COLUMBUS — Dr. Claudia Limbert’s advice to her temporary replacement and her as-yet-unnamed permanent successor is succinct, yet encapsulates years of experience in higher education.

“Focus on what’s most important, and right now that’s the students,” said Limbert.

Of course, she also suggests keeping an eye on the budget — Mississippi University for Women’s biggest challenge — and the fledgling e-college — MUW’s potential savior.

After eight years as president of MUW, Limbert has guided the school through a crippling tornado strike, disaffiliated the school’s century-old alumni association, fostered exchange agreements with colleges in China, created a grant-writing program, lobbied for federal dollars in Washington, brokered partnerships with Mississippi State University and community colleges, and established an e-college. She didn’t do all the work herself, but she was at the helm for each.

Limbert, whose last day at MUW is today, has received praise and complaints for her work but, given the chance, she wouldn’t do anything differently.

“Looking back and changing things is probably not a very good idea,” she said. “In each situation you see what you’re faced with and you decide what’s the best thing to do in that circumstance.”

Limbert admits she learned much from her experiences. Beginning in November of 2002 when a tornado wrecked the MUW campus, Limbert, who had just taken over as president, got a quick education in teamwork.

“I certainly met everyone right away,” she laughed.

She recalls a staff meeting in the days following the storm. She asked the assembled faculty, only half joking, who had experience recovering from a tornado.

“The silence was deafening,” she recalled.

The lack of experience with storm damage would prove to be a blessing in disguise.

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TIM PRATT

A public hearing Tuesday on the proposed University Inn renovation project pitted developers and supporters of the venture against representatives of the CottonMill Marketplace development, who spoke out in opposition.

Ultimately, the Starkville planning and zoning commission voted 5-0 to recommend the city’s Board of Aldermen approve developer Tabor Properties’ request to allow a multi-family residential development in a C-2 general business zone. Planning and zoning commission member Jeremy Murdoch was absent and chairman Dora Herring did not vote.

Tabor Properties is requesting conditional use approval from the city to transform 100 former University Inn hotel rooms into 52 condominium units. University Inn, located at 703 Spring St., has been closed since Jan. 1.

The planning and zoning commission in May approved Tabor Properties’ conditional use application, but the commission only acts in an advisory capacity to the city’s Board of Aldermen, which voted June 1 to send the conditional use application back to the planning and zoning commission due to deficiencies, omissions and incorrect advertising. The conditional use request now must go before the Board of Aldermen for approval.

Mark Nicholas, a member of the CottonMill Marketplace Development Group, owns six acres at the corner of Spring Street and Highway 12 and spoke out against Tabor Properties’ conditional use request. Plans for the CottonMill Marketplace development initially included the approximately four acres on which The University Inn sits, but the landowners and Nicholas never reached an agreement on the sale, Nicholas told the planning and zoning commission. He wanted to level the University Inn for retail development.

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JASON BROWNE

In the face of several current and pending moratoriums on payday lenders in the Golden Triangle and statewide, advocate groups are speaking up on behalf of check-cashing services.

Dan Robinson, owner of Cash Inc. in Columbus and a spokesperson for Borrow Smart Mississippi, says consumer education is the answer to stopping the cycle of high-interest debt experienced by many payday loan customers. Tommy Moore, vice president for the Community Financial Services Association of America, located in Alexandria, Va., argues payday lenders provide a vital service not available through traditional financial institutions.

But attorney Scott Colom, a Columbus native working for the Mississippi Center for Justice to stop the proliferation of payday lenders, says the advocate groups are comprised of industry stakeholders angling to protect their profits.

Borrow Smart Mississippi is a federation of approximately 350 payday lenders, including five lenders in Columbus, which have agreed to a code of ethics to prevent customer exploitation.

“We’re advocates for consumers of short-term lending products like payday loans,” said Robinson. “We give consumers a voice who otherwise might be reluctant to speak up for themselves.”

The federation formed in November 2008 because “a group of progressive payday lenders saw it was in their self-interest to have enlightened customers. It’s no different than a cellular company urging people not to text while driving,” he said.

The Borrow Smart website, www.borrowsmartms.com, states the organization’s mission is to “educate the public about short term lending … to dispel myths about the industry by opening lines of communication with the public.”

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DISPATCH STAFF REPORT

STARKVILLE — The Starkville Parks and Recreation Department is gearing up for a 4th of July celebration at the city’s Sportsplex featuring food, fireworks and other festivities.

Events begin July 4 at 5 p.m. in the Sportsplex multipurpose building, where patriotic banners will be dedicated.

At 6 p.m., inflatables will be available on the Sportsplex athletic fields for children free of charge. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., free hot dogs will be given out, along with free snow cones.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.