New MBA Concentrations

The W will expand its Master of Business Administration (MBA) offerings with two new concentrations in spring 2025. Students can choose to specialize in workforce development or hospitality, in addition to the comprehensive MBA. The workforce development concentration is designed for students who aspire to hold careers in workforce education, training and development. It is particularly suited for those interested in technical education, vocational instruction, community college teaching, private industry training and workforce development agencies. The curriculum of the workforce development emphasis will prepare students to grasp the concept of workforce development, recognizing its significance in both business and education. Additionally, students will gain the knowledge and skills needed to build community partnerships that support workforce development and regional involvement. The hospitality concentration will prepare students for leadership roles within the hospitality industry, including management positions in hotels, restaurants, resorts and event planning organizations. The hospitality track focuses on the business aspects of hospitality management, such as revenue forecasting, guest satisfaction and operations. Students who complete the hospitality concentration will be prepared to manage service organizations from a guest satisfaction perspective and understand the drivers of revenue, such as forecasting, pricing and consumer behavior for hospitality.

FirstGen Forward Selection

FirstGen Forward, formerly the Center for First-generation Student Success, recently announced The W as one of 80 new members of the FirstGen Forward Network for 2024-25. To be selected as a FirstGen Forward Network Member, The W demonstrated commitment to improving experiences and advancing success for firstgeneration college students.

New Studio Space

The W’s campus community can now make their mark in the digital age at no cost to themselves thanks to the newly-opened Creator Room at Fant Memorial Library. The studio was made possible by a generous contribution from Monica Metz ’85, who helped dream up the idea. The studio is equipped with state-of-the-art technology such as an Alienware Aurora R16 computer, Dell 27-inch monitor, GVM light panel kit, green screen, sound panels, freestanding and desk mounted microphone stands, Focusrite Scarlett audio kit. Also, there is a Sony Alpha 6000 DLSR camera, which is only available for individual checkout. The studio can be used for music production, podcasting, augmented reality content, filmmaking, live streaming and 3D modeling.

Accessibility Navigator

The W now has a new navigator for accessibility and student success services position in place. Tequila McCoy, former student support specialist, has stepped into the role. She is tasked with ensuring The W experience is just as accessible for disabled students as nondisabled students. The first act of the new navigator was hosting a Summer Accessibility Workshop. The workshop, which was attended by W faculty and staff, East Mississippi Community College staff and community professionals, focused on best practices for students with visual impairments. The goal is to make the workshop an annual event, focusing on a different disability each year. The creation of the new navigator position highlights The W’s commitment to providing a quality education for all.

New Fall Classes

This fall, the Department of Sciences and Mathematics is being assisted by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, one of the largest biomedical research foundations in the world, to bring research-driven instruction to first-year students. Open to all majors, the Department of Sciences and Mathematics is offering variations on their freshmen biology courses that have students hunting, isolating, purifying, analyzing and naming novel undiscovered bacterial viruses called bacteriophages. In the new, two-semester course sequence, simply titled Biology I and Biology II, the students will spend more time in the lab, doing cutting-edge molecular biology and microbiology research work, than in the classroom.

Legal Studies Re-Approval

The Department of Legal Studies was reapproved by the Delegates of the American Bar Association (ABA). The continuous approval since 1987 distinguishes the program as one of only two ABA approved paralegal programs in the state of Mississippi. Beginning in May 2022, the reapproval process began with the submission of a comprehensive self-report to the ABA, demonstrating the department’s adherence to the highest standards in legal education. The reapproval process reached a milestone in February 2024, when the ABA conducted a virtual site visit. A team of experts thoroughly reviewed the department’s programs, faculty qualifications and overall compliance with ABA standards. The site visit team’s report was submitted in May 2024.

Office Renamed

The Office of Outreach and Innovation within the School of Education will be renamed the Center for Education Support, effective July 1. Th e name change is reflective of the center’s dedication to supporting education-related initiatives within the state and region served by the university. The new

Center for Education Support will play an essential role in serving the School of Education’s mission of innovation from early childhood through post-graduation, whether that be through the university’s academic programs, the university’s preschool, CEUs, other education-specific professional development or through education-specific camps and community initiatives. Th e Center for Education Support will serve as an essential resource for the School of Education’s commitment to improving the region and state’s network of professional teachers.

First Place

The 2022 edition of “The Dilettanti,” The W’s undergraduate student literary magazine, was awarded first place in the Southern Literary Festival’s 2023 Student Literary Magazine category for print magazines. Ali Glasgow was the sole editor of the 2020–2022 issues. Madison Hankins, Faith Langford, Cheryl Runyon and Katelyn Lowe also served as staff members, while Thomas K. Lee, an assistant professor of English/ Creative Writing, worked as faculty adviser. The Southern Literary Festival is an annual regional creative writing conference. The W hosted the Festival in 2022. This year’s conference was held in April at Middle Tennessee.

Middle Tennessee

Four W students won prizes at the Mississippi chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) annual conference and Student Auditions finals in February at Delta State University. Sixty-nine students participated in the auditions, representing high schools, colleges, universities and independent music studios around the state. Moira Cairns, a music therapy major, won first place in Younger Student Adults; Jerry Brown, a music education major, won first place in Older Student Adults; Shakia Butler, a music education major, placed second in Upper College Musical Theatre Trebles; and Aaron Rishel, a performance major, placed third in Senior Tenors, Baritones, and Basses. Dr. William Reber, of the music

faculty, accompanied the singers at the piano during each round of the competition. All of The W singers are in the studio of Dr. Susan Hurley.

Nursing Excels

Nursing graduates excel above state and national averages on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) during 2022. Baccalaureate graduates led all state universities with a 96% first-time pass rate, while associate degree nursing alumni achieved a 91% pass rate, the third-highest in the state. The W is the state’s leading producer of nursing graduates in the IHLsystem and has a long-standing reputation for excellence. In 2022, the university graduated 378 undergraduate nurses.