Central Mississippi

From advancing literacy and supporting schools to driving innovation in Vicksburg, to tackling respiratory health challenges in Jackson, Ole Miss is uplifting communities across the heart of the state to strengthen central Mississippi.

Mississippi's Capital + Mississippi's Flagship

Ole Miss takes its role in bettering our state seriously. From improving health outcomes for residents to providing opportunities for students to become industry leaders, we're striving for a successful and prosperous Mississippi. We're proud to partner with leaders to make a difference in the lives of Capital residents.

Read more on how we're having an impact on the present and future of the Capital Region.

Improving Capital Health

Economic Development & Industry Partnerships

  • Small business owners and entrepreneurs from across the state will gather next month at the 10th annual Mississippi Entrepreneurship Forum in Ridgeland.

    Entrepreneurship Forum Connects, Inspires Prospective Business Owners

    The Mississippi Entrepreneurship Forum has helped shape the state's next generation of business leaders for more than a decade. The event, organized by the University of Mississippi's Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement, offers guidance and networking opportunities for ambitious entrepreneurs in the state.

    Read how this forum is helping shape the state's next generation of business leaders.
  • J.D. Morton (left), manager of e-commerce at C Spire, and Danasia Collins, junior data analyst, both worked part-time with C Spire during their college years and were hired by the company following graduation from Ole Miss.

    C Spire Builds Talent Pipeline at UM

    The University of Mississippi and Jackson-based telecommunications company C Spire are working together to help students build career skills – and land jobs – before they even graduate. C Spire's Oxford hub at Insight Park has created a talent pipeline for Ole Miss students interested in the tech industry. The telecommunications and technology services firm offers part-time jobs to students in a variety of fields to help them build job skills while going to school.

    Read how Insight Park office helps tech-minded students launch careers in Magnolia State

Capital Student Excellence

Yasmine Ware (second from right) hugs her younger brother, Jacob, during a surprise announcement of the 2025 Harry S. Truman Scholarship awardees at the Lyceum.

Yasmine Ware, of Madison, was recently named as the University of Mississippi’s 20th Harry S. Truman Scholar. Ware is an interdisciplinary studies major with concentrations in international studies, Chinese and global security. Over the last three years, she has interned in Congress, studied abroad with the United Nations and researched Japanese heritagein Kyoto, Japan.

Abigail Hogue, a master's student in materials science, explains her research on graph neural networks and their utility in studying nuclear materials.

Master’s student Abigail Hogue grew up in Brandon, but through her work at the University of Mississippi, she’ll now be studying nuclear energy with the top scientists in the field through a Department of Energy University Nuclear Leadership Program graduate research fellowship.

The fall cohort of Stamps Impact Prize recipients includes: (front, from left) Ann Grigsby, Jacob King, Abi Turner, Benton Donahue, Jana Abuirshaid and Katherine Tibbs, and (back, from left) Jack Griffith, Darryl Bonds, Camille Newman, Jackson Sevin, Maria Fernanda Argote de la Torre, Emma Broemmer and  Lindsey McGee.

Four capital-region students were included in the largest class yet of Stamps Impact Prize winners, a University of Mississippi program that supports student research, art and scholarship. The students – Darryl Bonds, of Flowood, a senior psychology major; Benton Donahue, of Madison, a senior music education major; Jacob King, of Canton, a senior biochemistry major, and Compton Ross, of Madison, a senior majoring in computer science and mathematics – received up to $5,000 to support their creative work, research or community initiative. 

Jaree Myers outside on the Ole Miss campus.

When Jackson native Ja’Ree Myers walked across the University of Mississippi’s Grove stage in May 2025, he did so with a degree in computer engineering, no student debt, and a future he built from the ground up. While a student at Ole Miss, Myers, a Hinds Community College transfer student, was the recipient of several prestigious scholarships, including a C Spire scholarship and the Leonard Tsai Memorial Scholarship. He also received the David Arnold Service Award from the School of Engineering.

Nya Thompson, who has earned a degree in English education, reads to a class.

Nya Thompson, originally of Ridgeland, launched her career as an educator while studying as a Stamps scholar, Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program scholar and citizen scholar at the University of Mississippi.