Big River Steel Equals Big Opportunities

It hasn’t hit us yet, but in the next three months, a name we haven’t heard much will likely become a household term in eastern Arkansas – Big River Steel. If the company’s financing falls into place as most expect, Big River Steel LLC will become a fixture in, and make a huge economic impact on, our region.

Big River Steel is a $1 billion “mini mill” project that will employ about 2,000 construction workers at the height of the building process and more than 500 permanent workers when it is complete. So what possessed the company to select a site near a Mississippi County town that has a population of around 7,800 on a good day? They settled on Osceola partly because they found affordable property, relatively cheap utilities, and easy access to the Mississippi River. But Osceola is certainly not the only place in the world that can offer those benefits, so that’s only a piece of the story.

KWEM Relaunch at MSCC Brings Musical History Alive

Mid-South Community College, through divine intervention and hard work, brought historic KWEM Radio back to the airwaves on Thursday, May 29, during a much-anticipated “Flip the Switch” ceremony.

“We’re taking a very major step in what we believe is an important journey, an effort that has been years in the making and has involved an entire army of people from time to time,” said MSCC President Dr. Glen Fenter.

Relaunch of Historic KWEM Radio Making International News

History is being revived at Mid-South Community College as KWEM Radio, which influenced the course of modern music, returns to the airwaves and draws the attention of media from coast to coast and beyond.

With the help of an Associated Press story by reporter Christina Huynh, the news of KWEM’s resurrection has reached media outlets in New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Washington, Washington D.C., Louisiana, Texas, Wyoming, California, and even Ontario, Canada.

MSCC “Flips the Switch” for Relaunch of Historic KWEM Radio

KWEM Radio, an historic West Memphis radio station that influenced the course of modern music, will return to the airwaves on Thursday, May 29, as a streaming Internet station at www.kwemradio.com

Mid-South Community College operates the Web-based station and owns the numerous artifacts related to its rich musical history. The college has also created a campus-based replica of the KWEM studio which was originally located at 231 Broadway Street in downtown West Memphis.

Athletic Program – Another MSCC Success Story

We get accused on occasion of being more concerned about doing cool things than stopping long enough to explain how cool some of those things really are. We are probably even a little guilty of that, especially when so many great things are happening on our campus. But you don’t have to spend much time on this blog site to know that our fledgling athletic program has come a long way in very short period of time.

To put it in perspective, at this time four years ago, the dream of an intercollegiate sports program on our campus was just a dream. Now we are the defending men’s and women’s Region 2 champions, and several of our players are moving to the next level at four-year institutions where somebody else will pay for them to be there. That is exactly what we intended to see happen. Our goal has always been to put deserving student-athletes in a program that improves their academic and athletic skills, give them the opportunity to become mature and well-rounded on and off the court, and allow them to capitalize on their athletic skills to advance their education.

State Representative to Speak at MSCC Graduation on May 8

Dr. Deborah Ferguson, who represents District 51 in the Arkansas House of Representatives, will present the keynote address at Mid-South Community College’s graduation on Thursday, May 8.

“Deborah Ferguson has provided great support for Mid-South Community College both as a private citizen and as a state legislator,” said Dr. Glen Fenter, MSCC President. “As a healthcare professional for 25 years, she certainly recognizes the importance and value of higher education, and as a public servant, she is clearly dedicated to making our state a better place to live.

FedEx Pilot Encourages MSCC Aviation Students to Stay Focused

Prospective pilots should consider their career progression as their No. 1 hobby and No. 1 job to succeed at the highest levels, says a former Navy pilot and current captain with FedEx Express.

Brad Smith, senior MD-11 crewmember at FedEx, visited the Mid-South Community College campus recently to speak with students in the MSCC/Upper Limit Aviation Professional Pilot Program.

“Getting a job and moving on with your career should be the complete saturation of your brain,” said Capt. Smith, who has worked at FedEx for 24 years after serving 7 years in the Navy. “The only way to get where you want to go is to have a plan and a clear path and follow it.