A message from the president

Mississippi State's future looms bright after the uncertainties of Ayers

On March 11, U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers issued his long-awaited ruling in the 20-year-old Ayers college desegregation case. His decision lifted much of the apprehension about the future of higher education in our state that had attended the progress of the case since it was remanded by the Supreme Court in 1992.

As I told an audience of university faculty and staff members immediately after the release of Judge Biggers' March ruling, this decision has removed from us much of the burden of thinking about the past and has given us an opportunity to focus on the future. Judge Biggers outlined a very reasonable, sensible approach to a very difficult issue. Given the extraordinarily difficult nature of his task, it could be seen as a work of brilliance.

Mississippi State has much to be proud of in terms of its accomplishments in making this a university for all Mississippians. Almost 2,000 African-American students now make up about 15 percent of the student body. That number has increased by more than 55 percent over the past 10 years. Now, we can concentrate on building on that success, specifically by working to improve the retention and graduation rates of all students.

The District Court ruling alleviates concerns that important academic programs at Mississippi State or other institutions will be detached from the universities that created and nurtured them in an attempt to transplant the programs to other locations.

Judge Biggers made it clear that the Ayers case is about individuals and individual opportunity, and not about institutions. Still, he noted that Mississippi's university funding formula is lawful and is geared toward funding students, without consideration of race, at whichever institutions and at the program level the students choose. He also noted that more than 30 percent of major repair and renovation appropriations during the period under review went to historically black institutions.

One issue considered in the ruling was Mississippi State's land-grant mission, under which the university cooperates with the federal government to operate the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Alcorn State University shares with us some land-grant responsibilities. The judge found that we are working in an effective and cooperative way, and proposed no changes in the existing structures.

The most significant part of the decision for Mississippi State is its effect on our entrance standards. Judge Biggers ruled that admission policies at all eight state universities must be uniform, beginning with the fall 1996 semester. At Mississippi State, students will now have more avenues through which to demonstrate their admissibility to the university.

Under the new standards, full admission to any Mississippi university can be attained in one of three ways: (1) complete the specified college prep curriculum with a minimum grade-point average of 3.2; (2) complete the college prep curriculum with a minimum grade-point average of 2.5, or rank in the top 50 percent of the high school class and score at least 16 on the ACT; or (3) complete the college prep curriculum with a minimum grade-point average of 2.0 and score 18 or higher on the ACT.

Students who do not qualify for full admission to a university will be eligible for a summer remedial program and will have a chance to qualify for regular fall admission by successfully completing the program focusing on mathematics, English, and reading skills.

The universities have much work to do to resolve all of the questions raised by the changes in the admission standards and to complete the development of the new summer program, but these are changes that will help to broaden educational opportunity in our state without undermining the academic quality that Mississippi State has worked long and hard to achieve.

Judge Biggers did not say that everything is perfect. We will need to work closely with a Monitoring Committee to be established by the court to oversee implementation of the ruling. We will underscore our efforts to recruit black faculty and administrators in filling vacancies. And we must remember that we will be judged more intensely than ever on our ability to deliver what we promise to students. We are well prepared to do just that. You can expect that your university will continue to recruit and enroll excellent students of all races, and to offer them unsurpassed educational opportunity.

Mississippi State also will benefit in important ways from actions of the state Legislature in the session that concluded in late April.

Although universities did not share to a great extent in the $200 million in new general funds available for state use in 1995-96, the Legislature did create a Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant Program that will help some students with college costs. The program targets middle-income students who may not be eligible for federal grants.

Any student at a public or private college or university in Mississippi who meets the residency and academic requirements may be able to claim a portion of the $19.9 million set aside for that purpose, up to a limit of $500 a year for freshmen and sophomores or up to $1,000 a year for juniors and seniors. Top students also may apply for Eminent Scholars Grants, worth up to $2,500 a year.

The brightest aspect of the legislative session for Mississippi State is in the form of $13.5 million for new construction and renovation on campus. Of that amount, $3 million is an appropriation to be used in construction of a new chemical engineering building, for which alumnus Dave C. Swalm of Houston, Texas, has committed a gift of $7 million.

State lawmakers also approved a bond issue that will provide another $7 million for Mississippi State's main campus and $3.5 million for the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

Of those amounts, $2 million will be used to fund a project related to plant science greenhouses; $1.5 million will be used to renovate a former residence hall to house financial aid offices and other student services; $1 million will be used to complete the funding for a major renovation of Hand Chemical Lab; and $1.5 million will match a gift by Mrs. Jane Perry of Spanish Fort, Ala., for renovation of Perry Hall Cafeteria. Another $1 million can be used for renovations or other new construction.

The $3.5 million for the experiment station will be used for an animal and dairy science arena on the university's South Farm, to be built near an equestrian training facility planned by the state Department of Agriculture and Commerce.

Mississippi State is approaching a new academic year with many recent accomplishments to its credit and with high hopes for the future. With the continued support of alumni and friends, the year ahead will see a Mississippi State that is stronger than ever and better prepared to serve its students and all the people of Mississippi.