| Wednesday, December 10, 2014 |
| Mississippi State's Keenum Part of UN Ceremony Tuesday | |
 | On Tuesday, Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum and leaders from other universities around the nation signed the Presidents' Commitment to Food and Nutrition Security at the United Nations in New York City. The event marks the international launch of Presidents United to Solve Hunger (PUSH), co-organized by the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Hunger Solutions Institute, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Board of International Food and Agriculture Development, the Zero Hunger Challenge, and the Alliance to End Hunger. |
| Mississippi State part of global push to end hunger | |
 | Mississippi State University is part of a new coalition to end hunger around the world. MSU President Dr. Mark Keenum joined university leaders from across the country to sign the Presidents' Commitment to Food and Nutrition Security during a ceremony at the United Nations Tuesday. The UN ceremony marks the first time universities around the world will share a collective focus on ending food insecurity. Keenum says the joint commitment can help accomplish this ambitious but achievable goal of ending hunger. |
| Mississippi State Student Artists Included at Wisconsin Exhibit | |
| The works of seven Mississippi State art majors are on display through Jan. 18 at an international juried exhibition in Wisconsin. Joining entries submitted from all over the world, the university students' creations at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center are part of a feature titled "Take Me With You: An Exhibition Without Borders" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Focusing on the duality of place -- whether as map coordinates or the experience of a particular time in a particular location-- the exhibit challenged the artists to choose a place special to them, then take the viewing audience there via visual or short literary works embodying the location and its significance in their life. |
| Increased disease pressure expected for Mississippi peanuts | |
 | Mississippi producers had another successful year of peanut production, but the honeymoon phase for this crop is probably over. Jason Sarver, peanut specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said between 2005 and 2011, Mississippi growers produced an average of 18,000 acres of peanuts a year. The majority of this acreage was in the southern part of the state. Mississippi had about 30,000 acres of peanuts this year, part of the nation's 1.3 million acres of the crop. |
| Eboni Deon, an MSU alum, joins WISH-TV in Indianapolis as weekend meteorologist | |
 | Steve Bray, WISH-TV news director, announces the addition of meteorologist Eboni Deon to the WISH-TV Storm Track 8 Team. After graduating from North Central High School in Indianapolis, Deon went on to study meteorology at Jackson State University. She completed her master of science degree in geosciences with an emphasis in broadcast meteorology at Mississippi State University. |
| Former State Legislator Announces 2015 Republican Primary Bid | |
| A former Mississippi legislator is looking to give politics another go. Attorney Rob Roberson on Tuesday announced his bid for the House District 43 state representative seat which covers Oktibbeha County and part of Winston County. Roberson, who says he will run as a Republican in the upcoming Aug. 4 Republican primary, is a Starkville High School and Mississippi State University graduate. After having previously served as the District 37 representative, Roberson says his prior experience will bolster his service to future constituents. |
| Hawaii is nation's healthiest state, Mississippi is unhealthiest | |
 | Hawaii has the nation's healthiest residents in 2014 and Mississippi has the most unhealthy, according to the 25th annual America's Health Rankings released Wednesday by the United Health Foundation. Nationally, the annual report found that adult obesity rates increased 7 percent from 27.6 percent in 2013 to 29.4 percent this year. And the share of adults who had no physical activity in the last month increased from 22.9 percent in 2013 to 23.5 percent in 2014. Mississippi, which has never finished higher than 48th in the rankings, scored lowest for the third straight year, due in part to high rates of physical inactivity, low teen immunization rates and small disparities in health status by age. |
| Budget draft: Schools shorted, others cut | |
 | The Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the mechanism that provides the state's share of the basics of operating local school districts, is underfunded by about $280 million under the proposal released Tuesday by the 14-member Legislative Budget Committee. Still, MAEP is one of the few state programs to receive additional funding in the $6.01 billion budget proposal. The Budget Committee's proposal, which is viewed as a roadmap for the entire Legislature when it works to pass a budget, provides less funding for higher education, including community college, Corrections and Medicaid, than was appropriated during 2014. Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, said legislative Democrats will present an alternative proposal in the coming days. He did not have kind words for the Budget Committee's proposal. |
| Legislative leaders recommend $6 billion state budget | |
 | Legislative budget leaders recommended a $6.013 billion total state budget for the next fiscal year, which is less than the $6.2 billion budget proposed last month by Gov. Phil Bryant. And the 15-member Joint Legislative Budget Committee recommendations include no mention of a possible tax cut that some state leaders including Bryant, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn, have broached. Gunn and Reeves co-chair the budget committee. When asked Tuesday about a possible tax decrease, Reeves said he believes it's time to have a conversation about possibly decreasing taxes. Gunn agrees a tax decrease is something that should be looked at, but says it way too early for that discussion. |
| Top Mississippi lawmakers release FY16 budget blueprint | |
 | Top lawmakers are proposing a slightly smaller Mississippi budget for the coming year, despite their expectation that state revenue will increase. The 13-member Joint Legislative Budget Committee on Tuesday released its $6 billion spending blueprint for fiscal 2016, which begins July 1. That would be $112.2 million smaller than the current budget. The legislative committee's proposed budget would aside money for the second year of a teacher pay raise, but it would fall about $280 million short for the school funding formula, the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. It would decrease funding for Medicaid, universities, community colleges, human services and mental health. |
| Mississippi misses out again on federal preschool money | |
| The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that Mississippi has missed out on its share of $250 million in federal money to expand its fledgling prekindergarten program. The state applied for the money in October, asking as much as $60 million over four years to boost a state-paid preschool program for 4-year-olds. Mississippi has spent $3 million a year in each of the last two years. State Board of Education member Danny Spreitler of Amory, who runs a foundation active in expanding and improving child care in Monroe County, said the loss was "demoralizing." Spreitler said he thought the state's proposal has suffered from "too much bureaucracy and not enough direct money to children" and said Mississippi needs to improve coordination among the groups that fund and regulate child care. |
| Panel Faults C.I.A. Over Brutality and Deceit in Terrorism Interrogations | |
 | The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday issued a sweeping indictment of the Central Intelligence Agency's program to detain and interrogate terrorism suspects in the years after the Sept. 11 attacks, drawing on millions of internal C.I.A. documents to illuminate practices that it said were more brutal -- and far less effective -- than the agency acknowledged either to Bush administration officials or to the public. The long-delayed report delivers a withering judgment on one of the most controversial tactics of a twilight war waged over a dozen years. The release of the report was severely criticized by current and former C.I.A. officials, leaving the White House trying to chart a middle course. |
| Democrats divided: How did they lose the white middle class? | |
| The Democratic Party is a mess. One group of party leaders sees 2014 as simply a bad year, requiring just some tweaks. Others regard 2014 as a disaster and want an overhaul, and fast. Leading the tear-it-up side are liberals, the party's most loyal constituency. They're angry because they saw no clear economic message pledging to help people with middle- and lower-class incomes. Then there's the South, where Democrats were crushed last month. Getting even a quarter of the white vote was a struggle in most state races. Even with a streamlined message, Democrats still have systemic hurdles that could take years to overcome. |
| Deal reached on $1.01 trillion spending bill | |
 | Congressional leaders unveiled a massive $1.01 trillion spending bill Tuesday night that will keep most of the federal government funded through September. The legislation is expected to pass in the coming days and will allow the incoming Republican-controlled Congress to clear the decks of lingering spending issues while setting the stage for a prolonged fight with President Obama over immigration policy. At 1,603 pages, the bill includes at least $1.2 billion for agencies to deal with the influx of unaccompanied immigrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. There's also money to fight the rise of the Islamic State and $5.4 billion to fight the threat of Ebola. But there are also significant changes to campaign finance laws and potential cuts to retiree pension plans. |
| Funding bill boosts cybersecurity spending | |
 | Cybersecurity spending would mostly increase under the nearly $1.1 trillion spending package lawmakers agreed to on Tuesday night. The bill is expected to get a vote in the House and Senate later this week or on Saturday. In the meantime, both chambers are expected to vote on a stopgap funding bill to avoid a government shutdown on Dec. 11, originally slated as the last day of the lame-duck session. Passage of the larger bill, called the "cromnibus," would fund cybersecurity at consistent or increased levels through fiscal 2015. "The cyber dollars keep going up, which is appropriate," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) early Tuesday, when asked about the bill before its released. Whitehouse chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism. |
| FAA approves four companies to fly commercial drones | |
| Four companies won approval Wednesday to fly commercial drones to conduct aerial surveys, monitor construction sites and inspect oil flare stacks, the Federal Aviation Administration announced. The exemptions for Trimble Navigation Limited, VDOS Global, Clayco, Inc. and Woolpert, Inc. come as the FAA drafts comprehensive regulations for drones to share the skies with passenger planes. Michael Toscano, CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, called the FAA action a positive step, but that the agency needs to complete its regulations to allow broader use of drones. |
| Chinese national accused of transporting Air Force program information | |
| A Chinese national has been arrested while carrying sensitive proprietary information on titanium used in a U.S. Air Force program, most likely the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, according to the U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut. Yu Long, a 36-year-old former resident of New Haven, was arrested on Nov. 7. The case had been sealed until Tuesday's announcement. He has been charged with "transporting, transmitting and transferring in interstate or foreign commerce goods obtained by theft, conversion or fraud," which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail and a fine of up to $250,000. Given the companies involved and his expertise, the information was very likely related to the F-35. |
| Navy Tests Laser Weapon on Drones, Boats | |
 | The Navy is testing a new laser it is developing by using it on targets such as drones and small boats in the Persian Gulf. Top Navy leaders say the laser could become a critical defense on a future generation of warships and offers great potential as a precise and economical weapon. A single shot from the laser could bring down a drone or blow up the engine of a small boat, officials said. The prototype Laser Weapon System developed by the Office of Naval Research has proved cost-effective, and is less expensive to operate than many other systems, said Adm. Jon Greenert, chief of naval operations. |
| MUW recognized for volunteer service | |
| Mississippi University for Women has been recognized on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the fourth straight year. The Honor Roll highlights the role colleges and universities play in solving community problems and placing more students on the lifelong path of civic engagement. W students, faculty and staff completed 231,000 hours of community service in 2013-14. |
| Mary Ann Mobley, Mississippi's first Miss America, has died | |
| About the same time Mary Ann Mobley was crowned the 1959 Miss America, she was becoming known on the University of Mississippi campus as "queen of the mustard seed necklace." "Every girl at Ole Miss had to have one," said Kay Alford, Mobley's little sister in her sorority. "It was round and clear, about the size of a large marble, and had a tiny mustard seed in it. I think it said a lot about who Mary Ann really was. She was a Christian and didn't mind letting the world know. She used the 'mustard seed' Bible verse at various times when talking to the press. That's how it came about." Mobley, known as much for her sweet spirit and willingness to help others as she was for her beauty and grace, died Tuesday at age 75. She had battled breast cancer for several years. |
| UM-Tupelo scholarships offered to TPSD employees | |
| Tupelo Public School District employees will be able to receive scholarships to pursue a bachelor's degree from the University of Mississippi's Tupelo campus. The school district signed an agreement with UM-Tupelo on Tuesday that will provide a $750 discount per semester for its employees who either haven't finished a four-year degree or who want to earn a degree in a different field. The agreement covers four semesters, or a total of $3,000. The incentive will not cost the school district. Derek Markley, executive director of UM-Tupelo and UM-Booneville, said it is a way for the division to build community partnerships. |
| Southern Miss' Professor Graham Named to Research Advisory Board | |
 | Dr. William "Monty" Graham, professor and chair of the Department of Marine Science at The University of Southern Mississippi, has been named to the advisory board of the Gulf Research Program. Graham is the first researcher from Southern Miss to be named to the advisory board. The 24-member advisory board includes members from around the country with expertise in oil system safety, health, and science. |
| William Carey University offers J-term classes | |
| William Carey University will offer J-Term, an opportunity to earn full credit for a college class in a one-week period, from January 5-9. Both the main campus in Hattiesburg and the Tradition campus in Biloxi will offer J-Term classes. Undergraduate classes offered at the Hattiesburg campus include World History to 1500, the Life and Work of William Carey, Introduction to the Old Testament, Introduction to the New Testament, Adventure Based Counseling and Basic EKG Interpretation for Nurses. The Life and Work of William Carey will also be offered as a graduate history course. |
| U. of Alabama plans holiday book sale | |
 | The University of Alabama Press will hold its annual holiday book sale this weekend on the second floor of the McMillian Building at 200 Hackberry Lane. Sale hours are 2-7 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 2-5 p.m. Sunday. |
| U. of Alabama to hold graduation exercises Saturday | |
| The University of Alabama will award more than 2,100 diplomas during commencement exercises on Saturday at Coleman Coliseum. The ceremonies will begin at 9 a.m. Rona Donahoe, professor of geological sciences in UA's College of Arts and Sciences, will serve as commencement marshal. |
| Auburn leads global network of universities in commitment to fight hunger, malnutrition | |
 | Twenty-six presidents and other senior administrators -- representing a consortium of more than 60 universities worldwide -- on Wednesday signed the Presidents' Commitment to Food and Nutrition Security at the United Nations, creating a blueprint for higher education's role in waging and winning the fight against hunger and malnutrition. "The intellectual expertise of institutions of higher education is greatly needed to solve the problem of food insecurity," Amelia Mohammed, special advisor to the UN Secretary General, said. "This partnership is critical." "This can't just be another meeting fueled by political will," said Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. "We need to create an excitement about our collective action just like the nation united its scientific efforts after Sputnik." |
| Former astronaut Jim Voss will speak at Auburn University graduation | |
| Auburn University will award 1,498 academic degrees Dec. 13 in Auburn Arena during two fall graduation ceremonies featuring addresses by Auburn alumnus and former NASA astronaut Jim Voss. The 10 a.m. ceremony will include the colleges, schools and programs of Architecture, Design and Construction; Engineering; Interdisciplinary Studies; Liberal Arts; Nursing; and Sciences and Mathematics. The 2 p.m. ceremony will be held for the colleges and schools of Agriculture; Business; Education; Forestry and Wildlife Sciences; and Human Sciences. Voss graduated from Auburn with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering in 1972. |
| LSU re-accredited by SACS after concerns over president-chancellor merge | |
 | LSU's accreditation has been renewed for another decade. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges announced Tuesday the final outcome of its two-year re-accreditation review, which is required every 10 years for schools to continue to award degrees. The review process included at least two trips to LSU, which resulted in several recommendations from SACS. In Nov. 2012, the Georgia-based regional accrediting authority raised concerns over whether LSU's merger of its president and chancellor positions was in full compliance with its accreditation. |
| Kappa Sigma fraternity kicked out of U. of South Carolina for five years | |
 | Kappa Sigma fraternity has withdrawn the charter for its University of South Carolina chapter after investigations found hazing, alcohol abuse and controlled-substance violations by 81 members, according to an email obtained by The State. The fraternity also is looking at unapproved spending of $4,000 to pay members' legal fees and $17,000 to repay the chapter's treasurer for a loan, according to the email from Kappa Sigma executive director Mitchell Wilson. National fraternity officials also are examining cash withdrawals from chapter accounts where there was no documentation on how the money was spent. Kappa Sigma is at least the fourth USC fraternity chapter to be closed since 2011 for violations and the second since classes started in August, according to school student-conduct records. |
| Rise in sexual assaults could signal a change in culture | |
 | Sexual assault reports at the University of Georgia have skyrocketed this year, up from an average of 11 a year in the previous five years to about 75 this year. The reason for the spiking numbers isn't necessarily an indication that sexual assaults are on the rise; it's likely, though, that more incidents are being reported than in the past, instead of being kept quiet, according to police and others who work with sex crimes. "I can't say we've had more incidents," said UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson, who added, "more people are willing to let us know about it." Also, there are now more ways for sexual assaults to be reported to police, who may not ever talk directly to the victim, Williamson said. The federal government has put pressure on colleges and universities to do a better job of preventing and reporting sexual assaults. |
| U. of Kentucky students hold 'die-in' to protest police brutality | |
 | About 40 University of Kentucky students held a "die-in" Tuesday at Patterson Office Tower, sprawling on the lobby floor in a silent protest against police brutality. The protest was held to raise student awareness of recent cases in which two black men -- Michael Brown and Eric Garner -- died at the hands of white police officers in Missouri and New York, said senior Kelly Moore, one of the event's organizers. "We felt like UK needed to do something to make a statement," Moore said. "A die-in during Dead Week was the perfect mix." The UK Board of Trustees was meeting 18 floors above the students, but Moore said it was a coincidence. |
| Bordelon Gift to U. of Arkansas' Walton College Will Support Faculty Innovation | |
 | University of Arkansas alumni Ann and Gene Bordelon have contributed $100,000 to establish the Faculty Innovation Endowed Fund for the benefit of the Sam M. Walton College of Business, the UA announced Tuesday. The Faculty Innovation Fund will create an endowment to provide funding to develop and support faculty who teach in Walton College, the school said. The proceeds from the fund are meant to promote innovative ideas and methods in teaching and research, such as developing curriculum in emerging disciplines, developing new courses to address topics and issues in the business disciplines and developing online courses for Walton's online general business degree, according to a UA news release. |
| U. of Arkansas Receives Grant for Upgrade of Network Connections to ARE-ON, Internet2 | |
| The University of Arkansas will use a National Science Foundation grant to upgrade its campus connection to the Arkansas Research and Education Optical Network, better known as ARE-ON, and to the Internet2 national research and education network, the school announced Tuesday. The two-year, $496,948 grant will pay for equipment that will lead to much faster network connections for the UA and 35 other universities, colleges, two-year institutions and educational affiliates served by ARE-ON. The UA's network connections to the Internet2 research and education network will increase to 100 gigabits per second -- 10 times the current capacity following the upgrade. The grant will also fund other equipment that will enable the use of next-generation Internet protocols and the development of a high-speed data transfer facility to support data-intensive research. |
| U. of Missouri buyout prompts faculty questions, reflections | |
 | Nearly three months after the University of Missouri announced a buyout program for tenured faculty, mixed feelings on campus reflect concern about potential curriculum holes and excitement at the prospect of retiring. Some faculty worry that the buyout program, announced Sept. 19, is too broad. Others fear their departments will struggle to fill newly vacant spots. Faculty Council chairman Craig Roberts said the buyout could help MU improve its standing within the Association of American Universities, a key goal in MU's 2013-18 Strategic Operating Plan. "I believe this and most other major moves on the Mizzou campus are tied to the AAU," Roberts said. "Improving in the AAU standing is not a discussion -- it's going to happen." |
| Congressional deal on spending would modestly boost student aid and research | |
 | Congressional leaders agreed Tuesday on a spending bill that would avoid a government shutdown and provide modest increases to student aid programs and scientific research. Funding for scientific research would increase under the deal, but at far lower rates than research advocates had hoped. The National Institutes of Health would receive $30.3 billion, representing a $150-million increase in its base funding. The bill also provides $7.3 billion for the National Science Foundation, a $172 million increase from its current level but below the $7.6 billion the administration requested. And the deal would keep funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities, a favorite target of spending hawks, at its current amount of $146 million |
| Compromise Bill Would Keep Education Spending Mostly Flat for Rest of Fiscal Year | |
 | Federal spending on student aid and colleges would remain generally flat for the remainder of the 2015 fiscal year, under an appropriations bill introduced late Tuesday in Congress. The measure, which would finance most of the federal government through September 2015, would take $303-million from the Pell Grant program while providing modest increases for Federal Work-Study, the TRIO college-preparatory programs, and minority-serving institutions. Supporters had hoped both the House and the Senate would be able to pass the bill by Thursday night, when the current stopgap spending measure expires. |
| Education Programs Minor Factor in Latest Federal Budget Dust-Up | |
 | As the 113th, lame-duck Congress prepares to waddle off the stage, there's one big loose end it must tie up: a budget -- or at least a stopgap spending bill -- to keep government agencies like the U.S. Department of Education running. However Congress decides to approve this next round of funding, federal education programs aren't likely to see big changes to their operating budgets. |
| Rethinking the library proves a divisive topic at many liberal arts institutions | |
| Several library directors at liberal arts institutions have lost their jobs as they clash with faculty and administrators over how much -- and how fast -- the academic library should change. None of the dismissals, resignations or retirements are identical. Some have resulted from arguments over funding; others from debates about decision-making processes or ongoing personal strife. One common trend, however, is that several of the library directors who have left their jobs in recent years have done so after long-term disputes with other groups on campus about how the academic library should change to better serve students and faculty. The disputes highlight the growing pains of institutions and their members suddenly challenged to redefine themselves after centuries of serving as gateways and gatekeepers to knowledge. |
| BRIAN PERRY (OPINION): Rand Paul's GOP heterodoxy | |
| Consultant and columnist Brian Perry writes: "U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky addressed the Mississippi Republican Party Victory Lunch at the Old Capitol Inn in Jackson on Monday. The first-term senator is considered a Republican hopeful for President in 2016 and appeals to the GOP's libertarian wing. Paul represents a unique niche in the Republican Party, buoyed by the coalition crafted by his father, former Republican Congressman Ron Paul of Texas: twice a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination and once the presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party." |
| BOBBY HARRISON (OPINION): 'Solid' South continues its political evolution | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Bobby Harrison writes: "Mississippi and the rest of the Deep Southern states now mean to the Republican Party what they did to the Democratic Party for much of the 20th century. The Southern states represent a dependability, a consistent vote for the Republicans. ...There has been a lot written in recent days -- since the Republicans strong showing in November's mid-term elections -- about the ills of the Democratic Party. Surely, Democrats have a lot of worries, but part of what is occurring is what has been occurring for decades." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Mullen named SEC Coach of the Year | |
 | During his opening remarks at Mississippi State's Orange Bowl press conference Sunday afternoon, MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin took a few moments to stump for his football coach. "I haven't seen any of the national coach of the year awards, but there's no question that Dan Mullen of Mississippi State deserves every one of them," Stricklin said. The way he's changed expectations, the way he's built this program, he deserves any of those awards that come his way." On Monday, Stricklin was proven right, as multiple awards were announced. |
| Mississippi State's Dan Mullen a finalist for Maxwell Coach of the Year Award | |
| The honors continue to roll in for Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen. Tuesday he was named one of three finalists for the Maxwell Football Club Collegiate Coach of the Year Award. It comes a day after the sixth-year coach was named AFCA regional coach of the year as well as AP SEC Coach of the Year. A group of 20 semifinalists were trimmed to Mullen, Ohio State's Urban Meyer and Oregon's Mark Helfrich. |
| Conference coaches select five Bulldogs All-SEC | |
| The honors are piling up in Starkville. Five Mississippi State players were named all-conference by the Southeastern Conference coaches on Tuesday. It comes a day after five named All-SEC on Monday by the media. Dak Prescott, Benardrick McKinney and Preston Smith all earned first-team All-SEC honors by the coaches. Josh Robinson and Ben Beckwith received second-team honors. |
| Mississippi State's Prescott named first-team All-SEC | |
| For the first time in 28 years, the Southeastern Conference first-team All-Conference quarterback hails from Mississippi State. Junior quarterback Dak Prescott, who led the SEC with 38 touchdowns this season and helped the Bulldog earn the first 10-win regular season in school history, was named The Associated Press first-team All-SEC quarterback Monday. He is MSU's first quarterback to receive the honor since Don Smith in 1986. "When you look at what a guy's done and his value to the team, he deserves any awards that come his way," MSU coach Dan Mullen said of Prescott. "It speaks volumes of the type of year he has had and what he's been able to do." |
| Plenty of similarities between Orange Bowl QBs | |
| When asked Sunday about his team's opponent in the Orange Bowl, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson wasted little time in bringing up Mississippi State's most indispensable player. "Everybody knows about Dak Prescott and what he's done,'' Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. "Tremendous team, some outstanding individual players and a lot of respect for what they've done there." MSU coach Dan Mullen returned the compliment and quickly put the spotlight on Georgia Tech's most valuable player. |
| Mississippi State video department spoofs 'Miami Vice' | |
| Fans of the old television show 'Miami Vice' will get a kick out of this. Hail State Productions cobbled together the opening credits of the show with video of the Mississippi State football team. Nearly 30 years later, the Jan Hammer theme still rocks. |
| Reports: Michigan has reached out to Les Miles; LSU AD Joe Alleva responds | |
| Two websites covering Michigan athletics reported Tuesday that the school has reached out to Les Miles' agent to gauge the LSU coach's interest in the vacant head coaching position at his alma mater. Scout.com site GoBlueWolverine and 24/7 Sports site Wolverines247 both quoted unnamed sources that "confirmed" the contact. Miles' long-time agent is George Bass of Dallas. Bass did not immediately respond to a message. LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva said as of Tuesday night he had not been contacted by anyone regarding Miles. However, Alleva said last week that it is no longer common for schools to ask permission to talk to a coach about job openings, but that they typically work through their agents instead. |
| U. of Kentucky trustees discuss majors chosen by student athletes | |
| A recent scandal at the University of North Carolina -- where investigators found that athletes were steered to lax and even phony classes in a certain major -- is unlikely to happen at the University of Kentucky, athletics officials assured the UK Board of Trustees on Tuesday. Sandy Bell, the executive associate athletics director for student services at UK, told the board that about 500 UK athletes have 69 majors. All student athletes, coaches and other athletics staff have lengthy training on academic eligibility issues as defined by the NCAA, and UK's Academic Integrity Group has been in existence since the late 1980s, Bell said. "We want to educate everyone involved," Bell said. "It takes a lot of people looking at these kids on a regular basis." |
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