Board Members and Legislators Hold First Higher Education Funding Subcommittee Meeting
On Tuesday, members of the IHL Board, together with members of the Mississippi legislature, held the first meeting of the select subcommittee formed to create a five- to ten-year plan to adequately fund and maintain Mississippi's public university System. The subcommittee was created by Speaker William J. McCoy, Chairman of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, with approval of Lt. Governor Phil Bryant. The IHL Board members who attended the meeting on Tuesday included Board President Amy Whitten; Chair of the Board's Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee Aubrey Patterson; Chair of the Real Estate and Facilities Committee Scott Ross; and Trustee Ed Blakeslee. During Tuesday's meeting, the Board members discussed with the legislators the concept behind the Board's proposed funding 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. The next meeting of the subcommittee is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, October 14. For more information, contact Assistant Commissioner of Governmental Relations Dr. Jim Borsig.
| MVSU Board Search Committee to Receive Reference Information
Next Wednesday, October 8, beginning at 10:00 a.m., the Board Search Committee for the next President of Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU), chaired by Trustee Bettye Neely, will meet in the IHL Board Room in the Universities Center, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS, 39211 to hear the results of candidate background and reference checks. Board Search Committee members will be joined by MVSU's Interview Search Advisory Committee, a subset of the original campus Search Advisory Committee formed to review all resumes and recommend candidates to the Board Search Committee. A listing of the members of the Interview Search Advisory Committee can be found here. An executive session may be held in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. IHL's institutional executive officer search process allows Mississippi to be on the consideration list of the highest caliber professionals in higher education. The process is open, transparent and representative-based, and works in accordance with today's recruitment standards for high-level institutions of higher learning. Click here for more information on the MVSU institutional executive officer search process, including a timeline of events. | Outreach Encouraged on "Knowledge to Get to College Day" - Oct. 24
The universities are encouraged to reach out to middle and high school students on "The Knowledge to Get to College Day," Friday, October 24! Governor Barbour has proclaimed the date in celebration of Mississippi's premier college access website that will officially launch on that date. The new website will offer everything students and their parents need to know about going to college in Mississippi. It will include information about the state's community and junior colleges, public universities, and private colleges. A "Knowledge to Get to College Day" Pep Rally will be held at Northwest Rankin High School in conjunction with the school's homecoming pep rally. The Rally, which will mark the official unveiling of the website, will include performances by several college and university performing groups, brief remarks from state education leaders, and a preview of the television commercials that will be aired to promote the website as a resource for students. The Rally will be recorded and aired online at tv.mpbonline.org/ihlrally via streaming satellite video by Mississippi Public Broadcasting so that anyone anywhere can join in the celebration. Middle schools and high schools across the state have been invited to celebrate the launch by hosting their own "Knowledge to Get to College Day" activities. Click here for more information about "Knowledge to Get to College Day," including a copy of the Governor's proclamation, a list of suggested activities for middle and high schools, and a link to the site where the live video of the Launch event will air. Direct questions to Jennifer Rogers. | |  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.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 for Their Students Jackson State and the University of Zululand Exchange Students MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
MSU Carl Small Town Center Aids Ruleville in Municipal Improvement
Mississippi State's Carl Small Town Center (CSTC) is collaborating with a Central Delta town to help it increase local charm, attract more residents and tourists and enhance prospects for the future. Community leaders in Ruleville have been working with the university center's professional staff to help create a downtown improvement plan. The goal: to help foster a more attractive public area for the approximately 3,200 residents, as well as visitors to the Sunflower County community situated at the intersections of state Highway 8 and U.S. 49 West. As home and burial place of pioneer Mississippi voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-77), Ruleville--established in 1899 and located about 10 miles east of Cleveland--rightfully can lay claim to being a "birthplace" of the Southern civil rights movement. After completing the summer-long project, Cari Varner, the CSTC's assistant director, recently made recommendations during a presentation to members of the Ruleville Economic Council and other area leaders. The project was funded by a private donor. The plan, which later was accepted by the Ruleville Board of Aldermen, includes such recommendations as: --Improvements to a downtown square park and upgrading of the existing gazebo, --Improvement of downtown sidewalks, building facades and town entrances, and --Enforcement of existing zoning and code regulations. "We picked the areas we thought would make the biggest impact," Varner said. Learn more. MSU Announces First Waterfowl, Wetlands Endowed Chair Downtown 'Pops on the Plaza' Announced for Mid-October MSU Libraries Celebrating National Archives Month Landscape Design Symposium Scheduled Oct. 15 at MSU MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND VETERINARY MEDICINE NEWS
MSU Extension Aids Organic Fertilizer Market Expansion
When the owners of an organic fertilizer company in Lawrence County were trying to determine best uses for their product and develop new markets, they turned for help to a team of specialists with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Amanda Walker is the Extension director in Lawrence County. She spearheaded the efforts on behalf of Organic Growing Systems, a relatively new and growing company that produces organic fertilizer from poultry litter. "Their mill manager was from Ohio and did not have much knowledge about the community," Walker said. "The company was doing well financially, but they didn't have a big budget for research and development. They turned to the Extension Service for help primarily with the development of data that would help them market their product to forage producers." Walker put together an Extension team of soil, forage, horticulture, truck crops, turf and poultry specialists. The group met with company representatives to determine how the Extension Service could meet some of their needs. Trial plots were planted to see how the fertilizer performed with different crops and in different conditions. "The company is successfully figuring out what markets it can enter with its product. We connected them to the local chamber of commerce and community resource development officer," Walker said. "We also put management in contact with needed services in the area and helped as the company filled positions at the plant." Learn more. MSU's Wood Magic Science Fair Preps for 4,000 Elementary School Students MSU Ambulatory Clinic: Large Animal Service Helps Owners, Students MSU's 4-H Shooting Sports Develops Volunteer Leaders MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN NEWS
MUW Student Interns at Restaurant in Ireland
Mississippi University for Women senior culinary arts major Laura Farrell from Paducah, Ky., traveled to Ireland this summer after receiving the Women's Chef and Restaurateur Externship Scholarship. Farrell traveled to The Emerald Isle in June and July to work with Chef Paul Flynn. For the duration of her stay, she worked as an intern at the Tannery Restaurant in what she described as a "supportive environment." "The culinary arts program has given me the skills necessary to be successful in a professional kitchen environment, as well as encouraging values such as professionalism and commitment," she said. Farrell learned about the scholarship from the Women's Chef and Restaurateur in an offer on the culinary arts listserv. Her plans upon graduating are uncertain, but she remains open-minded to opportunities in the future. With one additional fall semester to complete, she will continue her work at Blackberry Farms located just east of Knoxville, Tenn. Learn more. Drew Shankle Journalism Scholarship Fund Established at MUW MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
MVSU Communication Student Lands Internship with Indianapolis Colts
Walking among the Indianapolis Colts players at their team training camp this summer, Kevin Smith realized quickly that he was not experiencing Rice-Totten Stadium in Itta Bena, Mississippi. Instead, the Mississippi Valley State University communication student found himself working side by side with Colts staff at the Phil Brown Field at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., the summer home for the National Football League team. Smith, a native of Chicago, Ill., received the opportunity of a lifetime when he was selected for a three-week internship with the Colts. But don't think Smith was intimidated by the massive football players whose names often appear in sports headlines or by the media that wrote those headlines. When Smith notices a reporter abruptly moving a cone to get a close up shot of one of the players, he eagerly addresses the situation by rushing over to place the cone into its correct spot. Smith recalls Colts' Vice President of Public Relations Craig Kelley laughing and giving him a pat on the back, all the while saying "Good eye." "The NFL needs people like him during our training camps to make sure things run as smoothly as possible," said Justin Dickens, manager of publicity for the Colts. "(This is) a high-profile internship and Kevin fit right in. He did a great job. He represented Mississippi Valley and himself very well. He is a person of high character," said Dickens. Learn more. Area School Teachers Invited to Professional Development Workshops MVSU Lecture Series Features Attorney John Tanner UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI NEWS
Mississippi Urban Forest Council Honors UM Campus Landscapers
Scores of journalists from around the world began their reports on last week's presidential debate by mentioning the natural beauty of the University of Mississippi campus. That beauty has been officially lauded. The Mississippi Urban Forest Council has honored Ole Miss with its annual Scenic Communities of Mississippi award, which recognizes the university's commitment to a range of activities to protect the environment, as well as planting and maintaining trees on its 1,000-acre campus. Donna Yowell, executive director of the Mississippi Urban Forest Council, presented the award Wednesday morning to UM Landscape Services Director Jeff McManus and Chancellor Robert Khayat in a ceremony on the Quad near Paris-Yates Chapel. The ceremony was followed by a reception for dozens of landscape services employees. "I think it is a great honor for the Ole Miss family and landscaping team," McManus said. "It is great recognition for the campus, and it shows our commitment to the continued enhancement of our facilities and grounds." The Oxford campus is home to some of the state's largest and oldest trees, including a Northern catalpa with a circumference of nearly 21 feet, and Mississippi's largest Osage orange tree. "This past year alone, another 754 trees were planted, pushing the university's inventory to well over 6,000 trees," McManus said. Other factors that were considered include efforts to combat litter on campus, protect water quality and control storm runoff, Yowell said. Learn more. UM Golf Course Reopened Wednesday Following a $3.5 Million Renovation University of Mississippi 'Hits It Out of the Park' High School Journalism Students Team with Student Media Center to Cover Debate Activities Tim Walsh Named Executive Director of Alumni Affairs UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER NEWS
State's First i-LIMB Facility Offers Cutting-edge Prostheses
After a month of use, Kevin Hollingshead still admires the lifelike appearance of his bionic hand. But it's the way that his prosthetic hand functions that truly amazes him. With a contraction of muscles in his forearm, he can open and close his hand, extending each finger to form a variety of grasping patterns, from reaching for car keys to curling around a coffee cup. The movement is even more striking when a cosmetic glove, the same skin tone and appearance of his real hand, is used. Even the name of the device sounds like science fiction: i-LIMB, a prosthetic hand with individually powered digits. That's what makes this prosthetic system different from the limited pinching motion of other prostheses. For Hollingshead, the cutting-edge technology has allowed him to work, go to school and enjoy hobbies, all of which require two-handed, multitasking skills. "It's a complete 180 from what my life could have been without this new technology," said Hollingshead of Millry, Ala. The University of Mississippi Medical Center's Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation is the first i-LIMB Hand-accredited facility in the state, and the surgeons and prosthetists here worked as a team to return Hollingshead to his normal routine. Learn more. Jones Relates Lessons of Humanism to Honor Society Inductees UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI NEWS
Southern Miss Awarded National Grant to Enhance Emergency Response
The University of Southern Mississippi is among 13 recipients nationwide to receive a U.S. Department of Education grant to enhance its emergency management plan to prevent and respond to campus violence and natural disasters. The $476,486 Emergency Management for Higher Education (EMHE) grant recently awarded to Southern Miss is part of $5.2 million provided to higher education institutions to develop, review, improve and fully integrate campus-based all-hazards emergency management planning efforts, according to the U.S. Department of Education. "This grant will give us a wonderful opportunity to create a more comprehensive plan focused on making our campus even safer," said Southern Miss President Martha Saunders. "I'm very pleased with the initiative taken by our people on this important issue." The 18-month EMHE grant will require a framework of four phases of emergency management - Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. "In being one of 13 recipients, our proposal showed us to already have a strong campus-based all-hazards emergency response plan," said University Police Chief Bob Hopkins. "This grant will enable us to improve what we currently have and to enhance our partnerships with other agencies that would be available to assist us. It will also provide an education module to the campus community to be better prepared, how to best respond and how they can help with recovery." Learn more. Southern Miss Professor Provides Expert Testimony to Congress Southern Miss Symphony Opens Season with Manuel Barrueco Southern Miss Visiting Writers Series Features Courtney Eldridge Oct. 9 Understanding Generational Influences Key to Positive Workplace Environment UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST NEWS
Southern Miss Gulf Coast Conducts Health Fair at Westminster Academy
Candi Gordon and Madison Hansen, fourth grade students at Westminster Academy, look at how well they washed their hands with University of Southern Mississippi nursing student Imari McGhee during a health fair conducted Sept. 26 by students from Southern Miss Gulf Coast School of Nursing. After holding a tennis ball coated in a special glow-in-the-dark powder, the elementary school students were sent to wash their hands. When the students returned, McGhee and other nursing students used black lights to show areas on the students' hands and wrists where they may have missed washing off some of the powder. Along with learning proper hand-washing techniques, the Westminster Academy students had their hearing and vision tested. Learn more. ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS ONLINE
 Alcorn State University Online
www.alcorn.edu/ DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS
Delta State to Host 17th Annual Elliott-Nowell-White Science Symposium
Delta State University will host the 17th annual Elliott-Nowell-White Science Symposium, a "Program of Excellence," Thursday, Oct. 9 through Friday, Oct. 10. The forum was created by Dr. Robert Elliott to educate students and stimulate their minds, just as his professors had done. Elliott founded the Elliott-Elliott-Head Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Center in Baton Rouge, La., and with the combination of vision and hard work, he has turned his center into one of the leading privately-owned breast cancer research centers in the world. On a visit to the Delta State campus in 1991, Drs. Robert and Mary Elliott, both Delta State graduates, were renewed with a feeling of pride for their alma mater and decided to give something back. Thus, the "Program of Excellence" was formed. The theme for this year's symposium is "The Year of Cancer Immunotherapy." The Thursday afternoon lectures will be held in Jobe Hall Auditorium on campus. Learn more. 2008 MAC Conference Comes to a Close at Delta State University Delta State's College of Business to Host Economic, Banking, and Real Estate Panel Discussion Michael Eubanks Named DII Conference Commissioners' Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year 
Oct. 3 - Jackson State University's Department of Undergraduate Studies will host the "For the People" Presidential and Vice Presidential Forum at 12:15 p.m. in lecture room 100 of the Charles F. Moore Building. Learn more. Oct. 3-4 - Ole Miss students, alumni, and friends look forward to an array of activities during Homecoming Weekend, planned around the theme "Ole Miss is Calling You Home." Highlights include the Alumni Awards Day ceremony, Fall Visit Day for prospective students and a gridiron matchup with South Carolina. Learn more. Oct. 6 - So you thought "greatest hits" started in the '50s? You're right if you mean the 1550s! The Mockingbird Early Music Ensemble performs medieval and Renaissance hits in settings by William Byrd, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Diego Ortiz and others. The free concert is at 8 p.m. in Paris-Yates Chapel. Learn more. Oct. 7 - Mississippi State University's College of Forest Resources presents the Mississippi Advisors' Meeting from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in McCool Hall. Advisors from across the state will hear about the successful advising programs and strategies. For more information, contact Lanna Miller at (662) 325-1631. Learn more. Oct. 8 - Mississippi State University's Alpha Tau Omega fraternity presents an alcohol education seminar in Lee Hall auditorium at 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Fritz Hamilton at (662) 801-6939. Learn more. Oct. 8 - John Tanner, former Department of Justice attorney, will be the featured speaker at the 2008 Aaron Henry Scholars Lecture Series on Race, Politics, Gender and Culture, sponsored by Mississippi Valley State University. The event is at 6:30 p.m. in the H.G. Carpenter auditorium. Learn more. Oct. 9 - Mississippi State University's Bagley College of Engineering, MSU Golf Academy and the Division of Student Affairs presents "golf after school" at the MSU Golf Course at 3:30 p.m. This program will show students fundamentals of golf and help them develop networking skills. 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 from 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 October 9-10 to increase awareness and educate the public on 'Strobesity.' For more information, call (601) 979-1102. Learn more. Oct. 15 - The 52nd Edward C. Martin Landscape Design Symposium is hosted by the MSU Department of Landscape Architecture and The Garden Clubs of Mississippi Inc. It will be at Bost Auditorium on the MSU campus. Contact Debbie Whitfield at (662) 325-4224 or dww12@lalc.msstate.edu. Learn more. Oct. 15-17 - MSU's 23rd Annual Tomato Disease Workshop is geared for university, extension and industry employees at the Eagle Ridge Conference Center in Raymond. Contact David Ingram at (601) 857-2284 or davidi@ext.msstate.edu. Learn more. Oct. 17-18 - The 30th Annual Fall Flower and Garden Fest at MSU's Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station will feature the best flowers and vegetables for autumn gardens in Mississippi. Contact Rick Snyder at (601) 892-3731 or ricks@ext.msstate.edu. Learn more. Oct 23 - Delta State University will present "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," a School-Time Matinee, in the 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 "This Little Light of Mine," a documentary about opera singers Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price, at 7 p.m. in the F.D. Hall Music Center. Admission is free for JSU students with an ID and $5 for the general public. Call (601) 979-2984. Learn more. |
