STARKVILLE, Miss.--Two 2004 Mississippi State engineering graduates are the latest to receive Jack Hatcher Entrepreneurship Certificates through a university program that promotes careers combining technical and business skills.
Completing the process this fall in MSU's Bagley College of Engineering were Jonathan Q. Harris of Eupora and Matthew T. Savage of Germantown, Tenn. Both received bachelor's degrees during the Dec. 10 commencement program.
Harris, a 2000 Eupora High School graduate, is an electrical engineering graduate. Savage, a 1999 graduate of Germantown's Briarcrest High School, received his degree in computer engineering.
Directed by engineering instructor Gerald Nelson, the certification program was initiated in 2001 through a gift from alumnus Jack Hatcher. A Ripley native and 1949 MSU civil engineering graduate, Hatcher co-founded the second largest metal building manufacturing company in the nation. He and his wife Nell now reside in Pinehurst, N.C.
The certificate program exposes prospective engineering graduates to the business aspects of their profession and prepares them for possible careers in corporate management. It is comprised of three major parts: coursework, a seminar series and a "company" or project experience.
For more information about the program, contact Gerald Nelson at (662) 325-8423.
LOCAL EDITORS: Jonathan Harris is the son of Michael and Kris Parsons. Matthew Savage is the son of Joe and Ellen Savage.
