Talk of the Campus

Office Renamed

The Office of Outreach and Innovation within the School of Education will be renamed the Center for Education Support, effective July 1. Th e name change is reflective of the center’s dedication to supporting education-related initiatives within the state and region served by the university. The new

Center for Education Support will play an essential role in serving the School of Education’s mission of innovation from early childhood through post-graduation, whether that be through the university’s academic programs, the university’s preschool, CEUs, other education-specific professional development or through education-specific camps and community initiatives. Th e Center for Education Support will serve as an essential resource for the School of Education’s commitment to improving the region and state’s network of professional teachers.

First Place

The 2022 edition of “The Dilettanti,” The W’s undergraduate student literary magazine, was awarded first place in the Southern Literary Festival’s 2023 Student Literary Magazine category for print magazines. Ali Glasgow was the sole editor of the 2020–2022 issues. Madison Hankins, Faith Langford, Cheryl Runyon and Katelyn Lowe also served as staff members, while Thomas K. Lee, an assistant professor of English/ Creative Writing, worked as faculty adviser. The Southern Literary Festival is an annual regional creative writing conference. The W hosted the Festival in 2022. This year’s conference was held in April at Middle Tennessee.

Middle Tennessee

Four W students won prizes at the Mississippi chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) annual conference and Student Auditions finals in February at Delta State University. Sixty-nine students participated in the auditions, representing high schools, colleges, universities and independent music studios around the state. Moira Cairns, a music therapy major, won first place in Younger Student Adults; Jerry Brown, a music education major, won first place in Older Student Adults; Shakia Butler, a music education major, placed second in Upper College Musical Theatre Trebles; and Aaron Rishel, a performance major, placed third in Senior Tenors, Baritones, and Basses. Dr. William Reber, of the music

faculty, accompanied the singers at the piano during each round of the competition. All of The W singers are in the studio of Dr. Susan Hurley.

Nursing Excels

Nursing graduates excel above state and national averages on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) during 2022. Baccalaureate graduates led all state universities with a 96% first-time pass rate, while associate degree nursing alumni achieved a 91% pass rate, the third-highest in the state. The W is the state’s leading producer of nursing graduates in the IHLsystem and has a long-standing reputation for excellence. In 2022, the university graduated 378 undergraduate nurses.