Video: Stennis Institute of Government’s Hardwick Steps Down

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) — After more than a decade as program coordinator for MSU’s Stennis Institute of Government, Phil Hardwick is stepping down.

Today, friends and coworkers honored him with a luncheon in Starkville.

Hardwick came to the Stennis Institute in 2003 after retiring from Mississippi Valley Gas. He has worked closely with civic leaders across the state to help them better develop their communities.

“I’d say two things: Number one is the economy, and then number two is the education, and those two are intertwined,” Hardwick said. “And that’s the biggest challenge facing small towns that I can see is how do you use your local schools to get the workforce ready for the economy that you have. That’s going to be the biggest challenge for most small towns in Mississippi.”

Hardwick is hesitant to use the word “retiring.” He still teaches classes at Millsaps College, and writes a column for the Mississippi Business Journal.