PROGRAM OF WORK
The program of work developed by TMI’s start-up board and leadership, as facilitated by Dr. Mack Portera, then president of Mississippi State University, and Mr. Dwight Evans, then president of Mississippi Power Company, consisted of the following:
- Leadership development;
Dr. Malcolm Portera
Chancellor
The University of Alabama System - Regional cooperation;
- Regional self-perception and self-examination;
- Research and exposure to new ways/ideas;
- Identification of the bigger issues important to the future;
- Build consensus – finding the common ground that regional leaders can agree upon, and create a “booster spirit” for the region; and
- Act as a change agent for the region.
TMI has continued to follow this original program of work. The specific programs and methods used to accomplish the program of work have evolved, but not the program of work itself. The following chart illustrates this evolution:
FIRST YEARS |
LATTER YEARS |
Leadership
|
Leadership
|
Strategic Thinking and Analysis
|
Strategic Thinking and Analysis
|
Information Dissemination
|
Information Dissemination
|
The Aspen Institute studied “effective rural workforce partnerships” for the National Fund for Workforce Solutions. TMI and the WAEM Initiative were one of these “effective partnerships.” During this study, the Aspen Institute categorized such partnerships as
- Constituency-Centered, i.e., focuses on youth or dislocated workers or some other sub-category of employees;
- Employer-Centered, i.e., driven by the needs of participating employers;
- Sector-Centered, i.e., focuses on a specific industry sector like automotive or healthcare;
- Service-Centered, i.e., focused on a specific area of employee service such as postsecondary education, and
- Opportunistic, i.e., uses any and all the above approaches as necessary to capitalize on opportunities and address needs in its service region.
The TMI/WAEM Partnership was placed in the Opportunistic category. This description also captures the way has TMI operated. Because it has had no single sponsor or funding source since its start-up, TMI has sought and used whatever approach and resources it could find to accomplish its purpose – to upbuild the eastern portions of Mississippi and the western portions of Alabama.
The Aspen Institute called this “opportunistic.” We call it “adaptive.” TMI adapts to available opportunities, resources, and needs, but always within the guidance set forth in its creation documents and start-up program of work. Because of limited funding, this “adaptive” approach appears to be the only practical approach for TMI to survive and carry-on with its vision, mission, and program of work.
In summary, TMI’s role continues to be as originally envisioned and set forth in its creation documents and start-up program of work. The focus of its programs and the scope of its geographic area around Meridian depend upon each opportunity and/or resource that becomes available.
