Rust College
Give
Founders' Week lists a President's Scholarship Gala and commemorative engraved bricks.
Want to give to many HBCUs at once? See the national funds.
Get involved
You don't need to be an alum to show up for Rust College. Students need employers, mentors and people in the stands, and anyone can buy from the campus bookstore.
- Hire students Career Services Center page for employers and students.
- Attend Bearcats games Official athletics site.
- Join 160th Founders' Week Public events include a Founders' Parade and Day of Service.
- Follow on Instagram See what's happening on campus.
Upcoming events
- Nov 1–8160th Founders' Week (parade Nov 7, convocation Nov 8)Rust College, Holly Springs, MS
- Saturday, Nov 7Bearcats basketball vs. Selma UniversityRust College
No upcoming events listed yet. Check the school calendar.
Vote in Mississippi
Elected leaders decide how much public money HBCUs get, and their choices reach private HBCUs too. Here is what's on the ballot and how to vote. We don't endorse candidates.
Registration closed Oct 5. If you're registered, you can vote on Election Day, Nov 3.
Register to voteState elections siteFind your legislators
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov 3, 2026
- Registration deadline
- October 5, 2026, at the Circuit Clerk's office or postmarked by mail (deadline has passed). The state site lists no online registration or same-day registration.
- Early voting
- In-person absentee voting is October 24-31, 2026, at the Circuit Clerk's office.
- Races to watch
- There is no governor's race or regular state legislative election in 2026; those come in 2027. The November 3 ballot has a U.S. Senate seat and all four U.S. House seats. The legislature sets state funding for Alcorn State, Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State.
- Ballot measures
- No ballot measures are listed for this election yet.
The underfunding letter
In 2023, the U.S. Departments of Education and Agriculture wrote to the governor of Mississippi. Their numbers show Alcorn State University got about $258 million less in state money from 1987 to 2020 than it would have with the same per-student funding as the state's original land-grant university.
Sources: The letter · Tennessee Lookout
HBCU news in Mississippi
In the 2026 session, House Bill 66 would have given Alcorn State, Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State $100 million each for campus repairs. It died in committee on February 25, 2026. (billstatus.ls.state.ms.us)