2/12/2007 - Jackson, Miss.

Seventy-two outstanding students and faculty members from 36 Mississippi public and private universities and colleges, whose names are listed below, will receive special recognition from the Mississippi Legislature on Tuesday, February 20, during the 20th Annual Higher Education Appreciation Day/Working for Academic Excellence (HEADWAE) awards luncheon, which will begin at 11:45 a.m. at the Jackson Marriott Downtown, 200 Amite Street, Jackson, MS, 29201.

HEADWAE was established in 1988 by the Legislature to honor the academic achievement of individuals and the overall contribution of the state’s public and private institutions of higher learning. This year’s honorees will begin the appreciation day with a visit to the State Capitol where they will be welcomed and recognized by the Senate and House of Representatives before participating in a tour of the Capitol. An awards luncheon will follow at 11:45 a.m. at the Jackson Marriott Downtown. Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck, who actively serves as chairman of the HEADWAE committee, will preside as mistress of ceremonies. Kathleen Koch, a CNN general assignment correspondent based in Washington, D.C., and native of Bay Saint Louis, will deliver the keynote address.

“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.”

Also participating in the luncheon program are Speaker of the House, Billy McCoy; President Pro-Tempore of the Senate, Travis Little; Speaker Pro-Tempore of the House, J.P. Compretta; Representative Charles Young; President of Jackson State University and of the Mississippi Association of Colleges, Dr. Ronald Mason, Jr.; and Commissioner of Higher Education, Dr. Thomas C. Meredith.

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

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