MS Engineering Association to Hold Fall Meeting at MSU
November 11, 2005
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Engineers from around the state will meet on the campus of Mississippi State University on Tuesday [Nov. 15]. Mississippi’s chapter of the American Council for Engineering Companies will hold its Fall Fling annual meeting at MSU’s Hunter Henry Center. ACEC members, along with students and faculty of the Bagley College of Engineering are welcome to attend the two-day meeting. ACEC members will need to register prior to the event.
“The Bagley College of Engineering wanted to host ACEC-MS’s Fall Fling as one way to make sure the students, faculty and administration of the college of engineering were interacting with practitioners. This is a good way for our engineering students to find out what the industry looks for when hiring an engineer,” commented Kirk Schulz, dean of the Bagley College.
The ACEC executive committee will meet at 1 p.m. and committee meetings featuring Jim Kopf (DOT), Corbin McGriff (DEQ) and Stanley Spradling (RUS) will convene at 2 p.m. Representatives from the engineering programs at Mississippi State, Jackson State University and the University of Mississippi will kick off the program at 3 p.m. on Tuesday with a panel discussion addressing the question “What are you as a business owner looking for in today’s engineering graduates?”
Nick Walters, State Director for Rural Development, will speak on Katrina’s Impact on Rural Development Funding and Amounts and Area Focus at 3:45 p.m., followed by a dinner at the Hotel Chester honoring ACEC/MS Fellows. Stanley Spradling of Calvert Spradling in West Point will be named as the association’s ninth fellow.
On Wednesday, faculty and students are invited to attend the two seminar sessions. Led by professional magician and hypnotist, Robert E. Mark, guests will enjoy topics such as “Exiting Your Company is Not an Illusion” and “Simple Secrets to Building a Budget”. The first session begins at 8 a.m. in the Mitchell Memorial Library’s Auditorium which is on the first floor and the second session will follow at 10:15 a.m.
Robert E. Mark is the Chief Financial Officer and Principal of Rowe Incorporated. He has a B.S. in Business Administration from Michigan Technological University and an MBA from the University of Utah. He also serves as an ACEC Peer Reviewer and has been a member of the ACEC/M Financial management Committee since 1991.
Judy Adams, executive director of ACEC is excited about involving the engineering students into the education sessions, she commented, “Most engineering students don’t get much of a business background because the engineering discipline is so focused, and showing these students the reality of the business world will hopefully open their eyes early on.”
The two-day event will wrap up around 3 p.m. following lunch and a tour of Mississippi State University’s campus.
For more information regarding this event, please contact Debbie Stafford.