To attract the support of those who opposed any government action to provide higher education to black people, those proposing creation of M.V.C.

used the term "vocational" to imply that the institution's main purpose would be to train black people to take on blue-collar jobs.

Whites of that town also objected to having a black institution nearby, so the final site chosen was away from the downtown area, and on land that was not good for cultivation.

[citation needed] In the early 1970s, civil rights leaders continued to protest the inequalities in higher education opportunities offered to whites and blacks in Mississippi.

[12] In a 1997 article in Innovative Higher Education, the journalist Dale Thorn describes MVSU's successful attempt to avoid a merger with another institution and to remain a separate entity.

[13] In 1998, the university renamed many of the buildings on campus, except for those named for white supremacist politicians Walter Sillers, Jr., Fielding Wright, and J. H.

[20] Extracurricular programs include theater, special interest groups, orchestra, fraternities, sororities, and band.

[21][22] The Mean Green Marching Machine was invited to perform during Donald Trump's second inauguration and participated in the parade January 20, 2025, at Capital One Arena.

MVSU sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (I-AA for football) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

Famous alumni include NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice of the 1984 football team.

The facility includes features such as fitness centers, an indoor walking track, and three technology HPER classrooms.

[24] Willie "Satellite" Totten, who was an assistant football coach at MVSU, was the college quarterback at the school when Jerry Rice played.