| Friday, October 17, 2025 |
| Castagno praises MSU Riley Center as 20th anniversary approaches | |
 | Paul Castagno was working as a theatre professor at the University of Alabama in 1991 when he was asked to do a study on the Grand Opera House in Meridian, Mississippi. That study, which helped spark the restoration and transformation of the Grand Opera House into today's MSU Riley Center, was also the last time Castagno saw the historic building. At a Lunch and Learn discussion Thursday through The Riley Foundation, MSU-Meridian and East Mississippi Business Development Corporation, Castanago and Mississippi State University Vice President for Strategic Communications and Director of Public Affairs Sid Salter talked about the historic building, what it once was, what it became and what it could grow to be. "You couldn't ask for better. I think it's the best historical theater I've ever seen in America," Castagno said. The MSU Riley Center opened for business in September 2006 and has become a popular venue for both performers and conferences. The space, Castagno said, eclipses both his 1991 vision of what it could be and likely what it was at its peak. "To see it in this condition is unbelievable. It's fantastic. It's something to be very proud of," he said. |
| Leader of 1991 opera house study speaks | |
 | It's been 20 years since the MSU Riley Center underwent renovations, and it's been longer since the first study was done to start that process. Dr. Paul Castagno of the University of North Carolina Wilmington was the very scholar who led the study that would see the transformation of the Grand Opera House – which had fallen out of use in the year 1927. The Riley Foundation funded the restoration of the opera house, at which point it became the MSU Riley Center. Castagno, who spoke to members of the Riley Foundation Thursday, tells us that the restoration exceeds all his expectations. "No, it's astonishing, really, to see it culminating -- because you think about if you went to the theatre in 1902, when it was basically in its first renovation and it was spectacular then -- this of course surpasses it in a way because you've got all the upgrades going here, right?" Castagno said. "The fly systems, the grids." |
| Mississippi State partners with Amazon, Arable to help Delta farmers conserve water | |
 | Mississippi State University is partnering with tech giant Amazon and leading agricultural technology company Arable to help Delta farmers conserve water and save money in the process. The Mississippi Delta initiative is one of more than 30 worldwide projects Amazon has announced for its campaign to contribute more water to the environment than the company consumes by 2030. Due to land use changes, agricultural production, and climate variability, the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (MRVA), which supplies water to approximately 7 million acres of farmland across several states, has experienced a significant decline in water levels since the 1970s. Arable's technology will be used as part of a water replenishment project to enable more sustainable use of a local resource that is critical for the region's survival. "The concern is more water is being pumped out than replenished," said Drew Gholson, a scientist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and an irrigation specialist with the Mississippi State Extension Service. "We want to ensure this valuable resource is available for growers to maintain their yields during low rainfall or drought periods." |
| Halloween fun returns with pumpkins, candy, costumes | |
 | As the crisp air of fall returns and front porches in the Golden Triangle fill with creatures of the night it can only mean one thing -- Halloween is back. While some may be busy on the haunting night, there are a number of events taking place leading up to the holiday to get locals in on the fun. From 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Starkville's Main Street Association will once again be hosting Pumpkinpalooza, a large Halloween celebration sponsored by Chick-fil-A. This year, the event is being moved from its usual location on Main Street to the HUB Plaza and down University Drive, said Paige Watson, director for Main Street for the Greater Starkville Development Partnership. Even with the change in location, Watson said organizers are still excited to see the community show up for this year's festival. "It's definitely really special seeing the whole community kind of come together," Watson told The Dispatch. "This is an event that's been going on so long. ... I know it's a really special event for a lot of people that look forward to it each year, so that's always very heart warming." The event will include pumpkin painting with the Starkville Area Arts Council, trick-or-treating and balloon artists, Watson said. It will also feature bounce houses and the Mississippi State Spirit Squads. Watson said a portion of University Drive in front of the HUB will be closed from 3-8 p.m. to give organizers time to set up the event, keep festival-goers safe as they walk around and clean up afterward. "It's a very minor closure compared to previous years," Watson said. |
| Lawmakers examine lien, tax sale processes in effort to fight blight | |
| During a Thursday meeting at the State Capitol, members of the legislative Study Committee on Certain Unmerchantable and Uninsurable Titles heard how difficult it is for municipalities to solve the state's blighted property issues. Members agreed with the seven witnesses that Mississippi is struggling with blighted buildings. The committee's goal is to get the properties back on the tax rolls and redeveloped. Last session, several pieces of legislation were introduced to address blighted properties. New laws provide tax breaks of upwards of $50,000 for residential and $100,000 for commercial properties for developers to redevelop blighted properties. Another law allows local government to apply for 15, $2,000 grants to encourage municipalities to tackle blight. These properties are held by the Secretary of State's office for back taxes. "There are some statutes that might need to be tweaked," said State Senator Ben Suber (R), the committee's chairman. Whatever bill emerges from the committee on unmerchantable and uninsurable titles will need to involve the court system to confirm that the notices were properly given. |
| New senate committee focusing on improving metro area | |
| An update about the Capitol Complex Improvement District Court, information about state agencies that lease space outside downtown Jackson and ways to draw additional tourism to downtown are among topics the Senate Study Committee on Jackson might focus on. That's according to Sen. Walter Michel of District 25 (Hinds-Madison counties) who was appointed by Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann to chair the committee. Sen. David Blount of District 29 (Hinds County) is vice chair. Members of the study committee are Sen. Sollie B. Norwood of District 28 (Hinds County), Sen. Hillman Frazier of District 27 (Hinds County), Sen. Dean Kirby of District 30 (Rankin County), Sen. Brian Rhodes of District 36 (Rankin and Smith counties) and Sen. Andy Berry of District 35 (Copiah, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence and Simpson counties). Hosemann said the study committee would center upon strategies for strengthening and boosting economic activity in the metro area. "For several years, we have discussed the need for a focused effort to unlock Jackson's economic and tourism potential," he said. "With the city entering a new chapter, the time is now to pursue opportunities that will increase tourism, attract investment, enhance downtown, and promote future growth." |
| Shutdown Leaves Fed in Dark on Data as It Weighs Next Rate Move | |
 | An extended government shutdown is raising the prospect that Federal Reserve officials will make their next interest-rate decision without key economic data that could reconcile a debate over how far and fast to cut rates. The irony: The bid for a larger rate cut by President Trump and his allies is likely to go nowhere without clear evidence of a rapid deterioration in labor markets that those reports could provide. The absence of new government data essentially locks in another quarter-point cut at the Fed's next meeting in two weeks following a similar reduction last month. Concerns about a more abrupt job-market swoon overrode jitters about sticky inflation last month, and Fed Chair Jerome Powell indicated this week that that balance of concerns hasn't changed during the recent data blackout. The lapse in federal funding that began Oct. 1 has suspended the September employment report and will delay inflation releases originally slated for publication this week. The Labor Department is calling back some furloughed workers to prepare the consumer-price index, originally scheduled for release on Wednesday but now due to be released Oct. 24, several days before the next Fed meeting. Central-bank officials use monthly statistical releases to calibrate their economic forecasts that guide their rate decisions. "From our standpoint, we'll start to miss that data," Powell said at an economics conference on Tuesday. "If this goes on for a while, they won't be collecting it, and it could become more challenging." |
| GOP senators worry about Trump, Hegseth shutdown moves | |
 | Republican senators have questions and concerns about how President Trump is managing to pay more than 1 million military service members during the government shutdown and are seeking more information about what funds he is dipping into to achieve his political ends. Republican lawmakers are glad that active members of the military and their families around the country didn't miss their first paychecks of the shutdown on Oct. 15, but they're frustrated that Trump once again appears to be trampling on Congress's power of the purse. Traditionally, the White House needs to send a request to reprogram federal funding to Capitol Hill, and members of the Appropriations Committee need to approve it before an administration is able to shift funds away from the programs for which they were intended. Republican appropriators say they are not aware of the White House sending a reprogramming request to Congress before Trump ordered Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to use "all available funds" to make sure that troops got their paychecks this week. One Republican senator who requested anonymity to comment on Trump's aggressive repurposing of federal funding said the administration didn't explain its legal authority. "That's a concern of not just appropriators, it seems broader than that," the senator said. |
| Trump's military pay move puts Congress in the back seat on spending | |
 | It's been a year full of money grabs by an executive branch that puts less weight on Congress' "power of the purse" than any since the Nixon administration. But President Donald Trump's latest budget maneuver -- paying military salaries out of unrelated research funding -- has so openly flouted federal law as to make lawmakers' appropriations authority, and Congress itself, practically irrelevant, critics argue. "President Trump has been ignoring Congress' authority to say which funds should be spent since the early days of this administration. He is now increasingly disregarding the requirement of an appropriation before spending money," said David Super, a Georgetown Law professor and expert in federal budget law. "This renders the appropriations process essentially meaningless if the president continues along this course," Super said. G. William Hoagland, a longtime Senate GOP budget aide, said Trump's budget moves are "without precedent" and that President Richard Nixon's flouting of spending directives -- which led to the landmark 1974 budget law's enactment -- "pale in comparison." The 1974 law created the modern controls on presidential "impoundments," requiring the executive branch to obligate funds consistent with enacted appropriations laws -- unless Congress passes legislation rescinding certain funds identified by the president. |
| John Bolton surrenders to authorities, appears in court after indictment | |
 | John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, surrendered to authorities and appeared in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Oct. 17 after he was indicted on charges of mishandling classified documentation. Bolton, who has become an outspoken Trump adversary, is the latest of the president's perceived enemies charged by the Justice Department following indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Bolton turned himself in Friday morning at the Maryland courthouse, according to a source familiar with Bolton's activities. In an 18-count indictment, Bolton is accused of sharing "diary-like" entries to two family members in 2018 and 2019 detailing his activities as national security adviser that included classified information. Bolton, in a statement, denied the charges and said he is Trump's "latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those who he deems to be his enemies." "These charges are not just about his focus on me or my diary entries, but his intensive effort to intimidate his opponents," he said. At the center of the indictment are notes and other information that Bolton, on a non-governmental email, sent to two family members in preparation for a book Bolton wrote, "The Room Where it Happened," published in 2020. |
| 'No Kings' organizers project a massive turnout for this weekend's protests | |
 | Organizers of the "No Kings" protests are projecting that millions of Americans will demonstrate against the policies of the Trump administration on Saturday, amid ongoing ICE arrests and the deployment of National Guard troops to several Democratic-run cities around the country. "The purpose here is to stand in solidarity, to organize, to defend our democracy and protect each other and our communities, and just say enough is enough," said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group that is one of the protest organizers. "We've been watching the Trump administration's abuses of power, and millions took to the streets in June," she said. Some Republicans have decried the protests as anti-American. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it a "hate America rally." This summer, droves of demonstrators protested on the Army's 250th anniversary, which coincided with President Trump's birthday. In celebration of the date, Trump insisted on a massive military parade that critics said was meant to honor Trump as much as the armed service. Now, protesters say they are speaking out on what they say are injustices perpetrated against suspected undocumented immigrants, as well as a failing health care system, efforts to tilt elections, and other grievances. |
| New models depict 'Arc de Trump' monument on Arlington side of Memorial Bridge | |
| President Donald Trump has been floating plans for a new arch monument at a heavily trafficked roundabout near Arlington National Cemetery. Depicting a winged "Lady Liberty" flanked by two eagles, the monument -- called "Independence Arch" in mock-ups but now known by the informal name "Arc de Trump" -- would stand in a traffic circle on the Virginia side of Memorial Bridge, about a quarter mile from the Arlington Cemetery Metro station. Trump displayed variously sized 3D models of the proposed arch at a dinner with donors in the White House's East Room yesterday (Wednesday). The president has talked about constructing the arch in connection to celebrations honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next year, according to CNN. When CBS News asked who the arch would be for, however, Trump pointed at himself and told the outlet, "Me." The roundabout connects Memorial Bridge, Arlington Blvd, Washington Blvd and Memorial Avenue, which leads into the cemetery. While well known to commuters, the roundabout also receives heavy foot traffic. Trump discussed building the arch at a dinner with nearly 130 deep-pocketed donors, allies and representatives of major companies, rewarding them for their pledged contributions to a massive new ballroom with a price tag now estimated at $250 million. |
| Search for next Jackson State President expected to take 5 months, IHL Board told | |
| The search firm hired by the Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning to find the next president of Jackson State University, AGB Search, presented an overview of how the process will play out during Thursday's meeting. Jackson State University has been without a president since Marcus Thompson resigned from the position in August. He served less than two years in the position and was the fourth person to be appointed to that role in the past five years. According to the timeline presented to the IHL Board, the search, interview and hiring process is anticipated to take about five months. It will include establishment of a set of interview questions by gathering information from all interested parties, recruitment and interviewing of candidates, and a thorough background check. The longest aspect of that process is anticipated to be recruitment of the candidate pool, taking up to 2 months, AGB Senior Executive Search Consultant Carlton Brown described. After JSU's new president is appointed, AGB Search's work is not done. As part of their services, Brown said the firm will assist with the transition for up to a year. "That, in fact, we stay and remain to assist with transition activities," Brown added. "In fact, we tend to encourage institutions to form a transition team in order to make sure that new president moves with some success." |
| 'We're listening': JSU Presidential Search to formally include university community | |
 | At a Thursday meeting of the Institutions of Higher Learning's Board of Trustees, the board approved a motion to put together a search advisory constituency. It means that university stakeholders have more of an input on the next president, working under the board's direction to help select JSU's next president. It's a measure that hasn't been used for presidential searches in a while. "I think you all may realize that this is the first time our board has done this in a long time," said BOT President Gee Ogletree during the meeting. "It's because we've heard from many people asking us to broaden this process and we're listening." The search committee chair and commissioner will put together a list of potential members and submit it for board review at a later meeting. Those members will likely be faculty, alumni and students said search committee chair and trustee Steven Cunningham. He added that they haven't made determinations for their draft list just yet, but that they'd likely be leaders from each of those groups. With the frequent turnover of JSU presidents, Cunningham, himself a JSU graduate, said they wanted to build trust with the community. The board's next meeting will be on November 20 at Mississippi State University. |
| Mississippi Valley State and Delta State will increase security after shootings at homecoming events in other places | |
| Just days after a series of shootings marred homecoming events at universities and high schools in Mississippi, other state institutions are taking extra precautions to ensure students, faculty, alumni and community members are safe. An outbreak of shootings occurred last weekend within a 24-hour period across the state, including at two historically Black universities, Alcorn State in Lorman and Jackson State at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. As a result, Mississippi Valley State University, another HBCU, announced it is beefing up its campus public safety presence this weekend by partnering with local, state and county law enforcement authorities. This includes a "series of proactive safety protocols," like curfews for tailgating, vehicle inspections at all campus entry points and campus access restrictions with Valley State students being required to show valid ID. The university says it will step up enforcement of its ban on firearms. Delta State, another public university in the area, said it will be enforcing a clear-bag policy at all events. The university said it has also moved its Homecoming Green Glow, a Friday student event, from outside to Kent Wyatt Hall Atrium inside to ensure safety. Additionally, tailgating events for Friday evening have been canceled. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. Saturday, and other tailgating events will end one hour after the end of the game. Homecoming is this Saturday at the University of Southern Mississippi and Oct. 25 at Mississippi State University. Officials at those schools also said they are taking precautions as they anticipate thousands of students, alumni and others to participate in festivities. |
| IHL addresses recent homecoming violence | |
| Mississippi universities are taking action following a weekend of violence during homecoming celebrations, with shootings occurring at Alcorn University and near Jackson State University's tailgate. Before the monthly meeting of the Institutions of Higher Learning, board members acknowledged the recent gun violence connected to college tailgating events. They sent their prayers to the victims and their families and emphasized their commitment to ensuring campus safety. "Certainly, the loss of life at Alcorn State University weighs on us all," said the IHL board president. "As did the wounding of victims in Lorman and here in Jackson. I know all of our universities are working constantly with campus police to ensure a safe environment for all events for everyone on the campus. We're keeping our university and those involved in the campus events in our prayers." |
| Ole Miss partnership brings decades of Black history to digital age | |
 | A University of Mississippi partnership with a community cultural center is bringing decades of Black Oxford history into the digital age. Through a new internship with the Burns-Belfry Museum and Multicultural Center, doctoral student Gabbie Bowden digitized more than two decades of Soul Force, a community newsletter that began chronicling weddings, church events, political commentary and everyday life in Freedmen Town in the early 1970s. The project, supported by M Partner and the Department of English, preserves a vital record of Black families and community voices for future generations. "There was a very tangible feeling of accomplishment helping put this information out to the digital world," said Bowden, of Gulfport. Built in 1910, the Burns-Belfry building was once Burns Methodist Episcopal Church, organized by freed African Americans who settled in the area known as Freedmen Town after the Civil War. The Oxford Development Association, a nonprofit founded to improve education in the Black community, began there in 1970 and launched Soul Force as its monthly newsletter. |
| UMMC launches midwifery clinic at hospital in Canton | |
| After acquiring Merit Health Madison, the only hospital in Canton, over the summer, the University of Mississippi Medical Center announced a midwifery clinic has been opened on location of what's now UMMC Madison. The UMMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology said in a press release that the midwifery clinic makes for the first midwifery clinic to offer care five days a week outside of the one on the academic medical center's main campus in Jackson. The Madison location is part of a five-year plan to integrate certified nurse-midwives into UMMC hospitals and clinics in the metro area and surrounding counties, with the goal of offering round-the-clock midwifery care by 2027. Differing from a regular hospital birth, midwifery care emphasizes a more natural, holistic, and personalized approach to birth. "The opening of the UMMC Madison Nurse-Midwifery Clinic marks a milestone in expanding access to evidence-based reproductive and gynecologic health care for families living north of Jackson," said Kim Rickard, one of the certified nurse-midwives who work at UMMC Madison. |
| Family of Trey Reed, New Black Panthers say his death was a lynching, will rally at DSU soon | |
 | A group alleging that De'Martravion "Trey" Reed was lynched and the murder is being covered up plans to rally this weekend at Delta State University. Reed, 21, was found dead on the Delta State University campus in Cleveland, Mississippi, where he was a student. His body was hanging from a tree. Investigators quickly said his death was a suicide. There will be a National Day of Justice for Trey Reed demonstration at noon, Saturday, Oct. 18, on the campus of Delta State University. The event flyer and news-release style post shared by Krystal Muhammad, the chair of the New Black Panther Party, alleges "They trying to cover up the Lynching" and calls for an all-black dress code. The New Black Panther Party is not affiliated with the original Black Panther Party. Both the Antidefamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center define the current organization as a hate group because of Black separatist and antisemitic leanings. "We're having this demonstration and protest to expose the cover up of the lynching of Trey Reed and all of those who are a part of the cover up to be held accountable legally-civilly and crimnally to the highest degree," Muhammad wrote in a Facebook post. She also lists herself as a family representative. |
| 'This is censorship': Former Millsaps professor files lawsuit following 'unprecedented' termination | |
| After spending nearly a year living in professional limbo, former Millsaps College professor James Bowley was terminated from his tenured position in early September. But the saga that began on Nov. 6, 2024, after Bowley's remarks in the wake of the presidential election, continues. Bowley, who taught religious studies, had emailed his class of three students telling them their class had been canceled, "to mourn and process this racist fascist country" after Republican Donald Trump won a second, non-consecutive term as president. The very next day, Bowley was placed on paid administrative leave while the college reviewed his use of an institutional email account "to share personal opinions" with students. Throughout the tumultuous grievance and appeals process in the months that followed, Bowley has maintained he does not regret his actions. A faculty grievance committee recommended Bowley be restored, but the college administration and ultimately the board of trustees overruled its decision. Now, he's taking Millsaps to court. In his lawsuit filed Sept. 26 in Hinds County Circuit Court, Bowley alleges the college violated its contractual obligations and promises by punishing him for his speech. |
| Mississippi's chronic absenteeism rate rose by more than 3% in 2024-25 school year | |
| Chronic absenteeism spiked by more than 3% in the 2024-25 school year, according to a report from the Mississippi Department of Education. The state released its chronic absenteeism report on Thursday, showing that 27.6%, or 120,408, of Mississippi's public school students missed a significant amount of time in the classroom. The updated figure reflects an increase from the 2023-24 rate of 24.4% but did not surpass the record high of 28%, which occurred in 2021-22. The Mississippi Department of Education began reporting chronic absence data in 2016, with the lowest rate of 13% being achieved in 2018-19. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, or more than 18 days, for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences and suspensions. The most recent report shows that approximately one-third of all absences were excused, meaning the overwhelming majority of Mississippi students did not have a valid reason for missing school. "When students are not in school, they are missing valuable instruction from their teachers and social interaction with their peers," State Superintendent of Education Dr. Lance Evans said. "Missing 18 or more days of school has serious consequences for academic achievement and long-term success. We need families, educators, and community partners to join forces to combat chronic absenteeism." |
| Big Tech is paying millions to train teachers on AI, in a push to bring chatbots into classrooms | |
 | On a scorching hot Saturday in San Antonio, dozens of teachers traded a day off for a glimpse of the future. The topic of the day's workshop: enhancing instruction with artificial intelligence. After marveling as AI graded classwork instantly and turned lesson plans into podcasts or online storybooks, one high school English teacher raised a concern that was on the minds of many: "Are we going to be replaced with AI?" That remains to be seen. But for the nation's 4 million teachers to stay relevant and help students use the technology wisely, teachers unions have forged an unlikely partnership with the world's largest technology companies. The two groups don't always see eye to eye but say they share a common goal: training the future workforce of America. Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic are providing millions of dollars for AI training to the American Federation of Teachers, the country's second-largest teachers union. In exchange, the tech companies have an opportunity to make inroads into schools and win over students in the race for AI dominance. AFT President Randi Weingarten said skepticism guided her negotiations, but the tech industry has something schools lack: deep pockets. "There is no one else who is helping us with this. That's why we felt we needed to work with the largest corporations in the world," Weingarten said. "We went to them -- they didn't come to us." |
| Former Auburn University, U. of Alabama instructor fired for Charlie Kirk post files federal lawsuits | |
 | A former educator at Auburn University and the University of Alabama has sued college leadership in federal court after she says she was fired for a post responding to the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. In her complaint against Auburn University, Candice Hale says that her firing violated her First Amendment rights. "Candice Hale exercised her right to speak on matters of public concern, the death of Charlie Kirk, a political figure -- expression that lies at the core of the First Amendment -- and was subsequently terminated for doing so," the complaint reads. "Such retaliation cuts to the heart of democratic principles, where open discourse and the free exchange of ideas are essential to the preservation of liberty and justice." On Sept. 11, one day after Kirk died after being shot while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University, Hale shared her thoughts in a post to Facebook. Nearly one week later, on Sept. 17, Auburn University President Christopher Roberts announced in a post to X that the school was terminating some employees for making social media posts that were "hurtful, insensitive and completely at odds with Auburn's values." Roberts did not name the employees or say how many were fired. |
| State politicians, OU athletes, students attend TPUSA event | |
| OU athletes and Oklahoma politicians attended the OU Turning Point USA event Thursday evening at the Lloyd Noble Center. The event, which occurred as part of the "The Turning Point Tour," featured Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, reality TV star Savannah Chrisley and English comedian Russell Brand. A number of notable community figures attended the event, including OU women's basketball senior center Raegan Beers and senior guard Payton Verhulst. Beers was named to the preseason all-SEC first team on Monday. Verhulst said the event is something she has always aligned with belief-wise. "It's really important that no matter your status, it's important to do and go to places where you're really strong in beliefs," Verhulst said. "This is an amazing opportunity to do that and meet people." Beers said that though the event aligns with what she personally believes in, freedom of speech is also important to her, which she said Turning Point USA promotes. "It's important, especially in this day and age, to allow people to talk about what they want to talk about, no matter what side you're on," Beers said. "Obviously (the event) aligns a lot with my opinion as well, but having that freedom of speech is really important." |
| Gov. Greg Abbott names head of new office to investigate higher ed complaints | |
| Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday appointed Brandon L. Simmons as Texas' first higher education ombudsman, charging him to lead a newly created office to investigate complaints filed against the state's colleges. The ombudsman's office was created as part of Senate Bill 37, which was passed by the Texas Legislature earlier this year and went into effect on Sept. 1. The office will have the power to investigate complaints claiming that universities and colleges aren't following the new law or the state's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, as well as recommend funding cuts for violators. SB 37 gives governor-appointed regents new authority to approve or deny the hiring of top university administrators as well as courses that they consider do not align with the state's workforce demands. Traditionally, faculty have advised university administrators on such academic matters and hiring decisions, but SB 37 also limits professors' influence on campuses. Supporters say the office will bring needed accountability to higher ed institutions, while the American Association of University Professors has contended that, without due process protections, it is ripe for abuse. |
| U. of Florida unveils 4th generation HiPerGator AI supercomputer | |
 | The University of Florida unveiled its 4th generation AI supercomputer HiPerGator on Oct. 15 during a ribbon cutting ceremony at its East Campus Data Center. The event brought together university leadership, researchers and corporate partners who emphasized the importance of AI in higher education and named UF a leader in AI education. HiPerGator 4.0 is the fastest and most powerful supercomputer on a college campus, according to the university. The upgrade precedes HiPerGator 1.0 which arrived at the university in 2013; HiPerGator 2.0, installed in 2015; and HiPerGator 3.0 and HiPerGator AI, installed in 2021. UF alum and Nvidia co-founder Chris Malachowsky donated the first generation of the supercomputer to the university. Its most recent successor has enabled more than $805 million worth of research at UF and is a part of the university's AI initiative, which began in 2020 and aims to integrate artificial intelligence with all curriculum and interdisciplinary research. According to the university, roughly 2,000 students take courses in AI and there are about 8,000 HiPerGator users on campus across the engineering, natural history, medicine, physics, agriculture and humanities disciplines. |
| Former NIH leaders detail the 'constant chaos' they left behind | | |
| Jeremy Berg walked on stage sporting a curious look: a red tie patterned with a word cloud drawn from the applications of 197 researchers who vied to be part of a National Institutes of Health initiative aimed at accelerating junior scientists' academic careers. The MOSAIC program, which provided researchers seed funding to start their own labs, was eliminated months ago after the federal government deprioritized and cut funding for scientific research the Trump administration deemed as promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. The former director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences wore the tie -- featuring words such as "CELL," "DISEASE," and "EPIGENETICS -- to draw attention to research areas affected by months of turmoil. "It's been like living in a washing machine, it's been constant chaos," said Berg, speaking Thursday on a STAT Summit panel of former NIH leaders and a researcher documenting the impact of funding cuts. The chaos is not confined to a single program, said the panelists. And the worst may be yet to come. "I get asked this constantly: When will we start rebuilding? I don't think we can know until we know the full extent of the destruction. There's no reason to think we've bottomed out," said Eric Green, who was forced to retire in March as director at the National Human Genome Research Institute. |
| In 'Rocky' Labor Market, Your College Major Matters | |
 | Despite mounting public skepticism about the value of a college degree, the data is still clear: Over all, college graduates have much higher earning potential than their peers without a bachelor's degree. But the limits of those boosted earnings are often decided by a student's major. American workers with a four-year degree ages 25 to 54 earn a median annual salary of $81,000 -- 70 percent more than their peers with a high school diploma alone, according to a new report that Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce published Thursday. However, the salary range for workers with a bachelor's degree can span anywhere from $45,000 a year for graduates of education and public service to $141,000 for STEM majors. And even within those fields, salary levels have a big range. Humanities majors in the prime of their careers earn between $48,000 and $105,000 a year, with a median salary of $69,000. Meanwhile, business and communications majors earn between $58,000 and $129,000 a year, with a median salary of $86,000. "Choosing a major has long been one of the most consequential decisions that college students make---and this is particularly true now, when recent college graduates are facing an unusually rocky labor market," said Catherine Morris, senior editor and writer at CEW and lead author of the report, "The Major Payoff: Evaluating Earnings and Employment Outcomes Across Bachelor's Degrees." "Students need to weigh their options carefully." |
| USC rejects Trump education compact aimed at shifting the university to the right | |
 | The University of Southern California on Thursday rejected the controversial education compact the Trump administration offered it and eight other schools, saying it would undermine "values of free inquiry and academic excellence." USC interim President Beong-Soo Kim said in a statement that he had sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education turning down the Trump offer, which would give priority research funding access to universities that agree to follow the president's mostly conservative vision of higher education. His letter, which USC provided to The Times, was addressed to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and said that the compact "raises a number of issues worthy of further discussion within both higher education and our nation." But, Kim wrote, the university had concerns about the Trump administration's offer. "We are concerned that even though the Compact would be voluntary, tying research benefits to it would, over time, undermine the same values of free inquiry and academic excellence that the Compact seeks to promote," Kim wrote. "Other countries whose governments lack America's commitment to freedom and democracy have shown how academic excellence can suffer when shifting external priorities tilt the research playing field away from free, meritocratic competition." |
| Universities Are Standing Up to Trump | |
 | The White House is confronting academia's most forceful pushback to its quest to remake American higher education, as top universities reject its proposal to reward schools that embrace President Trump's priorities. On campuses and in Washington, professors and policymakers alike are weighing whether Mr. Trump, who has reveled in his campaign to upend higher education, has overreached. For months, his campaign faced only sporadic resistance. But over the last week, Brown University, M.I.T., the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California have all rebuffed the White House's push to give preferential funding treatment to schools that show fealty to Mr. Trump's agenda. Brown's decision, in particular, is a case study of how the White House may have misjudged its own strength and academia's nerve, especially once one of Mr. Trump's top aides said that the nine schools initially chosen to consider the proposal were "good actors," or could be. After Trump officials abruptly moved to shut off federal money in April, Brown forged a multimillion-dollar settlement in July. But when the Trump administration returned this month and asked the school to consider its ideology-for-funding compact, it refused to sign. The schools that have rejected the government's compact may very well be risking Washington's wrath since Mr. Trump has proved willing to attack the federal funding of schools that his administration disfavors. But the compact represents both an effort to immunize the administration's efforts from court challenges and to take its ambitions well beyond a single school. |
| Donald Trump Isn't a University President | |
| Lamar Alexander, a Republican who served as Tennessee governor (1979-87), U.S. education secretary (1991-93) and a U.S. senator (2003-21), writes in The Wall Street Journal: It happens in every presidential administration. New officials come up with some big idea and say, "Now, let's make everyone do it." The latest example of this federal overreach is the Trump administration's proposed "Compact for Excellence in Higher Education," which would create a national board of trustees for America's roughly 6,000 colleges and universities. It would impose strict guidelines on student admissions, grading, testing and the hiring of faculty, as well as set tuition, define free speech, and limit the number of international students. In exchange, institutions would receive "multiple positive benefits" and "substantial and meaningful federal grants." And a lot of mandatory paperwork for Washington's education police. We have seen this pattern before, and we shouldn't fall for it now. ... Mr. Trump’s proposed higher education compact may provoke some useful dialogue around reform. But the federal government shouldn’t try to manage the nation’s 6,000 colleges and universities. Most of the world’s best are here in the U.S. They have helped win wars, created lifesaving cures, and spawned innovations that have given America 26% of the world’s gross domestic product despite having only 4% of its population. |
SPORTS
| What to watch for: Mississippi State at Florida | |
| Mississippi State is heading to Gainesville for the first time since 2010, and has an opportunity to get right in SEC play against a struggling Florida team. Billy Napier's future is uncertain after another poor start to the season, but the Gators remain a talented roster with playmakers on both sides of the ball. They need this win as much as MSU does. The Bulldogs haven't gotten in the win column in conference play since 2023 and are 0-2 after two tough matchups against ranked opponents this season. A heartbreaking loss to Tennessee and a frustrating collapse on the road at Texas A&M may have brought the team back down after a hot 4-0 start, but the team retains self-belief and plenty of playmaking ability. They are more than capable of crashing Florida's homecoming party. The Gators have six players listed as questionable and six listed as out. Tight end Tony Livingston, offensive lineman Devon Manuel were both out last week and have been limited in practice again, and defensive backs Cormani McClain and Jordan Castell are new additions to the injury report. Florida quarterback DJ Lagway has been dealing with a foot injury that has limited his mobility, but he has played through it. |
| Three keys to victory for Mississippi State at Florida | |
| Mississippi State is on the road again in SEC play this weekend, traveling to Gainesville to face the Gators on their turf for the first time since 2010. That game proved to be the first signature win for former MSU head coach Dan Mullen, beating his former boss Urban Meyer in his last year at Florida. There is a very different coaching dynamic this time around. MSU head coach Jeff Lebby is still looking for his first SEC win with the Bulldogs while Florida's Billy Napier is under fire in his fourth season. For the second year in a row, the Gators and Bulldogs will play after a week of speculation concerning head coach Billy Napier's position going forward, with national outlets reporting this week that athletic director Scott Stricklin has met with donors to discuss their options. The Gators are 2-4 with some ugly losses, including a home loss to South Florida, and have a homecoming crowd coming to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday expecting a turnaround or bust. That can easily spur a home team to victory, but it can also turn ugly should the product on the field fall short of expectations. The booing of your own fans is never a positive signal of what is to come. For Florida, there have been reports that Napier may be gone regardless of the result on Saturday. If the game turns ugly for Florida, the fans will respond. Whether it's leaving, booing or struggling to find the energy to get behind their team, anything less than full-throated support could spell trouble for the Gators. |
| Purcell, Bulldogs embracing change, youth amid roster shakeup | |
| For each of his first three years at Mississippi State, women's basketball head coach Sam Purcell has had to hit the transfer portal hard. He's done well to find role players and contributors in the starting lineup around starters JerKaila Jordan and Debreasha Powe, but now he is having to reconfigure the team and identify new cornerstone players. When asked about leaning on those players, Purcell gave an answer that embraced the new era of change in college athletics. "You know what return experience sometimes does for you? You get blah, stagnant," he said. "You just think what happened last year is going to happen again. I absolutely love the challenge that is ahead of me, getting an entire new roster that you know what, every day we show up in practice, it means something, right? We know we have to get better. We know we have to fail, but most importantly we know we have to get to know each other." The Bulldogs still have a talented and experienced group of upperclassmen, led by senior guards Destiney McPhaul and Chandler Prater. Prater, in particular, has taken on the role of "Team Mom" and helped spearhead the team-building side of a new-look roster. "My role is to make sure everybody knows what's going on," Prater said. |
| The Suburban Dad Who Calls Plays for 100 College Football Teams | |
| At some point every Saturday, on college football sidelines around the country, there comes a moment when head coaches must make a game-changing decision. And when they do, they often rely on the teachings of a single, 87-page volume they all keep on their bookshelves. It isn't a manual authored by Bill Walsh or Nick Saban or any of college football's greatest minds. Nor is it a classic of military strategy like Sun Tzu's Art of War. This seminal text is a color-coded guide written by a suburban dad from Atlanta who never played a down of competitive football. Michael McRoberts is a Northwestern graduate in biomedical engineering who spent much of his career designing debt-collection strategies for a credit bureau. But his most impactful work is a compilation of football strategies that he assembled into something called "The Game Book." On every page, McRoberts presents the best course of action in specific situations, from when to go for it on fourth down to late-game clock management. The company he founded, Championship Analytics Inc., now has a client list that includes more than 100 major-college football programs. And his loyal readership counts some of the most successful coaches in the game. "If you really follow it," said Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, who has been using the book for six years, "you're going to be much more aggressive than the old way of thinking, the one we were all raised around or watched." |
| Utah leaders pleading for peace ahead of tensest 'Holy War' game in years | |
 | Earlier this month, leaders of the Mormon Church gathered for a somber conference. Over the previous four weeks, a church member had fatally shot Charlie Kirk, a gunman had killed four at a Mormon church in Michigan and the church's president, Russell M. Nelson, had died at 101. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leaders gave speeches echoing Nelson, who, in his last major address, had called on Mormons to be "peacemakers" in an angry America. "It is imperative that we have charity in our discourse, both public and private," he said. The church's leaders didn't mention football. But at least one of the listening faithful, a political strategist and Brigham Young grad named Steve Pierce, couldn't help but wonder whether the nearly 7 million other American members of the church would remember the "peacemakers" call two weeks later, on what he considers the most divisive day in Mormon life: the football game known as the "Holy War." For decades, the rivalry between BYU and Utah has felt bigger than sports: a colorful proxy war that pits church against state, neighbor against neighbor and families against themselves. Now, as seismic cultural shifts roil the rapidly growing state of Utah and the Wild West landscape of college football, Pierce wondered whether this year's game, which kicks off at 8 p.m. Saturday, might one day feel like an inflection point for the rivalry. One thing that's clear: The stakes of this year's game are huge. BYU boosters have poured millions into NIL deals to capitalize on the big-money era of college sports, and Utah, after an initial stumble, seems to be back on strong financial footing. The result: For the first time in years, No. 15 BYU (6-0) and No. 23 Utah (5-1) have realistic playoff hopes. |
| Big Ten's consideration of private capital plan 'ongoing' despite vocal Michigan opposition | |
| With no unanimous verdict in sight, the Big Ten's 18 presidents and chancellors did not vote during a Thursday meeting on a $2.4 billion plan that would have disbursed more than $100 million to each school's athletic department and created a subsidiary for the league's media rights and content. Not long after Michigan regents publicly denounced the deal, the executive committee of the Big Ten's Council of Presidents and Chancellors released a statement saying talks within the league would continue. The league plans to create a new entity called Big Ten Enterprises, which would oversee its media, sponsorship and branding rights. UC Investments would obtain an equal ownership stake in Big Ten Enterprises to that of each Big Ten member institution plus the league office. That's where Michigan regent Jordan Acker and Michigan's other regents have issues. Save for USC and Northwestern, 16 of the Big Ten's 18 schools are public institutions and thus effectively state agencies. That limits what kind of investment those members can receive and what they can provide as collateral. As a non-profit organization, the Big Ten Conference can remove that burden from the schools. But at Michigan, where there's a growing mistrust of the Big Ten office, financial autonomy within the school and conference remains paramount. |
| Curt Cignetti, Indiana football agree to new contract to keep coach in Bloomington | |
| Curt Cignetti has agreed to a new contract to remain Indiana football's coach amidst speculation that Penn State could target him for its head coaching job, a source confirmed with The Herald-Times. The university later put out a statement with details of Cignetti's deal that raises his average annual compensation to $11.6 million. That makes him the one of the top five paid coaches in the Big Ten and adds on another year to the extension he signed last year through 2033. Per a source, the $93 million deal is fully guaranteed and Cignetti's buyout if he were to resign from the school starts at $15 million. Cignetti previously agreed to a new contract with the school during the team's historic 10-0 start last season that nearly doubled his salary to $8 million a year and gave him an annual retention bonus of $1 million. Indiana football put out a video message from Cignetti, who was fresh off putting pen to paper, explaining why he plans to retire as a Hoosier. "The way that this state has embraced us and our success in football has meant more to me than anything else," Cignetti said. "I just wanted to get on camera and let you know that Curt Cignetti is gonna work daily to make Indiana the best it can be." |
| A perfect Berkeley paradox: Big-money college football and an antiestablishment protest | |
| Jeff Tedford looked out of his office window and saw helicopters circling. Below, a crowd had gathered to watch the last holdouts finally descend from an oak tree beside California Memorial Stadium. TV news vans lined Piedmont Avenue in Berkeley, and rooftops across campus filled with people hoping for a glimpse of what was happening. Tedford, Cal's most successful coach of the modern era, had grown accustomed to the odd scene. Twenty-one months earlier, activists began a tree-sit in December 2006, with some actually living in trees, to protest the removal of an oak grove next to the stadium, part of a long-planned seismic retrofit and facilities upgrade project. The demonstration called itself Save the Oaks. The patch of campus had embodied one of the many contradictions of Berkeley -- a place where an environmental protest and big-time college football could unfold on opposite sides of the same stadium wall. "It was like a fricking circus," Tedford said recently. "My office was about a hundred feet from the trees, so I got to see most of it and hear most all of it." Seventeen years later, as Tedford is set to be inducted into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame when the Golden Bears host North Carolina (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), the memory still feels surreal. Tedford, Cal's all-time winningest coach, built a team that, at times, hovered on the cusp of national contention, all while yards away from one of the strangest protests in college sports history. |
| SCORE vs. SAFE: Two competing bills in Congress seek to protect college sports and its athletes | |
| Efforts to reform college sports remain uncertain as falls arrives, with the two most-thorough attempts each struggling to find enough backing in Congress due to their different priorities. The SCORE Act, introduced in July with a hint of bipartisanship, would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption -- targeted to shield the nation's largest overseer of college sports from potential lawsuits against eligibility rules -- and would bar athletes from becoming employees of their schools. The SAFE Act, introduced by Democratic lawmakers last month, focuses on allowing conferences to pool their broadcast rights. Proponents say the move could bring extra billions to an industry that needs cash to finance a new era in which schools can pay players. The most significant similarity is that both bills would preempt state laws regarding name, image and likeness payments that have been allowed since July 2021. States have different laws regarding NIL, which can put teams in the same conference under different rules. Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey called the "state preemption" provision a common-sense solution that allows athletes to "know that the opponent is playing by the same rules" no matter what state they play in. The two measures are particularly divisive when it comes to the athletes. |
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