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IHL trustees approve accreditations, new programs, insurance renewals and appointments
Summary
At the May meeting in Lorman, the IHL board approved continuing accreditations (three nursing programs with conditions), Mississippi College's stage-two approval to admit nursing students, multiple new degree requests (including a UMMC Ph.D.), property and cyber insurance renewals, a three-year legal services agreement, committee chair appointments and a trustee reappointment.
The Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees approved a series of regular and consent-agenda items at its May meeting at Alcorn State University, including accreditation items, new academic programs, insurance renewals and appointments.
Board staff presented accreditation findings for nursing programs across the state and recommended continuing accreditation for most programs; three schools were recommended for continuing accreditation with conditions and required performance-improvement plans or follow-up reports by June 30. The board approved those recommendations by voice vote.
Mississippi College received approval to proceed to stage two qualifying for initial accreditation of a new professional nursing degree program and permission to admit students after earlier stage-one approval and state site visits. Mississippi State University received approval to create a new Department of Organizational Leadership and Professional Studies, with estimated five-year implementation costs of $650,000.
The board also approved multiple new degree programs: Mississippi State's proposed Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Statistics; a Bachelor of Science in Tourism and Destination Development; and the University of Mississippi Medical Center's request to make a cancer biology and therapeutics Ph.D. a standalone program, which board staff said does not currently exist elsewhere in the state.
On finance items, trustees approved a renewal of property insurance (including a negotiated reduction in certain deductibles and an increase of total insured limit to $1 billion per occurrence) and a cyber liability policy that provides a primary shared $10 million limit with sublimits for major institutions and options for excess cover. Board staff said the property-insurance market is softening and described negotiated improvements, while also noting large freeze-related claims that remain under consideration.
The board approved a three-year legal services agreement between the University of Mississippi and the law firm Butler Snow with a maximum annual expenditure of $350,000. Trustees also voted to approve President Cunningham's committee chair appointments and reappointed Trustee Terresa Huard to the Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board for a four-year term beginning July 1, 2026.
All motions presented in the regular and consent agendas were approved during the meeting; in most cases the votes were taken by voice with roll-call clarifications when needed. The board recessed to determine the need for an executive session at the conclusion of the regular business.
