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The Center for Gifted Studies was established in 1979 through the efforts of Dr. Frances
A. Karnes to bring the educational needs of gifted students in Mississippi to the
forefront of educational policy development through advocacy, research, and provision
of services for high-ability students. Twenty years later, Dr. Karnes’s “tireless,
unwavering determination” had galvanized the Center’s reputation as a consistent frontrunner
in the development of enrichment and talent development programs. The Center was
renamed in her honor in 1999.
Today the Center flourishes as it strives to reach its vision of becoming one of the
Southeast’s most prominent and effective homes for Gifted Studies. This vision is
paired with our mission to strengthen gifted education in Mississippi, throughout
the nation, and globally by continuing to uphold four stringent performance standards:
- Thoughtful collaborative planning in conjunction with the School of Education to ensure
the continuation of a cadre of teachers of the gifted throughout the state;
- Effective programming that expands the University’s connection with hundreds of students
and their families each year such as the Saturday, Summer, and Leadership Studies
Programs, and the Summer Program for Academically Talented Youth offered in collaboration
with Duke University;
- Ongoing research that encompasses the development of best practices for gifted planning,
programming, teaching, and outreach supported through numerous federal grants;
- Outreach to teachers through the Annual Day of Sharing and Professional Learning Seminars
that provide access to the most advanced teaching methods, and to Parent and Community
Advocacy support systems that provide guidance for the social-emotional and vocational
needs of gifted students and their families.
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