Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum, right, and University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones joined forces at a news conference podium in Jackson Tuesday to announce the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program, or MET. A joint effort by the colleges of Education at the two rival universities, the program is designed to attract the state's best and brightest students into the education field. A private gift of more than $12.9 million from the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation is funding the innovative program.