FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 10, 2005
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124

Expert panel to discuss economy at MUW conference
  
COLUMBUS, Miss. – Anyone who has to purchase gasoline should be interested in what top-notch economists have to say about the economy, according to Dr. Glenn Rhyne, who serves as chair of the Department of Business Administration at Mississippi University for Women.
   
An expert panel discussion on campus will focus on the economy of Mississippi and impact of Hurricane Katrina on Friday, Oct. 14.
   
“We are in an uncertain stage in our economy. So, this is a timely discussion. Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita brought to light some problems that already existed,” Rhyne said.
   
While the economy is a very broad subject, the associate professor of economics also stressed its relevance.
   
“It’s a global environment and you need to know how you fit into that environment,” he said. “We have students who are graduating and they need to plan for that more than ever. If you look at the economy, you learn about future job opportunities.”
   
Panelists will include economists Kevin L. Kliesen, Dr. Darrin Webb and Dr. Bob Neal.
   
Kliesen, who works as a senior economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Mo., will discuss the current status of the national economy.
   
Webb, a senior economist, is with the State Institutions of Higher Learning. He will focus on the economy of Mississippi.
   
Neal also is a senior economist with IHL. His topic is how to create economic growth in local communities—economic growth in the Golden Triangle region.
   
Rhyne added, “People need to take advantage of this educational opportunity. We will discuss how to define economic growth and how to achieve it. It’s a good background and reaches out to the community.”
   
MUW’s College of Business and TVA Investment Club are hosting the conference, which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in Parkinson Hall Nissan Auditorium.
   
The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call Rhyne at (662) 329-7256 or email grhyne@muw.edu.