Jackson Free Press

The Jackson State University Division of Athletics has partnered with sports technology company Opendorse to provide JSU student-athletes with education and resource opportunities to capitalize on their name, image and likeness, otherwise known as NIL. JSU is the first HBCU to sign an exclusive agreement with Opendorse to include its entire suite of offerings, a release from the university says.

JSU now has access to the entire Opendorse suite, which includes Opendorse Ready, Opendorse Monitor and Opendorse Social.

Opendorse Ready includes live consultation sessions with industry leaders and on-demand access to the NIL Masterclass video series. Masterclass features experts on brand building, monetization and financial literacy from brands such as Instagram, Twitter, the Players’ Tribune, and Overtime.

Opendorse Monitor allows athletes to seamlessly disclose activities to simplify compliance and safeguard eligibility, giving participating institutions the ability to evaluate transactions and protect their interests. Monitor also includes the NIL Policy Kit, which allows college athletics programs to customize and generate a clear NIL policy to support athletes, staff and stakeholders.

Opendorse Social is a marketing product athletes can use to build their brands that allows access to video and photo content through drag-and-drop media libraries, one-tap publishing technology and real-time analytics.

For more information, visit opendorse.com or jsums.edu.

MSU Launches 4to24 App

Mississippi State University’s National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision recently released a free app called 4to24, which is designed to help blind or visually impaired youth with employment outcomes. NRTC researchers and staff developed 4to24 through input from focus groups, usability testing and a field test, a release from MSU says.

The app is targeted to parents of blind or low-vision youth ages 4 to 24, as well as visually impaired youth ages 16 to 24. It provides information about topics based on user personalization with a focus on the users’ vocational and educational goals. Topics include life skills such as traveling, technology, social skills and independent living based on the users’ personalization. The app also suggests activities to build skills related to the topics and provides additional links to online resources.

4to24 also includes a separate version intended for parents of deaf-blind youth with additional disabilities, which recently completed field testing and is now available. The alternate version focuses on building communication and supports as needed for deaf-blind youth to better participate in community life and employment.

The 4to24 app is available for iPhone and Android and is available for download free on the Apple App Store, Google Play and the 4to24 website.

For transition resources for blind or low vision youth, visit blind.msstate.edu/our-products/transition-resources. For more information on how to download and navigate the app, visit ntac.blind.msstate.edu/consumers/4-24-app.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation Funds Complete 2 Compete Tuition Assistance Grant

The program is open to students who left college at least two years ago without a degree, who can now apply for a grant to help overcome financial barriers that may keep them from returning to college to complete the requirements for their degrees.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation recently awarded the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning a $1.3 million grant to fund Mississippi’s Complete 2 Compete Tuition Assistance Grant through 2023. The program is open to students who left college at least two years ago without a degree

Qualifying returning students will receive a $1,000 grant that they can renew every semester. The award helps pay for any coursework needed to graduate and can help repay prior debt to allow students the opportunity to return and graduate. Students can use the funds at any of the public universities or community colleges in the state of Mississippi.

More than 200,000 prior students currently qualify for the Complete 2 Compete program, a release from the University of Southern Mississippi says. Over the summer of 2021, C2C coaches processed more than 2,700 applications and helped at least 620 former students to enroll at Mississippi institutions.

For more information on Complete 2 Compete, visit msc2c.org or call 833-222-4338.