quote:

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Originally posted by: Mary, Mary quite contrary
"If the people organizing that March 10 meeting at the Coca-Cola plant are so darn savy about academics, don't they realize that a university with a technology emphasis must have bona fide degree programs in engineering?"

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<CONSPIRACY THEORY>
Ever wonder why Carl Nicholson, who isn't a USM graduate at all is in this community group? Ever wonder why he was such a SFT booster? Hint: It ain't to give USM a school of engineering, but it is to give the university that has has an engineering school a toe-hold in an area with a higher population base.
</CONSPIRACY THEORY>

Mississippi State has most of the engineering programs. Ole Miss has a few. USM has "engineering technology" programs which, no matter how you dress 'em up, are not engineereing programs. I have observed USM misrepresenting those programs as "engineering" for many years.

USM styled itself as the "career university" early in Lucas' administration & the goal wasn't to provide a full-fledged university education but rather to crank out people who could hold skilled technical jobs -- those that are a couple of levels down from the ones that real engineers get -- cheaply & quickly.

Following this model, USM will continue to have a substandard level of alumni support, because the majority of its graduates will still be "renters" & the "bosses" will still be MSU & UM graduates. This is the status quo in Mississippi & God help us all if it were to be overturned.