BY COLIN CATCHINGSStaff Writer

The Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program is offering 15 $30,000 per year scholarships to the University of Mississippi Medical Center for 15 students each year.

The scholarship program is targeted toward sophomores and juniors from towns of less than 20,000 residents. After finishing their medical training, the scholars are required to immedi-ately start practicing medicine in small towns in Mississippi.

Janie Guice, executive director of

the MRPSP, said the newly trained doctors will be able to practice almost anywhere in Mississippi.

“We only require that the town has 20,000 or fewer citizens,” she said. “Currently there are only 22 cities in Mississippi bigger than 20,000, so vir-tually they can go anywhere.”

She said the program will offer train-ing for the Medical College Admission Test to the 15 undergraduate students selected.

“We’ll also offer MCAT prep during the junior year, which Kaplan charges $1,800 for their online version,” Guice

said. “If a student actively participates in the program, does reasonably well on the MCAT and has good grades, then they’ll be afforded direct entry into medical school.”

Mary Reese, director of undergradu-ate advising for the department of bio-logical sciences, said the program will have a large impact on the students.

“This is a great opportunity to have their education funded,” she said. “[They] will also achieve to the best of their abilities with the tutoring

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Physicians scholarships target students

GAVIN DEGRAWTO HEADLINE BULLDOG BASH

Program offers 15 $30,000 awards to practice in small Miss. towns

BY PATRICK YOUNG | Staff Writer

The ninth annual Bulldog Bash will kick off Mississippi State University’s first SEC football weekend tonight in the Cotton District. What is being hailed as the largest free outdoor concert

in the state kicks off at 5 p.m. with fan fare festivities and con-tinues throughout the night, concluding with a performance by headliner Gavin DeGraw at 10:30 p.m. The event is pre-sented by the MSU Student Association and MSU Alumni Association.

SA President Braxton Coombs said he expects this year’s concert to have its biggest turn out to date, thanks in part to a heavy advertising campaign.

DAWGS TACKLETIGERS IN FIRST SEC SHOWDOWN

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FRIDAYSEPTEMBER 12, 2008

Sponsors prepare for BashAAS founds scholar program

BY PATRICK YOUNG

Staff Writer

The African-American studies pro-gram at Mississippi State University has established a new scholar-in-residence program. The pro-gram allows for pro-fessionals from all over the country to speak and work alongside students and faculty on campus for a one-week period.

The scholar-in-residence program is an enhancement to the curricu-lum, which already allows students to graduate with a minor in African-American studies.

African-American studies director Stephen Middleton said this new pro-gram will bring well-known profes-sionals to discuss their careers and past achievements.

“The scholar-in-residence program is set up to bring faculty and profes-sionals who are prominent in their fields to MSU where they can share their experience,” Middleton said. “We expect our scholars to enrich our

SEE SCHOLAR, 3

BY LAWRENCE SIMMONS

Staff Writer

The landscape of Mississippi State University and the city of Starkville could potentially change with the devel-opment of the Cotton Mill Marketplace.

Mark Nicholas of Nicholas Properties LLC said the Cotton Mill Marketplace will be a true mixed-use facility.

“It will encompass 35 acres that will have student housing, restaurants, fine dining and great retail specialty shops, along with national retail shops,” he said.

The total project cost is at $200 mil-lion and the marketplace is projected to be ready by the fall of 2010.

“We will start on this development by November or December of this year,” he said. “Currently, it’s a little under one million square feet of devel-opment.

Vice president for finance and SEE MILL, 4

Guest speakers from around the nation to attend

McGrevey

Group plans Mill project

Middleton

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FILE PHOTO | THE REFLECTOR

The crowd gathers on University Drive during last year’s Bulldog bash. More than 30,000 attendees are expected for this year’s festival.

ANDREW LE | THE REFLECTOR

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