2/23/2006 - Jackson, Miss.

Seventy-two outstanding students and faculty members from 36 Mississippi public and private universities and colleges will receive special recognition from the Mississippi Legislature on Tuesday, February 28, during the 19th Annual HEADWAE program.

HEADWAE, Higher Education Appreciation Day/Working for Academic Excellence, was established in 1988 by legislative resolution to honor individual academic achievement and the overall contribution of the state’s public and private institutions of higher learning.

The honorees will begin the day with a visit to the State Capitol where they will be welcomed and recognized by the Senate and House of Representatives and given a tour of the Capitol.  The awards luncheon will begin at 11:45 a.m. at the Marriott Hotel in Jackson, 200 East Amite Street.  Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck, HEADWAE Chair, will serve as mistress of ceremonies. Blake Wilson, President of the Mississippi Economic Council, will be the luncheon speaker.

“The Mississippi Legislature, the corporate community and others involved in higher education are given the opportunity to recognize the academic achievements of outstanding students and faculty at our institutions of higher learning,” said Lieutenant Governor Tuck. “These honorees, through their personal and academic achievement, demonstrate that a quality education can be found right here in Mississippi’s colleges and universities.”

Participating in the luncheon program will be:  Speaker of the House, Representative Billy McCoy; President Pro-Tem of the Senate, Senator Travis Little; Speaker Pro-Tem of the House of Representatives, Representative J.P. Compretta; Representative Charles Young; and Dr. David L. Beckley, President of Rust College and the Mississippi Association of Colleges.

Corporate sponsors for the HEADWAE program include: BancorpSouth, Tupelo; Bellsouth, Jackson; Cadence Bank, Starkville; Chevron Corporation, Pascagoula; The Cirlot Agency, Jackson; Dean and Dean Architects, Jackson; Ergon, Jackson; Entergy, Jackson; Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Hill Brothers Leasing Company, Faulkner;  Mississippi Power Company, Gulfport; Mississippi National Guard, Jackson; Nissan, Canton; Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Pascagoula;  Puckett Machinery, Jackson; Sanderson Farms, Laurel; South Mississippi Electric Association, Hattiesburg; T. L. Wallace Construction, Columbia;  Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, Tacoma, Washington.

Under the leadership of the Board of Trustees, the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) govern the public universities in Mississippi, including Alcorn State University; Delta State University; Jackson State University; Mississippi State University including the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine; Mississippi University for Women; Mississippi Valley State University; the University of Mississippi including the University of Mississippi Medical Center; and the University of Southern Mississippi.

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