Talk of Campus – Visions Magazine

Newsweek: The W No.1 in Mississippi

The W was recently ranked No. 1 in Mississippi and 14th overall in the nation for empowering students, especially women, to help navigate the college experience, according to Newsweek’s inaugural America’s Best Colleges for Women in 2026. The ranking evaluates 750 U.S. colleges across four critical categories: leadership, pay and policies, safety and opportunity.

‘W Nurse’ Standard

The W Nurse is the standard when it comes to nursing education in the state. Legislators heard compelling stories from five W alumni at the January Senate Public Health committee hearing chaired by Sen. Hob Bryan. They discussed nursing education in rural Mississippi, the current statewide nursing landscape, what makes The W’s nursing model the best in the state, how The W is connecting its mission to real-world solutions for health needs and graduates’ commitment to staying in Mississippi.

Teacher Residency

The W and the Columbus Municipal School District (CMSD) are working together to build a stronger local teacher pipeline through a collaborative residency program. Faculty and staff from The W and CMSD gathered at Brandon Central Services Center to celebrate success in building strong classrooms and signing of a memorandum of understanding, completed a non-education bachelor’s degree and want to enter the teaching profession.

Mississippi Research Alliance Awards $75,000 to Support Cystic Fibrosis Research at The W

The Mississippi Research Alliance has awarded Dr. Ghanshyam Heda, professor of biology and founder of the Heda Lab, a $75,000 grant to support further research on cystic fibrosis and expand undergraduate research opportunities. The funds will allow the Heda Lab to create two student research opportunities for the upcoming spring and summer semesters. In addition, the grant will support a full-time faculty presence during the summer semester, which is essential for training and supervising undergraduate researchers.

MDCC and The W Create New Career Pathway

Mississippi Delta Community College and The W signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a new 3+1+1 pathway for career-technical students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree. The agreement creates a seamless pathway for students earning an Associate of Applied Science degree from MDCC in Business Office Technology, Computer Networking Technology or Culinary Arts Technology to complete a Bachelor of Applied Science at The W. Under the agreement, The W will accept up to 40 career-technical education credit hours from MDCC toward a bachelor’s degree, with the requirement that 25 percent of total hours for the degree must be completed at The W. Both institutions will work together to advise students and promote these pathways throughout MDCC’s district.

Carnegie Classification

The W has been classified as an Opportunity College and University by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education in the category of higher access and higher earnings. Institutions that exceed the thresholds for higher access and higher earnings are designated as Opportunity Colleges and Universities. In the most recent Carnegie classifications, 478 institutions received this designation. The W was one of only two Mississippi institutions noted.

The W, EMCC Students Come
Together for Leadership Retreat

A cohort of first-generation students from The W and East Mississippi Community College (EMCC), members of the Lowndes First-generation Youth Realizing Success Together (FYRST) Leaders, came together at Plymouth Bluff Environmental Center for the 2026 leadership retreat. Lowndes FYRST Leaders is a partnership between The W, EMCC and the Rotary Club of Columbus. There were eight students in this year’s cohort, seven W students and an EMCC student. The overall goal of the retreat is to empower first-gen students to not only stay the course in their educational journeys, but also foster leadership skills that will help them succeed in the classroom and beyond.

M.S. in Culinary and Hospitality Education

Th e W launched a Master of Science in Culinary and Hospitality Education, making it one of the few such programs in the nation and the only one in Mississippi. Th e W’s 40,000-square-foot Culinary Arts Institute is the largest purpose-built facility for culinary education in Mississippi, designed to support the state’s only Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts. Th e program is designed to prepare students to become effective educators who can teach and inspire the next generation of culinary and hospitality professionals. With a strong focus on instructional methods, students develop both teaching skills and a solid foundation in culinary techniques and hospitality principles.

Expanded Education Offerings

The W has launched a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education designed to prepare students for licensure as pre-K educators. Offered through Th e W’s School of Education, and formerly known as Early Childhood Development, the program emphasizes classroom management, developmentally appropriate curriculum and instructional methods tailored to young learners. Aligned with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Professional Preparation Standards, the curriculum also focuses on foundational knowledge and evidence-based practices for teaching children from birth through age 8.

Master of Arts in Teaching

Designed to address Mississippi’s teacher vacancies, Th e W is now off ering a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Elementary Education. Th e State Board of Education voted to approve the degree program in July. Off ered through Th e W’s School of Education, the MAT in Elementary Education is a 33-credit hour, alternate-route initial licensure program that emphasizes early literacy and meets the state’s teacher education preparation requirements. It is designed as a pathway to the classroom for individuals who have completed a non-education bachelor’s degree and want to enter the teaching profession.

Book cover of The Barn by Wright Thompson

Community Read Underway

The W is continuing its partnership with the Columbus community for the annual Community Read Program, which recently kicked off its newest installment. This year, the Community Read Committee selected “The Barn” by Wright Thompson. The book examines the location of the lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955, using Wright’s deep understanding of the story and factors that led to the murder, having lived near where the crime took place. Each selection is an attempt to connect themes within the community and university through a text that allows for wide discussion and intellectual curiosity. The Community Read is a partnership between The W and its Fant Memorial Library and local organizations and businesses.

SLP Streamlined Path

Undergraduate students at The W pursuing a degree in speech language pathology have a streamlined path to graduate school, with automatic admission to The W’s master’s program. The recently approved automatic admission program offered through The W’s speech-language pathology program allows students who meet specific academic criteria and character standards while completing their undergraduate degree at Th e W to be automatically accepted into The W’s Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program when they apply.

SLP Grads Strengthen Workforce

Students who recently graduated from The W’s Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program in spring 2025 achieved a 100% licensure exam pass rate and 100% job placement rate. Of the graduate students who received their master’s degree in the spring, all secured job placement before graduation, and 60% will work in the state of Mississippi.

Day of Service

Students, faculty and staff at Mississippi University for Women participated in the Keep Columbus Beautiful organization’s Day of Service event, Tuesday, Sept. 23. The City of Columbus provided buckets, safety vests, garbage bags and pick-up sticks to volunteers in order to pick up litter at the two locations in the city: Sandfield Community Center and Townsend Community Center. Participation in the event is part of The W’s community service initiative, which promotes community involvement to the campus community through community projects and other service opportunities.

ICC & The W Sign MOU

Itawamba Community College and The W signed a memorandum of understanding to provide educational opportunities for students pursuing careers in specific career education programs with a desire to eventually earn a bachelor’s degree. The agreement establishes a pathway by which students earning an appropriate Associate of Applied Science degree from ICC may complete a baccalaureate degree at The W. According to the agreement, both institutions will work together to enroll students in degree completion programs for ICC’s career education graduates. Both colleges will advise and encourage ICC students, alumni and constituents to promote these programs to each institution’s stakeholders and throughout the local community college district. The pathways will provide for students in certain degree areas to transfer up to 90 credit hours to The W after graduating from ICC. Included are computer networking and cybersecurity, computer programming, business and marketing management, hospitality management, paralegal and construction management.