Category Archives: Education

EMCC To Offer State’s First E-Commerce Tech Program

By Business, EMCC, Golden Triangle

EMCC To Offer State’s First E-Commerce Tech Program

MAYHEW, Miss. (FROM PRESS RELEASE) –

East Mississippi Community College has announced that they have succeeded in becoming he first college in Mississippi to offer an E-Commerce Technology program, which will begin this Fall. Registration for the program is already under way, and the first classes (both in-person and online) will be held in August.

“One of our goals at EMCC is to ensure that our course offerings reflect marketplace demands,” EMCC Associate Dean of Instruction Dr. Melanie Sanders said. “Given that the impact of E-Commerce is being felt across the global economy, we felt that the time was right to offer a program that would help our students capitalize on this growing industry.”

“We will offer a prestigious one-year certificate for business graduates that can be completed in two semesters online,” EMCC Marketing instructor Dr. Joshua Carroll said. “This is perfect for graduates with a master’s degree who are looking for certification in E-Commerce.

“Since the classes are available online, one of the benefits of the certificate is that it can be offered internationally. Students who live in Zimbabwe, China or India will be able to complete the course and learn how to market their internet-based businesses in the U.S.”

 

“The demand for these jobs is already here,” Carroll said.

To be accepted into the program, students must earn a 13 composite score on the ACT test or the equivalent on the Accuplacer test.

Prospective students can apply online at www.eastms.edu. For more information about the program, call Carroll (662) 243-1943 or email him at [email protected].

Please click here to view the full press release.

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MSU’s Unmanned Aviation Program is Flying High

By Aurora Flight Services, Golden Triangle, Manufacturing, Mil. Manufacturing, MSU, Other Manufacturing

MSU’s Unmanned Aviation Program is Flying High

MSU Ag Drone (courtesy photo, MDA/Mississippi Works)

Courtesy of MDA/Mississippi Works

Unmanned flying drones have become more complex, and more popular, over the past several years, and Mississippi is now leading the push to develop better and better units. The FAA has named Mississippi State as the home of the Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, making it *the* place to be for research of this kind. Mississippi’s will be working with the Center of Excellence is to help introduce UAV and UAS technologies to our nation and to the world in a safe, responsible manner. MSU collaborates with ASSURE (Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence), which is made up of over 20 research universities from around the world and industry partners.

The applications of this technology are myriad, and its potential economic impact on the state and nation are expected to be both far-reaching and very significant.Over one hundred aerospace companies have chosen to hedge their bets with the state of Mississippi, including international industry leaders such as Aurora Flight Sciences, Northrop Grumman, Stark Aerospace, and many more.The state’s competitive edge in aerospace brought them here; the expertise and drive of the people who work with and for them in Mississippi has kept them here.

Please click here to see the full article.

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MDA Praises Golden Triangle Region for Industrial Growth

By Education, EMCC, Golden Triangle, Manufacturing, MS Dev Authority, Other Manufacturing, PACCAR, Steel Dynamics, Yokohama

MDA Praises Golden Triangle Region for Industrial Growth

The Dispatch – Columbus

Mississippi Development Authority Director Glenn McCullough, left, visits with Columbus Rotary Club member Tango Moore after speaking at the club’s meeting at Lion Hills Center on Tuesday. Photo by: Luisa Porter/Dispatch Staff

Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Glenn McCullough recently gave a presentation to the Columbus Rotary Club, extolling the Golden Triangle Region’s virtues as an increasingly attractive place to do business, especially for industrial concerns. He spoke of the economic growth brought about due to large companies such as Yokohama, Toyota, Nissan, Steel Dynamics, and Plum Creek, to name a few. He also expressed his appreciation for all of the GTR communities’ working together to make the area a more successful place for everyone: “When it comes to economic development — when it comes to community development and leadership, we are all on the same team,” McCullough said. “We are not big enough to fight when it comes to building our communities. We, as leaders, need to look across the state of Mississippi and see the state of Mississippi not just compete, but win. You’ve been doing that.”

McCullough also addressed the room with regards to workforce training, which he said is an important factor for the future of the state and its economic growth. The State of Mississippi has committed $50 million toward such efforts, which includes funds for the state’s community college system. He mentioned the planned Communiversity, in particular, which is currently under construction near PACCAR: “You’ll have a facility and some people at the Communiversity that will give the Golden Triangle something no other part of the Southeast has,” he said. “…It is so important –Mississippi needs to make sure that people understand around the world (that if) you want to produce a product or service in Mississippi, our people are the best.”

McCullough went on to say that the state has other advantages, as well; he said the state is a top-10 state for business costs, permitting speed, competitive labor costs, automotive manufacturing strength and other categories.

Despite this, he also acknowledged that the state faces competition from other states (especially those nearest to us) in this regard, and that we need to continue to improve how we are perceived by those in the outside world: “Sometimes Mississippi’s perception is not want we want it to be, which is why tourism is so important.”

Please click here for the full article.

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Palmer Home Hires Local for New Director of Development

By Columbus, Education, Palmer Home, Retail, Starkville

Columbus – Courtesy of The Dispatch

Palmer Home for Children, Christian organization which offers education and shelter to children in need, has hired Columbus native Meryl Fisackerly as director of development at the regional children’s home.  In this role, her main role will be to handle relationships with donors and put together fundraisers.

“I’m very excited about this opportunity,” Fisackerly said. “I’m so far loving the job. Everyone there is great. I’m looking forward to getting involved in the community and establishing who Palmer is and what we’re about. … It’s a fabulous organization and everybody needs to know about it.”

PH spokespeople said that she has experience in both retail and commercial sales, and that she is deeply engaged with the community, making her a great asset,

“Meryl is one of those rare find,” Vice President of Engagement Sarah Hollis said. “She is integrated in the Golden Triangle community personally, professionally and through civic involvement, including tutoring children at Palmer Home. Meryl embodies our mission and will be vital to engaging this community to fulfill our call to care for vulnerable children.”

Please click here to read the full article.

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SOCSD Breaks Ground on Partnership School

By MSU, Starkville, Starkville/Oktibbeha CCSD

SOCSD Breaks Ground on Partnership School

STARKVILLE, MS (courtesy of The Starkville Daily News & The Dispatch) –

Mississippi State, Starkville Oktibbeha School District and statewide officials broke ground Wednesday on the new SOCSD Partnership School at MSU. Photo by: Russ Houston

The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District broke ground on its new Partnership School Wednesday morning near Hwy 182 & George Perry Blvd. Once construction is complete, the $27.5 million facility will serve all SOCSD sixth and seventh grade students, and also act as a laboratory for the Mississippi State University College of Education. SOCSD has contributed $12.5 million toward the project; the state of Mississippi has given another $10 million, in addition to MSU’s $5 million plus the land the school will be built on.

“This was a challenge,” said School Board President Keith Coble. “It took a lot of leadership on all sides to make this happen, the university, the school district, the state legislature, a lot of cooperation. In the end people made this happen. If we had not had these people I don’t think it would have happened.”

Courtesy Photo

“This wouldn’t have happened without collaboration and true partnering,” MSU President Mark Keenum said. “There’s no way the Starkville-Oktibbeha School District could do this on their own. We had to work together in tandem . . . I think you’re going to see a great deal of interest, and who knows, we may see other schools like this in other areas of our state or across the country.”
Dirt work at the site is set to begin at once, as the school board’ has approval of a $2,493,903 bid from the Tremont-based Cademy Construction, LLC, at its last meeting. Completion is projected for January 2019.

Please click here to see the full article.

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Mississippi to Host Federal Drone Project

By Military, MSU

Mississippi to Host Federal Drone Project

STARKVILLE, Miss. (Courtesy of the Associated Press) –

MSU school officials have announced that Mississippi has been selected as the home of a new federal R&D project focused around unmanned drone aircraft systems. The proposal for this project was spearheaded by MSU, and it was developed by the Mississippi Partnership. The intended area, which incorporates restricted airspace near and on the MS Gulf Coast, is expected to cover about 2,000 square miles of  land/airspace, up to an altitude of 60,000 feet. Said demonstration range facility is expected to begin operations this fall.

Please click here to see the full article.

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New Partnership School in Starkville Closer to Becoming Reality

By Ole Miss, Starkville, Starkville/Oktibbeha CCSD

New Partnership School in Starkville Closer to Becoming Reality

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)

Plans for the partnership school between Mississippi State University and the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District (SOCSD) are moving further forward; a memorandum of understanding to receive state bond funds for the project was passed during Tuesday night’s school board meeting.

Once it’s up and running, the new middle school is expected to have about a thousand 6th and 7th graders enrolled. The intended location is near the intersection between George Perry Street and Highway 182, on the north end of MSU’s campus. The new school was first proposed as a way to help alleviate overcrowding at SOCSD schools.

“We’re really excited the final approval came through for the design just recently and we anticipate putting out the bid for the site preparation, the dirt work sometime in the month of April and we’ll break ground in the early summer,” said Dr. Devon Brenner, head of the curriculum, instruction and special education department at MSU. “Our vision is that in partnering with the university and the school district, we’ll be able to provide really powerful education for the students,” she said. “They’ll also have the opportunity to take their classes right here on a college campus, so they’ll get to know what college life is like and begin to imagine themselves attending college.”

The new partnership school has been in the works for three years now.

“One of the things we know is that middle school is a particularly challenging age range,” Brenner went on to say. “Sixth and seventh graders kind of set the tone for the rest of their high school careers and through graduation in those grades, and it’s an important great to provide really quality education in.”

The school is expected to be open in January of 2019.

Please click here to view the full article

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SOCSD Announced Opening of New Partnership School

By Education, Golden Triangle, MSU, Starkville

SOCSD Announced Opening of New Partnership School

THE DISPATCH

SOCSD Lewis Holliday (courtesy photo)

The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District-Mississippi State University partnership school is now projected to open in the late fall of 2018, three to four months later than previously expected, SOCSD Superintendent Lewis Holloway confirmed Wednesday.  The project, which will house and educate all sixth- and seventh-grade students in Oktibbeha County, is still moving forward, he said, but the administrative process developing the school has slowed down its progress and tentatively pushed back the opening date.

“Normally, a school district just designs and builds a new campus. It’s a much speedier process (without university and state-level involvement),” he said. “We had to go through the (university’s) design review committee, and that took several months that we weren’t anticipating.”

MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter said the new timeline estimate is a conservative one and the university is confident it and SOCSD “can successfully navigate any issues that arise.”
“In any project of this nature, such delays are often unavoidable,” he said.

Once completed, the roughly $30 million project will serve as a model education platform in the state and help solve issues with classroom overcrowding created after the Oktibbeha County School District and Starkville School District merged.

Funding for the partnership school comes from three levels: state lawmakers appropriated $10 million, MSU pledged approximately $10 million in land and money and a local $16 million bond issuance will fund construction costs, furnishings and other districtwide infrastructure needs.

Please click here to read the full article

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Nursing Program at The W Named One of the Very Best In Mississippi

By Columbus, Health & Medicine, The W

Nursing Program at The W Named One of the Very Best In Mississippi

PRESS RELEASE – MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN

COLUMBUS, Miss —

Success on the National Council Licensure Examination earned Mississippi University for Women’s nursing school a high score from Registerednursing.org.

Ranking The W’s programs No. 2 out of the state’s 23 programs, Registerednursing.org examined the university’s NCLEX-RN pass rates for the past five years with the more recent passing rates weighting more.

“This is a significant recognition of the excellence of our nursing programs and we are honored to continue to gain national recognition,” said Dr. Shelia Adams, dean of the College of Nursing and Speech-Language Pathology. “Our program equips today’s nurses with the skills and knowledge needed to deliver the superior level of care needed in today’s complex healthcare system.”

Registerednursing.org cited that NCLEX-RN pass rates are one of the best ways to determine a nursing program’s student preparedness. If schools had the same overall NCLEX-RN pass rate after being analyzed, additional characteristics were then considered, including the number of students taking the exam and the number of years of exam data available. Of the top ranked schools, The W was the only university to host both an associate of science in nursing and bachelor of science in nursing program.

Scoring a 98.01, RegisteredNursing.org found The W to be home to excellent nursing degree programs where nursing students learn to integrate clinical excellence with advanced practical concepts to advance the nursing profession.

“We are consistently high in all these areas due to the dedicated faculty, staff and department chairs who are willing to mentor and help our students succeed,” added Adams.

Registerednursing.org looks to promote excellence in nursing through enabling future nurses with the tools they need to succeed.

via   http://www.muw.edu/news/4185-website-ranks-w-s-nursing-program-one-of-the-best-in-state

 

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WIN Center Moves to New Location, Still Helping Workers Find Jobs PDQ

By Business, Education, EMCC, Golden Triangle, Starkville

MAYHEW – Courtesy of the Commercial Dispatch

The WIN center, which helps to match prospective employees up with jobs of all sorts, is up and running during its move to a new facility at EMCC’s Center for Manufacturing Technology Excellence in Mayhew.

Calvin Dailey, an interviewer with the WIN center, said the state-funded job placement center regularly draws 200 to 400 people, mostly job-seekers, per week from Clay, Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Noxubee and neighboring counties, depending on the season.  “If you just come in here saying, ‘I need a job today,’ nine times out of 10, we’re able to get you a job today because you just want employment,” he said. “But if you come in and you’ve got a resume and you want something specific, we’re going to work with you until we help you get that job.” He went on to remark that “Moving here turns us into a one-stop shop; moving here was a great benefit to our people, really.”

Once a client comes seeking a job, WIN creates a profile — that can be used at any WIN center in the state — and helps track potential matching openings.  The WIN center also offers a variety of training programs, designed to help workers build better resumes, dress for success, and more. They also provide assistance to workers displaced due to jobs being outsourced overseas, as well as to veterans in search of work.

There is no cost to use the WIN center’s services, and the referral service does not conduct background checks nor drug testing; workplaces that require these are expected to handle it themselves.

The city of Starkville recently submitted 10 job orders to the WIN center, and City Human Resources Director Navarrete Ashford said that seems to be working out well — with interviews for eight of those openings scheduled this week.

The WIN center, as always, works hard to help people find work, and to help employers find workers – and THAT’S Good for Business!

Please click here for the full article.

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