Mississippi State University is proving its statewide impact, establishing next-generation jobs and high-tech industries, elevating Mississippi’s reputation as an international technology leader and ensuring citizens are well-positioned for the future.
MSU President Mark E. Keenum said the university launched 2025 with substantial milestones across the state, making advancements that will have far-reaching impacts. Yet citizens of the Magnolia State are the primary beneficiaries of MSU’s collaborative leadership that recently manifested in major economic development celebrations alongside partners in Biloxi, Meridian and the Golden Triangle.
In January, state and U.S. Air Force leaders gathered at Keesler Air Force Base to mark a new era in cybersecurity research and training with the Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center. This future facility will serve as headquarters for the Mississippi Cyber Initiative, led by MSU to enhance state and federal cybersecurity capabilities.
Then, Keenum and other university leaders gathered with Mississippi Power, Mississippi Development Authority, East Mississippi Business Development Corporation and Gov. Tate Reeves to welcome Compass Datacenters to East Mississippi. An event at MSU-Meridian’s Riley Center during the EMBDC annual meeting celebrated the international company’s groundbreaking on the outskirts of the Queen City to house computing and network infrastructure to support large, tech-intensive companies.
MSU capped a landmark month by announcing a major MSU at The Communiversity partnership with East Mississippi Community College. The Communiversity houses EMCC’s Workforce Services Division, located off Highway 82 between Starkville and Columbus and positioned in the Golden Triangle’s economic development hub.
Keenum and EMCC President Scott Alsobrooks signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize the partnership through the Advancements in Manufacturing Upskilling Program, better known as AiM UP.
“Our university has tremendous momentum in academics, and our research portfolio is strong and growing—addressing everything from autonomous agriculture and unmanned aerial systems to improving healthcare. When we work with partners who also are committed to advancing our state, there is nothing we can’t accomplish, as I think these recent developments in cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and other next-gen technologies demonstrate. These projects are going to have an incredible statewide impact.
“Preparing students for these jobs is what we’re all about at MSU,” Keenum added.
MISSISSIPPI CYBER AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER, Biloxi
The university is a leading partner in the new Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center under construction at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi. The 100,000-square-foot facility building will support community and military needs as a national hub for cybersecurity training, support and research.
“The Cyber Center will strengthen Keesler’s mission to train cyber warriors, and it will serve as a hub for academic achievement and economic development for cyber, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other technology companies and agencies,” Gov. Tate Reeves said. “In short, the future is here in Mississippi.”
Keenum shared that the Mississippi Cyber Initiative represents a continuation of the university’s land-grant mission to serve the entire state of Mississippi.
COMPASS DATACENTERS, Meridian
The state is accelerating its status as a hotbed for innovation and high-tech development, and MSU’s education and technology resources—including its nationally ranked supercomputing capacity—helped facilitate a coming hyperscale campus for high-tech powerhouse Compass Datacenters.
The announcement follows news last spring that Amazon Web Services is constructing multiple data center complexes in Madison County. At $10 billion each, these projects are the largest investments for the state in history.
MSU broke ground in spring 2023 on its new High Performance Computing Data Center as the land-grant research institution constructs its second facility increasing its capabilities as the fourth fastest U.S. academic supercomputing site.
MSU AT THE COMMUNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP, Golden Triangle
“The Communiversity is focused on giving students and workers the skills and training they need to compete and succeed in the 21st Century marketplace. We’re working together at the Communiversity so companies will continue to create next-gen jobs in our state and more Mississippians will be ready to fill these jobs of the future,” said Keenum, who thanked Gov. Reeves, Accelerate MS Executive Director Courtney Taylor, and EMCC’s President Scott Alsobrooks for their visionary leadership.
Advancements in Manufacturing Upskilling Program, or AiM UP, aspires to be a driving force in community economic prosperity. By fostering a culture of continuous learning, embracing technological advancements and nurturing a skilled workforce, its goal is to position Mississippians at the forefront of the global manufacturing landscape. MSU currently partners with East Mississippi, Mississippi Gulf Coast, and Northeast Mississippi community colleges for this initiative.
MSU’s Advanced Composites Institute, Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems-Extension, Athlete Engineering Institute, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Hall School of Mechanical Engineering at the university’s Bagley College of Engineering also support labs at the Communiversity.
By Allison Matthews, Photos by Grace Cockrell, Sarah Kirk and Sid Salter