| Thursday, October 2, 2014 |
| Community colleges, IHL seek $155M more | |
 | Mississippi's higher education entities -- community colleges and public universities -- are asking for an additional $155 million from the Legislature for the upcoming fiscal year. The eight public universities are asking for an additional $76.5 million, a 10.2 percent increase. IHL Commissioner Hank Bounds told legislative leaders the additional funds are needed to help make university faculty more competitive with other Southern states. He said during the recent economic downturn the universities put in various efficiencies that resulted in tens of millions of dollars of savings, including more than $70 million in energy usage. Yet to stay competitive and to accomplish the goal of moving Mississippi from 50th in terms of college graduates, additional steps must be taken, Bounds said. |
| Mississippi colleges and universities seek more money | |
 | The two systems that run Mississippi's public universities and community colleges each want lawmakers to increase their budgets by more than $75 million, arguing more state spending on higher education will help residents earn higher incomes and bolster the future of the state. The eight public universities, which received a $750 million appropriation this year asked for an additional $76.5 million. Of that amount, $7.6 million is needed to cover shortfalls next year in financial aid programs lawmakers have mandated, Higher Education Commissioner Hank Bounds said. Bounds argues Mississippi must keep investing in higher education if it wants to stop falling behind in the share of its residents who are college educated. |
| Officials alter game-day plans to accommodate crowds | |
| Officials in Oxford and Starkville are tweaking game-day logistics for Saturday's highly anticipated college football games at Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The eyes of the nation will be on both schools, each ranked in the top 12 nationally and hosting top-10 ranked opponents. Both campuses also anticipate record or near-record crowds. For Mississippi State, this will be its first time to host another major college football show, as the SEC Network's "SEC Nation" show will be set up in the Junction for the game against Texas A&M. As a result, Creelman Street access via Stone Boulevard will be closed this morning at 7 a.m., and access to Creelman from Tracy Drive also will be closed. The university said it is working to make sure no public tailgating areas are impacted by the additional space requirements for SEC Network guests. |
| Game Preparations Underway at Mississippi State | |
 | Outside the shadows of Davis Wade Stadium there is excitement in the air. Officials at Mississippi State are preparing for what promises to be one of the better games this year in college football. That is Mississippi State versus Texas A&M. "Number six in the country, we're twelfth in the country. It's one of biggest games we've had in 25, 30 years. We're excited about it," said Scott Weatherbee of the MSU Athletic Department. Fans are also excited about one of the broadcasters in town. "Yeah, absolutely," said Weatherbee. "Obviously probably the big name is Tim Tebow and his group." One student was already ready. "I think we're going to take them down this weekend. Move up to maybe top five in the nation," said Jacob McAlwaine, a student on his way to class. |
| Mississippi State Campus Ready for Football Spotlight | |
 | Mississippi State University's assistant athletic director told the Meridian Rotary Club the excitement on campus continues to grow as the 12th ranked Bulldogs prepare to host 6th-ranked Texas A&M Saturday. Bart Gregory, who is also a veteran sports broadcaster who provides color commentary for Bulldog football, answered questions about the latest developments in Starkville. However, all the buzz centered around this week's big game. "Dan Mullen has done a tremendous job; Dak Prescott, one of the top players in the country," Bart Gregory said. Gregory stopped short of giving a prediction on the game's outcome. But he did call Texas A&M a 'tremendous football program' and said everyone can expect a great game. |
| Super Saturday fans: Area alums of all four will be true to their schools | |
| The state of Mississippi and the world of college football will be synonymous on Saturday, when Texas A&M travels to Starkville and the University of Alabama goes to Oxford. It'll be an exciting time that will bring some families together and temporarily push others apart. And, to be honest, still others will take everything in stride. Matt Wyatt is a former MSU quarterback and also a radio announcer for the team, so he'll have pregame, game and postgame responsibilities in Starkville. He's welcome to them, said his wife, Annabeth Freeman Wyatt. "I'm heading for the Grove, of course," she said, but she'll keep her husband's allegiance in mind. "I'm calling it Hotty Hail Toddy State Weekend." The Wyatts will be hoping for the best of both worlds for Mississippi teams on Saturday. |
| Mississippi State partnership brings veteran medical care close to home | |
| Area veterans might not have to travel so far for medical care due to a partnership with Mississippi State University and Jackson's G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery VA Medical Center. MSU will be the first higher learning institution in the nation to provide specialized health benefits to veterans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Occupational and speech therapies will be available at MSU's T.K. Martin Center, and physical therapy will be provided at the health center. Mental health services for veteran students will be housed at Hathorn Hall's Student Counseling Services building, while visiting veterans can receive assistance at the Counseling Clinic. |
| Mississippi State University Expands Veterans Services | |
 | Mississippi State University will be the first higher learning institution in the nation to partner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide timely, specialized health benefits to veterans. MSU President Mark E. Keenum said the partnership continues the university's longstanding tradition of veteran support. "Mississippi State has been recognized among the top 20 best colleges and universities nationally for military personnel and veterans to pursue their educational goals, and this partnership will be a tremendous asset for veterans," he said. "We'll be the first-line healthcare resource for veterans in our region. We are proud to be part of this program." |
| Mississippi State to offer veterans health care services | |
 | Local veterans have another treatment option. Mississippi State University will be the first higher learning institution in the nation to partner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide timely, specialized health benefits to veterans. Polytrauma services -- occupational, speech and physical therapies, as well as mental health services -- will be available on the university's Starkville campus, whether veterans are students or local residents. The first local veteran to participate in the program visited the Starkville campus Tuesday to receive physical therapy treatment. "It's much closer; Jackson is quite a distance to travel," said Columbus resident Carla Bush, former U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class. "I think this will be better for me to be able to drive to Starkville instead of Jackson. I'm glad they are going to try to help me here." |
| Ditch the diet mentality and honor your health in free workshops | |
 | Have you listened to your body lately? Is your perspective on food clouded by years of dieting and food myths? Or maybe you've found yourself saying, "I was good all day, and then I binged." If so, four free Intuitive Eating workshops to be held in Starkville this month might help you stop obsessing and start enjoying a more consistently healthy lifestyle. Free to everyone, the 7-8:30 p.m. sessions taking place Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28 in 324 Colvard Student Union on the Mississippi State campus are based on the book "Intuitive Eating," by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch (St. Martin's Griffin, third edition, 2012). Certified Intuitive Eating counselor Mandy Conrad of the university's Health Education and Wellness Department said the workshops can help participants improve their approach to food and get back in touch with their bodies' needs. |
| Horticulture industry seeing first increase in business since Katrina | |
 | The state's horticulture industry is seeing an increase in business for the first time since Hurricane Katrina swept away a large chunk of the state's infrastructure, inventory and markets. "The nursery, greenhouse and landscape segments are looking up right now," said Geoff Denny, horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. "People are buying more of these horticulture products. We're seeing an increased demand for trees, and we've actually got a deficit of trees right now." That is good news for an industry that took an even greater hit three years after the 2005 hurricane. Cultural shifts also are affecting the floriculture segment of horticulture, said Jim DelPrince, a floral design professor in the MSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. |
| $500K in college funds allocated to 25 Brookhaven students to attend MSU | |
 | Living in Brookhaven has one big advantage for students wishing to go to college at Mississippi State University: the Swalm Scholarship. Twenty Brookhaven High School students and five Brookhaven Academy students with GPAs of 3.0 or higher may receive $20,000 each to pursue technical degrees. Dave C. Swalm, a BHS and MSU alumnus, established the scholarship to assist hometown students. Representatives from MSU visited local school on Friday to tell students about the program and promote the school. Admissions counselor Matt McLaurin said students sometimes don't realize the variety of majors available with the Swalm Scholarship. |
| Grant could help Golden Triangle Regional Airport get westbound service | |
| Golden Triangle Regional Airport is getting closer to winning the West. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that GTRA was one of 16 airports that had been awarded funding from the Small Community Air Service Development Program for local air service needs. GTRA will receive $750,000 from the grant program. Executive Director Mike Hainsey said having this funding is critical in recruiting airlines that would offer a westbound flight option to GTRA customers. Currently, the airport has three round-trip flights to Atlanta on Delta Air Lines. Hainsey said GTRA officials listed three desired locations for possible westbound destinations in their grant application: Houston, Dallas and Denver. |
| Greater Starkville Development Partnership, Chamber growing revenues, membership | |
| The Greater Starkville Development Partnership is forecasted to finish Fiscal Year 2013-2014 with an almost $7,000 surplus after experiencing a spike in membership investments and total revenues in the financial year that ended Tuesday. As of Sept. 21, year-to-date totals show the city's chief economic development and tourism group received $621,244.55 in revenues while expending $624,060 in the fiscal year since Oct. 1, 2013, but GSDP CEO Jennifer Gregory said the statement does not reflect additional revenue deposits that turn the loss to a net income once the Partnership closes and finalizes its books. |
| Starkville Parks' budget expected to mirror previous allocations | |
| Starkville Parks and Recreation Department's official Fiscal Year 2014-2015 budget will nearly mirror its predecessor, Parks Director Herman Peters said Tuesday, but the document remains unreleased to the public and without formal approval from overseers as the autonomous organization enters into the first day of the new fiscal year. Peters said Starkville Parks Commission, the organization's seven-person board of directors responsible for all of the entity's finances and policies, should approve its budget Oct. 14 in its regular monthly meeting. |
| Starkville beer hits shelves next week | |
| SweetGum Brewing Co. will have its beer for sale locally next week. The Golden Triangle brewing company, owned by Ed Dechert and Cameron Fogle, is based in Starkville. Fogle told The Dispatch that on Monday night at Bin 612 in Starkville there will be a public party featuring his brewery's "Standby Red Ale." It's an Irish red beer. The party starts at 8 p.m. "This will be the first time that the beer is available for sale," he said. The beer should be available in most retail and dining establishments in the area Tuesday. |
| MSMS director: 'We will be a top 10 high school' | |
| The executive director of the Mississippi School for Math and Science told Rotarians in Columbus Tuesday that he expects the school to be one of the top 10 high schools in the nation in coming years. Dr. Germaine McConnell, former director of academic affairs for the school, has served as executive director since July 2013. During his tenure with the public school, MSMS jumped from number 352 to number 57 in a poll conducted by The Daily Beast, an American news reporting and opinion website. McConnell said he intends for the public high school to land in the top 10. At MSMS, he said, "Superstar students are not athletes but winners of academic competitions and outstanding research." |
| Storms likely for Thursday evening through Friday morning | |
 | Mississippi emergency officials are warning that some severe weather could be on its way into the state tonight. There's a chance of rain and storms throughout the day with highs in the upper 80s and low 90s, and there should be thick humidity. It should be mostly cloudy throughout the day. Tonight a cold front should come through and will hit the Delta close to midnight. The National Weather Service reports that there are chances for damaging winds and a few tornadoes in that area from midnight to around 4 a.m. "With the front there are some winds associated with it, potential damaging winds, and possibly some tornadoes, it is kind of favorable for that kind of weather," said National Weather Service meteorologist David Cox. Cox said that weather should primarily affect a line from northern Warren County to Grenada, and northwest of that line. |
| Gaming industry touts impact on economy | |
| The gambling industry is responding to bad economic news the way a lot of its corporate brethren do -- with a study meant to bolster its image. At the Global Gaming Expo this week in Las Vegas, the American Gaming Association unveiled a study it commissioned that says the industry contributed $240 billion annually to the U.S. economy. In Mississippi, two casinos have closed since the beginning of the year, and there is an effort to persuade lawmakers the industry's struggles deserve a state response, mainly in the form of financial assistance. Industry and tourism folks in areas dependent on casinos argue they deserve the same kind of help the state offers other industries. So far, there has been little to no inclination to give that help. In an interview last spring, Gov. Phil Bryant all but slammed the door on the idea. "I don't see anything else we can do," he said. |
| Cochran marks state's progress | |
 | As U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran made the rounds during his address to the Rotary Club of Hernando on Wednesday, he drew a parallel between racial tensions in his own state 50 years ago and those in Northern Ireland where he spent the early part of his college career. Education is key in understanding racial relations and improving students' economic circumstances, according to Cochran. "There are acts of heroism and courage that go on in the classroom across Mississippi," Cochran said. Cochran said his mother and father were both pioneers in education and he feels like a pioneer of sorts in communicating with other Rotary clubs about the racial and economic progress that Mississippi has made. Cochran was in DeSoto County for the opening of his campaign office on Getwell Road in Southaven. |
| Mississippi Supreme Court set to hear Chris McDaniel's election challenge this morning | |
| A dispute over a Mississippi Senate primary is moving into the state Supreme Court. Justices hear arguments Thursday -- it is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. -- as challenger Chris McDaniel tries to revive his lawsuit that sought to overturn his Republican primary loss to Sen. Thad Cochran. It's not clear when justices will rule. |
| Kelly indicted in nursing home break-in | |
 | A trial date has been set for March 30, 2015 for Clayton Kelly, the Pearl blogger who was arrested by Madison Police in May for sneaking into St. Catherine's Village to take a photo of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran's infirmed wife, Rose. A Madison County grand jury handed down a three-count indictment that was served late Wednesday afternoon with new charges in the case that made national headlines during the GOP senate primary between Cochran and State. Sen. Chris McDaniel. Kelly, who ran the blog Constitutional Clayton, is charged with one count of attempted burglary of a dwelling, one count of burglary of a dwelling, and conspiracy to commit burglary of a dwelling. He was originally charged with conspiracy and exploitation of a vulnerable adult. |
| Gov. Bryant and Miss Mississippi address teen pregnancy | |
 | Gov. Phil Bryant is not afraid to own up to the fact that Mississippi has a teen pregnancy problem. In his first State of the State address in 2012, the governor demanded action to reduce the teen pregnancy rate, and to this day he continues that fight. Wednesday, in front of a crowd at the Kroc Center in Biloxi, Bryant said, "One of my goals and achievements was to reduce teen pregnancy by 2017. People came up and said, 'boy, you are in trouble now. That's just not going to happen, and people are going to say you failed.' Well, I will tell you today, 2014, we have reduced the teen pregnancy rate by 15 percent." Another tool in the fight to lower teen pregnancy is support from the community. Bryant has a lot of support from Miss Mississippi, Jasmine Murray. "I believe this is such a huge problem, and it's stemming from a lack of positive role models," Murray said. |
| Pierson failed to provide fresh start for Secret Service that administration wanted | |
 | The resignation of Secret Service Director Julia Pierson and the launch of a top-to-bottom review of the agency Wednesday are an acknowledgment by President Obama of what he has long denied: that the force charged with protecting him is in deep turmoil and struggling to fulfill its sacred mission. The 6,700-member agency, long an elite class of skilled professionals who prized their jobs, now suffers from diminished luster and historically high turnover rates. Some agents who have sworn to take a bullet for the president and his family have little faith in the wisdom or direction of their senior-most leaders. Those chronic woes have been amplified in recent days by revelations of a string of humiliating security lapses that have raised concerns about the president's safety. |
| Crackdown Threat Looms Over Hong Kong Protests | |
 | As the threat of renewed confrontation builds between police and protesters in Hong Kong, the threat of a crackdown by local police or, as a last resort, by mainland Chinese forces remains a possibility. Beijing and Hong Kong's leaders have said the city would handle the situation by itself. "When there are problems in Hong Kong society, our police force should be able to resolve them and we won't need to mobilize the People's Liberation Army," Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said on Tuesday. After three days of calm, protesters and police were preparing for a possible confrontation Thursday night after students said they would block government buildings and police vowed to stop them. At the same time, Beijing has ramped up its antiprotest rhetoric. |
| Ask first, respect the answer: MUW hosts event on sexual assault | |
| Inside a crowded auditorium in Poindexter Hall on the Mississippi University for Women campus, two students sit next to each other on stage. A man dressed in black slacks, a sharp blazer and T-shirt that reads "Want Some Action?" is questioning them. His name is Mike Domitrz. He is the leader and founder of The Date Safe Project, which is an effort to change the conversation about sexual assault, dating and consent in our culture. Domitrz travels worldwide and speaks to college campuses, military bases and counseling centers. At Poindexter Hall Tuesday night, Domitrz addressed the problem of relying on basic cues to signal when intimacy is required. |
| UMMC, Mayo Clinic make pact official | |
| Mayo Clinic and the University of Mississippi Medical Center have signed an agreement to deepen their collaboration in clinical trials, other medical research and education. The agreement is a formal commitment to enhance the relationship that has been steadily building for the past 20 years. A number of cooperative clinical research relationships have flourished between Mayo and UMMC since a first collaborative study launched in 1995 in the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy. The study involved non-Hispanic White Americans from Rochester, Minnesota, African-Americans from Jackson and Mexican-Americans from Starr County, Texas. |
| Arrest made in alleged social media threat to USM | |
 | University of Southern Mississippi Police have arrested Velton Williams of Hattiesburg, in connection with an alleged threat to the Hattiesburg campus posted last week on the social media application Yik Yak. Williams, 20, has been charged with posting a computer threat to cause injury, a felony offense. He is currently being held in the Forrest County Jail. A student at Southern Miss, Williams has been placed on interim suspension indefinitely by the university. "With the cooperation of Yik Yak and other investigative processes, we were able to pinpoint the identity of the poster and bring a resolution to this case," said University Police Chief Bob Hopkins. |
| Bonner: U. of Alabama to share the resources | TuscaloosaNews.com | |
 | University of Alabama President Judy Bonner announced Wednesday that the vice presidency of research would expand to include coordination of economic development efforts at the Capstone. Bonner made the announcement in comments about the state of the university during the fall faculty/staff meeting at the Bryant Conference Center. The announcement of the changes to the vice presidency of research was among comments by Bonner emphasizing the campus' role in economic development for the state. Vice President of Research Carl Pinkert will add economic development to his responsibilities and serve as the "point person" for the array of resources already available at the university, Bonner said. He also will work on developing additional resources. |
| Auburn University hosts annual Hey Day | |
 | Students, faculty and staff wearing oversized name tags piled onto the Auburn University green space Wednesday for the university's annual Hey Day event. Cheers of "Happy Hey Day" rang around campus. "Hey Day actually started in World War II," said Jessica Price, director of Hey Day and an AU Student Government Association cabinet member. "It's actually one of Auburn's longest traditions." According to Hey Day history, the event began when soldiers were starting to return to campus from the war. To welcome veterans home and boost morale, a young woman began handing out nametags outside of Langdon Hall. "We've done it every year since then," Price said. |
| UAH, HudsonAlpha partner to assist business students, life science startups in Huntsville | |
 | Officials hope a new partnership between the University of Alabama in Huntsville and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology will benefit the growing biotech industry in the Rocket City. Announced Wednesday afternoon, the HudsonAlpha-University of Alabama in Huntsville Entrepreneurship Collaboration was established to provide more educational opportunities for UAH's College of Business Administration students and improve business skills for life science startups at HudsonAlpha, which houses more than two dozen companies. "Partnering with HudsonAlpha provides our College of Business Administration more involvement in the growing life sciences sector," said UAH President Robert Altenkirch. |
| U. of Florida expert cuts peanut allergens | |
 | A University of Florida food science researcher has come up with a way to alter the allergy-causing proteins in peanuts, a development that could bring hope to the millions of people in the U.S. with peanut allergies. Wade Yang, an assistant professor in food science and human nutrition with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, has successfully reduced the allergens in whole peanuts by about 80 percent, using the technique of bombarding them with pulsed ultraviolet light. "It makes a very fast heating process that changes the protein structure," he said. |
| UF breathing new life into adrift health research center | |
| With new faculty in place, the University of Florida is looking to breathe new life into a health care research center that has been largely inactive since it initially received funding several years ago. Back in 2006, health insurance company Florida Blue established a $3.5 million endowment to fund the Florida Blue Center for Health Care Access, Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes, a joint venture of the College of Nursing and the College of Public Health and Health Professions. The money also funded an endowed chair in the College of Nursing to serve as the center's co-director. But the center has barely been active over the years outside of a statewide nursing survey conducted in 2008. UF officials say they are now poised to change that. |
| UGA's Grady journalism school kicks off centennial with concert | |
 | It's homecoming week at the University of Georgia, but UGA's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is rolling out more than the usual celebration this year. Next year is the Grady College's 100th anniversary, and college officials have lined up six months of events and a lot more to mark the centennial. The college even has its own label of Jittery Joe's coffee -- the Freedom of Expression Blend. When Grady College Dean Charles Davis and eight other administrators did a taste test to choose the new blend, they picked out the most caffeinated brew, Davis said. The slate of centennial events kicks off this evening with a concert. |
| 10,000 at Vanderbilt roll up sleeves for 'Flulapalooza' | |
 | What's been described as a "Vanderbilt family reunion" was back on campus Wednesday, complete with thousands of faculty and staff members and just as many flu shots. More than 10,000 of the university's staff, faculty and students flowed through a tent near the Vanderbilt University Medical Center for the school's annual "Flulapalooza" on Wednesday. For 12 hours, they breezed through the tent, docked up to one of 36 stations and got their free shot in a matter of minutes, said Dr. Melanie Swift, the director of the university's Occupational Health Clinic. |
| Texas A&M experts say U.S. facilities equipped to contain Ebola virus | |
 | The Ebola virus that is responsible for more than 3,300 deaths in West Africa made landfall on American soil in Dallas on Monday, but two Texas A&M public health experts said there is no need to panic. Dr. Gerald Parker, Texas A&M Health Science Center vice president for Public Preparedness and Response and former deputy assistant secretary of defense for chemical and biological defense at the U.S. Department of Defense, and Dr. Scott Lillibridge, epidemiology professor and founding director of the Center for Disease Control Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Program, both believe Americans can rest assured that there is a system in place to prevent an outbreak. |
| Little to fear from Ebola in U.S., U. of Missouri physician says | |
 | From the bubonic plague in the Middle Ages to the H1N1c virus in 2009, the world has faced threats of pandemics both real and imagined. With the first imported case of Ebola reported Tuesday in Texas, questions about how well U.S. hospitals are prepared to identify, treat and contain the spread of the disease are on people's minds. MU Health Chief Medical Officer and infectious disease specialist Stevan Whitt sat down with the Missourian on Wednesday to talk about the virus, MU Health System preparation and the improbability of the virus spreading in the United States. |
| Candlelight vigil honors life of U. of Missouri student | |
 | A large crowd gathered outside the Alpha Gamma Rho house Tuesday night to honor a University of Missouri sophomore found dead at the house Monday. Students held candles in memory of Cale Boedeker, who was a member of the fraternity. First responders found him dead at the fraternity house late Monday, and Stacey Huck of the Boone County Medical Examiner's Office said Wednesday morning that Boedeker died of natural causes. He was diabetic. |
| How Students Seized the Lead in Hong Kong's Pro-Democracy Campaign | |
 | The boycott of classes that has unleashed tens of thousands of young people -- many of them college students -- into the streets of Hong Kong was meant to be a prelude to a mass pro-democracy demonstration that their professors and others had carefully choreographed. Instead, the students' action quickly took center stage, accelerating plans for protests aimed at paralyzing the city's financial center in an attempt to win an assurance of truly democratic elections. The unexpected surge of momentum has raised fears among some professors that the Chinese government will crack down harder on the student protesters. At the same time, it has forced some of the older generation to scramble to catch up. As the standoff stretches into its second week and tensions escalate, college administrators and professors are nervously watching and worrying. |
| New rankings system from LinkedIn based on employment outcomes of huge sample | |
 | LinkedIn has officially joined the jam-packed college rankings party. And with 313 million users, the job networking site has a big data sample both for creating the rankings and for marketing them. The new ranking system tracks the success of college graduates in eight broad career paths, adding weight for jobs deemed "desirable." It lists the top 25 institutions in each career category. Last July LinkedIn released a "field of study explorer" that allowed people to link college majors with jobs. The rankings are aimed more overtly at prospective college students, both high school students and returning adults. |
| 4 Radical Ideas for Reinventing College, Drawn From Stanford Research | |
 | Technology and data are reshaping every aspect of our jobs, at an astonishing speed. Yet our higher education system still clings to a system created about 800 years ago: a teacher, in front of a classroom full of students, giving a lecture. This dichotomy is at the heart of a current national debate over the value and cost of higher education, and how that education is delivered. At issue is how institutions long wedded to a rigid teacher-classroom format can better prepare students to become what Sarah Stein Greenberg of the Stanford University d.School calls "daring, creative, and resilient problem solvers." To understand the issue, it helps to backpedal a bit. |
| BILL MINOR (OPINION): Wiseman's cool wisdom steered Stennis Institute | |
| Longtime political observer and columnist Bill Minor writes: "It was indeed appropriate that when Marty Wiseman started working for state government 40 years ago, he was equipped with a pickup truck by legendary state Agriculture Commissioner Jim Buck Ross. In later years, Wiseman spent much of his time trying to sort out for the benefit of Mississippians, the vicissitudes and incongruities of Mississippi politics. ...when the Stennis Institute of Government was created in the 1980s at Mississippi State to honor esteemed alumnus, Sen. John Stennis, Wiseman became a logical fit. Wiseman became director in the early 1990s, for two decades building the institute's amazing reputation for integrity and nonpartisanship." |
| BOBBY HARRISON (OPINION): 2015 Legislature will face new dynamics on MAEP | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Bobby Harrison writes: "The 2015 session presents some interesting dynamics for legislators in terms of education funding. There is a possibility that as legislators meet in 2015 there could be a court ruling hanging over their head saying that they shall fully fund MAEP. Plus, there is a possibility that the courts will rule that the school districts that joined the Musgrove lawsuit -- 21 at current count -- will be owed the money they were shortchanged by not fully funding MAEP as the law said the Legislature shall do." |
| SID SALTER (OPINION): Marijuana ballot initiative isn't unexpected | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "Is anyone particularly surprised that some of our fellow Mississippians are attempting to get a marijuana legalization initiative before the state's voters? I'm not. A group calling itself 'Mississippi for Cannabis' is pushing the effort. Their website mississippiforcannabis.org outlines their arguments, which include full marijuana legalization including legal sales to adults over age 21 and state licensing, taxing and regulating pot sales. Nationally, states that have legalized marijuana are clustered primarily on the West Coast or the East Coast. So what would make a group believe that an effort to legalize marijuana would have a ghost of a chance of succeeding in Mississippi -- the gold buckle of the Southern 'Bible Belt?'" |
SPORTS
| Mullen: Mississippi State, Texas A&M headed for shootout | |
| Mississippi State beat LSU with its physicality up front. The Tigers wanted to run. The Bulldogs didn't allow it. Meanwhile, MSU ran for more than 300 yards to capture its first win against a top-10 team on the road since 1986. In order to string consecutive wins against top-10 teams for the first time in program history, No. 12 Mississippi State prepares for a different style of game against No. 6 Texas A&M. "I don't see it being a real low-scoring battle in the trenches," MSU coach Dan Mullen said. |
| Last year's loss to Aggies spurred Mississippi State's seven-game win streak | |
| Josh Robinson thought about changing his number last year after Mississippi State's trip to College Station, Texas. He felt a bond with his teammates that was unlike the previous eight games. The unit was closer than ever. Robinson switched his number to 13 in the offseason. Like a lot of his teammates it's his high school number. "At the end of the game we gave it all. We left everything on the field," Robinson said. "We came together at halftime and said give relentless effort. Don't stop until the final whistle. That's when I felt the vibe of our team." Mississippi State lost to the Aggies 51-41, but MSU left Kyle Field with more than that. The Bulldogs were a different team the rest of the season. They are 7-1 since. |
| Mississippi State's Johnson on pace for career year | |
| Robert Johnson worked vigorously in the weight room prior to the 2013 season and it showed. Johnson had bulked up to 225-pounds by the time his junior year began, transforming his 6-foot-1 frame into more of a tight end build. But in doing so he lost some of the burst and speed he needed to excel at his wide receiver and kick returner positions. Therefore the focus this offseason was to retrain his body once again. Johnson shed 15-pounds and is on pace to have the most productive year of his career. |
| Mississippi State prepared to rotate players at center | |
| Ben Beckwith may not be the only player at center for Mississippi State this Saturday. It's likely he'll start in the absence of Dillon Day, but Wednesday on the SEC Teleconference MSU coach Dan Mullen said the Bulldogs are prepared to rotate players. "We've got a couple different guys who are going to mix in there," Mullen said. "We'll mix and match that stuff." All signs point to Beckwith starting. |
| Mississippi State takes over ESPN on Thursday | |
| Tune into the ESPN on Thursday and it's likely you'll see Maroon and White. Mississippi State will be featured in a number of interviews on the network in preparation for the No. 12 Bulldogs' matchup with No. 6 Texas A&M. MSU coach Dan Mullen's will be greeted by an interview with Kaylee Hartung when he arrives at the football complex at 8 a.m. It airs on ESPN during SportsCenter. Hartung is also scheduled to interview quarterback Dak Prescott during the 10 a.m. hour of SportsCenter. During the noon hour, the network takes a live look in to the defensive staff room and will interview defensive coordinator Geoff Collins. The exposure continues Friday. |
| MSU's Famous Maroon Band to honor Jack Cristil on Saturday | |
| Mississippi State's Famous Maroon Band will honor Jack Cristil before Saturday's game at Davis Wade Stadium. The band will spell out the former Voice of the Bulldogs' name when it takes the field before No. 12 MSU squares off against No. 6 Texas A&M. Saturday marks the first home game for Mississippi State since Cristil's death. The Bulldogs wore helmet stickers against South Alabama in honor of the broadcasting legend. |
| Report: Ole Miss remains under NCAA investigation | |
| Ole Miss is the subject of a NCAA investigation in multiple sports, YahooSports is reporting. The report, released early Thursday morning, alleges that the probe relates to the women's basketball and football programs. A source told the Clarion-Ledger that there is nothing new about this inquiry, which dates back to the former coaches of both programs. A Notice of Allegations has not been sent or a formal hearing set with the NCAA Committee on Infractions. The look into the football program is related to previous staff's and is not expected to include Hugh Freeze, who was hired in December 2011. |
| At Ole Miss, evolving perceptions both outward and inward | |
 | On Saturday morning, a second-year law student at the University of Mississippi will rise early and join tens of thousands of fellow students and fans in The Grove, a 10-acre plot of land famous for its pre-game tailgate parties. Katherine Diem, however, will do it in the cartoonish costume of a white-haired man dressed as an old Confederate soldier, mimicking the "Colonel Reb" mascot that served as the school's official mascot until 2003. Diem, who said she has been enthralled since childhood with the idea of being a mascot, will spend those hours before kickoff wandering The Grove, taking pictures with fans and handing out stickers of support for Ole Miss. But like nearly all other symbols associated with this state's Confederate past, Colonel Reb will be nowhere in sight when the school's 11th-ranked football team takes on No. 1 Alabama inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. |
| Oxford police prep for game day traffic | |
| The Oxford Police Department is preparing for game day weekend and an increase in traffic as Ole Miss hosts Alabama on Saturday. The police department says there will be an increased officer presence around the Square to ensure the safety of fans and visitors as they celebrate and to prevent any disturbances. Some traffic changes will also be in place after the game to ensure an efficient exit for visitors out of the center of the city. |
| U. of Missouri assistant AD arrested, suspended | |
| Dave Reiter, one of Missouri's assistant athletic directors for strategic communications, was arrested early Wednesday morning in Lafayette County on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Missouri athletic department spokesman Chad Moller said Reiter has been suspended indefinitely. Reiter, 36, was arrested by the Missouri Highway Patrol at 1:33 a.m. for DWI and speeding and was taken to the Odessa Police Department before being released. |
| A Changing View on Concussions? The Jury's Still Out | |
| In 2012, Matt Scott, a University of Arizona quarterback, took a knee to the head as he slid across the turf in the final quarter of a game. Not long afterward, he began vomiting -- a clear sign he had suffered a serious head injury---but he continued to play. Last Saturday, Shane Morris, a University of Michigan quarterback, took a hard helmet-to-helmet hit and fell to the ground in the final quarter of a game. After he stood, he had trouble keeping upright, but coaches allowed him to stay in for another play. Two concussions, two different reactions: In Arizona, the response was mixed, and the incident was mostly forgotten. In Michigan, two years later, there's been an uproar. The firestorm has made some observers wonder: Has there been a shift in the public's -- and, especially, students' and fans' -- perceptions of player safety and the treatment of concussions? |
| U. of Michigan's response to athlete's concussion renews regulation debate | |
| When the University of Michigan let quarterback Shane Morris stay in a game Saturday despite his exhibiting symptoms of what would eventually prove to be a concussion, it didn't just create a major controversy for itself. It also renewed a debate for the National Collegiate Athletic Association and all of college football over whether the association should try to regulate the handling of brain injuries or merely recommend best practices. In July, the NCAA released new guidelines regarding concussions and other athletic brain injuries, and some criticized the association for drafting a list of suggestions rather than hard regulations that would have to followed by member institutions. Some head trauma researchers and sports law experts question whether that norm is being established quickly enough. |
| Michigan's Sports 'CEO' Takes a Hit | |
| Back when Dave Brandon was running the nation's second-largest pizza chain, the president of the University of Michigan, Mary Sue Coleman, asked him to help the Big Ten launch the first cable channel devoted exclusively to a major college conference. Brandon, a Michigan regent at the time, was still years away from taking over the school's athletics department. But the creation of the Big Ten Network in 2007 would accomplish two things: It generated heaps of cash that would change the economics of college sports forever, while attracting fire from critics who blame it for commercializing collegiate athletics. The same terms are often used to describe the 62-year-old Brandon. In four years, he has become possibly the most polarizing athletic director of a major university. |
| JOHN L. PITTS (OPINION): Big weekend isn't the end | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's John L. Pitts writes: "So, you've already heard by now that it's a big weekend for college football in Mississippi -- maybe the biggest ever. Guess what? In the context of the entire season, next weekend might be just as big. If Ole Miss and Mississippi State both win on Saturday, they're each quite likely to be top 10 teams headed to next weekend. If either team, or both, were to lose ...well, they could sure use a break in the schedule. But next week's schedule offers no breaks. Ole Miss is headed to Texas A&M, while Mississippi State entertains Auburn. Yep, two more head-to-head Top 25 battles. Welcome to the meat grinder that is the SEC Western Division." |
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