Monday, August 4, 2014   
 
Mississippi State's Keenum sees student quality, retention on rise
Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum spoke on Friday of the university's success in recruiting students, producing graduates and raising money. "Over the past five and a half years, I remain as optimistic and excited about our future as on the day I first stepped foot on campus (as president)," Keenum said while meeting with the Daily Journal's Editorial Board. He also spoke to Tupelo's Kiwanis Club. MSU produced more than 4,300 graduates last year, its fifth straight year to set a school record. Keenum talked about efforts the school has taken to increase its graduation rate, specifically monitoring and supporting students early before they get off track.
 
Mississippi State freshman class record-breaking
It's going to be another record-breaking year on the Mississippi State University campus. MSU President Mark Keenum says the largest freshman class in university history will move in Aug. 9. Keenum says he is especially proud of this class of freshman because their academic achievement is unprecedented. "This year's freshman class has all the characteristics of breaking last year's record freshman class in academic achievement," he said. Classes begin Aug. 18.
 
Campus to Welcome New, Returning Bulldogs for 2014 MVNU2MSU
Mississippi State will welcome thousands of new and returning students August 9 as they begin moving into campus residence halls. The Department of Housing and Residence Life is sponsoring the ninth annual Movin' You to MSU or "MVNU2MSU" day, which marks the opening of all residence halls for the fall semester. Classes begin August 18. Ann Bailey, director of housing and residence life, said the day marks a major university event and an important tradition in the life of MSU as it signals the beginning of a new academic year. "Businesses will be bustling, and traffic will again get busier around town as students settle in on campus and in Starkville," Bailey said. "August always is filled with excitement as we anticipate the many opportunities the new semester brings."
 
Spirit of Oktibbeha: Shaw brings jobs to MSU, Golden Triangle
Joe Max Higgins has a nickname for David Shaw. Higgins is CEO of the Golden Triangle Development LINK, a regional economic development authority that works to bring businesses like Yokohama Tire Company to the region and create jobs. Shaw is vice president for research and economic development at Mississippi State University, overseeing the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park as well as president of the MSU Research and Technology Corporation. Higgins said the LINK interacts with Shaw almost daily, and that teamwork lends itself to a sports metaphor. (Subscriber-only content.)
 
MSU Riley Center announces star-studded season
Contemporary country singer Martina McBride kicks off the MSU Riley Center's fall/winter season Aug. 28. The four-time Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year and Grammy winner opens a lineup of artists ranging from Randy Newman, Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen to Bela Fleck, Buddy Guy and Kellie Pickler. Theatrical performances are also included. Riley Center fans like Amy Fulgham of Columbus have been waiting for the season announcement. "This is a great list of performers; we're so glad to finally know who we can look forward to. It's time for my friends and I to make plans," said Fulgham, noting that the center brings world-class entertainment to within an hour and a half of the Golden Triangle.
 
Huge turnout for Meridian Day at the Neshoba County Fair
Cooler temperatures, low humidity, and clear skies set the stage Wednesday for one of the largest crowds in recent years during Meridian Day at the 125th annual Neshoba County Fair. According to MSU-Meridian project coordinator Tiffany Harper, Meridian Day is possibly one of the most important platforms for the university to share information for those looking to go continue their education. "This is a great opportunity for the university to let residents of Meridian and Philadelphia know who we are and what we have to offer," Harper said. "We really enjoy being set up out here at the Fair and being able to answer questions people might have about the university."
 
Program on grapes planned in Carriere with MSU researchers
Mississippi State University researchers will discuss the latest developments in cultivating muscadine grapes in a field day event planned Aug. 23 in Pearl River County. The program will run from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the research facility near Carriere. Growers will be able to examine vines growing at the university's McNeil Research Unit. Experts from Mississippi State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service will talk about best production practices, insects and grape disease.
 
On the Move: Mississippi State University
Jeff Dean, former acting director of the Institute of Bioinformatics at the University of Georgia, began work in July as head of Mississippi State University's Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology. Dean, who has 37 years of experience, served in a number of roles at UGA including professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and director of The Plant Center.
 
Fairy gardening topic of workshop at MSU
A workshop on creating miniature landscapes known as fairy gardens will be held Tuesday at Mississippi State University. The session will be from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Dorman Hall greenhouse on the Starkville campus. University landscaping experts will discuss planning and creating miniature gardens, the best kinds of plants for them and personal touches gardeners may wish to consider.
 
Cadence Bank purchase contract on Starkville agenda
Starkville aldermen are expected to address a purchase contract for Cadence Bank on Tuesday, but the city's progress toward a possible transaction is unknown after staff members were only recently authorized to pursue the property. Last month, the board approved a non-binding letter of intent to begin negotiations for the estimated $2.55 million, almost-39,000-square-foot facility, which would be renovated into a new Starkville Police Department headquarters if acquired. Cadence Bank officials have repeatedly said they'll build a new branch headquarters on Russell Street, thereby mitigating the potential tax loss associated with taking its current home off the rolls for governmental usage.
 
City, county to address combined $10M industrial park bonds
The governing bodies of Oktibbeha County and Starkville could pass a combined $10 million in economic bonds that will help construct a shovel-ready industrial park to help lure manufacturing jobs. Supervisors will have the first crack at their $5 million commitment to the Golden Triangle Development LINK-backed project 9 a.m. Monday, while aldermen could approve a resolution of support 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Supervisors are expected to support the move, but it is uncertain how the board of aldermen will handle the issue since two of its members -- Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins and Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn -- voted against entering into a new economic development contract with the LINK last month.
 
Tagert: Highway funding bill isn't adequate
Northern District Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert on Friday expressed gratitude for congressional passage of funding for the Highway Trust Fund, but he said his sense of relief is "very temporary" because the $11 billion measure expires at the end of May 2015. Tagert, a Republican from Starkville whose offices are in Tupelo, said the measure sent Friday to President Barack Obama "does not address" the long-term needs for highway construction in Mississippi and other states. Many transportation officials like Tagert want a funding law for at least six years. Mississippi receives about $460 million per year from federal highway funding sources.
 
Mississippi receives silver shovel award from Area Development magazine
For the fourth consecutive year, Area Development magazine has awarded Mississippi a silver shovel award for its economic development efforts, the Mississippi Development Authority announced last week. The state received the honor in the magazine's "States with Populations Less than 3 Million" category. The magazine's annual silver shovel awards recognize state economic development agencies that drive significant job creation through innovative policies, infrastructure improvements, processes and promotions that attract new business and investments in new and expanded facilities.
 
Study: Mississippi's 73 airports have $2.5 billion in economic impact
A study by state transportation officials shows Mississippi's 73 airports generate more than $2.5 billion annually in economic activity. "When all of the impacts of the state's 73 public-use airports are added together, over 20,000 jobs can be traced to the aviation industry, representing nearly $722 million in total wages," said Melinda McGrath, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The state's eight commercial service airports accommodate over 1.1 million passengers annually.
 
Wealthiest Mississippian made his $2.4 billion in energy
Movoto real estate website released the wealthiest Americans in each state and in Mississippi, Leslie B. Lampton is No. 1. His net worth of $2.4 billion is an amount inconceivable to most people. He didn't inherit it like members of the Walton family, who are sitting at the top in 3 states, thank to Sam Walton and Wal-Mart. He earned it. Starting in 1954 as a petroleum retailer with two employees, he built Ergon Inc. into a company that employs more than 2,200 people. Lampton is the chairman of the company based in Jackson.
 
Court rules against Alabama abortion law, Bryant vows Mississippi challenge
A federal district court in Alabama on Monday ruled against a law -- similar to one a court ruled against in Mississippi -- that would have required doctors providing abortions to have admitting privileges at local hospitals. The Alabama court ruled the requirement would have the result of closing three of Alabama's five abortion clinics. A three-judge panel in Mississippi recently based its ruling on the Mississippi law's potential to close this state's only abortion clinic. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant last week vowed to appeal the Mississippi ruling, which was on a 2-1 vote of the three-judge panel, likely to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Bryant said: "We all understand I'm not in favor of abortion ... But we believe it's not too much to ask that the doctors have admitting privileges."
 
Analysis: Report calls for more thought on state's rainy-day savings
In a year when Mississippi filled its rainy-day fund to the legal limit, should it be saving even more? That's not exactly the recommendation from a new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts. But the report's author says Mississippi should think harder about how it saves and how much it saves. By law, Mississippi limits its Working Cash Stabilization Fund --- what everyone calls the rainy-day fund -- to 7.5 percent of general fund appropriations. The state filled the fund to its current limit of more than $400 million at the end of the last budget year, thanks to three years in a row of 5 percent revenue growth that dug Mississippi out its recessionary budget hole.
 
Musgrove suit based on bill backed by GOP
The law that former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and others are citing for a proposed lawsuit to recoup state money local school districts have been shortchanged since 2010 had much stronger backing from Republicans, including then-Gov. Haley Barbour, than it did from Democrats when it passed in 2006. Yet Musgrove, the former Democratic governor, is using the language of the 2006 law to try to convince local school districts to join a lawsuit to recoup the amount they have been underfunded since 2006. The bill on which the lawsuit is being based, Musgrove pointed out, said the state "shall" fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the program that provides state funds to local school districts for basic operation.
 
Nunnelee moved to outpatient center following brain surgery
Mississippi Congressman Alan Nunnelee's staff says he is doing well after brain surgery and has been moved from The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to its outpatient center. Nunnelee underwent surgery June 9 in Houston to remove a small tumor and went to Johns Hopkins for further treatment and rehabilitation. Nunnelee's staff says he will continue radiation and chemotherapy and speech and mobility rehabilitation for several weeks as an outpatient. The Tupelo Republican is running for a third term.
 
Democratic chair tells Dickey he should withdraw from race
The head of Mississippi's Democratic Party says he has advised the party's nominee to pull out of the 1st District congressional race because exaggeration of his military service -- calling himself a "Green Beret veteran of Desert Storm" when he was a food service worker at Fort Bragg during the 1991 campaign in Iraq -- has cost him support. Rickey Cole said he told Ron Dickey on Tuesday that it would be in his best interest to withdraw. "I don't see how he can sustain his family and be the fulltime candidate he needs to be to be able to change the discussion back to where he wanted it on veterans' issues and mental health issues and not these others that have emerged because of his embellishments," Cole said. Dickey said he's staying in the race against incumbent Republican Alan Nunnelee and two other candidates.
 
Childers shakes up campaign leadership
Travis Childers is shaking up his campaign, according to multiple sources. It seems that campaign manager Trish Reilly is out and Dustin Todd is in. Todd is a Tupelo native and Ole Miss graduate with a substantial political resume. He began his political career as deputy campaign manager for former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove's 2008 U.S. Senate race. Since then, he's served as campaign manager, PAC director and then chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-New York. Since January 2013, he's served as a lobbyist for the Semiconductor Industry Association.
 
McDaniel moves toward runoff challenge
Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel (R) will file a challenge to the results of his primary battle with Sen. Thad Cochran (R) with the Mississippi Republican Executive Committee on Monday. McDaniel will unveil the challenge during a Monday afternoon press conference, his campaign confirmed to The Hill, which was announced to reporters last week and teased as an opportunity for McDaniel "to announce a major development regarding the results of the June 24 runoff election." McDaniel's refusal to concede the race has drawn criticism, even within the conservative movement.
 
Lott: Mississippi GOP could use shake-up
Former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) says Mississippi Republicans may need a regime change after the damaging primary fight between Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and state Sen. Chris McDaniel. "This has shown the fissures that are there and I do think the party leaders -- it may cause the need for some change in the party leadership," Lott, now the co-chairman of Squire Patton Boggs' public policy practice, told The Hill during a wide-ranging interview at the firm's Washington office. He warned that the Mississippi establishment is ignoring the Tea Party wing of the GOP at their own peril. "If they try to just stuff 'em or stiff 'em, and don't realize that there's a lesson to be learned there, it could be a problem," said Lott, a former Senate majority leader.
 
USDA announces first update to poultry inspection rules since 1957
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday the first new regulations for poultry inspection since 1957. The rules, which were finalized Thursday, require plants to conduct their own testing and sampling of birds for the first time for food-borne pathogens such as campylobacter and salmonella, at least twice during the production process. The USDA will continue to conduct its own tests as well. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the changes would result in 5,000 fewer food-borne illnesses connected to poultry products every year.
 
'We know how to stop Ebola,' says CDC chief
for his battle with Ebola at Emory University Hospital Sunday, a fight of another kind raged outside: the public outcry over the decision to admit Ebola virus into the United States, and infectious disease experts' efforts to tamp down the concern. Appearing on national news shows Sunday, Dr. Thomas Frieden, director the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, echoed a long line of public health authorities in reassuring the public; he expressed full confidence that the Ebola outbreak in Africa can be stopped. Within the hospital, caregivers -- all of them volunteers -- eagerly went to work.
 
Ole Miss launches diversity initiative
University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones announced to faculty and staff members on Friday a plan to make the campus a "more inclusive and welcoming environment." It contains six action steps, including creation of a vice chancellor-level position for diversity and inclusion and more fully balancing new symbols and placing names on campus with those evocative of the Old South. One of the most potentially divisive issues the effort raises is about the name "Ole Miss," which the university said it will still use in "appropriate contexts." A national study about the nickname found most people view it merely as a term of affection, while a majority likes it and only "a very small percentage" surveyed associate the university under either its nickname or its formal name with negative race issues.
 
U. of Mississippi tries new approach to its history with race -- and faces criticism
To most University of Mississippi students and alumni, calling the institution "Ole Miss" is just natural. It's what people say. University email addresses are @olemiss.edu, not @umiss.edu. But not everyone likes the name. The university's announcement on Friday that, as part of a review of race relations at the university, it would encourage "appropriate" use of the term, won praise from some quarters but plenty of criticism. So did a series of other announcements by the university, which is hoping to change its association with symbols of the Confederacy. Reports commissioned by the university (which influenced Friday's announcement) angered some students and alumni -- particularly those with ties to the Greek system -- by discussing the perceptions of some black students and alumni who are far more critical of university traditions and life at the university than are white students and alumni.
 
Campus diversity plan released, receives mixed response from UM students
History was made Friday when Chancellor Dan Jones released a six-part action plan to increase diversity and inclusion on campus at The University of Mississippi. The plan came after a series of reports conducted by two consultant groups made up of Ed Ayers and Christy Coleman of Richmond, Virginia and Greg Vincent of Austin, Texas. Ayers and Coleman are both experts from the history department at The University of Richmond. Jones said the two partnered in addressing controversial symbols on the UM campus. Sophomore Emma Jennings was among students who were not in favor of Jones' proposed action plan. In response, she made the decision to write an open letter to the chancellor explaining her questions and concerns as an out-of state student and a member of the university's Greek community.
 
Meridian Community College's medical assisting technology program graduates first class
Grateful and honored were two words LaPorsche Jones used before walking across the Temple Theater stage Friday afternoon to receive her diploma from Meridian Community College. Jones and six other classmates were members of the charter class College's Medical Assisting Technology Program and Friday's commencement marked the first graduation of that career and technical education program. MCC Associate Vice President for Workforce Education Dr. Richie McAlister said the program was developed from requests by acute care hospital officials to fill the need in the community.
 
Auburn University graduates charged to 'make a difference' by Lt. Gen. Burgess
At Saturday's graduation ceremonies, retired Lt. Gen. Ron Burgess challenged Auburn University's new graduates to recognize and understand change. "It is important to not only recognize change," Burgess said. "It is more important, I think, to understand that change and understand why it is taking place." Burgess is the university's senior counsel for national security programs, cyber programs and military affairs. He retired after 38 years from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant general and director of the Defense Intelligence Agency before joining Auburn University in 2012. As the commencement keynote speaker, Burgess encouraged graduates to understand the global impact of technology, social media and population growth.
 
Renewable fuel regs delay hampers LSU initiative
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's confusing guidelines for what kinds of energy cane qualify as cellulosic fuel are hampering efforts to promote the use of energy cane, according to an LSU AgCenter researcher. Donal Day, a professor at the AgCenter's Audubon Sugar Institute in St. Gabriel, told Bloomberg News he has no idea what the EPA's thinking is or where the agency is getting its numbers. Day has a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to help develop and promote the use of energy cane, a high-fiber, low-sugar sugar cane that makes a better fuel source. The EPA has said its guidelines were the result of requests from the producers of energy cane and competitive crops, and refiners.
 
U. of Florida taking its biodiversity research to a new level
The University of Florida hopes to take its biodiversity research to the next level, investing $725,000 to hire five new research faculty --- two in the Florida Museum of Natural History, two in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and one in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. That brings to 27 the number of areas UF is focusing on as part of its pre-eminence initiative to become a top-10 public research university. Biodiversity runs throughout UF's curriculum like a string, from the agricultural and life sciences to biology labs, geology and archaeology dig sites, to the natural history department, with its collections of fish, reptiles, mammals, birds, bugs and plants.
 
UF in line for federal grant to research debilitating, infection-related condition sepsis
The University of Florida expects to get about $12 million in federal money to launch a center researching the long-term effects and potential treatments for the sometimes deadly and often debilitating infection-related medical condition sepsis. The new Sepsis and Critical Illness Research Center will track patients who initially developed and were treated for sepsis in the surgical and trauma intensive care units at UF Health Shands Hospital as they transition to care for lingering, serious physical and cognitive problems. UF Health officials announced in a news release last week that they had been awarded a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health for the center.
 
U. of Kentucky president joins campus groups in calling for McConnell-Grimes debate
Four University of Kentucky student organizations say they've arranged a partnership with eight television stations to provide statewide coverage of a U.S. Senate candidate debate this fall -- if the candidates agree to it. The student groups said Friday that they're hoping the commitment will encourage U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and his Democratic challenger, Kentucky Secretary of State Allison Lundergan Grimes, to commit to the debate. UK President Eli Capilouto, who participated in the announcement, thanked the students for trying to hold a debate. The Grimes-McConnell race could be "the most-watched and perhaps the most heavily financed Senate race in the country," he said. "I'm very proud of these UK students, ... and I'm proud to support them in their endeavor to bring a senatorial debate to the UK campus," Capilouto said.
 
UK hemp crop growing well without fertilizer, pesticide
Hemp's comeback in Kentucky is going strong, tall and green. A patch of hemp seeded at the University of Kentucky's Spindletop research farm in Lexington in late May has grown to more than 6 feet in some places and is still going, with neither fertilizer nor pesticides. "It's doing just fine so far," said Dave Williams, a UK agronomist who, with Rich Mundell, is in charge of the test plots. "We've had enough rain to keep it growing and enough heat to make it grow," Williams said. Decades ago, when hemp was a major crop in Kentucky, it was grown primarily for fiber, as it is today in Europe. But Canada's hemp industry is built on seed, mainly processed for oil.
 
Aggies accept 48-hour invention challenge
The next big innovation in health technology may have been invented this weekend at the Texas A&M Engineering Innovation Center. Some of the event's products could save a child's life. Others require a bit of knowledge about Kegels. The Dwight Look College of Engineering opened its doors to 46 students for the first Aggies Invent competition Friday through Sunday. The event gave a group of engineering and medical students full access to the innovation center, which opened in January and features 3-D printers, metal fabrication tools, laser cutters, electronics and the students' personal favorite: food.
 
Results of U. of Missouri academic career survey give snapshot of faculty satisfaction
Pre-tenure and non-tenure track faculty at the University of Missouri are more satisfied with the university as a place to work than tenured faculty, according to a new survey. The satisfaction rate is 78 percent for pre-tenure faculty, 68 percent for non-tenure track faculty and 64 percent for tenured faculty. The results, released last week, are from the first Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education survey conducted at MU in late 2012 and early 2013. It focused on full-time faculty, including both tenure-stream and non-tenure track members. The survey showed that self-identified faculty of color are less satisfied working for MU than white faculty, 57 percent versus 70 percent. Sixty-one percent of faculty of color, the term used in the survey, would choose to work at MU again.
 
OUR OPINION: UM's struggles with race are Mississippi's
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal editorializes: "The University of Mississippi's long-standing struggles with racial issues have hardly occurred in isolation. In a very real sense, its trials and transformations have been those of the entire state. ...The university still stands in for the state as a whole as it continues to struggle with issues of race and inclusiveness. Any Mississippian, whether associated with Ole Miss or not, can respect and appreciate the university's willingness to deal openly and honestly with very difficult, sensitive and emotional issues."
 
JIMMIE GATES (OPINION): Give me the energy of former Gov. William Winter
The Clarion-Ledger's Jimmie Gates writes: "William Winter has more than three decades on me when it comes to age, but I wish I could bottle the energy the former governor has at 91 years young. The man is my local hero. I marvel at the former governor, who runs circles around people half his age. I decided to write about Winter after seeing him on the stage of the Neshoba County Fair on Thursday. He gave probably the best speech at this year's version of Mississippi's Giant Houseparty. It was fitting that the crowd, recognizing one of the state's great treasures, gave Winter a standing ovation after his speech."
 
GEOFF PENDER (OPINION): Tax cut vs. ed funding battle shapes up
The Clarion-Ledger's Geoff Pender writes: "The Neshoba County Fair politicking last week made clear one looming battle for the 2015 legislative session and election year. Education funding vs. an income tax cut. This should prove a populistic throwdown that can get the commonwealth riled up. ...A tax cut makes voters really happy. Drastic cuts in services, teacher layoffs or tax increases a couple of years later would make them really mad. The two moves should make the legislative session, election season and, of course, the Neshoba County Fair, most interesting next year."
 
SAM R. HALL (OPINION): Observations from the Neshoba County Fair
The Clarion-Ledger's Sam R. Hall writes: "The Neshoba County Fair was one of the more enjoyable in recent memory, mainly because it was such nice aweather. Cooler temperatures thanks to an overcast sky made the politicking at Mississippi's Giant House Party much more enjoyable. Not even the short sprinkle of rain dampened the mood. Overall, there weren't a lot of surprises. In fact, things that didn't happen are more notable than most of the things that did happen. Time to clean out the Neshoba County Fair notebook for 2014 with observations, things seen and scuttlebutt heard."
 
SID SALTER (OPINION): Cochran answered his critics while Childers is ready to rumble
Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "What did I see and hear at this year's Neshoba County Fair? During his July 31 appearance at the venerable campground fair, incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran went back to the career characteristics that have marked his long and successful career to answer his critics. ...I visited with Sen. Cochran in our fair cabin and found him to be animated, engaged, sincere and possessed of the same wry sense of humor that he's demonstrated over the course of his career. Predictably, he didn't disparage anyone. Prior to Cochran's speech was a feisty, folksy speech from Democratic U.S. Senate nominee and former 1st District U.S. Rep. Travis Childers. Childers, who has lost weight and shaved his signature pencil-thin mustache, looked to me to be a man intent on running Cochran a serious race."


SPORTS
 
Let those cowbells ring more, Mississippi State fans
Get ready to ring that cowbell even more, Mississippi State fans. The rules have just changed in your favor. Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum says they are expanding the legal periods for ringing cowbells during football games. In other words, there will be more freedom to ring them. "Our fans have done a great job of respecting our traditions, respecting our bell and ringing responsibly and I expect them to continue to do so under these new rules," he said.
 
Mississippi State donning full pads for today's practice
Mississippi State concluded its second day in shoulder pads holding a split squad practice on Sunday. Half the team reported Sunday morning while the rest of the squad worked in the afternoon. The Bulldogs will practice again as a full squad later this afternoon in full pads for the first time this fall. MSU has two-a-day practices scheduled for Tuesday and Saturday and will practice once daily Wednesday through Friday. After media day this past Saturday, none of State's practices or scrimmages will be open to the media or public for the remainder of the regular season.
 
Mississippi State believes 'this is the year'
Wide receiver Jameon Lewis had the opportunity to play at the next level. Rumors surrounded linebacker Benardrick McKinney's name in the NFL Draft as well. Blogs also slated Geoff Collins to Florida State in the same defensive coordinator role. They all returned to Starkville and spoke Saturday at Mississippi State's media day. They painted a picture of a team on the verge of making a historic leap to play for a Southeastern Conference title. "I wasn't going to leave. This is the year right here," Lewis said. "This year could not only help my future out but help the program's future out. Once we do this this year, every recruit probably will want to come to this school."
 
Changing the culture: Winning now expected since Mullen's arrival
When Dan Mullen arrived at Mississippi State six years ago, he spoke of changing the expectation level of its fan base. At that time, the Bulldogs were a program that had been to just one bowl game in the previous eight seasons. Since, Mullen has guided MSU back into the postseason picture, making four straight bowl appearances in his five seasons -- the first coach in school history to do so. Mullen has also revitalized the fan base and has sold out 30 straight home games. Boosters opened their pocketbooks to build a $25 million football-only facility and will open a $75 million expansion at Davis Wade Stadium this season. Postseason play is now expected by both the players and coaches. Now, the Bulldogs have their eyes fixated on a higher goal.
 
Bulldogs bursting with depth in backfield
Mississippi State running back Nick Griffin can't wait to have fun this season. While it would seem Griffin, a senior from Perry Central High School who has battled injuries at MSU, is just referring to returning to the playing field, he has a more specific version of fun in mind. "Lining up in the backfield with (MSU quarterback Dak Prescott), that's a lot of fun," Griffin said Saturday at MSU's media day at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex. "We like seeing him run as much as fans do. With Dak back there, it's fun to watch, and I like seeing him run as much as he likes giving us the ball." The Bulldogs enter the season with one of the nation's top dual-threat quarterbacks in Prescott, who rushed for 829 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. But the junior quarterback will have a young, talented group of running backs behind him.
 
Mississippi State works to expand offense
Mississippi State is expecting quarterback Dak Prescott to have an all-Southeastern Conference caliber season in his first full year as the starter. Judging from his performance last year, that's certainly possible. But he's going to need some help. That's where guys like Josh Robinson, Jameon Lewis and Jamaal Clayborn become very important. Robinson moves into the starting running back role after backing up LaDarius Perkins last season while Lewis returns after leading the team with 64 catches for 923 yards.
 
Time-tested coaching trio guides Bulldogs
Before Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen met his wife, he met John Hevesy and Billy Gonzales. The trio began working together at Bowling Green in 2001. Mullen coached the quarterbacks. Hevesy worked with the tight ends and offensive tackles. Gonzales dealt with wide receivers. They're still together 14 years later. This time at Mississippi State. Mullen and Hevesy coached with each other all 14 years. Gonzales worked with Mullen for a decade. The main difference now is that they will all be calling plays, as Hevesy and Gonzales were named co-offensive coordinators. But Mullen has the final say.
 
Long road trip: Mississippi State women's team will play in France, Belgium
In 2006, Vic Schaefer went overseas as an assistant coach at Texas A&M. That Aggies squad returned from France and Belgium and won a share of the Big 12 title. Now entering his third season as head coach at Mississippi State, Schaefer hopes an identical trip yields the same sort of results. The Bulldogs depart today for a 10-day tour of France and Belgium where Schaefer's team will play four games against European teams.
 
Lee takes the reins of MSU's Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Tyson Lee spent his football career trying to figure out how to get into opposing defenses. His post-football career is spent finding ways into schools to spread the Christian message he holds atop the football honors he racked up as a quarterback at Columbus, Itawamba CC and Mississippi State. Lee is back in Starkville, working with the MSU Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He works on campus and travels high school and junior high campuses in Oktibbeha and Lowndes Counties -- maybe adding Winston next year. "I help with FCA Huddles, mentor any way I can," Lee said from June's Tupelo Christian All-Star Football Camp.
 
Texas A&M AD says discipline an ongoing process in college athletics
Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman has a reputation for being a master at improving a school's facilities, yet he says it's what the student-athletes do in the classroom and in life that puts a smile on his face. Hanging in Hyman's office is a picture of a football player with his arm around Hyman. "[He's] thanking me for a second chance because I stuck my neck out to give him a second chance," said Hyman in an interview last week. "And he took advantage of it. He was the first kid in his family to ever get a degree. To me that's what this business is, and when we get caught up and sucked into other things, what we forget is our young people. Once we lose sight of that, once we start paying [student-athletes], then I just need to move on." Hyman says he is against paying student-athletes and believes that if the NCAA allows schools to do that, then academics will go by the wayside.
 
Air Force Academy to Examine Conduct of Cadet Athletes
The superintendent of the Air Force Academy has begun an investigation into allegations of sexual assault and other misconduct among its cadet athletes, academy officials said Sunday. The superintendent, Lt. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson, said she has called on the academy's inspector general to examine the athletic department after reports of sexual assault, drug use, cheating and other violations of the academy's honor code. "This past behavior was troubling and suggested certain subcultures that were inconsistent with the culture of commitment and climate of respect we work hard to uphold," she said in a statement. Central to the allegations of misconduct -- first reported Sunday by The Gazette, a newspaper in Colorado Springs, where the academy is located -- was a party in December 2011 where athletes reportedly used synthetic marijuana and had nonconsensual sex with women who had been given a "date-rape" drug.



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