On Jan. 9, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves was sworn in for his second and final term after the state’s closest gubernatorial election since 1999.

In his inaugural address, Reeves spoke of the various challenges Mississippi has faced over the course of his first term and touted his accomplishments over the past four years. Among other priorities, Reeves talked at length about the economic accomplishments of his administration. Most notably, he emphasized a deal with Steel Dynamics, Inc. that was signed last fall, culminating in a $2.5 billion investment in Mississippi — the largest in state history.

He also laid out his priorities for Mississippi’s economic future, stating his desire to create an environment where students can stay in the state for their careers, promising economic projects that would, “fundamentally change lives and transform our state for the better.”

Students are divided on whether these plans encourage them to stay in Mississippi.

At the University of Mississippi, 53.1% of students attending the university’s Oxford and regional campuses are not residents of the state, according to institutional enrollment data. For many, Mississippi is a place to get their degree, not a final destination.

Amelia Grimsted, a junior English major on the pre-law track at UM, is originally from Washington. Grimsted plans on leaving Mississippi after obtaining her undergraduate degree to enroll in law school, citing in part the scarcity of law careers in the state.

“I’m not super hopeful about his policies. I’m not sure he’s headed in the best direction for Mississippi as a whole,” Grimsted said when asked about Reeves’ economic priorities.

Madison Silva, also a junior English major on the pre-law track, agreed.

“There’s more opportunity elsewhere,” the Arizona native said.

She explained that she has no plans to stay in Mississippi after she obtains her undergraduate degree.

Neither Silva nor Grimsted felt equipped to offer a solution to Mississippi’s economic woes.

This uncertainty about the economy and job market in Mississippi has contributed to severe brain drain, a phenomenon in which skilled, university-educated people living in an area migrate out in such vast numbers that the local economy is threatened.

According to a report released by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor in April 2022 titled “Money Down the Brain Drain,” half of all Mississippi college students who graduated between 2015 and 2017 left the state within three years of receiving their diplomas. Graduates of UM specifically were the most likely to leave to seek employment elsewhere among all other universities in the state.

A followup report, “Plugging the Brain Drain: Investing in College Majors That Actually Work,” was released by the State Auditor’s Office in September 2023. A solution was proposed to help alleviate the effects of the brain drain: cutting funding for liberal arts degrees at state universities and colleges.

State Auditor Shad White defended this proposed solution, arguing that funneling students into majors that provide more employment opportunities and higher earnings will make the investment of state taxpayers more efficient, as well as deriding certain liberal arts degrees as “useless,” “garbage” and “indoctrination factories” in a series of tweets.

Silva, in pursuit of a liberal arts major herself, disagrees with Shad White’s rhetoric.

“I would strongly disagree with both statements, as I think there is a great need for liberal arts degrees,” Silva said. “From those degrees you gain lawyers, psychologists, anthropologists. What would our world look like without them?”

Leaving the state is not at the top of Mississippi native and junior biology major Josh Williams’ bucket list, but rather a pragmatic decision made for the sake of his career. Williams, who plans on being a physician’s assistant specializing in orthopedics, also perceives a lack of opportunity in the state.

“If I got a really good job offer, I would plan on staying. I’m not opposed to staying, but I know that the job offers are lower here as far as base salaries,” Williams said.

Williams spoke frankly about his outlook on Mississippi and its future.

“I feel like we’re last to progress,” Williams said.

As recently as January, there has been controversy over the way money has been distributed throughout the state. Early in his second term, Reeves called a special session asking the Mississippi Legislature to appropriate at least $350 million of state funds to secure a $1.9 billion project in Marshall County. The green energy plant, a joint venture involving automakers and technology companies, is expected to create 2,000 jobs.

The special session helped Reeves achieve his goal, but not without drawing criticism from several Democratic lawmakers who, in an interview with Mississippi Today, said that Reeves was biased against certain parts of the state, such as the majority-Black Delta. Williams disagreed, citing the need to focus development in areas where it already exists.

“I think to get Mississippi more advanced, you have to focus on places that are already advancing,” Williams said.

Deputy Chief of Staff Cory Custer of the Mississippi Development Authority, a state agency focused on economic and community development, disagreed with Democratic lawmakers’ allegations as well, contesting the premise that the state government was wholly in charge of choosing the location of the plant.

“Democrat lawmakers are not accurate in their claim,” Custer said. “Gov. Reeves supports investing in all of Mississippi. Private companies — not state governments — determine which sites best meet their needs. This project will help strengthen our state’s economy, which is a benefit to all Mississippians, including students. Gov. Reeves will continue to use every tool at his disposal to bolster every region of our state.”

Senior mechanical engineering major and Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence student Nicholaus Greazel shares Custer’s positive sentiment about Reeves’ direction for Mississippi.

“Admittedly, I don’t know much about every detail of Gov. Reeves’ economic policies, or enough about economic policy to really have any suggestions. But, I’ve watched billions of dollars in industrial investments get poured into the state of Mississippi over the four years I’ve been in school here, so the strategy being implemented by the state government seems to be working,” Greazel said.

Greazel, originally from Illinois, plans on staying in-state after graduation, having accepted an engineering job with the Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant in Blue Springs, Miss. According to Greazel, part of the solution for Mississippi’s job market might lie in specialized programs like the CME.

“Specialized programs are absolutely an incentive to bring industry projects into the state,” Greazel said. “The Center for Manufacturing Excellence was founded at Toyota’s request when the Corolla plant was being built in Blue Springs. Even before the CME, the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems was founded at Mississippi State (University) with the goal of attracting Nissan’s manufacturing. Programs such as these provide crucial support to industry through targeted research and workforce development, which absolutely act in Mississippi’s favor when companies are choosing where to develop plants.”

Development projects directed by the MDA may help alleviate brain drain.

“Just last month, Mississippi finalized the largest economic development project in state history— a $10 billion private sector investment by Amazon Web Services that will create 1,000 high-paying, high-tech jobs,” Custer said. “The state has invested billions toward improving infrastructure, and has been proactive in modernizing Mississippi’s ports, airports and railways. All of these actions help keep students in Mississippi.”