For over a quarter century, The University of Southern Mississippi has been a leader in education, research and outreach in economic and workforce development.
      Housed in the College of Science and Technology, the Southern Miss Department of Economic and Workforce Development offers a unique combination of economic, workforce and technology development that equips professionals with the skills they need to help their communities compete in today's new economy.

The Trent Lott Center for Excellence in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship will arrive at Southern Miss in fall 2006.

      For economic development and training professionals looking to further their education, the Department of Economic and Workforce Development at Southern Miss offers two degree programs. Professionals may pursue a Master of Science in either Economic Development or Workforce Training and Development.
      While most training for economic development professionals consists of short courses, the Master of Science degree program at Southern Miss takes economic development education to a new level.
      Professionals can choose to complete the traditional resident master's degree program or they can participate in the newly developed executive format program, specially designed to meet the needs of the working professional.
      "An academic program provides the full breadth of theoretical knowledge that can't be found in topic-based training courses," said Dr. Judson Edwards, Assistant Professor of Economic and Workforce Development.
      Each year, more and more economic development professionals are realizing the value of an advanced degree in their field.
      "For the experienced economic development professional, the Southern Miss program is ideal — a balance between academic learning, applied principles, new ideas and concepts that challenge and teach us to be better practitioners," said David P. Rumbarger, a CEcD and President/CEO of the Community Development Foundation in Tupelo, Miss.
      The executive format includes four intensive in-person sessions held at The University of Southern Mississippi-Gulf Coast and various locations throughout the United States. Between the in-person sessions, students interact with teachers and professionals through a time-flexible, online course format.
      The flexibility of the executive format program allows Southern Miss to attract adjunct faculty and lecturers from leading universities and top economic development consulting firms. Such faculty include Dr. Emil Malizia from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Dr. Eric Pages of Entreworks, Inc.; and Eric Canada of Blaine-Canada, Ltd.
      "The result of this collaborative effort is a degree program second to none in the economic development profession," Edwards said.
      The department also offers a Master of Science in Workforce Training and Development (WTD). The WTD master's program is housed on the Gulf Park Campus, alongside the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast. This degree program provides students with the tools they need to better understand factors that affect job performance, including job expectations, task design, incentive systems, feedback systems, performance strategies and tools, job aids and resources.
      The WTD master's program emphasizes training and noninstructional interventions that can improve human performance. In this environment, students learn to think strategically and design interventions that will positively impact workplace learning and performance.
      In addition to its academic offerings, Southern Miss also offers several outreach programs in economic and workforce development that enhance the learning environment. One of these outreach programs is the Economic Development Resource Center, which disseminates resources, expertise and technologies to stimulate growth and development in Mississippi and throughout the Southeast.
      Southern Miss is also the home of the Jack and Patti Phillips Workplace Learning and Performance Institute (WLPI), a research and outreach center for best practices in workplace learning and performance. The WLPI provides leadership to regional, national and international organizations seeking to achieve work-related competence through effective workplace learning.
      "The WLPI maintains a unique niche in creating 21st-century workforce development solutions, including competency model development and implementation, and serves as a repository for public sector ROI impact studies," said Dr. Cyndi Gaudet, director of the institute. "The institute's research focuses on creating solutions for human capital development for high growth, high technology industries."
      The WLPI has earned national recognition for its research with NASA and the U.S. Department of Labor and has generated external research funding in excess of $3.5 million.In fall 2006, The University of Southern Mississippi will welcome the addition of the Trent Lott National Center for Excellence in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, a state-of-the-art facility that will house a synergistic mix of internationally respected faculty and professionals in the field of economic development.
      "This new education center will give us a platform to attract leading educators in the field of entrepreneurship and economic development to Southern Miss," Edwards said. "Accordingly, this center will serve as a catalyst for advancing the discipline and profession of economic development."
      For more information about the Department of Economic and Workforce Development or to receive admissions information, visit www.usm.edu/ecodev.
     

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