| Monday, August 25, 2025 |
| Mississippi State University builds on partnership with South Korean research institute | |
 | Mississippi State University is building upon an existing, decade-long partnership with the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH). The Starkville-based higher learning institution and KITECH are advancing their longstanding relationship with a renewed set of agreements designed to drive joint research, innovation, and workforce development in advanced manufacturing and industrial technology. "We are grateful for outstanding international partners like KITECH," Mississippi State Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan said. "These collaborations help us advance key scientific fields and support economic activity at home and abroad." Mississippi State has garnered a strong reputation for its research and outreach programs that enhance the development of industrial technology and related workforce opportunities. "As our region continues to see significant investments in manufacturing facilities, we are well-positioned to help manufacturers implement the innovative practices that are being developed in our labs," CAVS Executive Director Clay Walden said. "I am excited for our researchers to continue working with KITECH in areas that are critical to the future success of U.S. and Korean industry." |
| Mississippi State, KITECH renew partnership for advanced manufacturing research | |
 | Mississippi State University (MSU) and the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) have renewed a set of agreements designed to drive joint research, innovation and workforce development in advanced manufacturing and industrial technology. The updated partnership will pave the way for new joint projects. MSU's Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) and KITECH's Research Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology are working together to establish a joint Center for Root Technologies, focusing on core manufacturing technologies such as casting, molding, welding/joining and other related fields. The formal partnership includes a memorandum of understanding, international research collaboration agreement, and a memorandum outlining the Center for Root Technologies. "We are grateful for outstanding international partners like KITECH," said MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan. "These collaborations help us advance key scientific fields and support economic activity at home and abroad." |
| Student project builds safe habitat to relocate, protect local bats at MSU | |
 | Mississippi State University celebrated the opening of a new bat house Tuesday, a student-led conservation effort aimed at changing public perception of one of nature's most misunderstood animals. Led by students from the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, the new construction provides a sustainable habitat for bats already living on campus. While bats are sometimes seen as intimidating or unwanted, they play a vital role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem by controlling insect populations and supporting biodiversity. "I've devoted so much time to this because I want there to be a habitat where the bats can live peacefully," said Júlia Null, recent MSU graduate and project student leader. "I want the public to appreciate them the way my colleagues and I do. They're not creepy or scary like they are depicted in the media. They're fascinating, beneficial and essential to our environment." The new structure, a 256-square-foot building, is located off Blackjack Road near a lake that attracts many insects for the bats. The structure was built by Evan Coggins Construction and volunteers from the MSU student chapter of The Wildlife Society, students enrolled in building construction science and MSU fraternity members from Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Beta Upsilon Chi. |
| A new master plan has been put in place for Starkville | |
 | President and CEO of the Mississippi State University Foundation John Rush, is looking over the plans for a big change to the Starkville/MSU landscape, hoping that it will make a difference. "It is something that we are very excited about," said Rush. "Quite honestly, this is something we began ten or more years ago as we began looking at land adjacent to our campus, and we thought about what was the best possible use for those?" The Crossroads District will feature a 122-room Marriott hotel, with plans for additional dining and shopping. Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said, This will be a huge benefit to the city's economy. "We are very excited because it makes the region that much more vibrant, and that much more able to tailor to anybody's interest," said Spruill. "So, it really is a wonderful thing for Starkville to have this new venture coming to town." Phase one is Hotel Madelon. Future phases include entertainment, cultural and historic landmarks, residential living, and more parking. |
| Local author nears 22 books with no plans on stopping | |
| John Mylroie, author and retired Mississippi State University professor of geology, said he's finally begun to slow down -- that is, after writing 22 books in the span of about three years. Mylroie last spoke to the Friends of the Library in October 2023, when he had published just seven of his 22 books. Thursday, he reported he's now published 18: a four-part science-fiction series, a two-part science fiction series, four independent fantasy novels, one apocalypse book and seven novels in the David Langwonaire thriller series. The eighth installment of the David Langwonaire series "An Appropriate Assassination," is set to be reviewed in September and on sale before Christmas. The book, written two summers ago, is about the assassination of a presidential candidate with a long gun, "something which very nearly happened to Trump" last year. Mylroie assured the Friends of the Library that he wouldn't be filing away his manuscripts or capping his pen anytime soon -- the bottom line is, it's too fun. "It's great fun to create whole new planets, whole new worlds, whole new people," Mylroie said, following the meeting. "I think I have more stories. I have more things I want to talk about." |
| Baptist CEO: Region will see 'world class' docs with OCH purchase | |
| With Baptist Memorial Health Care set to take over OCH Regional Medical Center, the entire region stands to benefit from more technology, the ability to recruit top level physicians and coordination with Baptist's Columbus hospital. "I do think we have an opportunity to recruit world-class physicians to the Golden Triangle who can share calls at both hospitals and deploy services at both facilities, so that people can come to their hometown hospital to get the best care possible," President and CEO Jason Little told The Dispatch on Friday. With the transition will come changes. For one, Little said BMHC is looking forward to adding its logo in front of the hospital, but Little was mum on what OCH will be renamed. Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle in Columbus will keep its name. "The hospital in Oktibbeha County will continue to have a name that references its legacy in service to the county, but also it's going to get Baptist in the name," he said. Baptist has agreed to commit $34 million of its investment to recruiting new physicians and expanding services. Little said that could include more specialty services that neither of the two hospitals would have been able to sustain on their own. For patients, Little said those changes will translate to a high-quality care experience that they can have close to home. |
| Golden Triangle development group gets new home 'in the middle of the kingdom' it built | |
| The Golden Triangle's new headquarters for economic development has opened in the middle of the massive projects it has helped bring to Clay, Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties. The $2.5-billion Steel Dynamics aluminum mill is visible from one window and the airport from another. Just down the road are the Airbus factory that has built 1,700 helicopters, the 400-acre PACCAR site that churns out engines and Stark Aerospace, which was awarded a $61-million defense contract last year. These are companies that Joe Max Higgins and his team have helped bring to the area. "It's in the middle of the kingdom," said Higgins, the CEO of Golden Triangle Development LINK. "I mean, you can just look. It's all here. You can just walk around and see everything." The headquarters was previously located on Main Street in Columbus. But Higgins said that the agency has wanted to move to a more central location for a while. The new headquarters sits on land owned by the Golden Triangle Regional Airport, which is run by all three counties. LINK is the regional economic development organization for the three-county area known as the Golden Triangle. It is funded by the three county governments and private backers. This melding of public and private interests was represented at Tuesday's opening event by the attendance of public officials and business leaders. |
| Joe Max Higgins out as LINK CEO | |
| Longtime CEO Joe Max Higgins is no longer with the Golden Triangle Development LINK. A press release issued Sunday evening said the LINK's Executive Committee determined "a leadership transition is in the best long-term interest of the organization and the region we serve." The LINK will begin a search for a new CEO, the press release said, while day-to-day operations "remain under management of our dedicated and capable team." "The LINK remains committed to building on recent successes, advancing major projects and continuing to position our region as a leader in regional growth," the press release said. "We deeply value the ongoing support and partnership of our stakeholders as we move forward." Bain Nickels, the chairman for the Executive Committee, told The Dispatch the committee would not comment on Sunday beyond the content of the press release. Higgins has served more than 20 years as chief executive at the LINK, the region's industrial development arm. He was in the first year of a five-year contract, which Higgins told The Dispatch in May would be his last with the organization. Higgins did not return calls and messages from The Dispatch on Sunday. |
| Golden Triangle Development LINK parts ways with CEO Higgins | |
| The Golden Triangle Development LINK, serving as the largest economic development group in north Mississippi, announced the departure of its chief executive officer on Sunday. A press release noted that Joe Max Higgins would be departing as CEO immediately after the LINK's executive committee determined "a leadership transition is in the best long-term interest of the organization and the region we serve." LINK works to foster economic growth in Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha counties. Day-to-day operations as the search for a new CEO will "remain under management of our dedicated and capable team," the release noted. Higgins has served atop the LINK for more than two decades and has a handful of major projects to his credit, including bringing plants for Steel Dynamics, PACCAR, Airbus, and Yokohama Tire to the area. In May, plans were unveiled for the Golden Triangle's fifth megasite, appropriately named "Cinco," with the goal to accommodate multiple tenants between Columbus and Starkville. While the release did not disclose what led to Higgins' departure, Mississippi Development Authority executive director Bill Cork said the decision appears to be related to human resources but did not expound further. "I just found out about it today like everyone else, and I'm totally surprised by it. I tried to reach out to Joe Max but got no response" Cork said. |
| Workforce training: From students to apprentices to Airbus employees | |
| When she was growing up, Glynis Lambeth knew she wanted to work with aircraft. Because her dad was in the Air Force, Lambeth was always around planes and helicopters, and she was fascinated with how they worked. "I got the opportunity to fly airplanes ... and just experience all the different types of aviation and how it helps support our community and our military," Lambeth told The Dispatch. "And I just fell in love." When she heard about a new program geared toward providing a career path in aviation manufacturing at East Mississippi Community College's Communiversity through a partnership with Airbus, she jumped at the chance to apply, she said. Lambeth was one of nine students in the inaugural class of the Aviation Manufacturing Technology program to graduate Friday after completing a 10-week course at the Communiversity. With their classroom training complete, the students will start their hands-on training at Airbus in Columbus on Monday. The training program, called FlightPath9, is modeled after one of the same name created by Flight Works Alabama and Airbus in 2019 to prepare students for employment at its Mobile manufacturing facility. More than 300 students have become full-time employees at Airbus since the program was created, said Flight Works Alabama Project Director Robin Fenton at the ceremony Friday. |
| Starkville Police Investigating Shooting at The Block Apartments | |
| The Starkville Police Department is investigating a shooting that happened Friday night, August 22, at The Social Block apartments. Police said around 9:50 p.m., officers responded to reports of gunfire in the area of an apartment complex at 625 South Montgomery Street. Early information suggested the shooting may have been connected to a fight earlier in the evening where a weapon was reportedly involved. However, investigators now say those claims were inaccurate. During the incident, police said a round traveled through a fence at The Block apartments and struck a person standing in the parking lot of an adjacent apartment complex. The victim was injured and is receiving medical treatment. Anyone with information is asked to call the Starkville Police Department at 662-323-4131, Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151, or submit an anonymous tip through the department's website. |
| Meridian Visitor Center moves to new location | |
 | New signage was installed Friday on Front Street pointing downtown passersby to the recently relocated Meridian Visitor Center. Previously housed in the Union Hotel, the visitor center is now located on the lower floor of the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation Commerce Center at 200 22nd Avenue. "This new location puts us right were the action is," said Visit Meridian Executive Director Laura Carmichael. "Being in the center of town means we're better positioned to welcome guests, answer questions and connect people to everything that makes Meridian Special." The new location positions Visit Meridian to be one of the first things visitors see when they come over the 22nd Avenue bridge and is more convenient for both vehicle and pedestrian travelers, Carmichael said. The public is invited to stop by the new office to pick up maps, itineraries, brochures and more as they plan out how best to enjoy all the Queen City has to offer. |
| Mississippi secretary of state seeking clarification after Trump calls for mail-in ballot ban | |
| Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson is seeking clarification after President Donald Trump ramped up rhetoric about banning mail-in voting and voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterms. "Did the 'vote by mail' [premise] mean these states, like Oregon and others, who have all vote by mail. Like, that's how you vote -- by mail -- or did he mean in states like Mississippi, where it's very limited, less than 3% of the turnout is by mail?" Watson inquired after Trump announced his intentions to bar the two voting platforms earlier this week. "When you look at his machine piece, did he mean these DRE machines that most states have now gotten rid of, or did he mean the optical scanners that actually count the paper ballots? We're still a little bit in flux here, trying to find out what exactly he meant about that." Amid efforts to retain a GOP majority in both chambers of Congress, Trump took the voting methods to task earlier this week and even threatened to issue an executive order, prohibiting those ballot-casting platforms from being utilized in upcoming elections. Trump, who has pushed red states to redraw congressional lines to add more Republican seats in the capitol, has argued that mail-in voting and the voting machines could be used to give Democrats an advantage. Unlike some states that mail ballots to registered voters, Mississippi's mail-in process is much more stringent. |
| Stagnant Job Market Is a Rising Risk for the U.S. Economy | |
 | The labor market has moved front and center for the Federal Reserve, highlighting its fragility and risk to the economy. The good news is that unemployment remains low, and employers haven't been all that interested in laying people off. The bad news is that companies haven't been all that interested in hiring, either. This precarious situation means even a relatively small increase in layoffs could lead the economy to start shedding jobs -- a process that can be difficult to reverse once it starts. Worries about this possibility have come to the fore at the Fed, especially after revisions included in the July employment report showed much weaker job growth in recent months than previously thought. This is why, while inflation is above the Fed's 2% target, Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Friday signaled the central bank's policymakers could cut rates when they meet next month. Powell characterized the labor market environment as "curious," with the shrunken supply of workers because of immigration restrictions counteracting the effects of reduced demand, and leaving unemployment relatively low as a result. But within that uneasy balance, Powell said the risks of a deteriorating jobs market are rising. "And if those risks materialize, they can do so quickly in the form of sharply higher layoffs and rising unemployment," he said. |
| Trump to ask Congress for $2 billion to fix 'hellhole' D.C. | |
 | President Donald Trump on Friday said he would ask Congress for billions in taxpayer dollars for his effort to clean up the District of Columbia and make it safer, arguing the capital city was a "hellhole" before he took over its policing. "Look, D.C. is a miracle," he told reporters Friday during a stop at a new White House Historical Association museum about the White House. "You live here. Have you been mugged? Okay, D.C. was a hellhole, and now it's safe." Trump revealed a coming $2 billion request of lawmakers for the district, which could be a tough sell among fiscally conservative, far-right GOP House members. He also called on D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, to step up her efforts to make her city more attractive and safe. "Now it's going to be clean. I'm giving out a contract very soon. ... We're going to be raising about $2 billion from Congress. Congress is happy to do it," Trump said, though that remains to be seen. "And we're going to wisely spend the money we're doing with Clark Construction." A real estate executive in New York and golf course owner most of his adult life, Trump also announced the scope of his envisioned Washington makeover. In addition to the coming $2 billion funding request, Trump over the last week also has called on lawmakers to repeal D.C.'s 1973 Home Rule Act and end policies like so-called "cashless bail" as part of what he has described as a "D.C. crime bill." |
| Frustrated voters caught in redistricting war: 'This isn't how a well-run republic runs' | |
 | A congressional district that stretches from Austin to the outskirts of San Antonio, held by a progressive lawmaker, may soon vanish from the Texas capital. A Republican-held district in Southern California could soon turn dark blue. And districts in Indiana and Ohio may also likely soon be unrecognizable. Across the USA, lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum are engaging in an escalating redistricting war, with governors of both parties vowing to outdo the other -- all in an effort to gain a partisan edge in next year's midterm elections. Meanwhile, voters in those districts watch in disbelief as long-held voting areas are stretched, shrunk or carved up into unrecognizable forms. Mid-decade redistricting has happened before, but never at the overt behest of the White House, said Kareem Crayton, vice president for Washington, D.C., at the Brennan Center for Justice. And the cascading efforts from one state to the next is also novel, he said. It's also the first attempt at mid-decade gerrymandering since a 2019 U.S. Supreme Court decision ruled that federal courts shouldn't interfere with partisan redistricting, emboldening states to engage in the practice, Trayton said. Caught in the middle of all of it are regular voters and local officials worried about their representation in Congress. |
| GOP redistricting gives Republican edge, but no guarantee in House battle | |
 | President Trump's campaign to redraw House maps in GOP states around the country will make it tougher for Democrats to win back control of the chamber in next year's midterms, but it won't knock them out of contention altogether, according to leading election handicappers. While Trump and his Republican allies are battling to pad their slim House majority through partisan redistricting -- a rare, mid-decade project that launched in Texas but could expand to other GOP states -- a number of other factors leave Democrats well positioned to seize the chamber, the election experts say. Not only is California vowing to revamp its own map to counter the GOP advantage in Texas, but the national mood currently favors the more energized Democrats; Republicans are defending a razor-thin House advantage that leaves them little room for defeat; and historic trends predict significant midterm losses for the party of the sitting president. "Democrats won 235 seats in 2018 on a map that was a little bit more skewed towards Republicans than the one that is in place currently," David Wasserman, the senior elections analyst for the Cook Political Report, said in a phone interview. "And we're looking at a political environment that's similar to 2018, based on the enthusiasm gap between the parties and the off-year election results so far." That enthusiasm gap, by Wasserman's tally, is a whopping 15 percent over the course of this year's special elections. |
| The W invites musicians to join Community Band | |
| The Department of Music at Mississippi University for Women is seeking musicians of all ages and experience levels to join its Community Band for the 2025-26 academic year. Members of the Golden Triangle community are invited to join the Community Band at The W. The band is currently seeking woodwind, brass and percussion players to join the ranks and perform with other members of the Golden Triangle musical community. "I would like to invite everyone in Columbus and the surrounding area to come join and play in The W's Community Band," said Melissa Reeves, director of bands at The W. "Whether you practice regularly or are picking up your instrument for the first time in several years, we welcome you." The band meets for rehearsals every Monday, beginning Aug. 25, from 6-8:30 p.m. in Shattuck Hall on The W's campus. It is free to join, however, registration is required. Members also are asked to bring their own instruments. The Community Band was founded in 2023 by the Department of Music at The W. |
| Find your sorority sisters in these photos from Ole Miss Bid Day 2025 | |
 | Photos: Sorority members celebrate Bid Day at Ole Miss, in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, August 23, 2025. |
| Trial set to begin Monday for man charged in hit-and-run that killed Ole Miss student | |
| Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of Seth Garron Rokitka, the Collierville, Tennessee, man charged in the October 2022 hit-and-run that killed University of Mississippi student Walker Fielder and critically injured another student. Rokitka, 27, faces a three-count indictment: aggravated assault with extreme indifference, manslaughter and failure to stop and remain at an accident resulting in death or serious injury. The charges stem from an early morning crash on Oct. 16, 2022. Oxford police responded around 1:14 a.m. to reports of two people struck by a vehicle in the parking lot behind City Hall on the downtown Square. Investigators say Fielder, who had turned 21 just hours earlier, and his friend, fellow student Blanche Williamson, were hit by a pickup truck that fled the scene. Fielder, a finance major and active member of Sigma Chi fraternity, was transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi, where he later died from his injuries. Williamson was critically injured and taken to Regional One Hospital in Memphis. She was later listed in stable condition. Rokitka was arrested the following Monday. |
| Returning college students provide local economic pop | |
 | Thousands of college students are back in Hattiesburg for the start of the fall semester, and city leaders say their return is felt well beyond campus. "It certainly adds a complete new vibrancy to the community when all of the students are back in town," said Todd Jackson, Area Development Partnership vice president. Jackson said it's not just classrooms that are busier. The 26,000 students in the Hub City also are filling restaurants, shopping locally and giving a major boost to Hattiesburg's economy. "With the students at Southern Miss, William Carey and Pearl River Community College, we estimate a $404 million economic impact each year, which is pretty incredible," Jackson said. Local business owners agree the difference is noticeable as soon as students return. "There's a decidedly, large difference from the summertime to the fall," said Chris Cabana, Mercury Pizza general manager. "We definitely feel that. We're excited when students come back." Cabana said the student population doesn't just bring more customers through the door, but also provides valuable employees. |
| IHL Board initiates search for new Jackson State president | |
| A search for a new president of Jackson State University is officially underway, more than three months after the previous president submitted his resignation. In May, Marcus Thompson submitted his resignation from the JSU post after serving as president for less than two years. Chairing the search committee will be Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Trustee Dr. Steven Cunningham, a JSU alum. During Thursday's meeting of the IHL Board of Trustees, Board President Gee Ogletree asked all members to participate in the search committee. "The work of selecting a university president is not easy. The search committee must walk a very fine line, respecting the need for transparency and input from stakeholders, while also respecting the need for confidentiality related to those individuals who are being recruited and interviewed," Ogletree said. "The students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters of Jackson State University deserve our very best efforts in this process, and those efforts will ultimately result in a dynamic leader who will help Jackson State realize its greatest potential." |
| Tougaloo College opens applications for next president | |
| Tougaloo College has officially opened nominations and applications for its next president. The private, historically Black college is searching for its 15th president to succeed current leadership and guide the institution into its next chapter, according to a release from the Board of Trustees. Founded in 1869, Tougaloo has long been recognized for its role in the Civil Rights Movement and its ongoing focus on social justice, civic engagement, and student success. The college, which serves about 620 students and offers more than 30 programs of study, is looking for a student-centered leader who can expand enrollment, ensure financial sustainability, and elevate its national profile. Applications will be accepted through Oct. 10, 2025. WittKieffer, an executive search firm, is assisting in the process. The college said it is encouraging applicants from diverse backgrounds and reaffirmed its commitment to inclusion and equal opportunity. |
| Local HBCU hosts Black Men's Health Equity Conference | |
| The annual Black Men's Health Equity Conference returned to Tougaloo College on August 23. The mission of the Black Men's Health Equity Conference, hosted by the Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health, is to take a deep dive into both the mental and physical health challenges faced by African American men across Mississippi. "As a historically Black college, what we're trying to do is create a unit of healthy Mississippians to help with the economy as well as make sure that we're creating a healthy, sound family unit. The Black man is often the backbone of the family unit," said Sandra Melvin, founder and CEO of the Institute of the Advancement of Minority Health. A primary focus of the conference was prioritizing mental health in the Black community. This year's conference featured Ronald Martin, an award-winning journalist, as its keynote speaker. "One of the biggest issues that we deal with recently that's impacting young Black men is suicide rates. For the longest time, African Americans were far behind white Americans when it comes to suicide rates," Martin explained. "Now we're seeing a tremendous increase. Mental health is a major issue and that's often underreported. It's often overlooked." |
| College where it snows for this JPS grad with millions in scholarship offers | |
| Jayme Anderson wore so many medals to his Forest Hill High School graduation, his mom, Angella, could hear him clanking as he walked across the stage. The 18-year-old is something of a collector for academic achievements. At his home in south Jackson, Anderson has a coffee table's worth of awards: Trophies, badges, plaques, rainbow-colored cords. And a binder stuffed full of college acceptances. All told, Anderson applied to more than 600 colleges and was admitted to exactly 582, racking up more than $10 million in scholarship offers. The eyepopping feat, which went viral earlier this summer, was driven by curiosity, free time, a desire to go out-of-state for college and a competitive streak. He also wanted to be an inspiration to other JPS students, who he said are often misunderstood and stereotyped, even by fellow Jacksonians. "I have to say that when most people think about JPS kids, they think about criminals, bad people," he said, "but at the end of the day, the majority of the people at JPS, they are not that." Don't get Anderson wrong: There were challenges. During his junior year, afternoon gun violence at a nearby convenience store kept forcing Forest Hill to go on lockdown. He said he missed a lot of AP U.S. History instruction that year. |
| Beyond HOPE? Georgia Senate eyeing need-based college scholarships | |
 | The state's lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship program has been highly successful, covering most or all of college tuition for more than 2.2 million Georgians since its inception in 1993. But Georgia lawmakers are considering expanding state aid to public college and university students beyond the merit-based HOPE program to a need-based scholarship initiative. The newly formed state Senate Study Committee on Higher Education Affordability will hold its first meeting on Monday at the state Capitol. "In my conversations on both sides of the aisle, there's been a recognition that getting more students into college is a must," said Sen. Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta, who will chair the committee. "[But] we have not turned our attention to need-based support." "I'm very concerned about the level of debt students come out of college with," added Sen. Max Burns, R-Sylvania, chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee and a member of the new study panel. "The study committee is designed to explore as many avenues as we can to expand our graduation rates." The University System of Georgia's six-year graduation rate has increased significantly during the last decade, surpassing 80% for the system as a whole and surging beyond 90% at the system's research universities, including the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. |
| Record enrollment rates pose questions for UT-Knoxville housing scene | |
| The University of Tennessee is welcoming a new freshman class with record enrollment rates for the 2025-26 school year. The milestone raises a pressing question: Where will they live? The phrase "housing crisis" has become familiar around campus, as students often describe the struggle of finding a place to stay. While freshmen are required to live in residence halls, most upperclassmen face an overcrowded Fort, less-than-ideal apartments on the Strip or longer commutes as they search for affordable housing off campus. Students who are "waitlisted" for housing are burdened with the task of planning to rent an apartment or house without actually signing a lease. For sophomores like Elly Davenport, being waitlisted for on campus housing has meant two whole semesters of uncertainty. She describes the housing market as "nearly impossible" by March 2025, when she was cut from the resident assistant selection process. Securing an RA position would have guaranteed her both housing and a job -- two things she desperately needed. When March rolled around, everyone Davenport knew already had housing. It took her about a month to find a place to live that was within her budget. Now, she faces a commute of almost 15 minutes to campus, which requires more planning and makes it harder to find a conveniently located job. |
| U. of Texas institutions to lose faculty senates; presidents to set up advisory groups instead | |
| Faculty senates -- a long-standing advisory body of elected members that helps university leadership on curriculum, policy and programs -- will no longer exist at University of Texas institutions starting Sept. 1, after the UT System Board of Regents on Thursday approved compliance with Senate Bill 37. Chairman Kevin Eltife said the board will "take their time" deciding if faculty senates compliant with the law will be reinstated to university campuses, and may not be needed at all 14 campuses. "The Legislature spoke very clear through the legislation that governing boards are responsible for deciding if and when faculty senates will be established on campuses," he told regents Thursday. "That is a responsibility that this board takes very seriously." In the meantime, the board authorizes university presidents to create "faculty advisory groups" for leaders to consult as needed and to complete the essential work previously done by the faculty senate. These groups cannot be the same makeup as the faculty senates and must follow regents' rules, including being approved by the appropriate executive vice chancellor, the approved item states. It is not known what that faculty advisory group would do or what the makeup would be. The sweeping higher education law, SB 37, gives regents the power to approve or deny the existence of faculty senates at universities, and those that stand must follow new rules, such as limits to the body's size, the president appointing leaders and meetings to be live streamed. |
| Texas A&M, Aegis Aerospace unveil collaboration for lab on International Space Station | |
 | Claire Hegar's father had no idea his daughter would give a speech to those in attendance Friday when Texas A&M University System unveiled a new partnership with Aegis Aerospace at Space Center Houston. But Hegar, who attends Texas A&M University -- the college her dad, Glenn Hegar, leads as chancellor -- and who interned at Aegis, needed to express herself at the celebration announcing the partnership that will create a permanent lab on the International Space Station to be used by Texas A&M University System students, professors and researchers. "I don't think I've completely soaked it in yet. The university I attend and the company I worked with both in collaboration on something that's going to be up there [in space]. That's beyond exhilarating," Claire Hegar told The Eagle after the ceremony. "I think speaking is so much fun. A little bit of me is introverted but once I get up there, I'm like what I'm saying is so cool and especially when it is stuff I am super passionate about." The lab is called TAMU-SPIRIT, short for Texas A&M/Aegis Aerospace Multi-Use Space Platform Integrating Research & Innovative Technology. It consists of 12 spaces for experiments on the space station, some that can be in space long term and others that can be replaced by new experiments every six months. |
| The 'death knell' of America's top public university? UC fights the Trump administration and a sometimes skeptical public | |
 | University of California scientists helped create the Internet, wet suits, artificial intelligence and a lung therapy that has saved an untold number of premature newborns. UC scientists also helped save humanity from the hole in the ozone layer and harnessed the human genome to speed the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and other diseases. America's best public university system also has enriched the world for millions of young people. The cost of my 1981 bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley was roughly $20,000. That's for four years. Including room and board. And countless slices of Blondie's pizza. But now the 10-campus university system (where annual undergraduate costs now come to about $45,000, before financial aid) is under unprecedented attack, accused by the Trump administration of condoning antisemitism in failing to head off assaults on Jewish students and allowing diversity, equity and inclusion imperatives to hold back white and Asian students. UC President James B. Milliken has said Trump administration grant suspensions at UCLA totaling $584 million would amount to a "death knell" for medical, science and energy research. Trump's team has said it would restore the grant money, but only if the university pays a $1-billion fine. Calling that "extortion," Gov. Gavin Newsom has threatened to sue. |
| Supreme Court Ruling Has 'Bleak Implications' for Researchers | |
 | were terminated by the National Institutes of Health earlier this year will be able to resume their work as planned. On Thursday, the United States Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that any legal challenges to the grant terminations should be litigated in the Court of Federal Claims, not the federal district court system they've been moving through for months. It's the latest twist in federally funded researchers' legal fight to claw back nearly $800 million in medical research grants -- though accounting for the multiyear grants that the NIH is refusing to fulfill puts that figure closer to $2 billion -- the NIH terminated for running afoul of the Trump administration's ideological priorities. Many of the grants funded programs that advanced diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and research projects focused on topics such as LGBTQ+ health, vaccine hesitancy and racial disparities. Researchers sued the NIH in April and got a win in June when a federal district court judge in Massachusetts ordered the agency to reinstate the grants immediately. Although the NIH has since reinstated many of those grants, Scott Delaney, an epidemiologist at Harvard University and former lawyer who's been tracking grant cancellations, told Inside Higher Ed that after Thursday's ruling those reinstated grants will "almost certainly" be re-terminated. If that happens, "I don't think they'll get their money back." |
| Grant Delays Threaten Cultural and Language Studies Programs | |
| For 67 years, the Department of Education has administered grants to universities to create centers devoted to foreign languages and area studies, a field focused on the study of the culture of a particular area or region. Now, those centers are under fire by the Trump administration, which has not released the funding the grantees expected to receive in July. The grants support what are known as National Resource Centers, which were originally developed as a national security tool to help the U.S. increase its international expertise in the midst of the Cold War and the aftermath of Soviet Union's 1957 launch of Sputnik. Since then, their purpose has shifted with the times, now focusing not only on producing scholars but also on community outreach and collaboration with K–12 schools. The office responsible for administering the grants---International and Foreign Language Education---was dissolved and its entire staff laid off as part of the March reduction in force at the Department of Education. But it seemed IFLE's programs, which were authorized under Title VI of the Higher Education Act of 1965, would live on; they were moved under the ED's Office of Higher Education Programs, according to an internal communication shared with Inside Higher Ed at the time. |
| The Typical College Student Is Not Who You Think It Is | |
 | There are more than 19 million college students in the United States. Most are well removed from academia's corridors of wealth and power, cavernous football stadiums and carefree nights hanging out in dorms. The war between President Trump and Harvard University barely registers to them. Instead, many live close to home, often juggling work or taking care of children with their course load. Many are enrolled part time or in community colleges. The American higher education system is a showcase of individual ambitions and academic variety. But many parts of that system are under strain, buffeted by budget cuts, demographic changes and even a pressure campaign from Mr. Trump. And for many college students, this strain is making the ability to earn a degree even harder. Community colleges, along with regional public universities, are the workhorses of higher education in the United States, which has roughly 4,000 degree-granting schools. Some nine million students are enrolled at community colleges, accounting for 43 percent of America's undergraduates. |
| Trump's Next Fight With Universities: Racial 'Proxies' in Admissions | |
| After months of targeting universities over antisemitism allegations, the Trump administration is turning to a new focus: whether schools are using proxies for race in admissions to diversify student bodies. This emphasis is emerging in recent edicts from federal agencies and in the White House's scrutiny of specific universities. In late July, Attorney General Pam Bondi warned in a memo against using "unlawful proxies" for race -- such as geography or applicant essays on overcoming hardships -- in admissions. Soon after, the U.S. Education Department announced it would require universities to report new data on applicants, broken down by race, to "ensure race-based preferences are not used." Universities have been prohibited from using racial preferences in admissions since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in 2023. The Trump administration suggests schools may be flouting the ban, though universities say they comply. For conservatives and the administration, the current push represents a common-sense strategy to enforce and extend the Supreme Court's ruling. Others say this approach distorts the court decision and could depress Black student enrollment, which has already fallen at some top colleges. "There's an effort to say that the law is something that it's not. There's an effort to say that it's illegal to seek to have a diverse student body," said Peter McDonough, general counsel for the American Council on Education, a university lobbying group. |
| Putin, Trump and Reeves all agree that mail-in voting is bad | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: Russia's Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump and many Mississippi politicians, including Gov. Tate Reeves, have something in common -- their disdain for mail-in voting. Putin, Russia's president/dictator, has waged wars where thousands of men, women and children have been killed, and his political enemies who aren't in prison have a knack for dying under strange and often gruesome circumstances. Yet, Putin has thoughts about American democracy, and apparently President Trump is listening. One takeaway Trump said he gleaned from his recent Alaskan summit with Putin, which was called to discuss ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is that the Russian president believes Trump would not have lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden if not for fraud and mail-in voting. Trump volunteered that Putin told him, "'Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting. ... It's impossible to have mail-in voting and have honest elections.'" Trump added that Putin said "no country" has mail-in voting. It is not clear how discussions of the 2020 election will help end the Russian/Ukrainian war. But Putin's comments are false. Many countries have mail-in voting. And Trump lost the 2020 election because Joe Biden won more votes -- a lot more. |
| Surging interest on ever-growing debt hijacking federal spending | |
 | Columnist Bill Crawford writes: Interestingly, just 37 days after President Donald Trump signed his "Big Beautiful Bill" (BBB), the national debt reached a new record at $37 trillion. For debt nerds, that amounts to about 120% of U.S. annual GDP, an historically high ratio but not the highest. The high came in March 2021 when it reached 130.4% of GDP as spending and collections were impacted by COVID. The ratio first passed 100% in 2013. The BBB increased the national debt limit to $41.1 trillion. But that debt limit may not be sufficient for long. ... In 2016, when he first took office, President Trump promised to balance the budget and eliminate the national debt. At that time the debt was $19 trillion. Since then under both Republican and Democratic leadership, as congressional acts that provide for sequestration and/or automatic cuts got waived year after year, the debt has almost doubled from $19 trillion to $37 trillion. ... The ever-growing debt and its surging interest costs are hijacking federal spending. Yet the president and the Republican-controlled congress continue to imagine that the sacred political mantra of actual tax cuts and pretend spending cuts can turn that around. |
SPORTS
| Soccer: Perry's Penalty Helps Bulldogs Topple No. 10 Wake Forest | |
| No. 10 Wake Forest had not lost and had not allowed a goal coming into Sunday night's match with Mississippi State. The Bulldogs changed all of that with a 2-1 victory in Starkville to claim their second win of the season. The win was State's (2-0-0) fourth top-10 victory in program history, and it made Nick Zimmerman the third Bulldog head coach to open his career 2-0-0 and the first to win his first career match against a ranked opponent. "We know it's an unbelievable program, very well-coached and they have some really, really good players," Zimmerman said. "For us, it was a great opportunity for us to see where we were at. We know we have been putting in the work, and it's a credit to the group. Like I said, it's young, it's new, and to find a way to get a result like this and compete in the second half, it's the first time this season we have had to do that, so this was really, really positive for us." In the 71st minute, Perry drew a foul in the box to earn a penalty kick. She stepped up to the spot for the first time in her career and beat the keeper cleanly for the game-winner. It was Perry's seventh career game-winning goal, moving her into a tie for fourth in program history. Mississippi State now hits the road for a pair of matches in Big 12 country. State will play at Baylor on Thursday night with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs will then head north to face Oklahoma State on Sunday at noon. |
| MSU soccer downs No. 10 Wake Forest | |
| Mississippi State soccer is off to a flying start under first-year head coach Nick Zimmerman after a win on Sunday against No. 10 Wake Forest, last year's national finalists, in Starkville. The Deacons handed the Bulldogs their only regular season loss in 2024, and the Bulldogs returned the favor with a win of their own along the same scoreline of 2-1. MSU, 2-0, came into the game having only played against Jacksonville State in a regular season contest. Wake Forest (3-1) had not only played and won three games, they did so without having conceded a goal. They were undone by a young, but fiercely ambitious Bulldog team, and it was a win that reinforced the young group's confidence ahead of a road trip into Big 12 territory. "This group celebrates each other's successes," Zimmerman said after the game," and that's what makes it really special. That's something that we preach, it's not about you, me, it's about celebrating each other's success, and whether you played one minute or 90, you see a group that has a lot of love for each other. As a head coach, leader of this program, it's really cool to see." |
| Banana Ball takes Starkvegas by storm | |
 | Starkville was absolutely bananas this weekend...and for good reason. The Banana Ball College Tour made its final and most unforgettable stop at none other than Dudy Noble Field, turning the home of Mississippi State baseball into a circus of fun, flair, and flat-out chaos. Party Animals Head Coach Mike Vavasis said, "As a whole, it's fun chaos. That's the way I put it. We're a good Banana Ball team. We're one of the most entertaining teams in the league and we like to have fun and that's really what the key is for all teams. But I feel like the Party Animals bring that big essence to having fun at games." It wasn't your average ball game -- it was a full on show The Party Animals showed off their signature antics, while the Texas Tailgaters brought some serious swagger of their own. There were choreographed celebrations, alligator wrestling, and a unicycle. And the crowd.... Electric. Dudy Noble was packed to the brim with fans of all ages, all soaking in the fun of a Banana Ball. |
| MSU unveils tailgating changes ahead of 2025 season | |
| Mississippi State University announced new tailgating zones for the 2025 football season on Thursday, with the biggest change being the rezoning of The Junction, removing public tailgating in favor of Southern Tradition Tailgating. The rezoning also includes the introduction of an exclusive student tailgating area around the amphitheater. The Junction, located outside the M Club building around the south endzone of Davis Wade Stadium, has traditionally been an area where the public has been free to set up tailgating tents. This season, all of The Junction will be part of the Southern Tradition Tailgating zone, which has a corporate partnership with MSU. Southern Tradition is a premium tailgating partner for Mississippi State, Ole Miss and LSU, among other teams and sports. Public tailgating areas remain available on a first-come, first-served basis. MSU Vice President for Strategic Communications Sid Salter said in a university release that the university has been examining tailgating changes for two years, receiving a common complaint regarding safety from gameday fans, tailgaters and visitors with children. Salter spoke with The Dispatch on Friday, echoing the concerns expressed in the release and clarifying that the decision regarding the exclusive Southern Tradition Tailgating zone was also impacted by optics of uniformity and concerns over preventing and tackling behavior that is "not conducive to a good fan experience." |
| USM football players, DuBard School students celebrate annual Black & Gold Day | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi's DuBard School for Language Disorders welcomed USM football players Friday. The annual preseason visit was all part of Black & Gold Day at the school. Players were joined by Golden Eagles cheerleaders, USM's mascot, Seymour, and first-year Head Football Coach Charles Huff. "For us to have such a resource (DuBard School) on campus, I couldn't be more proud to be a part of it," Huff said. "I've been looking forward to this day for a long time." Players signed autographs and Oak Grove High School graduate Malachi Henderson read to students. "I just wanted to read," Henderson said. "I just wanted to give the kids something to think about, because that's something very special they'll think about forever." The Dubard School opened in 1962. Southern Miss football opens it 2025 season at home against Mississippi State University on Aug. 30. |
| USM's Pride of Mississippi marching band kicks off football season with 'Pride Preview' concert | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi's Pride of Mississippi Marching Band and the Dixie Darlings set the tone for football season Friday evening with their annual Pride Preview concert. Fans filled Spirit Park on campus to hear the band's pregame show along with a first look at this year's halftime performance, "Elvis at The Rock." The show celebrates what would have been Elvis Presley's 90th birthday, and featured hits like "Jailhouse Rock" and "Can't Help Falling in Love With You." "The Pride of Mississippi are the holders of traditions on campus, and what a way to start off the school year with Pride Preview," said Travis Higa, Pride of Mississippi director. "The first Friday of each semester, we get around here and we're starting with the pep and spirit." For the students in the band, Pride Preview is about more than just music. "We're like the backdrop of every football game," said head drum major Zachary Howell. "We're always there, you can't not hear us. We help bring spirit. We help push the football team to do their best, and we go back and forth with that energy to help build it up." |
| College football 2025: How much does each position cost? | |
| The price tag for top college football talent has never been higher -- but how high is it, really? Schools had more money to spend this offseason entering the first year of revenue sharing with athletes. Power 4 programs ponied up to re-sign their returning players and combined to acquire more than 1,400 transfers via the portal. Players increasingly turned to agents to negotiate massive raises and maximize their value. And yet, we still know too little about what college football players are actually earning. Agents share exaggerated sums in the interest of signing more clients. General managers downplay the numbers to avoid locker room issues. In the NFL, salary and contract data are easy to access. In this sport, without transparency, it's an inefficient market with an incredibly wide spectrum of underpaid to overpaid players. How much does a Power 4 starter cost at each position? To answer that question, ESPN surveyed more than 20 college general managers and agents. The goal was to better define the price ranges for each spot based on the deals completed for 2025 and what each side considers fair positional and market value. To be clear, these price ranges do not reflect what everybody is making at the Power 4 level. There are million-dollar outliers with the elite players at most positions, and there are still good, young players earning less than $100,000. Talent retention is still more affordable than acquisition, so it's the transfers who tend to reset the floor and ceiling. Agents say SEC and Big Ten programs continue to consistently outspend the ACC and Big 12, regardless of the revenue share cap. |
| College athletic departments need to find every dollar. The search is on for new ways to do it | |
| As a young apprentice at the University of Missouri, Ross Bjork first learned the phrase "alternative revenue sources" from his boss, longtime Tigers athletic director Mike Alden. The term resonates more than 25 years later. "Everybody's like, 'What does that mean?'" said Bjork, now the AD at Ohio State. "And he started talking about concerts and just other ways to be creative in revenue generation." Bjork's Buckeyes rank among college athletics' highest earners: The Ohio State athletic department reported nearly $800 million in revenue over the last three reported fiscal years. Yet with 36 sports offered on campus and constant pressure heaped on his defending national champion football squad, Bjork considers the search for revenue from non-traditional sources critical for his department to stay ahead. The key, Bjork said, is for athletic departments to lean into their assets, not simply raise ticket prices. Campuses like Ohio State have football cathedrals and other athletic buildings that sit idle for most days of the year, and finding ways to keep those facilities functional beyond gameday is part of the challenge. His marketing staff develops ways to keep more products and athletic events in view of fans on their phones and computers. Bjork referenced buying shoes from Nike or Cole Haan and then seeing ads from both companies on his phone over a two-month period as a method Ohio State can apply. "We're sitting on a ton of data that just hasn't been deployed in a strategic way," Bjork said. |
| Schools use field logos, higher concession prices and more to pay for the new era in college sports | |
 | It was an exercise in corporate branding that wouldn't have raised an eyebrow in most pro sports. In college sports, it bordered on revolutionary. In a full room of reporters, boosters and executives, the University of South Carolina delivered the news that it was bringing on a new sponsor that would put its logo on the football field for Gamecocks home games, starting Sept. 6 against South Carolina State. The deal with a machinery company was the centerpiece of a partnership that, Gamecocks athletic director Jeremiah Donati explained, represented the "largest single financial investment into our athletics department in our history, which will help us shape the future of our programs and our university for years to come." In a nod to the new realities of college sports, the NCAA just 14 months ago lifted a decades-old restriction on branding on the field of play. It opened a new financing stream for universities that are sharing up to $20.5 million in revenue with their players over the next year while also doling out millions more in scholarships in an industry reshaped by the multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement that has turned college sports into something that looks more like the pros. Not everyone is seeing money walk through the door. |
| Why there's never enough money in college sports: 'We're, at times, our own worst enemy' | |
| In 2004, on the heels of his football program's third consecutive top-10 finish and second shared Big Ten title, Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby reluctantly chose to make Kirk Ferentz one of college football's highest-paid coaches rather than lose him to a traditional power or the NFL. "I don't know that a football coach should be making five times what a university president makes," Bowlsby, who later served as Big 12 commissioner for 11 years, said at the time. "But the only thing worse than being in the arms race is not being in the arms race." Two decades later, college football's pay scale for coaches has exploded. But coaching salaries are just one eye-catching piece of data on the industry's ever-growing list of expenditures as part of that ongoing arms race. According to NCAA financial numbers obtained by The Athletic through state open-records requests, college athletic departments have generated money -- and spent it -- at an eye-poppingly escalating rate from when Ferentz earned his first big contract. And unlike traditional businesses, there are no shareholders in college athletics who earn dividends or demand repayment for their investment. Whatever departments take in, they spend. |
| NCAA basketball tournament expansion growing more unlikely for 2025-26 season due to 'logistics' | |
| Any expansion of the NCAA basketball tournaments is growing more unlikely for this upcoming season, according to executives in the sport. During a speaking engagement at the National Press Club on Thursday, NCAA president Charlie Baker confirmed comments earlier this week from ACC commissioner Jim Phillips that any expansion of the men's and women's tournaments would be "tough" to do for 2025-26. "I think that's a reasonable statement," Baker said. He pointed to the "logistics" involved with any expansion. The NCAA basketball selection committees -- responsible, along with the basketball oversight committees, for making any expansion decision -- met earlier this month where committee members learned that expansion, if approved, would most likely start in 2026-27, multiple sources with knowledge of the meeting told Yahoo Sports. The comments from Baker and Phillips further advance that notion. However, during an hour-long address to the National Press Club, Baker continued to speak in favor of expanding the tournament to 72 or 76 teams to grant access to more worthy participants, such as those left on the bubble. |
| Trump says he'll be at Ryder Cup and he thinks captain Keegan Bradley should play | |
| President Donald Trump says he will be at the opening round of the high-charged Ryder Cup next month in New York, and he thinks U.S. captain Keegan Bradley should be playing. Trump posted Saturday night on his social media site that he would be there on Friday, Sept. 26, for the start of three-day matches between the United States and Europe. He said he was invited by the PGA Tour, making a common mistake distinguishing between the tour and the PGA of America, which runs the Ryder Cup in America. A PGA of America spokesman said the organization and Bradley invited Trump. Already the most raucous event in golf, this Ryder Cup has more anticipation than usual because of the venue -- the Black course at Bethpage State Park on New York's Long Island, a public course with a reputation for having the rowdiest fans. Given his passion for golf, it was expected Trump would make a presence at some point during the Ryder Cup. He met with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and Tiger Woods earlier this year to try without success to solve the divide created by the breakaway, Saudi-funded LIV Golf. The PGA Tour announced this week it would return to Trump National Doral in Florida next year for the first time in nearly a decade. |
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