NATCHEZ &045;&045; Though it will be a full year later than originally expected, Alcorn State University administrators are starting to get excited about the opening of the new business administration building on the Natchez Campus.

President Clinton Bristow said the contractor will be out of the building by the first of the year and the moving in process will begin. Furniture has been ordered and Bristow expects a partial occupancy and ribbon cutting by the start of spring semester classes.

&uot;All things considered we are very pleased with the facility,&uot; Bristow said. &uot;It is a state of the art facility that will service our growth and give us the opportunity to offer classes not only to full-time students but to an extended array of part-time students.&uot;

Original construction plans had the building slated to open for classes last spring, but weather, supplies and building adjustments pushed that date back to the summer and now to January.

The building will house the school’s Master of Business Administration program created in 1997 and the learning resource center, a library with Internet access open to the public. Other programs will include the masters of accountancy degree, the masters of risk management/finance and a special suite for the executive financial education program.

&uot;It’s a facility that will very effectively provide educational opportunities to students in the Adams County and Natchez area,&uot; Bristow said.

The MBA program will also directly affect the Natchez economy, he said. The executive MBA program will bring individuals already working in the business world to Natchez on the weekends for 10 straight weeks for intensive classes.

&uot;They will stay in a hotel and hopefully bring a spouse with them,&uot; Bristow said. &uot;That spouse will enjoy Natchez while the other goes to school. Not only do we help the Natchez economy but we bring in people from the outside.&uot;

The program is designed for those who can’t leave their jobs during the week and would rather work toward their degree on Saturdays and Sundays.

ASU already has the personnel to run the MBA program lined up and will use money from the recent Ayers settlement to hire more faculty and staff and purchase additional equipment, Bristow said.

&uot;Now that we are investing we need core investors,&uot; he said. &uot;We need students from the area to attend ASU as their school of choice.&uot;