Emma Caroline Brown
Editor/Reporter
The 2024 legislative session brought some tough challenges to Mississippi University for Women, but now the alumni-led program LEAP is looking to stay ahead of upcoming obstacles and threats.
LEAP, the acronym for Legislative Engagement + Advocacy Partnership, is looking to flip the script on how The W keeps up with statewide contacts. The program was founded in the late spring after the Mississippi Senate considered Senate Bill 2715, which would relocate the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science and merge The W with Mississippi State University.
Mississippi University for Women president, Nora Miller, with a guest at the Columbus LEAP rally.
Photo by Chris Jenkins
The W’s president, Nora Miller, is still shocked over the Senate bill’s out-of-the-blue proposal, and she is confident in saying it was the push forward for LEAP to begin. However, many alumni severed ties with The W after the now-scrapped name change attempts. But, Miller is seeing many of those alums coming back to stand with The W.
“When the bill came out to possibly merge us at the Mississippi State, everybody came together,” Miller said. “Some of them who were against the name change or didn't like the names, they sure didn't like the merger.”
One distinct characteristic of The W is its deep-rooted support system. Even though some might disagree with actions, there still is a fiery, defiant love for The W, its mission and history. This type of love is what stoked alumni involvement with LEAP. After all, The W is complete when its past, present and future are all considered.
Ten task force members lead the LEAP program. All of them are alums of The W from various decades and career paths, but they all are seeking to protect The W and its past, present and future.
Preparing for the future is an extremely hard job, but the LEAP task force has laid out a plan for the 2025 legislative session that is made up of four key missions: unite, inform, connect and anticipate.
Anticipate is a major push for The W right now since bill 2715 was unexpected and a serious existential threat. Even though LEAP cannot know what will come of the 2025 legislative session, the members are working to be ready for anything that might threaten The W.
Linda Ross Aldy, a 1973 alum and a LEAP task force leader, was approached by President Miller not long after Bill 2715 was proposed. Aldy, an established lobbyist, has experience in situations like the one The W is facing. And while the future is hard to plan for, Aldy believes in being ready for anything by being prepared.
“Part of what you do in a lobbying role is you don’t wait for the session,” Aldy said. “We’re out working with elected officials statewide and legislative, and we’re also working with a lobbying firm The W engaged last semester so that we know of anything introduced that could be negative to the university.”
LEAP’s four missions are being worked on all at once through statewide rallies that are bringing alumni, community members and prospective or current students out to support The W. Rally attendance has been encouraging to LEAP leaders and higher-ups in The W. The Aug. 27 Columbus rally was held in the Lyceum at Lee, where there were over 100 attendees and standing-room only.
Statewide rallies are continuing through mid-November, with virtual rally dates to be announced at a later time. These several Mississippi stops are in line with LEAP’s key-person districts, which seek to gather alums to contact legislators and tell of the educational, personal and financial value The W has to Mississippi.
Mississippi has 174 legislators, and LEAP is recruiting alums to keep contact with elected officials through their Key Person Network. Task force leaders are working on connecting this system to KP Dashboard, a new technology that keeps track of volunteers, activity and legislative responses to outreach.
President Miller is excited and encouraged with The W and LEAP using this technology since it is helping make decisions for the present and future. The KP Dashboard has not been fully applied yet, but KP district captains will oversee how volunteers contact legislators, see what kind of bills are coming up and gauge feedback. President Miller says the dashboard will work for lobbying and check-ins before, during and after the 2025 legislative session.
“We'll ask people to contact their legislators, ask them for their vote,” Miller said. “And then right before the vote comes up, saying ‘I'm just checking back, making sure you're still with us on this’ so that we can kind of anticipate what the counts are going to be.”
LEAP’s ambitions are big, and they are hoping to accomplish them throughout the coming months. One expansion within the program that is currently being planned is a branch for student involvement. LEAP wants to include all walks of The W’s life in its advocacy, so now there must be a shared focus to the present life.
Karen Clay, a LEAP task force leader, introduces the program at the Columbus rally.
Photo by Chris Jenkins
Laila Wrenn, The W’s current Student Government Association president, is involved with these walks of W life as she keeps in contact with alumni and current students. She sees the value of The W within Columbus as well as LEAP, which Wrenn says keeps The W’s community together. Wrenn is excited about the chance for student involvement within LEAP, especially since student engagement is a big part of the SGA.
“It [student engagement] gets them excited about being here,” Wrenn said. “It’s important when pulling students into that excitement and getting their engagement, getting to show up to things, hear their voices because the environment we live in on The W’s like a composition of everyone.”
The initial cause of Senate Bill 2715 came after legislators instructed the Institutes of Higher Learning to examine the three smallest institutions based on enrollment data. When the time came to vote on this bill, it squeaked by, getting enough votes to nullify its future actions.
If 2715 had made it through the vote to become a law, The W would then be known as The W at Mississippi State University. The W’s current location in Columbus would remain, but it would act as a satellite campus for MSU.
Another devastating blow that could have come out of 2715 was the relocation of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science to Starkville. The value of MSMS has become another key point in protecting The W and all its assets of every kind.
Part of LEAP’s rallies and presentation is to show the value MSMS has to The W. Aldy is counting on the strong relationship with local contacts to see what MSMS offers both for its students and for The W.
“We're just working on trying to get in some key people and making sure that they understand what MSMS is really all about,” Aldy said.
While MSMS has the lowest budget compared to similar schools in Louisiana, Alabama and Arkansas, MSMS produced the highest number of Merit scholars last year with 13 students achieving the honor.
The 2025 legislative session officially begins Tuesday, Jan. 7. It is expected that the merger and relocation of MSMS will come up once again. The W is fighting a big battle on all fronts that is literally a life-or-death situation for the university. However, LEAP seems like a hopeful program that is looking to expand, reconnect and revitalize how The W keeps contact with contacts, alums and supporters.
More information on LEAP, including upcoming rally stops, updates and the option to join the Key Person Network is available at www.muw.edu/leap.