It’s been a busy spring for Mississippi’s public university system.
The close of the 2024 legislative session saw a total appropriation for FY25 of nearly $893 million, which represents a modest 0.4% increase over FY24. Within the total appropriation, a 6.5% increase was included for campus operations to address rising costs related to health insurance, employer retirement contributions, inflation, and salaries. The state’s continued investment in our system demonstrates confidence in the work our universities are doing and the return on investment that has been seen over the years.
These funds will be utilized to reinforce existing programs and kick off exciting new initiatives in data science and artificial intelligence. They will be put into bricks and mortar projects to provide students and faculty with the spaces needed to live, teach, and learn. They will reinforce our efforts to provide students from across the state (and beyond) with the skills to excel in the new industries that are coming to Mississippi, such as Amazon Web Services, and to continue the rich traditions of business, medicine, arts, and culture that have been built over time. Looking back over the past four months, I am struck by the volume of important work done during the legislative session, and I am grateful for the work of our elected officials in their ongoing support for their Mississippi’s universities.
There are also challenges facing our system—this is not unique to Mississippi or any particular university within the state. Those challenges, whether related to enrollment or finances or free speech, are being taken on with confidence and energy by university leadership and turned into learning opportunities and foundations for future growth.
We experienced the transition of outgoing and new trustees on the IHL Board. For the past nine years, we benefited from the time and energy of Tom Duff, Dr. Alfred McNair Jr., Chip Morgan, and Dr. Walt Starr. They made a positive and lasting impact on Mississippi’s universities, and our appreciation of their work will be long lasting. Now, we have welcomed the newest members of the IHL Board—Don Clark Jr., Jimmy Heidelberg, Jerry Griffith, and Charlie Stephenson. They attended their first official meeting in May and are already actively engaged in the work they have been asked to do.
And, as we have seen in recent weeks, thousands of graduates crossed stages around the state and were handed their diplomas—tangible reminders of what they have accomplished and the promise they each hold for the future. Every year, this process is repeated at our universities and, every year, I am reminded of the strength of Mississippi’s university system and how it consistently contributes to the growth of our state.
Yes, it’s been a busy spring, but the work never stops at your Mississippi universities. There’s always more to be done.
Dr. Alfred Rankins Jr. is the Commissioner of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL).