MISSISSIPPI’S ATTORNEY GENERAL

        Today we welcome State Attorney General Jim Hood, now serving his second term as Mississippi’s chief legal officer. The Chickasaw County native is a graduate of Ole Miss and before his election as attorney general in 2003 served as District Attorney for the Third Circuit Court District.

NEXT WEEK – LT. GOVERNOR   PHIL BRYANT

        Next Monday, our speaker will be Lt. Governor Phil Bryant. The former State Auditor was elected Lt. Governor in November 2007.  Rotarian Gary Chism will introduce  the program.

LAST MONDAY AT ROTARY

Invocation and Pledge: Betty Black.

Attendance: There was standing room only – guests galore and perhaps the best member attendance we can remember – 144 (105 active, 2 honorary, and 37 exempt). Missing members included 24 active, 9 honorary, 14 exempt, and 4 who are on leave. Our current membership stands at 195.

New Member: Ken Ramsey attended his first meeting as our newest member. He was proposed by Bobby Crosland with the classification of Dentistry.

Visitors and Guests: Visiting Rotarian was Bill Overstreet of West Point.
        Member guests included Will Staggers and Jake Black of Buddy Staggers; Pat Thompson and John Hartline of Andy Gaston; John Daniels and Ed Milam of Peggy Buckley; Ray Vaughn of Alan Tucker; Jim Tompkins of Bobby Crosland; Stanley Shows of Hank Mosely; Gordon Eastman of Brian Portera; Ann Childers of Jody Ray; and Stan Acy of Jack Forbus. Club guests included Exchange Students Francesca Scaravelli and Kasper Eriksen; Steven Foshee, MSU Athletics; and Paul Sims, Starkville Daily News.

Makeup: Sandra Harpole made up July 30 in West Point.

Meeting Notes: President Martha reminded members that the new Club Directory is available from the Secretary. Any corrections or changes should be reported to Secretary Betty Black, President Martha, or Keith Remy.
        Jack Forbus urged members to consider signing up for the 2010 District Conference that will be conducted on a 4-day Carnival cruise from New Orleans to Cozumel, Mexico. A flyer was distributed with contact information. If you’re interested and missed the flyer, contact PDG Forbus or President Martha.

ATHLETICS A MAJOR MARKETING TOOL

        Greg Byrne didn’t leave a doubt in anyone’s mind why he was tapped to direct Mississippi State’s athletic program. He has a vision of where he believes the university’s sports should be and, in the little more than a year as MSU Athletic Director, has already set the course for the future.
        Not mincing any words, Byrne used an effective PowerPoint presentation in a summary report of the current state of athletics and plans for the future in remarks he labeled as “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.”
        First the good. Last season’s basketball teams made post season play.  The men won the SEC championship and went to the NCAA Tournament. The women’s team beat Texas to make it to the NCAA second round. Softball and men’s golf also made it to NCAA tournament play. The track team ranked 17th nationally.
        The all-athlete GPA was 2.94 in the fall and 2.91 in the spring. Women’s tennis team members averaged a 3.58 GPA and the men’s team made a 3.33 GPA. Ninety-nine MSU athletes made the all-SEC scholastic honor roll.
        Only 16 secondary violations were reported to NCAA (Byrne said that’s good?).
        New highly qualified coaches joined the department for baseball, football, and volleyball. “All have intensity, performance, and commitment as good as I’ve ever seen,” Byrne said.
        The Bulldog Club continued to grow, adding 3,000 new members the past 3 years pushing membership past the 8,000 mark.
        The department finished last year in the black with its $36 million budget, lowest in the SEC. This year’s budget of just under $41 million, only a little more than half that of Alabama and $10 million below Ole Miss! We don’t have to match budgets to be competitive,  Byrne said. He  plans to budget $1 million a year for maintenance.
        The athletic department has become part of the  long-range facility master plan for the campus.
        The department  has entered a partnership with Adidas. “ You’ll see a really good look when the bulldogs run out on the field September 5.” This is important to players and critical for recruitment, Byrne emphasized.
        Good news in the facilities area include the new Templeton Academic Center (if you haven’t seen it, pay it a visit), the fine Palmeiro  Center,  and the Bryan Building.
        Turning to the bad and the ugly, Byrne  showed pictures of major problem areas. He showed the golf team trying to practice surrounded by public players. “We need to create a separate practice area for the golf team – we’re the only SEC school  not to have one.”
        After seeing photo evidence, most Rotarians agreed that maintenance is a critical problem. Volleyball locker rooms need to be updated. The softball complex needs renovation and enlarging. Major drainage work is needed on the football practice field, The track surface and subsurface are pulling apart and Byrne said the estimated cost to repair that tops $3 million.
        Locker room improvements are needed for both tennis and soccer.
        Dudy Noble Field, once ranked one of the best venues in the country, now ranks in the bottom third of the SEC. Broken seats can’t be replaced because the company making them is no longer in business. The halls in the skyboxes flood every time it rains, and the press box is showing its age.
        The Hump is now 30 years old. While the concourses are  in good shape and clean, Byrne hopes that future renovation can expand seating, perhaps by putting box seats in the current concession stand areas and relocating the concessions.
        Byrne was quick to emphasize that he is not placing athletics above scholarship. However, he IS convinced athletics are one of the best marketing tools for the university. “Right now we’re just a small piece in the big picture.”

Kasper Eriksen arrived at 1:30 a.m. Sunday from Aalborg, Denmark after an unexpected 48-hour tour of the northeast and central U.S. He joined Francesca Scaravelli at Rotary Monday. Francesca arrived a week earlier from Milan, Italy. Both RYE students are attending Starkville High School,  Francesca as a senior, Kasper as a junior. Francesca’s first hosts are the David Lewis family; Kasper’s first hosts are Rotarian Rex Buffington and his family.

      To emphasize the importance of athletics in marketing, he recalled that Doug Flutie’s famous “hail Mary” pass resulted in a 30 percent increase in enrollment in Boston College the following year. “The Flutie Factor” was also apparent when Oregon State, after 28 consecutive losing seasons revamped their athletic program, won  the Fiesta
Bowl 5 years later, and in 5 years enjoyed the highest enrollment in OSU history.
        Although his responsibilities are to athletics, Byrne points out that he’s not elevating its importance over the university’s primary responsibilities in educating its  students.
        Forsuccess in the future, he plans are to enhance the role of athletics in marketing Mississippi State. To accomplish this, he wants the Bulldog Club to continue to grow at the rate of 1,000 per year. Every team will  have clearly defined principles, goals, and objectives.
        “We’ll need to grow staff to get this done,” he admits. He plans to  enhance academic support of athletes with a goal of improving scholastic performance to a 3.0 overall GPA.
        “Our goal is to graduate student athletes, follow the rules, be a first-class department representing MSU, maximize revenue while maintaining fiscal integrity, and compete for championships.
        “We are great ambassadors for MSU. Every one of us (including fans) are part of the solution for success,” he concluded before answering several questions from the audience.