| Friday, January 5, 2024 |
| New MSU Grant Library collection examines Secretary of War Rawlins, president's 'conscience' | |
 | A special collection of correspondence, papers and memorabilia providing insight into the complicated relationship between former President Ulysses S. Grant and former Secretary of War John Rawlins now resides at Mississippi State University's U.S. Grant Presidential Library. Described as "Grant's conscience" in the absence of his wife Julia -- according to USGPL and Ulysses S. Grant Association Executive Director Anne Marshall -- Rawlins served as a chief advisor to the Union Army general during the Civil War and remained a close confidant in the 18th president's cabinet until the secretary's sudden death in 1869, not even one year into the Grant administration. Rawlins, a teetotaler who abstained from alcohol throughout his life, is known for shielding Grant from controversy surrounding his drinking. While many anecdotes about Grant's alcoholism were embellished by factions bent on changing narratives surrounding the Civil War and its actors, including Lost Cause promoters, Grant's drinking was problematic enough to inspire Rawlins to write to Grant multiple times and urge him to avoid the bottle. The Rawlins collection, acquired from a private antiques dealer in Galena, Illinois, thanks, in part, to a donation from College of Business alumnus Turner Wingo of Collierville, Tennessee, includes letters, invitations, proclamations and other documents associated with Rawlins' brief time in Grant's cabinet, and many pieces of personal correspondence between him and his two wives. The collection was opened to MSU students and researchers in the fall and will be fully accessible online to the public. |
| Moreland running to fill Ward 1 alderman seat | |
 | Kim Moreland has thrown her hat in the ring to become Ward 1's next representative on the Starkville Board of Aldermen. Moreland, 37, told The Dispatch Thursday she submitted her qualifying paperwork to the city clerk Wednesday morning, the day the qualifying window opened. The Ward 1 seat became vacant after the resignation of Ben Carver, who now represents District 1 on the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors. The qualifying window closes Jan. 22 and the special election follows on Feb. 13. Candidates must be a resident of the ward for two years and present a petition with at least 50 signatures. The special election is nonpartisan. Moreland has represented Ward 1 on the planning and zoning commission for about four years. She also previously served on the board of adjustments and appeals. Professionally, she is a licensed general contractor and manages rental properties, among other duties. She is a daughter of Dan Moreland, who served on the Starkville Parks Commission for about 15 years and ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2013. She told The Dispatch she wants to "be a part of the great things to come" for Starkville. |
| Statewide officials sworn in Thursday after bomb threat shuts down capitol | |
 | After a bomb threat temporarily disrupted business Thursday morning at the Mississippi State Capitol Building, the Legislature still met for a joint-session of the house and senate to swear in statewide elected officials. Those who were elected to statewide positions in fall 2023 included Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, Secretary of State Michael Watson, Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson, among others. During the session, Hosemann spoke to the legislative body, stating he hopes for four years of changes to laws revolving around healthcare, K-12 education, workforce development the Public Employment Retirement system in Mississippi, to name a few key items. Hosemann said among his larger goals is to help create more workforce development and education to boost the state's labor participation, which sits at more than 53% of state residents over 16 years old, according to a 2023 report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Economic development will wilt without an educated workforce to retain it," Hosemann said. "Further declines in the number of people who are actually working are not sustainable, and encouraging personal initiative to be gainfully employed is paramount." Hosemann also said passing laws to make healthcare more affordable to state residents and workers is also important for the future of the current legislative session, as well as for the next four years. "We are focused on the long-term solutions which will make Mississippi an even better place for our children and grandchildren," he said. |
| Hosemann: Lawmakers must focus on workforce participation, PERS, health care | |
 | Delbert Hosemann, moments after being sworn in for his second term as lieutenant governor, cited three issues he said must be addressed during the next four-year term for Mississippi to prosper. Those issues are: Improving Mississippi's workforce participation rate, which at 53.8% is the worst in the county. Ensuring the state's public pension plan is financially viable. Addressing the state's health care crisis. He said addressing the crisis in "a shotgun approach is not the answer. A comprehensive approach is." On Thursday afternoon during a joint session of the Mississippi Legislature, the seven statewide elected officials other than the governor were sworn in for a new four-year term. Gov. Tate Reeves, who attended the pomp and circumstance Thursday, will be sworn in Tuesday afternoon during another joint session on the grounds of the state Capitol. It is tradition for the lieutenant governor to offer comments to the joint session after he is sworn in. Hosemann kept his remarks short, but used them to challenge legislators to tackle problems he cited. Hosemann addressed education and health care, but made no direct comment on some of the big issues that could be debated during the legislative session. But Hosemann did say that it was the responsibility of the Legislature to ensure the Public Employees Retirement System remains viable. PERS provides retirement benefits for most state and local government employees, including schoolteachers. "This absolute obligation of the state will drive most of your decisions this year and in the future," Hosemann told legislators. Providing more state funds for PERS is expected to be a major issue during the 2024 session. |
| Governor Reeves talks workforce, site development at MEC Capital Day | |
| Business leaders from across the Magnolia State gathered at the Mississippi Economic Council's annual Capital Day to hear about the state's business sector growth and what can be done to continue that trend. One of the best ways to grow the state is to build a strong workforce while educating youth to become part of the population willing to work, organizers said. Governor Tate Reeves, who spoke at the business gathering, said one of the challenges he sees in addressing workforce needs is the lack of sites that are ready for businesses to set up shop. To address that problem in his first year as the state's chief executive his office found $27 million to start a site development program. Last session, the Governor sought $50 million but received $20 million. Reeves said this leaves dozens of sites ready for development, but not enough money to do the work. As for workforce development, the Governor noted that training starts with high schoolers. Reeves said gains have been made in the past 10 years in that regard. If the state starts with a better foundation in the form of educating its youth, more qualified workers will enter the workforce. Reeves pointed out that 70 to 75 percent of the population will not attend college. As such, there is a need for career coaches in high schools. Career coaches help high school students determine their interests and strengths as they consider fields that best suit their skills. |
| Gov. Reeves wants to continue economic successes from first term | |
 | Mississippi needs to continue to focus on five things to continue the state's economic boom, Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday. "The main thing in Mississippi is workforce development, site development, educational achievement levels, job creation and economic development," Reeves said in a Thursday speech addressing the Mississippi Economic Council. "If we can all focus on those things, I think you'll see tremendous successes in both the short and the long-run." Reeves was among the speakers at the MEC's Capital Day 2024, an event that kicks off the start of a new business year. Business leaders throughout Mississippi converged at the Mississippi Trade Mart on Thursday to discuss the state's economic outlook for the future. Reeves spent most of his speech talking about the successes his administration created in each of those five areas during his first term in the state's top seat. Reeves highlighted the creation of Accelerate Mississippi, a state program that helps with workforce development for Mississippi's industries. He talked about the creation of 14,000 jobs in the state, the "Mississippi Miracle" in education and spending over $8 billion in capital investments. |
| Hinds County ballot shortage renews calls for early voting in Mississippi | |
| When the five-member Hinds County Election Commission failed to provide enough ballots to voters in the state's most populous county last November, it created intense frustration with voters and mass chaos on the night of a statewide election. But the incident has also renewed calls from candidates and local election officials for the state Legislature to pass a law creating early voting. Sharon Moman, an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for a Hinds County legislative seat, told Mississippi Today that if the state had some form of early voting, it would assure voters that their vote would count and circumvent Election Day mistakes. "The silver lining in this is hopefully we can champion early voting for the state of Mississippi," Moman said. Mississippi, along with Alabama and New Hampshire, is one of only three states that does not offer early voting or no-excuse absentee voting, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. To vote absentee in Mississippi, a voter must list one of one of about 10 legal excuses for why they cannot cast an in-person vote on the election date. For example, a voter can cast an absentee ballot if they plan to be out of town on Election Day or if they are a college student. These stringent voting options mean that most Mississippians are forced to cast an in-person vote at polling precincts, making it critical for local election workers to conduct Election Day without errors. |
| Federal appeals court denies effort to block state-run court in Mississippi's majority-Black capital | |
 | A federal appeals court has denied a legal effort to stop Mississippi officials from creating a state-run court in part of the majority-Black capital city of Jackson, over objections from the NAACP. In a Thursday ruling, three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans denied the NAACP's motions for an injunction pending an appeal and vacated an administrative stay that had temporarily blocked state officials from creating the court. The panel's unanimous decision means state officials can begin setting up the Capitol Complex Improvement District Court, which will have a judge appointed by the state Supreme Court chief justice and prosecutors appointed by the state attorney general -- officials who are white and conservative. A state law approved by the Republican-controlled Mississippi Legislature created the court; Jackson is governed by Democrats. The 5th Circuit's decision said the NAACP's argument did not meet the burden for an appeal. "We begin and end with the first factor: likelihood of success on the merits," the panel wrote. "In sum, plaintiffs fail to plead a cognizable injury-in-fact and thus lack standing to assert their claims. Without standing, they cannot obtain an injunction." The panel said the argument that the state law would take away power from local officials "has no basis in fact" because the legislation creates a new court, "staffed with a newly appointed judge and newly appointed prosecutors." |
| 15th District Circuit Judge Buddy McDonald, known for empathy, firmness in law, dies at 75 | |
| He was known as "Buddy" to most people, even on the bench, but 15th District Circuit Judge Claiborne McDonald IV took his role as a judge seriously. McDonald, 75, died Monday at Forrest General Hospital. He was known as a fair and empathetic judge, but firmly followed the law, fellow 15th District Judge Prentiss Harrell said, but following the law was his first priority. "He cared about people and was compassionate to people who needed compassion, but he also upheld the law in a strong way," Harrell said. "We're going to miss him. He was a good judge." McDonald began his judicial service in the 15th District in January 2016 in a newly created position to help ease the mounting caseload in the district, which serves Lamar, Marion, Pearl River, Jefferson Davis and Lawrence counties. Pearl River County Court Judge Richelle Lumpkin recalled working with McDonald when he was an assistant district attorney and she was County Prosecutor. McDonald would pick up some of the cases on a busy docket to expedite the work. He was a hard worker, but didn't consider it work, she said. As a judge, he was of impeccable integrity and dedication. "When he raised his hand and said that oath, he did everything in his power to abide by that oath," Lumpkin said. His interests reached far beyond the law, giving him a broader perspective on life, Lumpkin added, calling McDonald "irreplaceable." |
| Mississippi congressional candidates piling up as filing period opens | |
| With congressional election season picking up, several of Mississippi's current delegation members are announcing their intent to seek reelection. On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson told the Associated Press that he plans to seek a 16th term, which would make him one of the longest-tenured members in the House at over 30 years representing Mississippi's second congressional district. The once mayor of small-town Bolton has recently made a national name for himself with his work as chairman of the House Jan. 6 Committee. Ron Eller is the only Republican at this time to announce his intent to run for Thompson's seat. One of Thompson's Republican counterparts, Rep. Michael Guest, was one of multiple incumbents who confirmed to SuperTalk Mississippi News that they would be seeking reelection. Like Thompson, Guest has also grown his political identity during the most recent term with his work as chair of the House Ethics Committee. In December alone, he made hundreds, if not thousands, of headlines with his work in ousting embattled New York Congressman George Santos. As for Mississippi's newest congressman, Republican Rep. Mike Ezell of District 4 will be looking for a second term with Republicans Michael McGill and Carl Boyanton already announcing runs against the former Jackson County sheriff. Ezell was one of the oldest newcomers of the most recent congressional class, coming in at age 63. Republican Rep. Trent Kelly has also confirmed that he will be seeking his fifth full term as the first district's representative. As for the Senate, Republican incumbent Roger Wicker will once again be on the ballot while Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith isn't up for reelection until 2026. |
| Young Voters Are Voicing Discontent: 'I Don't Want a Biden-Trump Rematch' | |
 | The first time Lucy VanDyke voted for president, she reluctantly supported Joseph R. Biden Jr. But she says she won't be doing that again. Like many young voters, Ms. VanDyke, a 23-year-old independent from Grand Rapids, Mich., is unhappy with Mr. Biden's stewardship of the economy, his support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza, and she has concerns about his age. Should President Biden face Donald J. Trump again, Ms. VanDyke says she would support a third-party candidate. "I don't want a Biden-Trump rematch," said Ms. VanDyke, a mental health research assistant. "I know people can say, 'Your voice doesn't matter if you vote independent.' But the more that people vote independent, even if that candidate doesn't win, it shows that people are unhappy." That discontent with the party front-runners appears to be shared by many young voters, according to recent polling, and it poses a considerable threat to Mr. Biden's re-election effort. A December poll from The New York Times and Siena College found Mr. Trump leading Mr. Biden among voters 18 to 29, which could indicate a stunning erosion of support for the president with a core part of his coalition. In 2020, young people showed up to vote in record numbers and backed Mr. Biden by more than 20 percentage points. Losing support to Mr. Trump or third-party candidates isn't Democrats' only concern with young voters. Experts say the party needs to worry about a distaste for a Biden-Trump rematch depressing turnout. The Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School found last month that young people appear less inclined to vote than they did at the same point of the 2020 cycle, decreasing from 57 percent who "definitely" planned to vote in 2019 to 49 percent last month. |
| House Democratic report highlights Trump foreign payments | |
 | Donald Trump's businesses took in at least $7.8 million in foreign payments from at least 20 countries during his administration in violation of the Constitution, a new House Democratic staff report released Thursday states. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee staff report, the result of a multiyear investigation, argues that Trump ignored the Foreign Emoluments Clause, which prohibits the president from accepting money payments or gifts from foreign governments and monarchs, unless they get Congress' approval. Plus, payments took place as the governments were encouraging foreign policy goals with the administration, sometimes with then-President Trump himself, according to the report. "These countries spent -- often lavishly -- on apartments and hotel stays at Donald Trump's properties -- personally enriching President Trump while he made foreign policy decisions connected to their policy agendas with far-reaching ramifications for the United States," the report states. Congressional Democrats could use the findings as they seek to defend against a Republican-backed impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden, an investigation that focuses on the foreign business dealings of Hunter Biden, the president's son. Trump also remains the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president in the 2024 election that appears likely to be a rematch against Biden, and the former president has criticized the younger Biden's overseas business dealings. In a statement, House Oversight Chairman James R. Comer, R-Ky., said Trump has "legitimate businesses" while the Bidens do not. He stated that the Bidens and their associates made money "by cashing in on the Biden name in China, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Romania." |
| Supreme Court chief justice has highest approval rating in Gallup poll | |
 | Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts secured the highest approval rating among U.S. officials at 48 percent in a new Gallup poll measuring support of top leaders. While no U.S. official clinched a majority showing of support, Roberts came the closest, with nearly 50 percent of Americans approving of him and 46 percent disapproving. The poll noted that while Roberts had the highest rating, he also had the "steepest decline" in support since December 2021, when 60 percent approved of his job performance. A close second was House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who received a 46 percent approval rating in the poll. Secretary of State Antony Blinken won 45 percent support, while Attorney General Merrick Garland won 44 percent. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had the lowest approval rating, with just 27 percent supporting the Republican leader and 71 percent disapproving of him. President Biden had the next lowest approval rating after McConnell, at 39 percent. Gallup found that Democrats were overall more supportive of their own party's leaders than Republicans were of theirs; 80 percent of Democrats approved of Jeffries, and 76 percent approved of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). On the other hand, 61 percent of Republicans approved of Johnson and only 36 percent approved of McConnell. |
| Ole Miss professor completes journey from military to academia | |
| Laurie Babin's career is marked by service, and the University of Mississippi instructional associate professor of business administration is sharing that passion with her students. Babin, who helped re-charter the Ole Miss Rotaract, the collegiate version of Rotary International, shortly after joining the university faculty in 2019, is the new president of the Oxford Rotary Club. And her one of goals is to strengthen the connection between city and campus organizations. "By being a Rotarian, I can make a difference in my local community as well as the world through the Rotary Foundation," she said. "When I was looking for a Rotary club to join in Oxford, I was informed that there was a student who wanted to get Rotaract re-chartered at Ole Miss. That inspired me to help him make it happen." "My experiences with Rotary started when I was in high school and was involved with Interact Club (high school version of Rotary)," said Matt Eddy, a 2019 graduate of the marketing program who lives in Mobile, Alabama. "When I transferred to Ole Miss, I learned there was not a Rotaract club on campus. He contacted the Oxford Rotary Club, which put him in contact with Babin, who served as adviser for ULM's Rotaract club. "Dr. Babin's previous experiences were instrumental in establishing the Rotaract club at Ole Miss," said Eddy, who served as the first president of the Ole Miss Rotaract organization. |
| USM students, professors create oyster forecasting model | |
 | Coastal Mississippi is in the middle of peak oyster season. To help those who harvest, USM professors and students are hard at work to make things a bit easier. "The modeling system allows us to see how the salinity varies in the domain and if it could be at critical levels," said USM Assistant Professor of Ocean Engineering, Kemal Cambazoglu, Ph. D. In recent years, the salinity level of the Bonnet Carré spillway has been causing a high mortality rate of Mississippi oysters. "You need a certain mix of fresh and saltwater to have really healthy oysters," said Brandy Armstrong, USM Research Scientist. "Presumably, we could try to determine why it was happening, if there was anything that could be controlled, such as the Bonnet Carré spillway. If there's some way to change the way that we're operating." The team is just in the beginning stages of tracking the model. They are waiting until they're confident in it before they share their findings with those who may benefit. "We're trying to find out, how useful is it?" said Armstrong. "Once we figure out how useful it is, we're more likely to put it out there for everyone." |
| Ashley Furniture celebrates new Careers Pathway Program at Ecru plant | |
| Ashley Furniture Industries hosted an event to celebrate its new Career Pathways Program at its Ecru Advanced Manufacturing facility. The event, held the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 4, included remarks by Rachael Elliott, Ashley's senior vice president of manufacturing in North America; Anthony Ebio, Ashley's director of talent and succession planning; Barry Emison, Itawamba Community College's vice president of career and workforce education; and Jesse Johnson, Ashley's maintenance manager. The Careers Pathway Program will be the second of its kind for Ashley -- the first program was created in Wisconsin, Ashley's vice president of public relations and communication Cole Bawek told the Daily Journal. The program, run in partnership with ICC, "is a structured career development path for high-potential Ashley employees into critical roles and will place program participants into full-time positions upon graduation," Bawek said. The Ecru Careers Pathway Program kicked off in October, and its first class -- all six members of which attended the event -- is expected to graduate in May. It includes e-learning, job shadowing, technical college courses, and technical mentorship and professional development. The program will focus on training employees as electrical and mechanical technicians, HVAC technicians, facility technicians and automation technicians. "We're essentially getting them prepared for the jobs of tomorrow," Bawek said. |
| Workforce Development Top Priority for State Higher Ed Officers | |
 | A new report by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association lists economic and workforce development as a top priority among higher education leaders for the second year in a row. The report, released Thursday, is based on the results of a survey conducted in November asking state higher ed leaders to rate the importance of 25 policy issues going into 2024. The report ranks the top 10 issues, including the value of higher education (3), state funding for financial aid programs (5), general college completion/student success (7), enrollment declines (8) and adult/nontraditional student success (10). It also cites FAFSA completion and institutional accountability as honorary mentions. "While this isn't an exhaustive list of issues states are facing, it is telling for policy priorities for the year ahead," Tom Harnisch, SHEEO's vice president for government relations, said in a press release. "Politically, we anticipate higher education will continue to face questions over relevance and value, along with more bills and messaging on hot-button issues heading into the 2024 election cycle." However, the report also predicts that despite a heated 2024 presidential race -- which is likely to dominate headlines this year -- the election cycle will, in most cases, be unlikely to dramatically shift power dynamics at the state level. |
| LSU freshman killed while home for holidays in Washington, D.C.: 'She had so much ahead of her' | |
 | A freshman at LSU was shot and killed at a New Year's party in Washington, D.C., while home for the holidays, a local radio station reported. Authorities say Ashlei Hinds, 18, was at an Embassy Suites hotel party when she was shot around 1:20 a.m. Jan. 1, according to Washington, D.C., radio station WTOP. Officials reported Hinds was found in a room on the seventh floor of the hotel. Jelani Cousin, 18, has been arrested on a count of second-degree murder, according to a release from the Metropolitan Police Department in D.C. Hinds was home for the holidays from her freshman year at LSU, studying sports administration. She graduated in 2023 as an honors student from Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Hinds' mother, Tiffany Falden, said Hines had already made friends in her first semester and was excited to continue her education at LSU before the shooting. "She loved and was so excited to be at LSU just to get away from home," she said. "She had a nice group of friends there, they had a great semester and she was just ready to go back to school and tackle the next semester. She was just a very outgoing, bubbly personality." "She had so much ahead of her, I was ready for her to go back to school," Falden said. "She was far away, but everyone down there in that community, and I've been down there like four times, has been just friendly and I felt like she was safe. For her to come home and have this tragedy is really tough but I'm just getting through it." |
| U. of South Carolina logs record-breaking number of freshman applications -- again | |
 | South Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the nation -- its flagship university is no different. The University of South Carolina received a record-breaking number of freshman applications during the latest admissions cycle, exceeding 50,000 and counting -- about a 13% hike from the previous year, officials said. And though priority applications were due Dec. 1, Scott Verzyl, vice president of admissions, said some will still continue to trickle in. "We are one of the leaders in terms of growth," Verzyl said. Reputation and location are often significant factors in deciding where to apply for college, Verzyl said, and large, public universities across the United States are gaining popularity. In the two decades since Verzyl began working for the university, almost every year has been a "record year" for applications, he said. When he started at USC, the school received around 10,000 applications per year. Last year, USC received more than 46,000 applications. The surge in applications comes amid the university's attempt to become more accessible to in-state students, though it is too soon to say what affect USC's new admissions initiatives had on the application cycle, Verzyl said. When college applications opened in the fall, USC announced it would be offering automatic admission to some of the state's top students. Public high school students ranked in the top 10% of their graduating class are guaranteed a spot at the school. |
| Dawn Hammatt appointed director of Bush Presidential Library and Museum | |
 | Dawn Hammatt was named director of the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum by the National Archives on Tuesday. She will begin her duties Dec. 31. Since May 2017, Hammatt has directed the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas, and led a multimillion-dollar renovation of the facilities. In a statement, Colleen Shogan, Archivist for the United States, said Hammatt's resume provides her with the skills to lead the Bush Library and Museum. "Ms. Hammatt's extensive leadership experience at museums and libraries nationwide, including six years leading the Eisenhower Presidential Library, will be a tremendous asset for the George Bush Library and the National Archives' Presidential Library system," Shogan said. Hap Ellis, president of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, said in a statement that the organization is excited to welcome Hammatt. "The George and Barbara Bush Foundation is thrilled to welcome Dawn Hammatt as Director at the George Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M," Ellis said. "Her extensive experience in museum planning, knowledge of the Presidential Library system, and commitment to civics education make her a great partner for the Foundation in our collaborative work with NARA, with other presidential libraries, and with the A&M community." |
| Texas' education funding revamp brings big change | |
| When Ángel García Donjuán found out he could take free dual credit courses at his local community college while attending high school in Dallas, he decided to take full advantage. "English 1300, 1200 you know -- basic prereq courses. U.S. history, Texas history," he said. Now, García Donjuán is in his junior year studying urban policy and planning at University of North Texas. Those credits saved his family roughly $7,000 on tuition, he said, and exposed him to higher ed as a first-generation college student. "For me, dual credit was free and accessible," he explained. But when García Donjuán spoke to his cousins in the Houston area, he realized not all Texas students have the same access. "They weren't able to participate at all because it was too expensive." It led him to support the community college funding overhaul in Texas that went into effect this fiscal year. And institutions across the state are feeling the difference with additional money coming in. The new system doesn't just bump up the funding; the state is trying to address workforce challenges and meet the rising interest in education outside traditional four-year degrees. This funding structure is bringing $1 billion to 50 institutions across the state. The new formula doesn't just pull from a bigger pot of money. It also moves away from the traditional enrollment-based approach, according to Jonathan Feinstein, who advocated for the new law with The Education Trust. "Now, a majority of those dollars that community colleges receive will be driven by student success," he said. |
| Veterans' Studies Gains Traction as Emerging Field | |
| After two tours in Iraq with the U.S. Army, Travis Martin enrolled at Kentucky's Somerset Community College in 2007. While he was trying to build his future as a civilian, pervasive stereotypes about veterans followed him onto campus. Some of his classmates asked him if he'd ever killed anyone in combat. "It's surprising how many people think it's OK to ask if you've taken someone's life," said Martin, co-founder and former director of the Kentucky Center for Veterans Studies at Eastern Kentucky University. "War isn't a thing veterans want more of. Almost universally, veterans think it's terrible. Somehow that gets mistranslated." Dismantling stereotypes about veterans and bringing nuance and agency to their history and experiences is what motivated Martin to help launch the emerging academic field of veterans' studies more than a decade ago. It's now gaining traction as an academic discipline at a time when colleges and universities are increasingly turning their recruitment efforts toward veterans of the armed services amid a declining population of traditional-age college students. Arizona State University is the latest institution to invest in expanding the field; it created a veterans' studies certificate program in 2020, which quickly attracted students, and it is scheduled to launch a bachelor's degree program in applied military and veterans' studies when the spring semester starts next week. |
| Black students who enroll at HBCUs have higher bachelor's degree attainment, research finds | |
| Black students who enroll in historically Black colleges or universities increase their probability of earning a college degree by 30% compared to other Black students with similar characteristics, according to a new working paper. The incomes of Black students who enrolled in HBCUs were also 5% higher by the time they were 30 than those of their non-HBCU counterparts. However, they were also more likely to have student debt. Researchers concluded that HBCUs improve long-term outcomes for Black students and said they will likely be key in increasing bachelor's degree attainment, particularly among Black workers. Researchers analyzed the outcomes of more than 1 million Black students who took the SAT between 2004 and 2010. They compared Black students who enrolled in HBCUs with other Black students who had similar academic portfolios and interest in HBCUs. HBCU attendance had the greatest positive effects on degree attainment and income in students with SAT scores below the median, indicating that selective HBCUs were not solely driving results. Black students who attended HBCUs also saw better outcomes than those who attended four-year colleges with similar SAT enrollment profiles. But most Black students who didn't choose to first enroll in an HBCU attended either a two-year college or did not initially pursue higher education at all, the paper found. |
| Claudine Gay was just the start: US college presidents feel a chilling effect | |
 | It is not an auspicious time to be leading an elite college. Last summer, then-Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned after the discovery of problems with published research he had helped oversee. Last month, the University of Pennsylvania's Liz Magill announced she was stepping down shortly after botching testimony about antisemitism before Congress. Then came the news Tuesday that Harvard's Claudine Gay has also resigned, similarly following her testimony on that topic. The political scientist, who had become the college's first Black president, quickly became the president with the shortest tenure; she'd only been on the job for six months. Observers predict the scrutiny -- and resignation pressure -- is coming for others too. The result could be a chilling effect on how and when college leaders engage in public discourse, if at all. The college presidency is an all but impossible job. That reality is largely reflected in how little time the average college president in the U.S. remains in that role. Every few years, the American Council on Education conducts a survey of college presidents about their jobs. The most recent survey, published last year, shows that presidents stay in their jobs for an average of 5.9 years, and most say they don't anticipate remaining for another five. In 2016, it was 6.5 years, and a decade before that the average stood at 8.5 years. What's more, the presidents aren't leaving their posts for similar leadership roles at other institutions; they're heading into nonprofits or back into faculty positions. The difficulties that came with the COVID-19 pandemic are one major factor behind the declining appeal of running a university. But there are other ingredients at play as well. |
| Conservative anti-DEI activists claim victory in Harvard leader's fall | |
 | The conservative victory laps began moments after Harvard University President Claudine Gay announced her resignation. The trophy was not merely her resignation, a chain-reaction that began with Gay's much-criticized comments about antisemitism on campus. Nor did it only concern allegations that Harvard's first Black president had plagiarized portions of her academic work. For conservative activists, her fall was a pivotal victory against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, a battleground where they have notched win after win in recent months against universities, private companies and several federal programs. "This is the beginning of the end for DEI in America's institutions," conservative activist Chris Rufo posted on X, formerly Twitter, just after the news broke Tuesday. "We will expose you. We will outmaneuver you. And we will not stop fighting until we have restored colorblind equality in our great nation." Their claim is that Gay rose to her position through efforts to diversify Harvard's upper ranks, with critics tethering the plagiarism allegations to her race. "She got her job not through merit, but because she checked a box," Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) wrote Thursday on X. "The real story of Harvard is not Claudine Gay's firing but this: You are ruled by thousands of people who are just as mediocre." The past few years have seen growing backlash against DEI, a loosely defined term that refers to efforts by corporations and academic institutions to diversify their staffs and student bodies, and help create more inclusive environments for underrepresented groups. But the recent pushback is far more expansive -- and effective -- playing out as a series of multifront campaigns in the courts, boardrooms and state houses. |
| Conservatives Toppled Two College Presidents. They're Not Done Yet. | |
 | The successful campaign to oust two Ivy League presidents has emboldened Republican lawmakers and their conservative allies, who think they have fresh momentum and a new playbook to reverse what they deem the progressive takeover of American education. They argue Americans have become more skeptical of liberal curricula and the consideration of race in academic promotions after the scrutiny of campus administrators such as Claudine Gay, the first Black president of Harvard University and a proponent of more diversity in academia. Gay stepped down this week following allegations of plagiarism and charges that she didn't respond with urgency to concerns about antisemitism on campus. University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill had resigned a month earlier amid similar criticism of statements she made in a congressional hearing about antisemitism at Penn. "There's a window of opportunity that has opened, and we're going to be sure it doesn't close," said Michael Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation. Conservative lawmakers and activists said they would capitalize on their recent victories by pushing for more changes at the federal and state levels. Activists outside of Congress also said they will continue pressing for change. The Heritage Foundation is working on draft legislation for state lawmakers that would scale back DEI programs at state-funded universities. It also is pushing for a review of academic programs to scrutinize subjects such as gender studies or curricula that emphasize what conservatives describe as ethnic grievances. Universities and colleges have long said they have an interest in creating a diverse body of students and faculty to create a vibrant learning environment, encourage personal growth and help traditionally underserved groups. |
| FAFSA delays are putting a strain on families and colleges | |
 | For college hopefuls, cost is often the deciding factor on whether -- and where -- to go to school. For more than 17 million students, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the key to unlocking government dollars to help cover that cost. But this year's FAFSA has been beset by delays and confusion, and the recent "soft launch" of the form has bedeviled families and experts alike. "It's been challenging," says Justin Draeger, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, or NASFAA. "That's the word we've been using over and over again, so I'm going to stick with it. It's been a challenging couple of days for students and families who have been waiting for the FAFSA to open later than they've normally waited." The FAFSA is normally released on Oct. 1, but this year's form arrived three months late, on Dec. 30. In the days since, the form has only been available on a limited basis, what the U.S. Education Department is calling a "soft launch." The delays have put an enormous strain on schools to compress their traditional financial aid process by months, not just weeks, Draeger says. It's also making it difficult for students and families to commit to a college when they don't yet know what the price tag will be. |
| Biden administration cuts pay for student loan servicers after a bungled return to repayment | |
| The Biden administration is docking more than $2 million in payments to student loan servicers that failed to send billing statements on time after the end of a pandemic payment freeze. The Education Department said Friday it will withhold payments from Aidvantage, EdFinancial and Nelnet for failing to meet their contractual obligations. The servicers failed to send timely statements to more than 750,000 borrowers in the first month of repayment, the agency said. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said his agency will continue to pursue "aggressive oversight" and won't give loan servicers "a free pass for poor performance." It's the latest attempt to straighten out a process that has been marred by errors after student loan payments restarted in October. Tens of thousands of borrowers have received billing statements late or with incorrect amounts as servicers scrambled to jumpstart the process. The department previously withheld $7.2 million from loan servicer MOHELA for failing to send statements on time to more than 2.5 million borrowers. The new action will take $2 million from Aidvantage, $161,000 from EdFinancial and $13,000 from Nelnet, based on the number of borrowers who faced errors. Even as payments restart, the administration is working toward a new proposal for widespread student loan cancellation after the Supreme Court rejected Biden's first plan last June. |
| U.S. Focused on Consumer Protection, Accountability in Rules Overhaul | |
| The Education Department wants greater oversight over colleges and universities and the entities that oversee them, and it's eyeing a number of ways to make that happen. With proposed changes to the rules for accreditation, distance education and some financial aid policies, the department is aiming to further reshape how the federal government holds colleges accountable and add additional consumer protections for students---building on the Biden administration's efforts over the last three years. "The department is inserting itself more deeply into higher education than it previously has been," said Jan Friis, senior vice president for government affairs at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The department will review proposals for six topics over the next three months with an advisory committee tasked to weigh in and reach consensus on specific regulatory text as part of a process known as negotiated rule making. The first round of monthly talks begins Monday and will continue through Thursday. If the committee doesn't reach consensus by March, the department is free to draft its own regulations, which will be subject to public comment. Regulations that come out of this rule making could take effect as early as July 1, 2025. The department offered hints at the changes it wants to make to the rules for accreditation, state authorization, distance education and cash management in a series of issue papers released earlier this week. |
SPORTS
| State Student-Athletes Earn Highest GPA In Department History | |
| Mississippi State University student-athletes continued their excellence in the classroom during the Fall 2023 semester by earning the highest departmental GPA in school history. The Bulldogs combined to post a GPA of 3.24 and extended the department's streak of semesters with a 3.0 or higher to 13 in a row. "Congratulations to all our student-athletes on this record-breaking achievement," MSU Director of Athletics Zac Selmon said. "With the support of our coaches, academic and support staff, campus community and Bulldog Club membership, Mississippi State student-athletes continue to take academic excellence to new heights. This incredible milestone is another example of being able to excel in the classroom, in life, and on the stages of competition." Last month, 32 student-athletes earned their college degrees. Additionally, State student-athletes recorded an all-time high Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 91 percent according to the latest NCAA report. The Bulldogs also exceeded the NCAA's most recent benchmark Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 930 in all intercollegiate sport programs. |
| Mississippi State basketball's 'good problem' vs South Carolina: Scouting report, prediction | |
| Mississippi State basketball got All-SEC forward Tolu Smith back in its nonconference finale against Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 31. With that, according to coach Chris Jans, comes a "good problem." The Bulldogs need to figure out how to intertwine their star's return with the strong play of Jimmy Bell Jr. -- the West Virginia transfer who stepped into the starting lineup during Smith's 12-game absence. Minutes are at a premium, particularly with SEC play tipping off Saturday (11 a.m., CBS) when MSU (11-2) takes the national stage at South Carolina (12-1). "I haven't figured it out yet," Jans said of the rotation between the two. "It's going to be a work in progress. We're going to have to figure it out here in practice and certainly in the early games." Smith scored 16 points and collected nine rebounds coming off the bench for 19 minutes against Bethune-Cookman, but Jans said there will be no minutes restriction for him moving forward. Last season, Smith averaged 27.6 minutes per game while his backup, Will McNair Jr., played 12.7. The minutes for Bell will regress, but Jans has reason to slim the gap compared to last season. Bell is averaging 9.3 points and an SEC-best 9.2 rebounds per game. After starting all 34 games for the Mountaineers last season, he's clearly a more serviceable option that what Jans had in his first season at Mississippi State. |
| How does Tolu Smith's return impact Mississippi State's rotation in SEC play? | |
| Mississippi State is at full strength for the first time all season, just in time for the Southeastern Conference opener. Star post player Tolu Smith made his season debut in Sunday's win over Bethune-Cookman, coming off the bench to lead the Bulldogs with 16 points and nine rebounds. Head coach Chris Jans had the depth in the frontcourt to make up for Smith's absence, but with MSU's centerpiece back in the fold, other players will see a reduction in minutes. That will give Jans the flexibility to use players like Jimmy Bell Jr., KeShawn Murphy and Gai Chol in specific situations -- depending on the time and score, who else is on the floor and the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Bulldogs' opponent. Bell, transferred from West Virginia to back up Smith only to be thrust into the starting role due to Smith's foot injury, is now likely to come off the bench going forward, but Jans said both after Sunday's game and at Tuesday's press conference that he is not worried about how Bell will handle the change. "It's a good problem to have," Jans said. "People asked me, 'When Tolu's back, how is Jimmy going to handle it?' I didn't even think about it. He's such a great guy and he's been encouraging Tolu and excited for Tolu. His mindset is, 'When I'm not in there, now there's another guy who's going to keep wearing them down, keep pounding them like I do.'" |
| Surprising South Carolina enters SEC play off to its best start in eight years | |
| South Carolina coach Lamont Paris and the surprising Gamecocks have shown there's more to hoops at the school than the top-ranked, undefeated women's team. South Carolina is off to its best start in eight seasons at 12-1 after getting picked dead last in the Southeastern Conference preseason rankings, and already has more wins then a year ago when it went 11-21 in Paris' debut season. "They tell me that we haven't had one loss going into (SEC) regular season very often," Paris said Thursday. "Guys are playing with confidence and they expect if we do the things that we need to do that we should win." The Gamecocks will try to bring that to SEC play, starting Saturday at home against Mississippi State (11-2). South Carolina's lone loss came at No. 16 Clemson, 72-67, in the annual rivalry game. Paris, a longtime assistant at Wisconsin, had led Chattanooga to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 before taking over the Gamecocks after Frank Martin was let go. Paris is focused on the steadiness the Gamecocks have shown on defense -- they're second in SEC scoring defense. |
| Mississippi State women's basketball winning streak vs Vanderbilt snapped at The Hump | |
| Since 2012, Vanderbilt has entered Humphrey Coliseum five times and never walked out with a win. That drought spanning nearly 12 years came to an end Thursday when the Commodores took down Mississippi State women's basketball to open SEC play with a 71-66 win. For MSU, defense was the issue. Vanderbilt sat at or above 50% shooting from the field for the majority of the game and led for more than 32 minutes. The Bulldogs used a 10-5 run in the fourth quarter to even the score at 58, but as was the case throughout the game, the Commodores quickly countered with a 6-0 run of their own to pull away. "There were so many opportunities that we had that we'll go back -- it's going to be a tough film session," Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell said after the game. The Bulldogs had won nine consecutive games overall in the series against Vanderbilt, dating to January 2015. Iyana Moore led the Commodores with 29 points. Jordyn Oliver had nine rebounds and four steals. "It wasn't Vandy of the old," Purcell said. "It's Vandy of the new. They had our respect." MSU has back-to-back road games starting Sunday (noon CT, ESPN) with a trip to No. 1 South Carolina (13-0, 1-0 SEC). Mississippi State then will play at Arkansas on Jan. 11 (8 p.m., SEC Network) before returning home to face rival Ole Miss on Jan. 14 (4 p.m., SEC Network/ESPN2). |
| Women's Basketball: Mississippi State comes up short against Vanderbilt in SEC opener | |
| Sam Purcell put it as eloquently as possible: "Welcome to the SEC." Mississippi State was welcomed rudely to conference play Thursday night on its own home floor as a much-improved Vanderbilt team came into Humphrey Coliseum and outlasted the Bulldogs, sending Purcell's squad to a 71-66 defeat and picking up its first Southeastern Conference road win in four years. "For whatever reason, we weren't dialed in on the defensive end," Purcell said. "They had probably four or five layups off high on-ball screens that we had zero rotations, and that just gave them a confidence and a spark to jump on us on the road." MSU (13-3, 0-1 SEC) did well to limit the Commodores' leading scorer, Jordyn Cambridge, to seven points, but the Bulldogs had no answers for Iyana Moore, who put up a season-high 29 points on 10-for-16 shooting. Every time the hosts made a run, Vanderbilt (14-1, 1-0) had an answer, usually in the form of Moore. The Commodores also held Jessika Carter, who came in averaging 15 points per game, scoreless over the final three quarters. "They ran a 2-2-1 press where our guards had to come back to the ball," Purcell said. "We got caught in too much ball reversal. We didn't look inside. Credit to Vanderbilt; they tried to keep us off balance. (Ralph) was changing defenses throughout the game." The schedule only gets harder from here, with MSU visiting No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday. |
| Surge of betting for CFP semifinals, but short of setting records | |
| The combination of a strong College Football Playoff field and the semifinals being on New Year's Day sparked a surge in betting, but not to the level hoped for by sportsbooks. There was anticipation records would be set, but the semifinals being played on a Monday likely kept that from happening. "Last year's numbers were really disappointing as the games were played on (New Year's Eve)," Jay Kornegay, vice president of race and sports operations at Westgate Las Vegas, said in a text message. "This year with the game on NYD, plus the name brands participating, we expected huge numbers. We almost doubled last year's handle but didn't set a record. We'll have to wait for these games to be played on a Saturday before we discuss records." The national championship between Michigan and Washington for the national championship will be Monday in Houston. Both teams got there by surviving scintillating semifinals. The Wolverines used a defensive stand to beat Alabama 27-20 in overtime and the Huskies watched a two-possession lead disappear before finally denying Texas late for a 37-31 victory. Joey Feazel, who heads college football betting for Caesars Sportsbook, said betting was up for the semifinals largely because more states have legalized sports wagering. But he said the average bets were up. |
| Florida Attorney General wants ACC's ESPN contracts amidst FSU lawsuit | |
| Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has joined Florida State's legal fight against the Atlantic Coast Conference. Moody requested copies of several ACC contracts on Thursday as FSU and its conference continue legal challenges that bind the two. Specifically, Moody sent a public-records request asking for all ACC "financial, business, and membership records" related to FSU. Those include grant-of-rights agreements and contracts and communications with the conference's TV partner, ESPN. "One of Florida's top universities is facing the possibility of forfeiting more than half a billion dollars, and the ACC is refusing to hand over the agreements at the center of this astronomical financial penalty," Moody said in a statement. "They are unlawfully keeping these documents locked away in North Carolina. However, North Carolina and Florida state laws are clear that these agreements are public records and must be handed over immediately. Today, I am taking action to ensure FSU and the public are able to review these agreements." Last month, Moody opened an unrelated antitrust investigation into the College Football Playoff regarding the Seminoles' exclusion from the final four. Her office sent a civil subpoena for documents and information in that case with a Jan. 11 deadline. |
| College leaders to discuss further exploring Charlie Baker's new proposal at NCAA convention next week | |
| Next week in Houston, Michigan and Washington will meet in the national championship game. And while much of the focus is on that high-profile collision, something else looms large in the coming days. At the NCAA convention in Phoenix, college administrators will gather to potentially lay the groundwork for further exploration of president Charlie Baker's proposal to revolutionize the Division I model. At its meeting next Thursday, the Division I Board of Directors is scheduled to review the proposal and determine whether to charge the Division I Council, or another body, with developing recommendations related to the framework of the proposal -- a decision that will initiate a potentially yearlong activation process and chart a course for one of the most radical changes in NCAA history. The board's plans are detailed in convention documents obtained by Yahoo Sports. Baker's proposal, deemed as "Project Division I" and introduced last month, would permit schools to strike name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with athletes and offer them an unlimited amount of educationally related benefits. A third concept, perhaps viewed as the most radical, creates a new FBS subdivision requiring schools to deposit into a trust $30,000 per athlete for half of a school's athletes. Convention documents lay out a potential timeline for the activation process of Project DI, suggesting that the three-part proposal be bifurcated. The initial focus would be on the first two concepts that permit schools to (1) strike NIL deals with athletes and (2) offer enhanced educational benefits to athletes. The process around adopting (3) the new subdivision would follow the adoption of the other two concepts. |
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