Phil Hardwick

December 30, 2011 How a community solves its problems or deals with serious issues says a lot about a place. Tupelo, Mississippi is one of the best at this of any community I have dealt with. No matter the issue, public dialogue is a major part of the process. The key is to get problems out in the open and to provide forums where people can discuss the issues. There is an art to public forums. People must feel that they can speak about their true feelings instead of what they think other people want to hear. Tupelo’s success at this is a result of various local organizations, including local government, providing such opportunities. Another factor is the local newspaper. Tupelo is now addressing the issue of some changes in the public schools, many of which are rooted in local demographics. For example, when Tupelo’s schools were integrated in 1970, 80 percent of the district’s students were white. Today, 56 percent of those students are minorities. The local new

NOTE: This is a column that I wrote several years and which was originally published in the Mississippi Business Journal. Permission to reprint with attribution to Mississippi Business Journal and Phil Hardwick. THIS LITTLE DOLLAR STAYED HOME This is a tale of two dollars. One stayed at home. One went to another town. Once upon a time there were two dollars. They each lived with their owners in the small town of Make Believe in rural Mississippi. Make Believe was a nice little town. There was a Main Street that had lots of little shops that sold special items and arts and crafts and catered to people who drove through town. There was also a grocery store. There was even a doctor in Make Believe. It was a nice little town that was enjoyed by all its residents, none of whom wanted it to change. This story of the first dollar is easy to tell. Its owner placed it snugly in her purse and drove 45 minutes to a nearby, larger town with a shopping mall. The owner stayed all day

Being a mayor is one of the toughest jobs going. A mayor does not have the influence and authority of a business CEO. Many new mayors are shocked to find that it oftentimes takes more persuasion skills than decision skills to run a city. Sometimes, mayors are merely caretakers. They live in communities that are on a track upward or downward. They might live in communities where not much changes and not much is really expected of mayors. Sometimes, mayors sort of grow into the job. Sometimes, mayors cross the line and become leaders. They change their cities for the better. How do they do it? Most will tell you that they did it by involving people and that they had a lot of help. That is no doubt true. But it starts from within. My list should be considered as a discussion starter. Please feel free to add and subtract from the list, or better yet name a mayor who exemplifies one of the traits. * The ability to envision the future. It is said that management is the ability to move others

Recently I had the opportunity to visit eight libraries in rural towns in Mississippi during the course of one week. These libraries ranged from a two-room facility smaller than some master bedrooms to a full-service, modern library that offered a full range of activities for the community. Here are 10 things that I learned about rural libraries: 1. Each small town library is unique. 2. Patrons are flocking to their local libraries to use the Internet. 3. Job seekers are using the library to find employment, build resumes and even learn job skills. 4. There are after-school issues and opportunities. 5. Libraries are becoming more involved in their communities. 6. Community rooms are being used by the community. 7. The personality of the librarian is important. 8. Elected officials and other funders do not have library cards. 9. Technology will have dramatic change on libraries. 10. Libraries are safe places. Gone are the days when a person went to the local libra

On June 9, President Obama signed an Executive Order establishing a White House Rural Council, the first entity of its kind established to focus on policy initiatives for Rural Americans. The announcement states that t he White House Rural Council will focus on actions to better coordinate and streamline federal program efforts in rural America, and to better leverage federal investments. The collaboration will result in better programs and services in rural communities and maximize the benefits of those programs, according to the announcement.

Those words are from a presentation by Harvard Business School Professor Michael E. Porter at the Mackinac Policy Conference on June 2, 2011 in Michigan. The title of his presentation was “Michigan Competitiveness: Creating an Economic Strategy in a Time of Austerity.” It is a good message for all states. Some of his key points: Competitiveness is the productivity with which a state utilizes its human, capital, and natural endowments to create value; Productivity determines wages, jobs, and the standard of living; It is not what fields a state competes in that determines its prosperity, but how productively it competes; and Businesses and government play different but interrelated roles in creating a productive economy. Only businesses can create jobs and wealth. States and regions compete to offer the most productive environment for business.

On this Memorial Day weekend I am thinking of those who have given their lives in the service of our country, and what all of that means. Thoughts are scrambling through my mind: the horror of war, the families of the fallen, patriotism, the freedom that has come from a strong U.S. military, the use and abuse of the military, the veterans’ needs that are not being addressed, the commercialization of holidays, how Rolling Thunder feels about Sarah Palin stealing some of their thunder , etc. Sounds like I have had more than my share of caffeine this morning, doesn’t it? So let me move on to my main point. One thing I often do in leadership and goal-setting retreats is a play a clip from a movie, and then have the group discuss its meaning. I encourage participants to put themselves in the role of each individual in the scene and talk about the scene from the perspective of that particular character. “Perspective” is a big thing with me because I have come to the belief mo

(May 6, 2011) Thirty-five Mississippi Scholars from Winston County were recognized Thursday evening at a banquet in Louisville. At the event students announced which colleges or universities they planned to attend and what their major course of study would be. Louisville Mayor Will Hill welcomed the students and challenged them to represent their communities well as they go out into the world. Mary Snow, emceed the program and represented the local business community and Phil Hardwick of The Stennis Institute was the keynote speaker. The celebration was just one of the outcomes of the "Getcha Head in the Game," a project of the Louisville Municipal School District, the Winston County Economic Development Partnership and The Stennis Institute at Mississippi State University . "Getcha Head in the Game" is a program of the Mississippi Higher Education Initiative (MSHEI) , which is funded through a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) . The Mi

Altoona, Pennsylvania was offered – and accepted – $25,000 to change its name for 60 days to POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD, Pa. It is all part of a movie promotion. Last week I wrote a column about product placement at city halls. I guess this rather validates the idea that advertising is now everywhere. Read the AP story entitled Altoona, PA, changes name to movie title.

It is National Volunteer Week, and time to salute those who give to their communities. One of my favorite volunteers is Cathy Johnson, who just won the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service Outstanding Achievement in Education Award. Johnson has been an adult education teacher all of her adult life. She began by teaching soldiers GED skills in Germany in the mid seventies. As she moved from post to post with her Army husband she applied for adult education positions in each new location. Invariably, this would lead to the only opening available, which was in the city, or county jail where she would teach basic academic skills associated with receiving a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) to the inmates. She has worked in five jails in five different states. When she moved to Mississippi in 1995 upon her husband’s retirement from the Army, she accepted a job with Hinds Community College teaching inmates at the Hinds County Jail, located in downtown Jackson. She loved her

The headline read, "Poll on interracial marriage stuns some." Stennis Institute Director Dr. Marty Wiseman said, "That's the damnedest thing I've ever heard." Here is what the daily newspaper article said: According to Public Policy Polling, 46 percent of Mississippi Republicans said marriages across racial lines should be illegal, compared to 40 percent who believe it should be legal. Fourteen percent were not sure. Here is what the Public Policy Polling press release said: 46% of these hardcore Republican voters believe interracial marriage should be illegal, while 40% think it should be legal. (emphasis added) That is not a whole lot of difference to quarrel with, but it does aid in explaining what many consider are rather bizarre results. On the other hand, it leaves no doubt that "conservative and strongly conservative" Mississippi Republicans have a strong view on interracial marriages. Dr. Wiseman also wondered whether these poll

Rent the House of Representatives? The one in Washington? The state Capitol? Well, not exactly. However, your organization can rent the House of Representatives Chamber at the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson, Mississippi. Also available for rent are the Chancery Court and the William Nichols Room at the facility. As one who has attended a number of events there I can tell you with confidence that there is an aura there like no other meeting facility. The House of Representatives Chamber is exquisite. One can only imagine what it was like there when the Married Women’s Property Act was debated in 1839, or when representatives decided to secede from the Union in 1861, or when the 1868 and 1890 state constitutions were argued and drafted. Cost to rent the facilities are nominal, beginning at $200 for four-hour daytime use of the House Chamber, $150 for the Chancery Court and $100 for the William Nichols Room. Costs are subject to change, and include additional fe

Yesterday I had the opportunity to moderate a forum of school counselors on the issue of how to increase the the college-going rate for high school students, especially underserved students. One of the things that came out was the influence of peers on the the college decision. The counselors also pointed out that the discussion of college should begin in the 9th grade, not the 11th or 12th. An article in the January 22, 2011 Wall Street Journal entitled “Why Rich Parents Don’t Matter” discusses some research that points out that “… the power of the home environment pales in comparison to the power of genes and peer groups.” It’s an interesting article and one I recommend.