Recently, however, the state senate voted to issue a $25 million bond for Jackson State University and Alcorn University. The lower house must still act, and legislators continue to wrangle over money for Mississippi Valley.
"The plaintiffs appealing, that's what the state is hiding behind. The state has to step forward and correct the wrong," Bristow maintains.
In the meantime, Bristow is resigned to "seeing the silver lining in the dark cloud called new admissions standards." The new standards mean that "I don't have a lock anymore on the better students and the marginal students," he adds.
Bristow's game plan: competing harder for top students and enhancing Alcorn's "centers of excellence" -- its schools of agriculture, nursing and liberal arts.
Inherent in his plan is new funding, says Bristow. "When you get a judge's order, you have to implement it, but you don't correct past wrongs with old money."
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