I’m an alumna of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS) Class of 1995. I also taught in the physics and chemistry labs at MSMS from 1997 to 1999. In 2009, I joined the MSMS Foundation Board and became board president in 2011. My opinions are my own and are not condoned or approved by anyone at MSMS or on the MSMS Foundation Board. However, I benefit from the knowledge gained from those experiences.
Many people in Columbus have written or spoken about how MSMS should stay at the Mississippi University for Women (MUW). The reality is that the relationship between MUW and MSMS isn’t supporting MSMS in critical ways that the school needs to survive and thrive.
Would you want to walk through sewage to attend class? In 2018, MUW was informed of sewage overflowing on the ground surface around the old laundry facility they provided for MSMS’s use as a music and performing arts facility. The sewage overflowed many times over six years and students and faculty walked through this material. MUW only acted in 2024 after declining to act for years. MUW didn’t create the issue, but they also didn’t provide other facilities or help for MSMS until 2024.
Would you want to attend school in Mississippi in August without air conditioning? MSMS students did this in the fall of 2024, and they’re still without AC today. The air conditioning in the main academic building, Hooper, after wheezing its way through years of declining health, was declared dead in August of 2024. It was supposed to be replaced in March 2025, but that didn’t happen. It looks like the MSMS students, faculty, and staff will get to sweat out April and May in a hot Mississippi classroom. The classes in Hooper are most of the math and science classes, so that impacts the core mission of MSMS.
Would you want to be responsible for a bill that goes up yearly and you have no control of the cost or terms? MSMS is around 40% of the MUW cafeteria’s annual revenue. Sodexo is the vendor who provides those services. The contract is held by MUW who then passes the costs for MSMS students, faculty and staff meals on to MSMS. That bill was $986,300 in the 2024-2025 school year and was the biggest item in MSMS’s budget after faculty and staff salaries. It usually goes up by 3 to 5% annually. MSMS administration knows that the students only use about 50% of the meals provided under the contract through swipe data. Sodexo has said they only order enough food to cover 75% of the MSMS meals since they know the rest will not be consumed. So Sodexo, by their admission, is likely making 25% profit on MSMS while raising their rate every year. They are also incentivized to prepare food the students won’t eat since fewer students eating will increase their profits. But MUW does not allow MSMS to have a voice in the negotiation although MSMS has requested to be included.
Did your rent go up by 382% this year? MSMS pays MUW for access to the health center, the gym, and maintenance on the buildings MSMS occupies. For the 2024-2025 school year, that fee was $271,400. On March 20, 2025, in response to a request from MSMS for the 2025-2026 fee amount that MSMS would need to pay to MUW, MSMS got a stunning response. MUW decided a 382% increase was needed for the 2025-2026 school year for a total fee of $1,309,364. The MSMS budget was submitted to the Mississippi Department of Education and the Mississippi Legislature in November 2024 as part of the appropriations process. The 2025 appropriation process is complete; this additional $1,037,964 was not included in the budget since it wasn’t disclosed. MSMS has no way to pay this unanticipated fee.
These actions don’t look like MUW valuing their relationship with MSMS. These items impact MSMS’s mission, budget, and ability to retain and recruit students. I don’t think the location question is settled for MSMS. The Mississippi Legislature still has to make their decision about MSMS’s location. A better partnership between MSMS and MUW would open the doors to more conversations about how this partnership could develop to benefit both entities in the long and short term. MUW and MSMS have a history together. I would be happy to see that history continue. My hope is that MUW will work with MSMS in a more productive way to improve that relationship so that both entities can thrive.
Cynthia Henderson
MSMS Class of 1995
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