following a three-year absence on the holiday, the Egg Bowl was moved back to Thanksgiving night for the 2017 season to grab a prime TV slot on ESPN. On Thursday, The New Orleans Advocate reported that the Saints will host the Falcons this season at 7:20 p.m. on Thanksgiving. There will be plenty of Magnolia State households with multiple TV sets tuned to both games. |
| 18-hour days, temp housing, a lot of FaceTiming: Inside first month of Kermit Davis era at Ole Miss | |
| Win Case could hardly believe it. Boarding a connecting flight in Denver on Tuesday, Ole Miss' assistant basketball coach looked up to see a man standing directly in front of him decked out in Mississippi State apparel. The fan of the Rebels' in-state rival made his way to his seat followed by Case, whose seat happened to be right across the aisle. Even a flight attendant couldn't pass up the opportunity to point out the novelty of "a Bulldog and an Ole Miss guy," as Case recalled, sitting in such proximity 1,000 miles from Mississippi. "He never said not one word to me," Case said with a laugh. "A very, very small world." It's just one of the crazier moments amid a whirlwind month for Kermit Davis and his staff since Davis was hired in March to replace Andy Kennedy after a 16-year run at Middle Tennessee State. |
| Mississippi State women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer to be Brazos County A&M Club's Muster speaker | |
 | Mississippi State women's coach Vic Schaefer, who led the Bulldogs to back-to-back Final Fours, will be the Brazos County A&M Club's Muster Speaker at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Memorial Student Center's Bethancourt Ballroom. Tickets are $25. Schaefer graduated from A&M in 1984 and was an assistant at A&M from 2003-2012. |
| Phillip Fulmer thinks being former coach 'an advantage' in role as Tennessee AD | |
| Phillip Fulmer is one of three athletic directors in the SEC who are former coaches. He figures that distinction gives him a leg up on ADs who don't have coaching experience. "I know what a practice is supposed to look like," Fulmer said Thursday. "I know how a team can be affected by injuries, or whatever it might be. I know what an excuse is and a reason is. I don't have to just look at a win-loss record to know whether we're making progress or not. And that's not just in football." Fulmer received a four-year contract worth more than $1 million annually to be Tennessee's athletic director, the university announced Thursday. He'd been serving as AD since Dec. 1, when he replaced John Currie, under an at-will agreement. Fulmer is joined by Mississippi State's John Cohen and South Carolina's Ray Tanner as SEC ADs who used to be coaches. Cohen and Tanner coached baseball. |
| One Major Sports Scandal Can Tank a University's Applications | |
 | The ramifications of an athletic scandal are wide-reaching, slashing application numbers and causing a decline in the quality of enrolled students, a new data analysis by economists at Appalachian State and Seton Hall Universities has found. The study of the impacts of athletic malfeasance on applications and enrollment examined eight institutions whose men's basketball teams were banned from postseason play from 2000 to 2013. In each case, the bans were associated with single-year application drops of 17 percent from men and 18 percent from women, on average. At first glance, the findings might seem to bolster the view that an investment in big-time athletics is too risky to justify. Instead, the researchers wrote, the findings demonstrate the power of athletics to expose applicants to an individual institution. "Ultimately, our study demonstrates that university athletics are indeed the front porch to a university leading students to the door to enroll," the working paper reads. |
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