Phil Hardwick

One of the more important contributions a person can make to his or her community is to get involved with the local public school. Public policymakers are finally realizing that there is a strong relationship between economic development and the overall success of communities. Nevertheless, it should be obvious by now that it takes more than just funding and government programs to create really good schools. There are critical roles for parents, educators, business, and the community at large. It also takes persons who are known as school-community connectors. A school-community connector is "a person whose job it is to find and build relationships with a wide range of neighborhood ―assets‘ -residents, voluntary associations, local institutions, businesses- and then to connect them to the neighborhood school and its assets -teachers, students, space, equipment, just to name a few." according to a recently released report from the Asset Based Community Devel

The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 edition is now available. Here’s one of the more interesting charts for those wondering about which jobs will be in demand for the future. Click here for the full report.

Most of us multitask, i.e. have several things going on at once. Sometimes it is necessary, such as when preparing a meal or preparing a business conference. Some managers believe that multitasking is a required skill for a supervisor or manager. I recall one time when a leader of an organization told me that a certain employee would not be a good successor “… because he doesn’t know how to multitask.” The employee not only received the promotion, but became one of the best managers ever for the organization. He later told me that his secret was to focus on one thing at a time. So what’s the real story on this thing known as multitasking that we all seem to be caught up in? As it turns out, quite a few studies have shown that multitasking is not as efficient as some might think. Christine Rosen’s, “The Myth of Multitasking,” in the Spring 2008 issue of The New Atlantis , is an excellent summation of the subject. In it she provides an overview of several s

(May 4, 2010) I had the opportunity today to attend the Economic Symposium 2010: Economic Perspectives for Madison County, which was offered by the Madison County Business League . Featured presenters were Dr. Phil Pepper, Assistant Commission for Policy Research and Planning for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning , Dr. Marty Wiseman, Director of Mississippi State University ‘s Stennis Institute of Government and David Altig, Senior Vice President and Director of Research for the Federal Reserve bank of Atlanta . Here are my rough notes. Dr. Phil Pepper Things are good and going to get better for Madison County. Things are not as good for Mississippi. Slower growth. More recessions. Education is the key. Counties with population growth have good schools. “The primary economic development tool for any county is the education level.” Dr. Marty Wiseman No county in Mississippi is insulated from the international economy. Public education is a key to economic developme