| Friday, November 21, 2025 |
| Pest management topics feature expert speakers | |
 | The 2025 Mississippi State University Row Crop Short Course will feature speakers from five universities covering topics ranging from rice delphacid to advanced irrigation management for cotton and corn. The MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will host the course Dec. 8-10 at The Mill Conference Center in Starkville. Other topics will include row crop pest and disease management, spray drone regulations, crop marketing plans and farm policy. Speakers include growers, industry specialists and row crop specialists from MSU, Auburn University, the University of Arkansas, the University of Georgia and Oklahoma State University. The course offers Certified Crop Adviser continuing education units in pest, crop, nutrient and soil, and water management. Pesticide applicator recertification credits are also available, along with consultant license renewals in entomology, plant pathology and weed control. |
| Mississippi State Launches Innovative Agricultural Drone Video Series | |
| Though the technology is still in its early days, unmanned aircraft systems with spray capabilities offer promising solutions to some of today's greatest agricultural production challenges. A video series created by Mississippi State's Agricultural Autonomy Institute and supported by the university's Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station helps farmers navigate this technology, from spray drone basics to detailed troubleshooting. Adoption of unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, in agricultural settings has rapidly accelerated over the last decade after regulations were established for their commercial use. While there are up-front investments in equipment or payments to service providers, this technology can save growers labor, time and money on aerial cover crop seeding, granular fertilizer spreading and application of pesticides. MSU's Madison Dixon, AAI associate director of research, has seen growing interest from stakeholders in Mississippi and across the country. Darrin Dodds, MAFES associate director, described the series as an example of MSU's strength in leveraging relationships to respond to Mississippians' needs. |
| Family tradition helps Christmas tree farms | |
| It seems Christmas tree farms benefit from the fact that Mississippians like to pass down the tradition of choosing and cutting their own trees. Jeff Wilson, horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said there are at least 22 Christmas tree farms scattered across the state serving the population who likes to choose and cut their own tree as the way to begin the Christmas season. "The industry in Mississippi is small in comparison to other agriculture entities, but the market is strong and growing as several new farms have begun growing trees in the last five years," Wilson said. "Tree growers are also selling additional products, like wreaths and swags for decoration." Robert Smith, co-owner of Smith's Christmas Tree Farm in Moselle, said the industry had a very good growing year in most places. "There was plenty of rain in the spring and the trees look good," said Smith, who is also the Mississippi director of the Southern Christmas Tree Association. "The drought in the fall really didn't hurt that much, but it slowed the trees down a little bit." |
| Federal funds resume for Oktibbeha dam project | |
 | With federal grant funding once again available and engineers nearing their final recommendations, work on the long-awaited Oktibbeha County Dam project could begin by mid-2026. Oktibbeha County Supervisors Board President Marvell Howard, who lives behind the levee, said residents within his district have been waiting patiently for visible progress on the dam since the lake was drained in 2020. "A lot of people (are) just wondering when the ... levee will be rehabbed and the lake will be returned to its normal water pool," Howard told The Dispatch. "... It's been a long time. It's been a slow process, but we're still working through it, and hopefully by spring of next year, if not early summer, we'll see some work starting to take place." The dam, built in 1965, has long struggled with inadequate spillways, eroding slopes and repeated slope failures. Those issues nearly resulted in a full breach of the dam in 2020, forcing a mass evacuation. To relieve pressure, the county drained the lake that year, a move that sparked a civil lawsuit with a local water park. In the years since, the county and engineers with WSP USA have outlined three options: repair the dam to to a moderate-hazard lake height for about $5.4 million, repair it to a high-hazard lake height for about $11.2 million or decommission the lake entirely for about $8.1 million. |
| Columbus-Lowndes CVB commits $1 million toward finishing amphitheater | |
| Add another $1 million toward completing the Sen. Terry Brown Amphitheater on the Island. City council members voted 4-0 in a special-call meeting Thursday, held over Zoom, to accept the contribution from the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau. Per its memorandum of understanding with the city, CVB funds can only be used to improve the amphitheater site, and "not toward the acquisition of real property." The money must also be spent by Sept. 30, 2026. "Obviously our goal is to drive tourism," Frances Glenn, director of tourism for the CVB, told The Dispatch on Thursday. "An unfinished amphitheater does no one any good. I think it's a great project. I think we will see an increase in tourism." The MOU also calls for creating a stakeholders committee for the amphitheater. While Mayor Stephen Jones said those details aren't all ironed out, the committee would include representatives from the city, Lowndes County and CVB. Since 2017, the city has spent more than $3.5 million on the amphitheater, all from legislative appropriations, to build the amphitheater in phases, including a fully functioning stage with power. The facility as it stands is Americans with Disabilities Act accessible and has restrooms behind the stage. It has yet to host its first event. |
| $3 Billion Amazon investment marks Vicksburg's biggest economic milestone ever | |
| The Vicksburg-Warren Economic Development Partnership announced Thursday that Amazon Web Services (AWS) -- the world's most comprehensive and widely adopted cloud platform -- will locate new data center operations in Vicksburg and Warren County. The project represents a $3 billion capital investment, making it the largest in Warren County's history. It is expected to create at least 200 new high-tech direct jobs and an estimated 500 additional indirect jobs across the region. The location of the data center was not announced. The decision to locate in Vicksburg comes after more than 2 1/2 years of work by state and local economic development and government officials who, along with Entergy Mississippi, worked with AWS to support their site selection process. Vicksburg and Warren County's pro-business environment, the availability of sites in the area, and Entergy Mississippi's commitment to meeting long-term power requirements were among the factors that helped Vicksburg and Warren County win the project. |
| Mississippi Museum of Art acquires Frank Lloyd Wright house in Jackson | |
| If you want to take a tour of the state's only house designed by the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, you could soon be afforded that opportunity by the Mississippi Museum of Art. The house is known as Fountainhead and is located on Glenway Drive in Fondren. The museum announced on Thursday that it had acquired the property and hopes to open it for guided tours in 2027. "This acquisition supports our goal to deepen the museums' presence across Jackson and strengthen the neighborhoods we serve through thoughtful preservation and community-focused programming," the museum wrote on social media. On Monday, the Jackson City Council granted the museum a special exception to allow for community events at the 71-year-old home. MMA Executive Director Betsey Bradley said the museum plans to restore the structure to its original condition before opening it for small tour groups. "We've worked with the Woodland Hills Conservation Association, which amended its covenants to allow for a nonprofit organization to own the property. 75% of the homeowners signed this amendment to exclude this parcel from its ownership requirements," she said. "Also, we worked with the neighborhood association to develop a memorandum of understanding about operational procedures." That agreement includes provisions regarding ways to calm traffic and to ensure that visitors to the property are shuttled in, rather than allowed to park in the neighborhood. |
| Mississippi farmers struggle with trade tensions, rising costs | |
 | On a crisp fall morning in Benton, Matt Edgar is checking his heard on land his family has owned for generations. But this year, the challenges run deeper than weather or market fluctuations. Edgar is now the fifth or sixth generation working this land, and he said that history carries both pride and responsibility. "There are some really big shoes to fill, because our family has always done very well with their crops. They've always taken care of their land very well," he said. American farmers have long struggled with high costs and low prices, but this year, uncertainty in the fields has grown. In May, China stopped buying all U.S. soybeans in retaliation for President Donald Trump's tariffs. Many farmers lost their largest export market overnight. Even with a temporary truce in place, farmers said the deeper issues remain. Input costs, seed, equipment parts and fertilizer have surged more than 40% in just five years. Inflation and rising interest rates are making it harder and harder to turn a profit. Now, another change from Washington has farmers on edge: the decision to import more beef from Argentina to lower U.S. prices. |
| The Middle Class Is Buckling Under Almost Five Years of Persistent Inflation | |
 | America's middle class is weary. After nearly five years of high prices, many middle-class earners thought life would be more affordable by now. Costs for goods and services are 25% above where they were in 2020. Even though the inflation rate is below its recent 2022 high, certain essentials like coffee, ground beef and car repairs are up markedly this year. "Life felt more doable a year and a half ago," said Holly Frew, a college communications director with a household income around $135,000 living in Atlanta. "I need to know where the light is at the end of the tunnel." The American middle class encompasses a broad cross section of workers that includes white-collar office employees, nurses and plumbers, although there is no universally accepted definition. Pew Research Center defines the middle class broadly as having a household income between about $66,666 and $200,000, depending on where they live. Perpetual sticker shock is making many within the group feel worse about both their own finances and the future of the country. They are hunting for bargains and spending more carefully. Cost-of-living issues also pushed voters this month toward candidates who promised to address what many now see as an affordability crisis. Similar issues dogged Joe Biden's re-election campaign last year and have recently weighed on President Trump's approval ratings. |
| Trump's Mississippi nominations advance in Congress after political delay | |
| The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday advanced President Donald Trump's nominations for federal judgeships and U.S. attorney positions for Mississippi, after the nominations had been held up by a North Carolina senator over a dispute over federal recognition of an indigenous group as a tribe. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis had recently said he was blocking a committee vote on the four Mississippi nominations over negotiations with Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi on the Lumbee people being officially recognized as a Native American tribe. Wicker is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which has sway over legislation in which proponents wanted the Lumbee recognized. The Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved Trump's nominations of Robert Chamberlin and James Maxwell, both justices on the Mississippi Supreme Court, to vacant federal judgeships in northern Mississippi. The committee also voted to advance Scott Leary and Baxter Kruger, Trump's choices for U.S. attorney for the Northern and Southern districts of Mississippi, respectively. Wicker in a statement on Thursday said he's pleased the nominations moved forward and that he looks forward to voting for their confirmations on the Senate floor. |
| Little sign of spending progress as top appropriators meet | |
 | The top four House and Senate appropriators met Thursday for the first time since the partial government shutdown but emerged with no breakthroughs that could pave the way for a new spending package. The meeting marked a small, positive step toward bipartisan negotiations that would be needed for an eventual deal. But so far, the two chambers and the two parties remain on different paths when it comes to fiscal 2026 spending bills. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, favors moving a massive package of up to five bills, featuring the two largest -- Defense and Labor-HHS-Education. But there is no sign of any bipartisan agreement on overall spending limits, a major impediment to moving a package that would well exceed $1 trillion and make up the bulk of the year's discretionary spending. By contrast, House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., wants to move a smaller batch of bills that could conceivably be enacted before Christmas. "We were talking about what the contours of the package might be," Cole said Thursday night. "We haven't come to an agreement. I still think the next best step is to get a small package." |
| Cheney Remembered as 'Highly Disciplined Mind' at Funeral | |
| Former President George W. Bush hailed Dick Cheney as a loyal, steadying force, "sparing and measured with words in a profession that attracts talkers," during a service Thursday for the late vice president, who died Nov. 3 at age 84. Bush recalled asking Cheney, a former White House chief of staff who served as defense secretary under Bush's father, the late President George H.W. Bush, to help him find a running mate. "After weeks of these meetings, I began to have a thought I could not shake. I realized the best choice for the vice president was the man sitting right in front of me," Bush said. "He was a thinker and a listener, and when he did speak up, conveying thoughts in that even tone of voice, that orderly, unexcitable manner, you knew you were getting the best of a highly disciplined mind," Bush said. The funeral at Washington's National Cathedral brought together an array of political leaders from both parties, including former President Joe Biden, and all four of the other living former vice presidents: Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore and Dan Quayle. President Trump, who frequently assailed Cheney's role in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and didn't issue a public statement after Cheney's death, wasn't invited to the service, nor was Vice President JD Vance, a White House official confirmed. |
| A Pentagon star rises as Hegseth fades | |
 | Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's high-stakes visit to Ukraine this week to deliver the Trump's administration's latest peace plan has placed the service leader into the role of major international negotiator -- a sharp contrast from his boss, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who spent the time in Washington sitting through White House meetings and firing angry missives at Democrats on social media. Driscoll, a close friend of Vice President JD Vance, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday and planned to talk to NATO allies. The high-profile role for Driscoll -- whom President Donald Trump refers to as his "drone guy" due to his embrace of cutting-edge tech -- is emblematic of the Army chief's rising prominence in the administration. He is increasingly the public face of ambitious projects and often sells the administration's plans to reporters, unlike Hegseth, who has focused on the less glamorous tasks of promoting acquisition reform and troop physical fitness, and eliminated most journalists from the Pentagon. |
| Zelensky Says Ukraine Faces 'Very Difficult Choice' Over U.S. Plan | |
| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was facing one of the biggest challenges in its history after the Trump administration drafted a plan to end Russia's nearly four-year war that would hand major concessions to Moscow. "Now is one of the most difficult moments in our history," Zelensky said in a video address on Friday. "Now Ukraine may find itself facing a very difficult choice. Either loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner." The U.S. proposals include territorial concessions, a cap on the size of Ukraine's active-duty military and other provisions that Zelensky has previously rejected, The Wall Street Journal has reported. The renewed U.S. pressure on Zelensky comes as he is facing down political pressure at home and fresh setbacks on the battlefield. A corruption scandal has ensnared members of his cabinet and other political allies, and representatives of his own party are demanding major changes in the government---including the ouster of Zelensky's right-hand man. |
| Sen. Mark Kelly: 'I never thought I'd see a President call for my execution' | |
 | Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) expressed surprise and anger Thursday at President Trump's suggestion that he and six Democrats with military or national security backgrounds be put to "death" for "seditious behavior." "I've had a missile blow up next to my airplane, been shot at dozens of times by anti-aircraft fire, and launched into orbit -- all for my country. I never thought I'd see a President call for my execution," Kelly wrote in a statement on social media. The president made the comments after Kelly alongside Sens. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.) and Reps. Jason Crow (Colo.), Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.), Chris Deluzio (Pa.) and Maggie Goodlander (N.H.) urged members of the armed forces not to follow any "illegal orders" during the course of their duties. "Trump doesn't understand the Constitution, and we're all less safe for it," Kelly added in his post. Trump said Kelly and others' words in the video posted were "really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. A short time later, he posted an addendum: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" |
| After calling him a 'communist,' Trump will meet Mamdani in the Oval Office Friday | |
 | President Trump will meet with New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday afternoon in the Oval Office, marking the first time the two will be face-to-face. While previous incoming New York City mayors have met with sitting presidents, Mamdani and Trump have already clashed prior to this meeting. Trump has repeatedly sought to paint Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democratic socialist, as too radical and extreme for the city that the president long called home. In the president's announcement of the meeting on Truth Social, Trump called Mamdani a "communist." It's a narrative that Mamdani has firmly pushed back on, vowing to carry out his agenda focused on lowering the cost of living. Trump has been a vocal opponent of Mamdani since his upset win in June's Democratic primary, saying he would arrest Mamdani if he disrupted ICE operations in the city and threatening to pull the city's federal funding should he win in November. |
| MAHA idealism meets political reality as RFK Jr. attempts to wrangle a growing movement | |
 | Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent a recent Wednesday showered in praise from the vice president and health technology CEOs at a glitzy "Make America Healthy Again" event in Washington, designed to celebrate the health secretary's successes and the movement he has built. Yet online, a different narrative of his tenure was playing out as a small but vocal group of Kennedy's supporters and former employees assailed top Trump administration advisers, claiming they were sabotaging him and redirecting MAHA away from its original goals. "MAHA is not MAHA anymore," Gray Delany, a former Department of Health and Human Services official ousted in August, said in a podcast interview that day. "I'm not there, but what I've heard of what's happening today is not the MAHA that we signed up for." The criticisms, which grew loud enough that the health secretary took to social media to defend his colleagues two days later, exposed the cracks that are beginning to form within his coalition as it amasses power and broadens in scope. |
| How billionaires took over American politics | |
 | New York City billionaire John Catsimatidis has long been immersed in politics. But last year the Republican real estate and oil tycoon donated more money than he ever had before -- $2.4 million to support Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, nearly twice as much as he gave in 2016. Catsimatidis said he feels a growing urgency to try to influence the course of American politics, given the wide divergence between the two parties. "If you're a billionaire, you want to stay a billionaire," said Catsimatidis, whose net worth is estimated at $4.5 billion. It's not just about his own wealth, he said, adding, "I worry about America and the way of life we have." In an era defined by major political divisions and massive wealth accumulation for the richest Americans, billionaires are spending unprecedented amounts on U.S. politics. Dozens have stepped up their political giving in recent years, leading to a record-breaking surge of donations by the ultrarich in 2024. Since 2000, political giving by the wealthiest 100 Americans to federal elections has gone up almost 140 times, well outpacing the growing costs of campaigns, a Washington Post analysis found. Donations are not the only path to power for the ultra-wealthy; following Trump's lead, some billionaires are parlaying their financial clout into public office. |
| Additional members added to Jackson State presidential search committee | |
| A group of individuals connected to Jackson State will aid in the university's search for a new president. Officials are working to fill the vacancy left by former Jackson State president Dr. Marcus Thompson, who resigned from his post amid litigation pending against him. Dr. Denise Jones Gregory, the university's provost and vice president of academic affairs, has taken Thompson's former office in the interim. The State Board of Trustees of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning announced Thursday that it approved five individuals with direct ties to the university to be a part of the search process. The individuals include: Dr. Nicholas J. Hill, Dean, College of Business; Dr. Candice L. Jackson, Secretary, JSU Faculty Senate, and Associate Professor, Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Speech Communications; Dr. Deidre L. Wheaton, Associate Dean, College of Education and Human Development; Brigadier General (Ret.) Robert Crear, Advisory Board, JSU Development Foundation; and Patrease Edwards, President, JSU National Alumni Association. |
| IHL approves Search Advisory Committee in JSU president search, will solicit applicants soon | |
 | A Search Advisory Committee will join the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees members in the search for a new Jackson State University president. The IHL approved the committee during a regular board meeting held on the Mississippi State University campus Thursday morning, Nov. 20. The Search Advisory Committee members will assist the Board Search Committee, which includes all IHL Board of Trustees members and is chaired by Trustee Steven Cunningham, a JSU alum. The committee is expected to begin the formal solicitation of applicants in December. On Sept. 19, the committee approved AGB Search, an organization based in Washington, D.C., to conduct the presidential search. Since the search began, the committee has held listening sessions with JSU staff, faculty, students and alumni. The search update tab also includes a public comment section. |
| Millsaps, Ole Miss launch accelerated law degree program | |
| Millsaps College and the University of Mississippi School of Law have partnered to provide Millsaps students an accelerated path to a law degree. The two universities signed a five-year memorandum of understanding creating the Pathway to Law School initiative, anchored by a 3+3 Accelerated Law Degree Program. This program will allow for students the opportunity to earn a Law degree in six years. "We are thrilled to partner Ole Miss to train the next generation of professionals," said Frank Neville, president of Millsaps College. "This partnership reflects our commitment to creating innovative academic pathways that prepare Millsaps students for leadership and service. By establishing a faster, more affordable path to earning both a bachelor's and a law degree, we're giving our students a head start on their careers." According to officials, the agreement allows Millsaps students who complete a specific curriculum of undergraduate coursework the ability to apply to and attend Ole Miss Law. Millsaps students can then count credits earned from this curriculum at the University of Mississippi towards their bachelor's degree at Millsaps. |
| UNL faculty overwhelmingly pass historic 'no confidence' vote against chancellor | |
| Faculty leaders at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln overwhelmingly passed a resolution Tuesday expressing "no confidence" in Chancellor Rodney Bennett and urging his bosses to reconsider his employment. It is the first "no confidence" vote to pass against a UNL chancellor in the university's nearly 157-year history. The UNL Faculty Senate voted 60-14 to pass the advisory resolution from Elizabeth Lewis, a professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education. It calls on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents and NU President Jeffrey Gold to immediately review Bennett's "continued fitness to serve" and urges them to consider firing him or negotiating his departure. Multiple UNL faculty said Bennett, who joined UNL as chancellor in July 2023, should have implemented a plan to close UNL's structural budget deficit with more faculty involvement sooner. Instead, many faculty argue Bennett and his executive team created and used faulty data that led to improper and statistically flawed results without faculty input. Bennett's contract expires June 30, unless extended by the regents. Some faculty told the Examiner that Tuesday's effort was also a message for Nebraska state lawmakers and Gov. Jim Pillen, who decide how many state dollars go to NU. |
| U. of Arkansas Announces Plans to Build New Parking Garage on Campus | |
| As part of an ongoing effort to improve campus parking and transportation options, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville is announcing its plans to construct a parking garage that will add approximately 1,500 parking spaces to campus.The decision to build the new parking facility was one component of a multi-faceted parking study conducted over the last two years that aimed to identify areas of improvement for university parking and implement changes as recommended by industry experts. The project is tentatively set for completion in 2029. In addition to the new parking garage. Transit and Parking Services is evaluating a site east of the Garland Avenue Garage as a space to construct a new surface parking lot. The process is still in its initial stages but plans to create over 100 more parking spaces on the north end of campus. A current study is helping to provide strategies to enhance Razorback Transit's service efficiency as well as determine a space for a new transit maintenance facility. |
| U. of Florida, graduate assistants union declare impasse in contract negotiations | |
 | Contract negotiations between the University of Florida and Graduate Assistants United (GAU) have reached an impasse. The two parties presented their arguments at a hearing on Nov. 17 to a third-party who will make a recommendation to university officials next month. GAU and UF agreed to declare an impasse in August 2025 after over two years of contract negotiations reached a stalemate. GAU's previous contract ended in 2023. Cassie Urbenz, co-president of UF GAU, said she is frustrated by the university's unwillingness to support its employees. The union wants UF to increase the minimum stipend for employees with a nine-month contract from $16,000 to $26,000, and for employees with a 12-month contract from $21,333 to $34,000. Union leaders said the increase they are asking for falls short of a livable wage and is not enough to cover the cost of an F1 visa, but it is a step in the right direction. |
| 'Outlander' author donates literary archive to Texas A&M | |
| The "Outlander" universe, in which a time-traveling British nurse finds adventure and romance with an 18th-century Scottish warrior, is coming to Aggieland. The best-selling book series author, Dr. Diana Gabaldon, has selected Texas A&M University's Cushing Memorial Library and Archives as the permanent home for her literary papers, notes and memorabilia from the historical science fiction, adventure-romance series and its hit streaming adaptation. The collection will capture the evolution of Gabaldon's storytelling and offer a glimpse into how her 1991 debut novel "Outlander" grew into a global phenomenon spanning novels, companion works and a long-running television adaptation. "The acquisition of a collection of this magnitude marks a pivotal moment in the growth of our Libraries' collections," said Julie Mosbo Ballestro, university librarian and assistant provost. "We have long admired Diana's contributions to the field, and we are eager to integrate her work into our Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection that ranks among the finest in the world." The sci-fi collection, originally developed by then-Texas A&M librarian Hal W. Hall, blossomed in the 1970s after the creation and subsequent rise of AggieCon in 1969, the oldest sci-fi, horror and fantasy student-run fan convention in the United States, that has grown into one of the leading gatherings of its kind. |
| U. of Missouri System Board of Curators reflects on 2025 accomplishments | |
 | The University of Missouri System Board of Curators members gathered to reflect the past year's success and status in their last meeting of the year, including an outline of the University of Missouri's accomplishments in 2025, the financial status of the UM System and Board elections. The curators celebrated recent rankings from U.S. News & World Report that put Mizzou as the No. 4 best value flagship university overall and No. 1 best value flagship university in the SEC. The progress of construction on Memorial Stadium was also celebrated. The final beam in the renovation was installed in September. A report by UM System President Mun Choi, recognized student and faculty success, along with a research grant for Mizzou's Kiho Lee for $4.5 million specializing in developing treatments for disease. There were six grants over $1 million reported. The university's commercial developments in Columbia were also noted. "We received a number of very exciting concepts for public-private partnerships that involve retail, conference centers, entertainment districts, as well as housing," Choi said. "We believe that the final outcome of a public-private partnership will result in Columbia becoming more of a destination." |
| Nearby ICE Raids Stoke Fear on North Carolina Campuses | |
 | North Carolina campus leaders are urging international students and staff to take precautions and promising to protect student privacy amid a surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in the Raleigh, Durham and Charlotte areas. But some students and employees fear campuses aren't doing enough to protect them after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security boasted upwards of 250 arrests in and around Charlotte on Wednesday. North Carolina State University's executive vice chancellor and provost, Warwick Arden, sent a memo to deans and department heads on Tuesday, offering guidance on how to handle any brushes with federal and state agents in Raleigh. He stressed that the university follows all federal laws -- including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, so administrators shouldn't release information about students or staff without consulting the Office of General Counsel. He also advised all international students, faculty and staff to "carry evidence of their immigration status with them at all times," including their passports if they leave the Raleigh area. "I want to assure you that we are closely monitoring developments that may impact our community," Arden wrote in the memo. |
| As UVa Reels From Jim Ryan's Tell-All, Political Turmoil Hampers the Search to Replace Him | |
 | The University of Virginia is pressing forward with the search for its next president amid a fierce dispute between the state's governor and governor-elect over board legitimacy, conflicting accounts of the previous president's departure, and internal disagreement over a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice. The choice UVa makes will signal the approach it plans to take to stay out of the Trump administration's line of fire. The next leader will inherit a flagship that has been at the center of the Trump administration's campaign to remake higher education, targeted for its continued adherence to diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. The scrutiny eventually led President James E. Ryan to resign over the summer, a situation he and the board's rector detailed in clashing narratives released last week. Meanwhile, governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, has asked UVa's board -- appointed entirely by the Republican governor -- to hold off on picking a new president until she's able to appoint new members in January. "As it will be a priority of my administration to stabilize and normalize the leadership of our public colleges and universities, I will make appointments soon after my inauguration," she wrote on Nov. 12. Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has had several of his board picks blocked, has accused Spanberger of exceeding her authority. There are five vacant seats on the board. |
| Public Universities Don't Want to Discuss the Compact | |
| As the stated deadline to sign the "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" arrived Friday, multiple universities have already rejected the deal while only a few institutions have expressed interest. But among the public universities that were either formally invited to sign the compact or that participated in a call with the White House to provide feedback on higher education issues, none are willing to discuss their deliberations about the proposal or interactions with federal officials. Last month, Inside Higher Ed sent public records requests to Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, the University of Kansas, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Virginia, seeking emails, text messages, internal presentations and other documents related to how presidents, trustees and other officials discussed the compact. As of Friday, none had provided those records. Only the University of Kansas indicated a willingness to do so, but it requested an up-front $100 fee for staff time to conduct the search. However, officials said they could not guarantee the requested records would be provided. Texas, meanwhile, has appealed to the state attorney general to avoid releasing the requested records. |
| A Call to Action: Mississippi Must Stabilize and Strengthen PERS to Avoid Future Crisis | |
| Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson writes: As we look to the future of Mississippi, there is a huge challenge ahead that must be prioritized and tackled -- sooner rather than later. The State of Mississippi's commitment to our State employees and retirees in the PERS system is unquestionable; it is a covenant the State has made with its employees, and this is an issue that cannot be ignored or kicked down the road any longer. Tens of thousands of State employees ranging from teachers in the classroom to law enforcement patrolling the streets have devoted decades of their lives in public service -- for lower wages -- and they have rightfully relied and counted on the long-term PERS retirement benefits for their later years in life. But let me be crystal clear: the State PERS retirement system is in danger. Independent credit ratings agencies have warned the State for years, and according to Moody's Ratings Services this summer, the PERS changes that were made last year will not result in meaningful savings quickly enough to help stabilize the existing plan anytime soon. ... In addition, many State employers including law enforcement and schools have pointed out recently that the new "Tier 5" plan effective March 1, 2026, will likely not help, but will harm the agencies' ability to hire future employees at local, county and state agencies, which could further erode future funding of the PERS plan. |
SPORTS
| Egg Bowl's meaning instilled into Bulldogs | |
 | Preparation for the Egg Bowl goes beyond the days leading up to the game. It takes a deep understanding of the rivalry, from players and coaches to fans and more, between the two Mississippi schools before taking the field for it every year. It helps that MSU's head coach, Jeff Lebby, has spent time at both schools. Lebby was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ole Miss in 2020 and 2021 before taking the State job ahead of the 2024 season. "I think it's one of the greatest rivalries in all of college football, and for us, it's about protecting Davis Wade (Stadium) and playing the way we're capable of playing, and what gives us a chance to go do that is our preparation," he said. "There's just a little extra urgency that goes into it." That preparation involves a coaching staff that has come under scrutiny since the Bulldogs have lost six of their last seven games. The results have been frustrating, but the effort remains. "I think our guys are coaching their butt off every single day and spending a ton of time teaching and developing and trying to find ways to create advantages," Lebby said. "And for us, it's about pedaling down, straining every single day, every single minute, to give us the opportunity again to go play the best we've played next Friday." |
| Volleyball: Preview: SEC Tournament | |
| Mississippi State volleyball is set to compete in the 2025 Allstate SEC Volleyball Tournament, with matches beginning on Friday afternoon. This weekend marks the return of the tournament, which last took place in 2005. All 16 schools in the conference will play, with the top eight teams getting a first-round bye and the top four getting a second-round bye. State enters the tournament as the 10th seed and will take on Vanderbilt on Friday evening. All matches will take place in Enmarket Arena and are available to stream on the SEC Network. State is 16-9 over the season and went 6-9 in conference play. The Bulldogs will rematch with the Commodores after a five-set loss on Sunday. The Bulldogs and Commodores will face each other for only the third time in history. The series is tied at 1-1. The winner of this match will face Georgia on Saturday, with the winner of that match facing Texas A&M on Sunday in the quarterfinals. |
| Jovanovic becomes first Bulldog since 2019 to advance to Elite 8 in singles | |
| Mississippi State tennis saw a mix of results at the NCAA Championships on Thursday, highlighted by Petar Jovanovic's advance to the Elite Eight in the men's singles competition, and advance to the Round of 16 in the men's doubles alongside partner Benito Sanchez Martinez. Jovanovic, currently ranked 31st in Division I, is the first Bulldog to advance to the Round of 16 or beyond since Nuno Borges and Giovanni Oradini in 2019. The men's doubles pairing entered as the top seed in the tournament following their success at the ITA Regional event last month. Their doubles match against Virginia had not concluded by the time of reporting. Jovanovic's excellent form in singles play has led him through Ohio State's Preston Stearns, Texas' Sebastian Gorzny and Virginia's Keegan Rice. The Bulldog will face SMU's Trevor Svadja in the quarterfinals today. All matches can be viewed by court assignment via the ESPN app. |
| Texas Tech, Learfield agree to extension with new twist | |
| Texas Tech and Learfield are taking a new approach to their relationship. The parties are set to announce a 10-year extension that runs through 2037. That extension includes the creation of Texas Tech Athletics Partners LLC, which along with the school's business development and Learfield Impact NIL services and staff will be embedded in the athletic department under the LLC's branding. Exact financial details of the deal were not immediately available, while an official announcement is expected on Friday. "I really believe that there's tremendous opportunity with our brand strength and presence right now to provide greater cultivation to our corporate relationships," Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt told Sports Business Journal. The creation of this Texas Tech Athletics Partners also dovetails with the development of a new elite sponsorship tier, dubbed the Double T Circle. This rung will offer premium sponsorship opportunities and and exclusive access to Hocutt and Red Raiders coaches. Adidas and Coca-Cola are slated to be inaugural Double T Circle members. Billionaire Cody Campbell, chair of Texas Tech's board of regents and a former Red Raiders football player, has also been among the most involved donors in the country in national matters on the college sports landscape and in supporting his alma mater. |
| This college wants more students at a big football game. It's offering free beer. | |
 | Trying to boost student attendance at a key college football matchup, one school has landed on an unusual promotion. Free beer, anyone? Rice University in Houston is offering free 12-ounce beers for students 21 and older at a stand near Rice Stadium's student section, the university announced Thursday -- and beer isn't the only enticement the university hopes will draw in more student fans for the Owls' game against 22nd-ranked North Texas on Saturday. Showing a student ID will also earn free Ben & Jerry's ice cream; a free T-shirt, for the first 500 students; and a $15 voucher that can be used at two food trucks. The residential college with the highest attendance can win a speaker and a $500 gift card to a local grocery, too. "The weekend before Thanksgiving, a lot of students are already heading off campus, heading home for the holiday, things like that," said Kevin Dwan, Rice's deputy athletic director for external affairs and revenue generation. "So we wanted to be as creative as possible to incentivize the students to stick around and come out to the game. That's kind of the genesis of it." When Rice began selling alcohol at home football games in 2008, it became one of the first universities to do so; the practice is now widespread, with many universities over the past decade having established alcohol sales to increase revenue and curb declining attendance. |
| Baylor AD Mack Rhoades resigns, a week after taking leave for personal reasons | |
| Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades resigned Thursday, a week after he took a leave of absence for personal reasons. Rhoades had also stepped down last week from his role as chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee. Linda Livingstone, the school's president, said in a letter Thursday that Rhoades had informed her of his decision to step away from his position at Baylor. She said the move was effective immediately. "I find myself in a season of life where I need to prioritize my faith and my family with an intentional focus that requires me to move on from my role as caretaker of this great athletics program," Rhoades said in a statement on Thursday night, without elaborating on the reasons for his decision. After Rhoades began his leave on Nov. 12, the private Big 12 school said it was investigating unspecified allegations against him. The status of that investigation, or if it is still ongoing, was not immediately clear after he left the job. The school, without giving further details, said last week that allegations against Rhoades did not involve Title IX, student-athlete welfare or NCAA rules violations, and did not involve the football program. Rhoades was in the second year of a three-year CFP selection committee appointment, and his first season as chairman. He was replaced as chairman by Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek. |
| How SEC fandom turned into a homegrown College Sports League in ... Austria? | |
 | Fans shake the stadium as a new football season kicks into motion. An interception sends the sea of blue and white into delirium. The cornerback spikes the ball so hard it dents the grass of the end zone. Tie score. Now, the chance to prove the throne isn't up for grabs after last year's championship win. Cheerleaders leap in celebration. The marching band prepares to take the field at halftime. The scene from October is classic SEC Saturday -- but Lexington, Gainesville, Starkville and Norman are a world away. The Emperors and Beez are facing off, not the Vols and Crimson Tide or Gators and Aggies. The crowd chants "Wir sind Uni Wien" -- We are University of Vienna -- and fans pound beer made in the home of Mozart and "The Sound of Music." Food trucks in the parking lot sell Käsekrainer, a pork sausage with cheese, and many of the students in line have waltzed in lavish balls. All of this at a repurposed soccer field carved into a hillside in the most unlikely of cities. The scene was brought to Hohe Warte Stadium in Vienna, Austria, after a former Austrian student's semester abroad at the University of Kentucky inspired him to channel the "It Just Means More" culture at home in this German-speaking country of 9 million in Central Europe. There may be no name, image and likeness deals or 100,000-seat venues, yet this league pulses with school spirit and fast-growing rivalries. What began as a college football and basketball experiment has captured imaginations and gathered momentum as it works to earn its place, and acceptance, in Austria's sports scene. |
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