re: What would be Mississippi State's overall reputation as a university be?

When my daughter chose to attend MSU, I was not happy. To my surprise, she made a very wise decision. She is getting a good education, is having a good time and thriving. As a parent I couldn’t ask for more.
While it’s not as cosmopolitan as Oxford with all the dumb rich kids that couldn’t get into UGA, UT, UF etc., Starkville is a neat little town filled mostly with good people. Starkville and the surrounding area, called the Golden Triangle, has become a hot bed of economic growth for MS due to the work force spun out from MSU. The president, Mark Keenan is a salt of the earth guy who will do his damndest to keep MSU from becoming a progressive bell hole. I know multi-generational OM families that proudly send their children to State because of Mark Keenum.

Edit: I misspoke a little bit: OM families don’t necessarily send their kids to state because of Mark Keenan, but they don’t protest the decision bc he is there.