Mississippi Today
Handwritten notes show what IHL trustees thought during JSU listening sessionĀ
Over the last year, students, alumni, faculty and staff at Mississippi's eight public universities have come to know this routine well: The Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees fires or lets go of a president, often providing little information as to why. Then the board asks the community to participate in hours-long listening sessions to provide feedback on desirable qualities in the next president.Ā
But are the trustees actually listening? If they are, what do they think? That part is often unclear.Ā Ā
At last month's listening sessions on Jackson State University's campus, five trustees and the commissioner, Al Rankins, quietly took notes as stakeholders shared their thoughts on the kind of president they'd like to succeed Thomas Hudson, whose two-and-a-half-year tenure ended earlier this year in a mysterious resignation.Ā
Steven Cunningham, the board's only Jackson State alumnus and the trustee leading the search, occasionally shared his thoughts with the crowd. But the rest of the trustees and the commissioner kept their perspective confined to legal pads or notebooks, which Mississippi Today obtained through a public records request.Ā
The handwritten notes ā from all the trustees who attended except Tom Duff, the former IHL board president ā provide a glimpse into how trustees are thinking about the key hire at Jackson State, which is not just the largest historically Black university in Mississippi but the largest university in the state's capital city.Ā
Trustees typically keep thoughts like these hidden behind the closed doors of executive sessions, but Mississippi Today has reprinted the notes, when legible, exactly as they appear in the records.
There were some common themes. Though none of the notes mentioned Hudson outright, nearly all trustees wrote that community members asked for the board to conduct a more thorough background check on Jackson State's next president ā or more generally to follow an unbiased, by-the-book selection process.
āVetting,ā Cunningham wrote. āWhat are we going to do DIFFERENT?ā
It's still not clear why Hudson left Jackson State, but many in the community believe the university would not be looking for a new president had IHL not cut the search short to hire him. Community members have a similar critique of IHL's hiring of Hudson's predecessor, William Bynum Jr., whose tenure ended after he was arrested in a prostitution sting in 2020.
ādon't hire friends,ā noted Teresa Hubbard, a trustee and Delta State University alumnus who had just wrapped up the search for the next president there, which resulted in an out-of-state hire.Ā
Hubbard also noted that the community wants a president who will advocate for JSU, writing ādon't run off a strong willed person.ā
Many students said they wanted to be more involved in the selection process, Hubbard also noted. IHL has yet to announce a presidential search committee, a panel of stakeholders that confidentially advise the board, for Jackson State.
Other stakeholders want to be more involved in the search too, Cunningham noted.
āListen to the Alums,ā he wrote. ā$,$,$.ā
āAllow us to sit before you and listen,ā wrote Gee Ogletree, a trustee and University of Southern Mississippi alumnus who, like Hubbard, recently finished a presidential search. āDon't want to be shamed.ā
A few trustees took note of the one person who wanted to see Elayne Hayes-Anthony, the temporary acting president, take the top spot permanently. Chip Morgan, a trustee and retired executive vice president of the Delta Council, wrote that trustees would start looking at applications after the job description was posted. It's not live yet.
Multiple trustees wrote that community members said the university urgently needs more money to fix its ailing infrastructure ā and to get its own water system. Hudson's administration had been lobbying for $17 million in funding for infrastructure repairs, including a new water system, during the legislative session.
āPWI's have water systems,ā Hubbard wrote. Cunningham noted that this was a āpriority!!!ā
The trustees did not shy away from taking note of the extensive criticism that some community members had for them. Ogletree summarized nearly every point made by Ivory Phillips, a dean emeritus at Jackson State and a former faculty senate president.
Phillips, Ogletree noted, is a āCritic of College Board,ā that trustees have āNot Given JSU Best Attentionā and many community members believe the āListening Sessions are a Sham.ā
Ogletree also noted another community member who put the blame for the failures of Hudson, Bynum and his predecessor Carolyn Meyers squarely on the board: ā3 Presidents Chosen by You Guys.ā
Several trustees seemed alarmed by one faculty member who said that she and other professors had experienced bullying from students. āSAFETY e.g. student threats!!!,ā Cunningham wrote; āstudents cheat + admin does nothing,ā Hubbard noted.
Cunningham editorialized his notes with emphatic capitalization, underlinings and exclamation points in blue ink. It appears he took great interest in comments made by Dawn McLin, a professor and the current faculty senate president, underlining her name multiple times and writing āCORE VALUESā beside it, a list that included integrity, āaccountabilityā and āstick to policies/ procedures.ā
After one instructor teared up talking about how she did not plan to send her kids to Jackson State due to security concerns, Cunningham wrote down the word āSafety.ā He drew a square around it. ā(Crying),ā he noted. āSAFETY,ā he wrote again, this time circling it multiple times.
In another note, Cunningham wrote that a community member wanted Jackson State to have an āopen door policyā and for the university to āfocus on RETENTION as well enrollment.ā
āIHL's roll(sic)?ā he wrote underneath it.
Al Rankins, the IHL commissioner whose role it is to manage the eight university presidents, took notes in two columns titled ā(Institutional Executive Officer) characteristicsā and āissues.ā
Under issues, Rankins wrote, among other things: ālow morale,ā āhigh presidential turnover,ā āadministration ignoring complaints,ā āneed more extensive background checksā and āneed to place fence around campus.ā
Under characteristics, he wrote, āintegrity,ā āstrong moral compass,ā āforward-thinking,ā āunderstand traditions,ā āparticipate in code of ethics training,ā āprogressive thinker,ā āstrong advocate for JSU,ā āvisible,ā ātransparent,ā āvisionary,ā āstructured and have backbone,ā āwelcoming,ā āis home-grown talent,ā āservant leader, faith in Godā and āloves JSU and its students.ā
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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Mississippi Today
Senate committee passes Medicaid āexpansionā bill that leaves hundreds of millions in federal dollars on table
The only surviving Medicaid expansion bill in the Legislature passed the Senate Medicaid Committee Wednesday and is headed to the full Senate for a vote.Ā
But the proposal, as it passed the Senate committee, is not considered traditional āexpansionā under the Affordable Care Act, and therefore would not qualify for the enhanced federal funding the law grants to newly-expanded states. It would leave the cost of the expanded coverage up to the state.
The Senate committee passed the House Republican bill with a strike-all, meaning it replaced the bill's original language with its own plan, which Medicaid Committee Chairman Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, refers to as āexpansion light.ā
Blackwell estimated about 80,000 people would be eligible under this version of expansion, and half of that would apply. The House plan was expected to cover more than 200,000 people.
When a draft of the Senate's bill was leaked on March 20, Blackwell stressed to Mississippi Today that he and Senate leaders were still tweaking parts of the legislation. However, the legislation that passed the committee is essentially the same as what was outlined in the leaked draft.Ā
The Senate proposal would:
- Cover working Mississippians up to 99% of the federal poverty level. For an individual, that would be an annual income up to $15,060. For a family of four, that would be an annual income up to $31,200.
- Not cover those making between 100% and 138% of the federal poverty threshold ā not even through a private-care option. A plan that doesn't cover people making up to 138% is not considered āexpansionā under the Affordable Care Act, meaning Mississippi wouldn't qualify for the 90% federal match rate that the Affordable Care Act grants to new expansion states, nor the additional, two-year 5% increase in match rate the federal government provides to newly-expanded states under pandemic relief spending passed by Congress. Instead, as was the case with Georgia, Mississippi would only get its regular federal Medicaid rate of about 77%.
- Leave the health insurance exchange, the online marketplace that offers federally subsidized plans to people who make between 100% and 138% of the federal poverty level, intact. The Senate plan, unlike Arkansas' Medicaid expansion, would not provide extra subsidies from the state's federal Medicaid money available from the ACA.
- Include a work requirement mandating at least 120 hours of employment a month in a position for which health insurance is not paid for by the employer. That's more stringent than Georgia's plan, which mandates 80 hours a month. There are several exemptions, such as for full-time students or parents who are the primary caregiver of a child under six years old.
- Go into effect 30 days after the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approves a waiver necessary for the work requirement. That's unlikely to happen under the Biden administration, which has rescinded work requirements previously approved for other states during the Trump administration and has not approved new ones. If the federal government denies the waiver, Mississippi would have to wait until a new administration took office, or sue the Biden administration. Georgia remains in litigation with the federal government over the work requirement issue, and has suffered low enrollment and missed out on millions in federal funds by not fully expanding coverage.
- Require anyone who voluntarily dropped private insurance to wait 12 months before applying for Medicaid coverage.
Senate Democrats voiced several concerns about the administrative burden of the work requirement and the 120 hour a month minimum, which is even stricter than Georgia's plan ā currently the strictest expansion plan in the country.Ā
Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, asked Blackwell about the enhanced match from the federal government.
āSo the federal government paying our match for two years and 90% after the two years ā we would not qualify for that?ā Blount asked.
Blackwell said that is correct, and they would leave that money on the table.
Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, introduced two amendments: one to decrease the recertification requirements from four times a year to twice a year, and the other to reduce the work requirement hours from 120 hours a month to 80 hours a month.Ā
Both amendments were voted down by Republicans, who make up a majority of the committee's membership. Despite their amendments getting shot down, the Democrats still voted in favor of the bill. Only three Republican senators in the committee voted against the plan.Ā
When asked about the administrative burden of enforcing the work requirement, Blackwell said he is not worried and believes the Division of Medicaid has enough employees for its implementation.Ā
But Georgia, the only state currently with a work requirement in its expansion plan, has spent $26 million taxpayer dollars to ensure a mere 3,500 people to date. More than 90% of that has gone to administrative and consulting costs.Ā
The bill is expected to be taken to a floor vote as early as Thursday, with a deadline of April 10.Ā
Since the Senate plan is drastically different than the House proposal ā which is a mostly-traditional expansion plan insuring those who make up to 138% of the federal poverty level and would go into effect whether or not the federal government approves a work requirement waiver ā a final version will likely be hammered out later in the session in a conference committee.
Any final plan would realistically need a two-thirds majority from both chambers to show it has the potential to override a potential veto from Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who has privately told lawmakers he plans to veto any Medicaid expansion bill.
Reeves on Tuesday night hosted around 20 state senators at the Governor's Mansion in downtown Jackson where he, again, reiterated his opposition to any form of Medicaid expansion, according to multiple people familiar with the situation.Ā
At the Tuesday night event, Reeves said he would veto the Senate's expansion plan if it reached his desk, though he reportedly said he approved the Senate's work requirement provisions.Ā
Shortly after the committee passed the expansion legislation, Reeves posted on social media that the Senate plan is āstill bad policyā and he will oppose it.
āAnd so I will continue to do what I told the voters I would do ā fight Obamacare Medicaid Expansion with every ounce of my being,ā Reeves said.Ā Ā
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi Today
Michael Guidry named Mississippi Today managing editor
Mississippi Today is pleased to announce Michael Guidry as managing editor.
Guidry, who joined the Mississippi Today staff in February 2024, manages the newsroom's day-to-day reporting and plans broader editorial strategy.
He previously served as managing editor at Mississippi Public Broadcasting, where he developed skills in audio storytelling as a producer, writer and editor.
āMichael is a perfect fit for what we're building at Mississippi Today,ā said Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today's editor-in-chief. āHe's a proven newsroom leader, and he knows Mississippi. He also brings us a lot of digital and audio skills that readers can expect to see more of pretty quickly.ā
A native of Destrehan, Louisiana, Guidry moved to Mississippi to attend Millsaps College, where he earned a dual Bachelor of Arts in History and Theatre. After graduating, he worked as a public school teacher for more than a decade.
While at MPB, Guidry helped lead a team that received recognitions from the Radio Television Digital News Association, the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters and the Public Media Journalists Association.
MPB's special feature on Confederate Memorial Day ā which he co-produced and co-narrated ā received the 2023 Region 9 Edward R Murrow Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Guidry continues to host MPB's weekly politics show @Issue.
āAs someone who spent years in a space adjacent to Mississippi Today, it became evident the newsroom was quickly becoming a leader in local, nonprofit news,ā Guidry said. āI could not be more excited to join a publication dedicated to elevating the voices of Mississippians while holding power to account.ā
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi Today
Geoff Pender named Mississippi Today politics editor
Mississippi Today is pleased to announce Geoff Pender as Politics and Government Editor.
Pender, who first joined the Mississippi Today staff as senior political reporter in May 2020, will oversee the day-to-day reporting of Mississippi Today's politics team.
He brings more than 30 years of experience covering Mississippi politics to the new role.
āIf you follow Mississippi politics, you know Geoff Pender,ā said Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today's editor-in-chief. āHe's been a vital member of our politics team since 2020, and we couldn't be more excited for him to now lead it. He's been a mentor to so many of our reporters, and he's led several impactful investigations for us. Readers can expect more of that from him in this new jobā and if you're wondering, you'll also continue to see plenty of his analysis of the state's biggest stories.ā
Before joining Mississippi Today, Pender was political and investigative editor at the Clarion Ledger, where he also penned a popular political column. He previously served as an investigative reporter and political editor at the Sun Herald, where he was a member of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team for Hurricane Katrina coverage.
A native of Florence, Pender is a journalism graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and has received numerous awards throughout his career for reporting, columns and freedom of information efforts.
āI truly appreciate this opportunity and appreciate being able to continue working with the great team of journalists at Mississippi Today providing in-depth news coverage at such a crucial time for the state,ā Pender said.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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