A bill proposing a viability study of Mississippi University for Women and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science died on the Senate calendar Friday.
Senate Bill 2715 has placed MUW’s future in jeopardy since its introduction in February – first as a bill proposing MSMS be relocated from The W campus to Mississippi State University in Starkville, then changing to propose The W merge with MSU.
In a statement released Friday on social media, MUW President Nora Miller thanked the legislature, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning and invested community members for supporting the university throughout the process.
“Thank you, once again, to our legislative leaders and the numerous individuals across the entire state who have fought to ensure the legacy of the Long Blue Line,” her post reads.
District 43 Sen. Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, chairman for the Senate Education Committee, authored the original bill, introducing the substitution March 5 seeking to give control of MUW to MSU and create “The W at Mississippi State University.” His substitution easily cleared the Senate Education and Appropriations committees.
DeBar killed that version on the Senate floor Wednesday and asked senators to consider an amendment to commission the viability study. A narrow majority of senators, 27, shot that down.
District 6 Sen. Chad McMahan, R-Guntown, moved for reconsideration, which presumably gave DeBar another shot to bring it back to the floor. However, McMahan told The Dispatch on Thursday he had spoken with MUW President Nora Miller and MSU President Mark Keenum. Based on those conversations, he preferred the bill not come back up.
Prior to DeBar letting it die on the calendar Friday, a spokesperson with Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann’s office telecasted the bill’s fate to The Dispatch.
“My understanding is that the chairman (DeBar) has indicated the bill will not be moved forward,” Hosemann’s deputy chief of staff Leah Rupp Smith wrote in an email to The Dispatch.
Smith’s email acknowledged Hosemann and DeBar had met earlier this month with Miller – at Miller’s request – when the bill still called for merging MUW with MSU.
“President Miller explained her concerns and the Lt. Governor listened,” Smith wrote. “He did not voice support for or against the bill.”
DeBar did not return a text message Friday from The Dispatch. He has not returned calls or messages since Feb. 26, when the newspaper first began trying to reach him.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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