MSU Carl Center issues invitation to 30th birthday party

Contact: Kenneth Billings

STARKVILLE, Miss.--The Carl Small Town Center at Mississippi State celebrates three decades of work with state communities during an April 28 public program on campus.

An outreach arm of the university's College of Architecture, Art and Design, the CSTC is a non-profit organization established in 1979 to assist small towns and cities seeking to renew and improve their physical environments.

Named for Fred Carl Jr., founder, president and chief executive officer of Greenwood-based Viking Range Corp--and a major university benefactor--the center also works with local state and national partners to help find solutions to comparable problems and challenges faced by all such municipalities.

The 5-7 p.m. event in 140 Giles Hall will feature a slideshow retrospective of the center's work and an unveiling of the new CSTC Web site, among other activities. Appetizers and other refreshments will be served.

"We are very proud of the achievements of the Carl Small Town Center over the past 30 years," said director John Poros. "Working across the state, we have helped small towns improve their physical environment, plan for the future and promote economic development.

"We invite everyone to come and help us celebrate our past accomplishments and look forward to even better small towns in Mississippi's future," he added.

Former students, faculty, staff, and clients are especially encouraged to take part, Poros said.

Giles Hall is located north of Scott Field at the intersection of Collegeview Street and Barr Avenue.

For more information, contact Cari Varner at 325-8671 or cvarner@caad.msstate.edu.

For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.