Phil Hardwick

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