Sid Salter, MSU alumnus and perspective editor for The Clarion-Ledger, was the guest speaker for the University Honors Forum on Wednesday.
“Many students are familiar with and read his column, so it was actually students who suggested that he be invited,” said Honors Program director Jack White. “I’ve known Sid for a long time and knew that he was one of those people that if it were at all possible, he would be happy to accept the invitation.”
Salter received his bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Mississippi State and was a John C. Stennis Scholar in political science.
Salter currently writes two columns a week, edits the Sunday Perspective section for The Clarion-Ledger and serves on the newspaper’s editorial board.
“I was not a particularly good student,” Salter said. “I was intelligent, but I didn’t apply myself. I then spent the first 10 years of my career making up for it. What you do (in college) will determine the shoes you wear, the car you drive and the house you live in. It will dictate the rest of your life.”
Salter said his interest in journalism began when he started working at The Reflector his sophomore year at MSU.
“Henry Meyer was the adviser at the time, and he was a great influence on me,” Salter said. “After my junior year, I knew that I wanted to work in media.”
Salter, 42, who became the youngest journalist inducted into the Mississippi Press Association’s Hall of Fame, has appeared as an expert political commentator in programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News and National Public Radio. He is a two-time winner of the MPA’s J. Oliver Emmerich Editorial Excellence Award as the state’s top editorial writer.
“With my job I get to meet a lot of interesting people and get to watch history as it is being made,” Salter said. “Of course the negative aspect of it is that it is deadline oriented, so there are a lot of pressures. But I have fun everyday and I enjoy what I’m doing.”
Salter said he has interviewed political figures not only in Mississippi, but also those that play roles across the globe, including five U.S. presidents.
He stressed the importance of learning balance while in college.
“What you should know when you leave here is what you believe in and why,” Salter said. “It’s also important to find that balance between work and play.”
“Leaders find joy in expending themselves,” Salter said.
He shared stories from his mother, a former English teacher, and his father, a World War II veteran and high school principal. Both are MSU graduates.
“My mother had the greatest influence on me to write,” Salter said. “My father, on the other hand, taught me to take a stand on what I believed in. I learned from my dad that sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. If you really feel that you are right, then you have to stick to your guns.”
Salter also made references to other MSU alumni who he named as “great leaders,” including former Sen. John Stennis, former third district Rep. “Sonny” Montgomery and John Grisham.
Salter said speaking to the Honor’s Forum was an opportunity to give back to his alma mater.
“I have a lot of respect for Jack White and his work with the Honors Program,” Salter said. “This gave me a chance to give something back to the school.”
Although the forum is a one-hour pass-fail class for enrolled Honors students working toward their Phase I and Phase II certification, White said the event is also open to the public.
“Honors Forum is a weekly session that has been on Wednesday at 12:30 in Allen 13 for almost 20 years,” White said. “You don’t have to be enrolled in the Honor’s Forum or in the Honor’s Program to attend. The lectures are always open to anyone.”
Forum topics this semester have included political science professor Hannah Britton discussing women in South African government to art gallery director Bill Andrews lecturing on an art exhibit.
Next semester’s forums will include U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr James Kraska on international security, a demonstration and discussion from “Black Broadway” performers, the Law Alumni Association on careers in law and law school study and history professor Martha Swain on women in Mississippi.
“One common factor with all of the guest speakers is that they illustrate that you should put no limits on yourself,” White said.
“They encourage students to pursue their interests and dreams. Many of the guests have faced obstacles in their lives and have worked to overcome them, so in many ways it inspires,” he said.