Browsing: Education

For the 17th time, the University of Mississippi has been named one of the Great Colleges to Work For in 2026.

The University of Southern Mississippi School of Leadershipwill host the fifth annual Southern Miss Cruisin’ on Monday, Oct. 5, from 3 to 5 p.m. on the South Lawn at Southern Miss Gulf Park in Long Beach, Miss.

The University of Southern Mississippi’s Partners for the Arts(PFTA) invites the community to kick off the fall arts season at Pops in the Park on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m. in Spirit Park on the Hattiesburg campus. The event is free and open to the public, with tickets available for a VIP experience featuring food and drinks, a tent and reserved seating.

Three University of Mississippi business students spent their summers learning the business of marketing sports and professional football through internships with the country’s largest sports channel and two National Football League teams.
Elizabeth “Elly” Kaplanis, a junior general business major from Granby, Colorado, interned with the Kansas City Chiefs; Eve Quisenberry, a senior marketing major from Tampa, Florida, worked with the Atlanta Falcons; and Sam Toune, a senior general business major from Dewitt, Michigan, spent his summer with ESPN.
“Internships are consistently ranked among the most valuable experiences employers consider when hiring candidates, and they are especially important in competitive fields such as sports marketing,” said Wesley Dickens, director of career services for the School of Business Administration. “In such a close-knit industry, students not only gain meaningful, hands-on experience but also build professional relationships that can open doors to future opportunities.”
A young man stands in front of a red wall decorated with a large ESPN logo.
Samuel Toune, a senior business major from Dewitt, Michigan, worked for ESPN over the summer at the network’s offices in Bristol, Connecticut, as a content operations intern. He got his start with Total Production Services, the company that produces Ole Miss sports broadcasts. Submitted photo
Kaplanis followed in the footsteps of her sister, Mia Kaplanis, an Ole Miss alumna who interned with the Chiefs in 2025. During her internship, Elly Kaplanis worked across many parts of training camp, including fan engagement, event operations, VIP areas, the Kids Zone and ADA transportation services, learning what it takes to create a great experience for thousands of fans.
“My biggest and most positive takeaway was the relationships I built throughout the internship” she said.” I was able to meet and learn from so many people in the sports industry while also forming friendships with other interns that I know will last beyond this experience.
“Being surrounded by people who are passionate about sports showed me how important networking, teamwork and building genuine relationships are in this industry. This experience not only gave me valuable professional experience, but also made me even more excited to pursue a career in sports.”
For Kaplanis, the best experience of the summer involved the relationships she built with coworkers, mentors and fellow interns. The sense of connection reinforced how important networking and teamwork are in the sports industry.
Toune got involved with Total Production Services, the company that produces Ole Miss sports broadcasts, during his freshman year. That experience introduced him to ESPN’s internship program.
After years of work, he earned a spot as a content operations intern at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. His work included helping produce shows such as “SportsCenter” and “NFL Live,” supporting live sports broadcasts and learning the business side of sports productions.
“Having the opportunity to work at a company like ESPN for 10 weeks is a pretty special experience,” he said. “I was surrounded by some of the best professionals in sports broadcasting and business.
“I was able to be a part of some amazing projects, and I learned things that I will take with me for the rest of my career.”
A young woman walks across the field in a domed stadium.
Eve Quisenberry, a senior marketing major from Tampa, Florida, worked as an intern for the Atlanta Falcons. Her internship gave her hands-on experience executing a successful fan experience and taught her the importance of preparation and collaboration across all departments. Submitted photo
Quisenberry, who is pursuing a minor in sports administration, interned with the marketing and fan experience department of the Ole Miss Department of Athletics, which gave her real-world experience in sports marketing.
She found her internship with the Falcons through a website listing sports jobs and internships. Quisenberry applied for the live events training camp intern position because it matched her interest in marketing and fan experience.
“I was also given the opportunity to work their preseason game held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against the Denver Broncos, where I assisted with organizing the community groups who came onto the field during the national anthem and at halftime,” she said.
During her internship, Quisenberry helped set up training camp practices and fan events, which included organizing food vendors, face painters and sponsor activities.
“My biggest and most positive takeaway from my experience with the Atlanta Falcons was learning how much preparation and collaboration across departments goes into creating a successful fan experience,” she said. “I gained valuable hands-on experience and definitely proved my interest in pursuing a career in sports marketing.”
Looking ahead, Quisenberry is interning with CaptainU Recruiting, where she works on social media for their sales and marketing team. After she graduates in the spring, she hopes to start a career in the marketing department of an NFL or NHL team.
The business school is hosting an internship showcase from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 10) in the Paul B. Johnson Commons ballroom. Students can learn from their peers about their internship experiences, the application process and the range of opportunities available.
“We encourage students to start their internship search early and take advantage of the resources available to them,” said Bailey Bracken, the school’s associate director of experiential education and partnerships. “Our office helps students with everything from resume reviews and interview preparation to identifying platforms where they can find opportunities.”

Belhaven University is searching for the next generation of gifted storytellers through the seventh annual Angie Thomas Writers Scholarship. Named in honor of acclaimed author and Belhaven alumna Angie Thomas ’11, the program will award one aspiring creative writing major a full-ride scholarship.

Today, we know it as Southern Miss.

We know the black and gold, the Golden Eagles, the sprawling Hattiesburg campus and that familiar “Southern Miss to the Top!” But more than a century ago, there were no Golden Eagles walking across campus, no football Saturdays at the stadium generations of fans have known simply as The Rock, and certainly no one calling it USM.

Oak Grove Public Library will host a discussion Sept. 17 aimed at connecting parents of neurodivergent children with other families and community resources. 

Community support is helping the Lumberton High School band build on five years of growth, including a new wrap for its trailer celebrating the program’s accomplishments. 

Pineville Elementary School is starting the new school year as one of 15 schools statewide recognized by the Mississippi Department of Education for its approach to teaching young students to read. 

The University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Association will induct seven alumni who bring favor and distinction to the University into its Hall of Fame during Homecoming festivities this fall.

The legacy of Mississippi State’s first African American student, Dr. Richard E. Holmes, now is marked permanently on the campus of the 148-year-old land-grant institution.

They say two heads are better than one, but for one couple, there is power in numbers. From the meeting at Tougaloo College in the computer lab when checking messages on MySpace to today, both having earned doctoral degrees in education, the two been inseparable and have pushed each other to new heights.

When she reflects on her career, Jessica Rabb is quick to clarify: Biology may be what she teaches, but teaching itself is her true calling.

Gulf Blue Navigator has been recognized by TIME and Statista as one of America’s Best Incubators & Accelerators 2026, placing the Mississippi-based program among the nation’s top-performing startup support organizations.

The high school vocational centers of the past are long gone, but the mission of preparing high school students for future careers has never been stronger. And as they say, if you aren’t first, you are last, and there can only be one first place winner.

It’s pollinator season across the great state of Mississippi where bees are buzzing, butterflies are fluttering, and late summer and early fall gardens are starting to bloom. Without pollinators, plants would not be able to produce seeds, so it is time to celebrate them.