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Mississippi Economic Council
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Be Part of MEC's 64th Annual Meeting
Mississippi Economic Council will hold its 64th Annual Meeting, Mississippi Military Salute, on Thursday, April 11, 2013 at the Jackson Convention Complex. MEC will be honoring all Mississippians who have served in the military.
The day will be capped off with the Annual Meeting luncheon, which will include a special presentation from Gov. Phil Bryant, the keynote by Maj. Gen. Augustus L. Collins, Adjutant General. There will be morning sessions on "The Automotive Industry in Mississippi and How it Relates to Southeastern US-Japan Summit" and "Military Contracting in Mississippi: An Economic Development Driver."
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MEC Insight Tour Finale Draws Large Crowd in Hattiesburg
Meeting Caps Off 14-City Tour
 | | The MEC Insight Tour concluded with a meeting in Hattiesburg. Pictured are, from left, Blake Wilson, president & CEO of MEC, Chad Newell, president of the Area Development Partnership, Dr. Rodney Bennett, president of USM, and Jerry Host, CEO of Trustmark and 2012-13 MEC Chair. |
The MEC Insight Tour concluded its 14-city swing through the state on March 1 in Hattiesburg. The tour, sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, explored ways Mississippi can continue to improve its competitiveness. MEC sought input from business and community leaders on a variety of topics including health care, education and economic development. The tour provided a great opportunity for MEC members to network with fellow business leaders from across the state. In all, more than 1,500 leaders took part in the tour.
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MEC Legislative Scrambler
on Education Set for
Wednesday, March 20
The next and final Scrambler of the year will be March 20 on education and will feature Senate Education Chair Gray Tollison and House Education Chair John Moore. If you can't attend the breakfast, you can join via conference call. Breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m. and the program will begin at 8 a.m.
The Education Scrambler will be sponsored by Mississippi Professional Educators.
Third Scrambler Focuses on
Economic Development
 | The MEC Legislative Scrambler on Economic Development was held March 6. Pictured are Amy Tate of TVA, Sen. John Horhn,
Rep. Donnie Bell, and Brent Christensen, executive director of MDA. |
The third MEC Legislative Scrambler of the 2013 legislative session was held March 6 at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson. The session focused on economic development and featured Senator John Horhn, chair of the Senate Economic Development Committee, and Representative Donnie Bell, chair of the House Workforce Development Committee. Also speaking was Brent Christensen, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority.
Click Here to listen to recording of MEC Scrambler on economic development
The Scrambler was sponsored by TVA.
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 Dr. Rodney Bennett, who on Feb. 7 became the next president of The University of Southern Mississippi, said one of his primary duties as the school's leader will be helping its students succeed in meeting their academic goals through "pathways for completion."
Bennett, currently Vice President of Student Affairs at The University of Georgia, was selected by the State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Board of Trustees as the institution's 10th president following a national search. He is the first African-American to lead the university or any of the state's historically white institutions of higher learning.
Bennett, 46, will assume the presidency toward the end of the current semester, succeeding Dr. Aubrey K. Lucas, the university's interim president. "We are indeed fortunate to have Dr. Bennett as our new president," Lucas said. "He obviously has a God-given talent for relating to people, and with that talent and his experience and the support we are going to provide, he can be very successful."
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 The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning has announced the unanimous decision to name William N. LaForge as president of Delta State University. A Delta State University alumnus, LaForge has enjoyed a career in both the public and private sectors, spanning the fields of law, government, higher education and public policy. He currently serves as principal of LaForge Government Relations in Washington, D.C.
"I know the Delta State family is excited to welcome Bill LaForge back home," said Trustee Alan Perry, chair of the Delta State University Board Search Committee. "Delta State needs a leader who understands the university, the region and how to bring people together to move the university forward. Bill's enthusiasm, knowledge of the Delta, and love for the university made him the right choice for Delta State at this time."
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Gov. Phil Bryant has named the Center for Gulf Studies, a research consortium led by The University of Southern Mississippi, as the RESTORE Research Center of Excellence for the state of Mississippi. The University of Mississippi, Jackson State University and Mississippi State University are partners in the research consortium.
Following the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Congress established the RESTORE Act to direct Clean Water Act penalties collected from responsible parties to the states impacted by the oil spill. The RESTORE Act includes a 2.5 percent funding designation to establish Research Centers of Excellence.
Through the Center for Gulf Studies, Mississippi is already gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the northern Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and its relationship to environmental stressors like storms and oil spills. Now with the designation of the Center for Gulf Studies as a RESTORE Research Center of Excellence, Mississippi is further positioned as a leader in Gulf research.
"The Center for Gulf Studies, utilizing the existing resources of the Mississippi Research Consortium of The University of Southern Mississippi, Jackson State, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, will provide significant research for not only the state of Mississippi but also the entire Gulf of Mexico. This research is just not academic; it will help grow our local economy and benefit all types of business sectors," Gov. Bryant said.
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ABOUT US
The Mississippi Economic Council has been the voice of Mississippi business since 1949. MEC deals with broad issues that relate to businesses through advocacy, research, resources and leadership. MEC has 8,600 members from 1,100 member firms in 2,400 locations throughout Mississippi. |
Mississippi Economic Council - The State Chamber of Commerce
248 E. Capitol Street, Suite 940 - Jackson, Mississippi 39201
P.O. Box 23276 - Jackson, Mississippi 39225-3276
Phone: 601-969-0022 - 1-800-748-7626
Fax: 601-353-0247 - 1-888-717-2809
Click Here for MEC Web Site
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