The Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning approved a package of finance and budget items covering facility use agreements, software subscriptions, clinical equipment contracts, facility leases and other procurement items.

Board staff presented 11 regular-agenda finance items and recommended approval after legal review. The trustees voted to approve grouped bundles of items (1–4, 5–6, 7–10) and then approved item 11 separately; meeting minutes record the motions, seconds and ‘‘aye’’ votes with no recorded opposing votes.

Key items approved included:
- A five-year facility use agreement allowing Delta State University to provide space to the Cleveland School District for Hayes Cooper Elementary School. Delta State will receive $50,000 annually; the agreement may be terminated with 120 days’ notice.
- A two-year subscription agreement with Instructure, Inc., for a learning management system at an estimated cost of $239,000; Instructure was selected through a competitive process under Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services regulations.
- An amendment to a University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) service agreement with Aramark Healthcare Support Services that allows use of UMMC facilities to prepare food for the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services; the meeting record states the contract amount "remains unchanged" (amount reported in the meeting record contained formatting irregularities and should be verified with the UMMC contract file).
- A five‑year reagent rental agreement with Cepheid for 14 GeneXpert analyzers to test for infectious diseases; the meeting record lists a five‑year cost figure described as $24,300,000 (as announced during the meeting).
- A one‑academic‑year hotel room lease between Jackson State University and Ridgeland Hotel Partners LLC (doing business as Embassy Suites Jackson North Ridgeland) to provide housing for students in an executive Ph.D. program. The board packet estimated 2,400 room nights at $164 per night for an estimated total of $393,000; Jackson State solicited quotes from three area hotels and selected the Embassy Suites based on rates and accommodations.
- A five‑year agreement, negotiated through the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration, with Cintas Corporation for leasing and maintenance of automated external defibrillators on the University of Mississippi campus; the meeting record lists a contract cost figure of $1,400,000.
- A purchase of an LED scoreboard for Delta State’s Travis E. Parker Football Field from Booster Digital Displays for $457,000; Booster was selected through an RFP and was judged the best value despite not being the lowest bid.
- Amendments and equipment purchases for UMMC including an Abbott Laboratories amendment (contract cost unchanged at $10,100,000 as recorded), a one‑year lease of about 6,000 square feet of clinical space in Tupelo for pediatric subspecialty clinic operations at a cost of $106,000 (to be funded from patient revenue), and a three‑year purchase agreement with Progenix Pharmaceuticals for radiopharmaceuticals at a cost of $5,100,000; UMMC indicated those clinical products qualify as exempt clinical commodities under Mississippi law.
- An amendment to a bookstore management agreement at the University of Southern Mississippi with Barnes & Noble College Booksellers LLC to raise the First Day Complete program charge from $20 to $21 per credit hour because of inflationary pressures; the university will receive a modest increase in commissions.

Recusals and procedural notes: the meeting record identifies multiple recusals. One trustee recused from items 1–6 and, separately, Trustee Clark recused from items 5 and 6; Trustee Ogletree was out of the room for items 5 and 6 per the record. Legal staff told the board they had reviewed the agreements for compliance with applicable law and found them acceptable.

Why it matters: The approved contracts affect student services, clinical capacity, instructional tools and campus facilities across institutions in the state university system; procurement and lease decisions have budgetary and operational consequences for the campuses involved.

What’s next: Institutions will execute the agreements per contract terms; where termination clauses or notice periods apply, parties may end or renegotiate subject to those provisions. Items with dollar amounts reported during the meeting should be confirmed against contract documents for publication or audit purposes.