2/12/2008 - 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 19, during the 21st Annual Higher Education Appreciation Day—Working for Academic Excellence (HEADWAE) program.

HEADWAE 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. Former Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck will serve as mistress of ceremonies.

“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 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.”

The Honorable Phil Bryant, Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, will be the luncheon speaker.

Participating in the luncheon program will be: Speaker of the House, Representative Billy McCoy; President Pro-Tempore of the Senate, Senator William Hewes, III; Speaker Pro-Tempore of the House of Representatives, Representative J.P. Compretta; Representative Hillman Frazier; Dr. John Hilpert, President of Delta State University and the Mississippi Association of Colleges; and Dr. Thomas C. Meredith, Commissioner, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.

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

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning governs 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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