Board Met with JLBC, Proposed Funding Framework
On Monday, the IHL Board met with the Joint Legislative Budget Committee to discuss the System's FY 2010 legislative needs. Board President Amy Whitten; Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee Chairman Aubrey Patterson; Real Estate and Facilities Committee Chairman Scott Ross; and Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Thomas Meredith discussed with the committee the Board's proposed five year framework. The proposed framework would bring Mississippi's public universities to the Southern Regional Education Board average over a five-year period through a combination of legislative support of approximately $36 million per year for classroom instruction, minimal tuition increases of five percent or less on average for the System, and a concentrated, continued institutional effort to save money through enhanced efficiencies. The framework would allow a partnership to be forged with the Legislature with a collective goal of improving Mississippi through public higher education. The stable funding would also allow institutions to plan into the future, and students and parents to have an understanding of possible tuition increases. At the conclusion of the meeting, Speaker William J. McCoy, Chairman of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, with the approval of Lt. Governor Phil Bryant, appointed a select subcommittee of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, other members of the Mississippi Legislature, and members of the Board of Trustees to jointly create a five- to ten-year plan to adequately fund and maintain Mississippi's public university System. Click here to read the statement issued by Speaker William McCoy. For more information, contact Assistant Commissioner of Governmental Relations Dr. Jim Borsig.
|  The redesign team representing the University of Southern Mississippi prepares for orientation. | 15 Teacher Ed Redesign Teams Participate in Orientation Session On Tuesday, the IHL Office of Academic and Student Affairs hosted 15 redesign teams, representing each of the state's public and private teacher education programs, at an orientation session for implementing the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Committee on the Redesign of Teacher Preparation (BRC). Over 100 college and university faculty met at the Old Capital Inn in Jackson to review the recommendations and work through a preliminary planning exercise to prepare them for developing redesign proposals. Over the upcoming months, each team will develop a proposal for redesigning its college's teacher education program, based on the recommendations of the BRC. The teams will present their proposals for review by external evaluators in the spring of 2009 and will immediately start implementing their proposals in the summer. The BRC was convened in November 2006 to increase the quality and quantity of teachers in Mississippi by improving teacher preparation and recruitment programs in the state. The BRC includes approximately 36 educators, business/industry leaders, parents, and legislators who represent Mississippi's demographic diversity and diversity of perspectives on education. For more information, contact IHL Assistant Commissioner for Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Lynn J. House. | |  Items included in the "University News" section of the System Review are submitted each week by the universities. The news items are listed in rotating alphabetical order by university.DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
 Miss. Office of Healthy Schools and DSU Professor Collaborate Healthy Learning
A Delta State University professor recently created 50 learning activities for students in grades K-8 for the Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Healthy Schools, and Health In Action program. Dr. Jerry Robinson, Jr., Delta State Professor Emeritus, and author of the learning exercises, says, "The goal of this program is to promote wellness and safety among school children and teachers as they engage in learning exercises and activities that promote wellness and safety while at school and as they travel to and from school." Earlier in his career, Robinson authored books for adults and children on wellness and traffic safety. With gas prices being so high, Mississippi is participating in a national program titled "Safe Routes to School." This program encourages parents to walk or bike to and from school with their children. Examples of lesson plans are "The Tortoise and the Hare-Learning from Aesop's Fable," grades K-6; How to organize a "Walking School Bus," grades K-8, in your neighborhood; guidelines for organizing and conducting community-wide "Bicycle Rodeos" that teach safe biking skills for students in grades 5-6 and 7-8; and step-by-step methods for "Establishing a Safe Routes to School Coalition" in a community. Learn more. The Capitol Steps Troupe Brings Political Satire to Delta State DSU College of Education Holds Reception for Project Participants DSU's Artichuk Named Finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
JSU Walter Payton Center Celebrates 500th Member
Jackson State University's Walter Payton Health and Wellness Center recently reached a benchmark celebrating its 500th membership. JSU graduate student Preston Johnson won the distinction on Aug. 7, when he signed up to become an alumnus member of the facility after his student membership expired. The 27-year-old from Lexington, MS, graduated in May 2008. In honor of the center's benchmark, Johnson received gifts including Walter Payton Center t-shirts, shorts, bathing products, workout towels and a tote bag. "It was definitely a shock", he said. Since its original grand opening on February 15, 2006, the Walter Payton Center has undergone many internal changes. Among those changes are new specially trained staffers and a wider range of physical fitness programs. But one program that has remained constant is P.H.A.T or Proud Healthy and Trim. A program designed to assist in weight loss through physical and nutrition training. The center currently offers 17 classes in four basic areas, Cardio, Strength/Toning, Yoga/Pilates, and Step Aerobics. "I find the programs here to be feasible and reasonable," Johnson said. "Price is very nice compared to other facilities. The atmosphere here is nice and it fits my workout needs. Johnson, who works at the Mississippi State Hospital, likes to work out three to four times a week to stay healthy, toned and fit. "The availability and flexibility here at the Walter Payton Center allows me to do so". Learn more. JSU Kids Kollege Receives Donations Jackson State and the University of Zululand Exchange Students MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
Richard Daniel Named MSU Student Affairs Development Officer
A Mississippi State alumnus and former Starkville resident is the university's new development officer for the Division of Student Affairs. Richard P. Daniel, formerly of Memphis, Tenn., comes to the MSU fundraising team from a varied and accomplished sales career. A 1990 business administration graduate, he was most recently the Memphis-area sales manager for the Gleason Technical Division of Baton Rouge, La.-based AWC Inc. He also has worked with Aventis Pharmaceuticals in New Jersey, Premix Inc. in Ohio and Emerson Electric Co. in Missouri. Daniel succeeds Brett Aldridge, who moved to a similar position with the Bagley College of Engineering. "We have great confidence in Richard to lead our fundraising efforts for student affairs," said Bo Hemphill, the MSU Foundation's executive director of development. "His previous experience, coupled with a deep appreciation of Mississippi State, will assist him immensely." In his new role, Daniel works with the major university unit responsible for enrollment services, housing, financial aid, health services, student organizations, counseling, police, recreational sports, and other student service functions. Learn more. 'Fox & Friends' Host to Help MSU Department Aid Students MSU Trio Honored with National Student Advising Honors Two New Avenues for Giving Announced for MSU Donors Registration Continues for MSU-Meridian Women in Leadership Symposium MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND VETERINARY MEDICINE NEWS ONLINE
Incident Command Training Equips MSU Field Faculty
Disaster response training has better prepared members of Mississippi State University's Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine to respond to major emergency events. In the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, then-vice president Vance Watson felt the division could help the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, or MEMA, handle health and safety issues regarding recovery. Watson is now in a position as MSU's interim president to promote the role of the university in the state's comprehensive emergency management plan. Since the first quarter of 2006, more than 360 employees with MSU's Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station have participated in Incident Command System, or ICS, training offered through Extension's Center for Governmental Training and Technology. Incident command is a set of protocols established within the National Incident Management System that organizes tasks and responsibilities into emergency support functions. "Although the emergency plan has been in place since 1996, Katrina brought it to the forefront," said Elmo Collum, Extension's disaster response coordinator. "Dr. Watson said he wanted the university better prepared to respond to future disasters because he believes we are integral to the plan's success." The federal government created the National Incident Management System in 1970 to unify the response of many agencies to large-scale disasters over several states. Learn more. Family, Community Needs Focus of MSU Extension Conference MSU Extension Leadership Programs Empower Communities MSU Extension Entomologist Addresses Asian Lady Beetle Problems World's Lepidopterists Discover Lure of Mississippi at MSU MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN NEWS
Employment Expo Set for Oct. 1 at MUW
More than 70 employers are registered for the 12th annual Golden Triangle Employment Expo scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 1, on the campus of Mississippi University for Women. The expo is free and open to the community and will be held at Pohl Gymnasium from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Organizers are confident by moving the expo from the Trotter Convention Center to the campus of MUW more vendors and attendees will participate in this year's event. Last year's expo saw 1,500 job seekers attain information. "Employers are being added each day" according to Towanda Williams, assistant director of career services at MUW. "Some employers are hiring and setting up on-the-spot interviews so come dressed for success." Applicants also are encouraged to bring resumes. "We've got the three big players this year," said Mark Horning, GTEE registration coordinator. "Paccar is going to be there and Severstal and Eurocopter. We've got a wide variety of employers that are going to be there." Learn more. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
MVSU Professors Awarded Additional NSF Monies for Delta Schools
Mississippi Valley State University has received an additional $46,239 National Science Foundation grant to continue a hands-on infusion of technology into instructional processes for teachers and students. The monies are added to the original grant of more than $1.2 million for the project that began in 2006. The project, "Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers Using Catfish and Their Environment As A Model," was touted by the NSF as one of the sixth best in the nation to be modeled after because of its effectiveness. Students in a 10-county Delta area have been learning more about math, science and technology. MVSU professors have been working with students and teachers to focus on projects will be used to increase the state test scores in science for ninth grade students. Ultimately, the professors hope to increase the number of students entering the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics disciplines as desired careers. "The MVSU project has impacted 1,500 students and 25 teachers in the Delta area so far," said Dr. Louis Hall, director of the project. The professors have been introducing the facts of science and technology as they relate to catfish farming. Scotland Fisheries of Itta Bena is participating in the project by allowing students to visit its ponds for science experiments. The project was written by Dr. Hall, Dr. Abigail Newsome, Dr. Mack Felton and Dr. Udai Kudikyala, all members of the Natural Science Department. Learn more. Aaron Henry Lecture Series Features Attorney John Tanner UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI NEWS
UM Launches National Center to Focus on Intelligence and Security
The University of Mississippi is ready to help educate the future intelligence and security agents of America through a new national center focused on intelligence studies. The Center for Intelligence and Security Studies opened this fall in the School of Applied Sciences. Students enrolled there will be able to earn a minor in intelligence and security studies. Also, the center has triggered a new intensive Arabic language program in the Department of Modern Languages, the only Arabic program in Mississippi. Directing the center is longtime FBI agent Carl Jensen, assistant professor of legal studies. Faculty members will have joint academic appointments in intelligence and security studies and in a relevant discipline, said Marie Barnard, assistant dean in applied sciences. The new minor includes six courses, covering analysis, intelligence communications and modern security issues. "What we've found is that national intelligence agencies are looking for people with core competencies," said Jensen, who worked more than 20 years as an agent and researcher in the FBI. "So when a student graduates, he or she may have a degree in Chinese or computer science, but they are also well-versed in how intelligence organizations operate." The new Arabic program will be modeled after the university's four-year intensive Chinese program, which is ranked among the nation's best. Students in the Chinese program not only go through rigorous coursework but also study abroad to develop fluency Learn more. Presidential Debate Day Offers Public Festival, Wide Screen TV Viewing of Historic Event Oxford Freshman Wins Debate Ticket for Policy Writing Skills Changes in 1960s Southern Politics Impacted, Shaped Current National Landscape International Journalists Provide Global Insight on U.S. Presidential Election UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER NEWS
Disaster Clinic Offers Help in Time of Greatest Need
While Hurricane Gustav was bearing down on the Louisiana-Mississippi Gulf Coast, staff and volunteers at the University of Mississippi Medical Center were poised to take action. Lessons learned while treating evacuees of Hurricane Katrina three years earlier helped University of Mississippi Health Care Disaster Relief Clinic administrators prepare for Gustav. By the time the Red Cross shelter at the Mississippi Trademart had begun to fill up with hurricane evacuees over the Labor Day weekend, physicians, pharmacy students and residents were available to help address medical problems and write prescriptions. "We learned from Katrina of the dire need for services to manage common chronic diseases," said Dr. Debbie Minor, executive vice chair of the Department of Medicine and associate professor of medicine. "Although some evacuees needed acute medical care, the greatest need was for maintenance medications and management of common illnesses, such as hypertension and diabetes. Many people lacked transportation to seek care and also did not need to use emergency departments for less severe conditions. We collaborated with the Red Cross and worked closely with the Department of Health to help meet the needs of the citizens of our state and of the Louisiana evacuees." Learn more. Luncheon Celebrates Research Center's Namesake, Beloved Father UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI NEWS
Saunders Urges Southern Miss to Use Strengths to Move University Forward
At fall convocation Wednesday, University of Southern Mississippi President Dr. Martha Saunders called on the campus community to rely on its core strengths to achieve the school's goals and surmount any obstacles in its path. In her "state of the university" address at the event, Saunders laid out the vision for the future of the school established through a series of campus dialogues over the last year, while also citing the need to identify new sources of financial support to buffer against shrinking state dollars and an uncertain national economy. "Our accomplishments have been hard won, and our goals for the future will challenge us," she said. "But I have faith in the creativity, the boldness and the determination of the people of Southern Miss." The campus dialogues have given Southern Miss "a compass and a guide" as it moves forward to achieve its mission of serving the state and region as the premier research university for the Gulf South, she said. She noted that the university had "much to celebrate" with recent developments that include the largest freshman class in school history, which boasts a record number of Presidential Scholars who have an average of ACT score of 31; the largest enrollment in the history of the university's Gulf Park campus, signifying steady recovery from Hurricane Katrina; and accreditation renewal of programs in psychology and business, among many other achievements. Learn more. Southern Miss to Offer Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree Program Southern Miss Visiting Scholars Series Opens Oct. 2 Southern Miss Kicks Off Campus United Way Campaign University Library Speaker Series to Focus on State's Cultural, Military History UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST NEWS
Southern Miss Gulf Coast Reaches Record Enrollment for Fall Semester
The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast is showing signs of recovery three years after Hurricane Katrina with record enrollment for the fall 2008 semester. The fall enrollment is the highest ever since the university opened in 1972. The total duplicated enrollment for Southern Miss Gulf Coast, which includes the Gulf Park campus and five coast teaching sites, is 2,797, and includes 2,195 undergraduate students and 602 graduate students. Enrollment numbers at the Gulf Park campus in Long Beach increased 18.13 percent or 344 students from 2007. The previous record for enrollment was in spring 2005 at 2,774 students. "This enrollment surge can be attributed to the dedication of our faculty and staff who work very hard to recruit and retain quality students on the Mississippi Gulf Coast," said Dr. Pat Joachim, associate provost of Southern Miss Gulf Coast. "Our recovery has been a team effort." A major step for recovery at the Gulf Park campus occurred in fall 2007 when the university reopened the Advanced Education Center, which suffered wind and flood damage from Hurricane Katrina. Within the AEC are 20 regular classrooms, four computer laboratories, two interactive video network rooms, a conference room and a 500-seat auditorium. Learn more. Southern Miss Gulf Coast Welcomes 18 New Faculty Members ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
Head Start Center of Clarksdale Named After Alcorn Alumna
Recently, Coahoma Opportunities, Inc. Universal Learning Head Start Center of Clarksdale, MS, was renamed in honor of Bertha Blackburn, a teacher, volunteer and Alcorn State University Class of 1948 alumna. Mrs. Blackburn worked in the program for 39 years. Her achievements and contributions to the center include recruiting numerous people to participate in the program, mentoring numerous program participants and helping them to go to college, providing nutritional meals for the program's children and assisting families to learn how to help themselves. On September 13, a new sign "Bertha Blackburn Head Start Center" was unveiled. Mrs. Blackburn was congratulated by the Mayor of Clarksdale after the ceremony. Her husband Samuel Blackburn (Alcorn alumnus, class of 1944), and numerous family members and friends were present at the event. Learn more. 
Sept. 26 - University of Mississippi faculty, staff, and students, along with members of the local community, have been invited by CBS News to be part of the network's "The Early Show," which will be broadcast live from inside the Student Union from 6 to 9 a.m. Participants should be in place by 5:30 a.m. Learn more. Sept. 29 - Mississippi State University's Libraries presents Publishing 101 for graduate students at the Mitchell Memorial Library at the ELI computer lab from 4 to 5 p.m. This workshop will help grad students navigate through the academic publishing process. Learn more. Sept. 30 - Mississippi State University's Office of Research and Economic Development presents a free grant writing workshop from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. in ballroom U of the Colvard Student Union. For more information, call Katie Echols at (662) 325-3570. Learn more. Sept. 30 - Outdoor business ideas will be explored in a wildlife workshop led by MSU's Natural Resource Enterprises Program at Richardson's Tree Farm in Brookhaven. For details or registration, visit www.wildlifeworkshop.msstate.edu or call (662) 325-3133. Learn more. Sept. 30 - The University of Southern Mississippi will host an entrepreneurship symposium. Learn more. Sept. 30 - The Southern Miss College of Health will present an event on healthy aging. Learn more. Oct. 1 - Meat and poultry processors and producers will learn about emerging issues in their industries at a workshop in Brandon at the Rankin County Extension Office. Contact Byron Williams or Elizabeth McTaggart at (662) 325-3200, bwilliams@fsnhp.msstate.edu or emctaggart@fsnhp.msstate.edu. Learn more. Oct. 2 - Mississippi State University's Ornamental Horticulture Field Day in Poplarville features the latest research findings for use by nurserymen, homeowners, and landscapers. Contact Eugene Blythe at (601) 403-8774 or blythe@pss.msstate.edu. Learn more. Oct. 6 - The UM Department of Family and Consumer Sciences hosts its first Square Toast for Scholarships food-and-wine fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. on the Oxford Square. Tickets to the event, which includes food-and-wine tastings at 25 locations, are $50 in advance and $60 at the door. Learn more. Oct. 8 - Mississippi Valley State University will host the Aaron Henry Lecture Series at 6:30 p.m. in the H.G. Carpenter Auditorium. The event will feature John Tanner, former chief of the Voting-Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Department of Justice. Learn more. Oct. 9 - Representatives from the Ulster Historical Foundation visit UM to teach a daylong workshop on Irish genealogy, clans, history, and culture. The workshop, which costs $40, runs 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Yerby Conference Center Auditorium. Learn more. Oct. 9-10 - The Jackson State University Institute of Epidemiology and Health Services Research Center of Excellence in Minority Health is hosting a two-day forum to increase awareness and educate the public on 'Strobesity.' For more information, call (601) 979-1102. Learn more. Oct. 9-10 - The Southern Miss Bennett Symposium will explore ocean technology research. Learn more. Oct. 16-18 - MUW hosts its annual Eudora Welty Writers' Symposium. The theme for this year's symposium is "Mirrors for Reality: the Past and Future Wrapped like Butterfly Wings." This title is taken from a review that Eudora Welty wrote of Virginia Woolf's posthumous volume of stories. The event is free and open to the public. Learn more. Oct. 23 - Delta State University will present "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in the Delta and Pine Land Theatre of its Bologna Performing Arts Center at 9:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. For ticket information, please call the Box Office at (662) 846-4626. Learn more. Nov. 12 - Jackson State University will sponsor a guest artist documentary, "This Little Light of Mine," at 7 p.m. in the F.D. Hall Music Center. For more information, contact (601) 979-2984. Learn more. |
