User:Jimmypalmer/The Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence

The Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence

The Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence, CME, is an on-campus institute located on the Oxford, MS campus of The University of Mississippi. The center was created with the support of the State of Mississippi in association with the building of a new Toyota manufacturing plant near Blue Springs, MS. The stated goals of the CME are to be an innovative resource for undergraduate education in manufacturing for accounting, business, and engineering students. In addition, the CME provides community extension services to manufacturers located throughout the Southeast United States as well as performing manufacturing research support and cooperative education.

P-20 Initiative
The CME is considered part of the P-20 Initiative that is an integrated education system designed to reach from pre-school through two years of higher education. Mississippi does not have a statewide pre-school program and as such the CME begins working with kindergarten students instead of pre-school students. Of the fifteen community colleges in the state of Mississippi, the CME has a formal relationship with Northeast Mississippi Community College, Northwest Mississippi Community College, East Mississippi Community College, and Itawamba Community College.

CME Student Body
The Center for Manufacturing Excellence enrolled its first students in the fall semester of 2010. This group was composed of 27 freshmen that were all Mechanical Engineering students. In the fall of 2011, 36 more freshmen joined the CME program and in the fall of 2012 another 51 students were admitted. Enrollment is expected to reach 200 in the fall of 2014 and the first students should be graduating in May 2014.

The majority of CME students are still from engineering fields but the percentage of business and accounting students have now grown to approximately one-third of the enrolled.

CME Mission Statement
The Center for Manufacturing Excellence educates students on the fundamental and innovative practices needed in modern manufacturing. We cultivate future leaders by immersing students in unique experiences that are instrumental in a variety of different career paths. The CME serves as a professional resource to aid in the economic growth of Mississippi.

CME Vision Statement
The Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) believes that people are our greatest resource. Therefore, the CME will offer interdisciplinary educational opportunities within an innovative academic learning model that will provide our students with practical experiences, fundamental knowledge, and creative practices needed to lead the world of modern manufacturing. The CME will work with companies who express a strong desire to grow to become industry leaders and who wish to work with CME staff and students. Together, the CME and these business partners will strive to serve their employees, improve business conditions, and promote economic growth.