Sponsored by The Trent Lott National Center for Excellence in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship
Upcoming Events

MEDC Summer Conference June 22-24, 2016 in Natchez, MS
Rise Up Professional Development Series hosted by the ADP Tuesday, June 28th 4pm USM Trent Lott Center.

Alumni Tailgate

Troy State Football Game

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Mark your calendars for True South 2016 September 19-22 at USM's Trent Lott Center in Hattiesburg
Job Opportunities

Executive Director, Pike Count Economic Development District Pike County, Miss

 

President Development Authority of Polk County, Georgia

 

Mobile Airport Authority Director of Real Estate & Development Mobile, AL 
May 31, 2016
Southern Miss Hosts State Competition for High School Entrepreneurs
Adapted from Southern Miss Now article written by Van Arnold
 
On Tuesday, May 10, The Southern Entrepreneurship Program (SEP) hosted its 9th annual SEP State Business Plan Competition on The University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg campus. The top 20 student business plans from across Mississippi were individually selected from regional qualifiers to advance and participate in the state finale.


This year the competition awarded Anthony Murray the Making Money Now! Challenge winner for the second year in a row, first in the competition history. The Making Money Now! Challenge is the SEP Entrepreneur of the Year award, recognizing one student for demonstrating the ability to "bootstrap" their way into business with $10 or less and growing the business over the school year.


The Southern Entrepreneurship Program is offered as an experiential education program for Mississippi's high school students and is operated by the Southern Miss Center for Economic and Entrepreneurship Education. For further information, contact James Wilcox at james.b.wilcox@usm.edu. For a complete list of winners click here.
Alumni Spotlight: Danny Games
Danny Games was appointed Executive Vice President of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) by Governor Asa Hutchinson in January 2015. He directs the Business Development, Business Finance, Community Development, Existing Business and Small & Minority Business divisions at AEDC - Arkansas' lead economic development agency.
 
Prior to joining AEDC in 2015, Games held management positions with BHP Billiton and Chesapeake Energy, exploration & production companies active in onshore U.S. shale. Previously, Games was a Senior Project Manager for Entergy Arkansas, overseeing business development, marketing, and research initiatives.  Games also has local economic development experience in east Alabama and in east Mississippi and worked in Washington, D.C. for former U.S. Congressman Mike Parker (MS-4).
 
He holds a Master of Science degree in Economic Development from the University of Southern Mississippi, a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) certification from the International Economic Development Council, and an Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) certification from the National Development Council.
Applying Theory to Practice: The Internship Requirement
An important component of the Masters of Science in Economic Development Program is the 300 hour internship requirement, which is completed after the classroom phase of the program.  For practitioners in the program, this is an opportunity to apply theory to their practice.  They are challenged to apply the theories and lessons that they learn in the class room to improve their organization's performance.


Traditional students are required to find an economic development organization which will mentor them. This can be a temporary internship or the start of a full time job.  For economic developers interested in mentoring students, IEDC publishes a useful guide Creating Internship and Cooperative Education Student Programs: A Guide for Economic Development Organizations. This essential part of the educational experience is only possible with the support of the economic development community so we would like to thank all the organizations that are mentoring this cohort of future economic developers.  This summer's students and mentoring organizations include:
  
Mississippi Economic Development Council -Emily Adcock
BrandUSA-Sean Moody
Harrison County Development Commission -Stanley Kennedy
Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission-Tiffany Aultman
Hattiesburg Historic Downtown Association -Josh Sullivan
Pike County Economic Development District -Jake Nickens
Mobile Chamber of Commerce -Shelby Glover
FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance- Daniel Cook
Southern Miss Economic Development | tasha.may@usm.edu | 118 College Drive #5191

Hattiesburg, MS 39401-0001


Copyright © 2012. All Rights Reserved.


Southern Miss Economic Development | 118 College Drive #5191 | Hattiesburg | MS | 39401-0001