A Mississippi bill that would force three of the state’s public colleges to close their doors sparked a furious backlash this week — and prompted speculation that historically Black institutions were the target.
Senate Bill 2726, authored by Sen. John Polk, a Republican, would require the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, which oversees the state’s eight public universities, to decide which three should be shuttered by June 2028.
The bill did not specify any colleges as potential targets for closure.
A state lawmaker told The Chronicle that the bill isn’t going anywhere. Polk told Mississippi Today this week that he knew the proposal was “pretty out there” and said he intended primarily to start a conversation.
Still, at a time of contraction in higher education that’s prompting some states to merge or shutter campuses, the Mississippi proposal touched a nerve.
Deciding which colleges to close would be based on enrollment, degrees offered, and local economic impact, the legislation states. Other factors, such as whether the university offered medical services and conducted agricultural or engineering research, would also be considered. Before the Institutions of Higher Learning decided to shut down a university, a hearing would be held on each campus.
State Sen. Hillman Frazier, a Democrat and member of the Senate Universities and Colleges Committee, said he and other lawmakers have received many calls from people concerned that the state’s three public HBCUs would be affected.
A version of that idea has surfaced before: In 2009, the state’s Republican governor, Haley Barbour, tried to merge Alcorn State University, Jackson State University, and Mississippi Valley State University, three historically Black institutions. The proposal didn’t come to fruition.
In an interview, Frazier, a Jackson State alumnus, tried to allay those concerns. First off, he said the committee had “no intention” of calling the bill for a vote. If the bill does not clear the committee by Tuesday, it will be dead for this year’s session.
Even if the bill was considered, Frazier said, he doesn’t believe Jackson State, an urban institution that produces a large number of engineers, or Alcorn State, the state’s largest land-grant institution, would be targeted.
“It is going to be very difficult to start a conversation about closing Alcorn and Jackson State. … It just won’t happen,” he said.
Delta State University could be more at risk under the bill’s criteria due to its proximity to Mississippi Valley State and recent drop in enrollment, Frazier said.
Polk told Mississippi Today that closing the three smallest public campuses — Mississippi Valley State, Delta State University, and the Mississippi University for Women — would save the state $85 million.
The Mississippi University for Women has been roiled by debate in recent months over whether to drop “women” from its name to expand its appeal. A plan to do so was put on hold last week amid pushback from alumni.
Three of the state’s public universities referred The Chronicle to John Sewell, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, but he declined to comment.
