Contact: Robbie Ward
Dozens of Mississippi government and community leaders will be at Mississippi State next week for a daylong seminar.
Titled "From First Impressions to Lasting Impressions," the Tuesday [March 3] program is sponsored by the university's Community Action Team. The goal: to help participants better focus on key areas necessary to create an attractive community for visitors.
MSU team director Virgil Culver said the importance first impressions have on a community cannot be understated. "A community's character is evaluated very quickly by visitors," he said. "They form an opinion of the quality of life and economic viability of the community by casual observation."
Typically, the team's First Impressions program has a diverse group of individuals from different communities visit an area to "see" what initial impressions it makes on visitors. After the visit, group members produce a report to be discussed with local leaders in a town-hall setting.
To date, MSU's Community Action Team has aided some 50 communities. As part of the participatory process, each community visited must agree to assist team members on their visit to another community.
The Tuesday seminar will involve workshops and discussions on such topics as the "Basic principles of community design," "Turning plans into action" and "Skills for networking with other community leaders."
Local leaders involved in the First Impressions program have praised its impact. For one, Pelahatchie Mayor Knox W. Ross Jr. says the program helped his city identify key areas to improve appearances. "The most valuable asset this team had was the perspective of a fresh set of eyes," he said.
Interested members of the news media are welcome to attend. For a schedule or more information, contact Chance McDavid at 662-325-6703 or chance.mcdavid@msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.