ACTA's 12th state higher education report examines questions of great urgency for the state of Mississippi: How should individual public universities choose their leadership? Are the public universities careful stewards of taxpayer dollars? Is free speech protected on Mississippi's college campuses? The report assesses institutions on measures of academic strength, intellectual diversity, cost effectiveness, and governance to make compelling recommendations for the future of the state's higher education system. [This report was prepared by the staff of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, primarily Michael Poliakoff, Armand Alacbay, Jonathan Pidluzny, and Ian Cook, with the assistance of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.]