MSU-Meridian announces Outstanding Undergraduate for Division of Business

Contact: Lisa Sollie

MERIDIAN, Miss.—A Mississippi State senior from Walnut Grove will be recognized as the Outstanding Undergraduate Student for MSU-Meridian’s Division of Business during the university’s fall commencement ceremony Thursday [Dec. 13].

For Meagan Perry Hall, a writing assignment at East Central Community College was the catalyst that ultimately led her to pursue a degree in healthcare administration at MSU-Meridian.

Hall said she’s always known she wanted to earn a business degree, but wasn’t sure of the area of concentration.  

 Her ECCC instructor, upon reading her paper, encouraged her to look into the healthcare field. After talking with several professionals, Hall enrolled in the MSU-Meridian program.

 “I loved MSU-Meridian right from the start, especially the small classroom environment,” she said. “Not only because it allowed me to get to know my professors on a one-to-one basis, but I made an abundance of friends as well.”

Hall said her flexible class schedule also was a great benefit.

 “Most of my classes started in the late afternoon, so I could work part-time while going to school,” she said. “I also was able to schedule my classes so that I didn’t have to make the hour commute to Meridian every day.”

This past summer, the Division of Business began offering several classes in the blended delivery format.

“Blended delivery is great, especially for someone like me,” Hall said. “On those days when I didn’t feel well enough or was unable to come to class due to my internship, I still could participate live from home so I didn’t miss any class lectures or assignments. I loved it,” the expectant mother said of the campus’s ability to offer face-to-face, synchronous online and recorded options for many MSU-Meridian courses. 

Carlton Young, associate professor of healthcare administration at MSU-Meridian, said every student enrolled in healthcare administration is required to complete a semester-long internship in a hospital or other healthcare facility under the guidance of a professional healthcare administrator.

“This internship provides MSU healthcare administration students real-world experience to jump-start their careers and directly involves them in the challenges of managing in today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment,” Young said. “Our graduates, who are highly sought after in the job market, have successfully completed internships across Mississippi.”

Hall said she had a “wonderful internship experience” at the Choctaw Residential Center in Philadelphia, which helped confirm the field was her “calling.” She worked with nursing home administrator Wendy Moran.

“I learned so much from working side by side with her these past few months and enjoyed getting the opportunity to observe what takes place at the facility as the administrator,” Hall said. “One thing in particular that stood out was the importance of communication among your staff—not only how to communicate, but the correct terminology to use. I also saw firsthand how Medicaid and Medicare work, as well as insurance in general, which was a topic that was covered and discussed a lot in the classroom.”

Hall, grateful for the support of her husband, parents and other family members and friends is looking forward to a brief respite from hitting the books and the arrival of the couple's first child in February 2019.

She intends to return to MSU-Meridian next fall to begin the graduate professional MBA program with plans to become a licensed nursing home administrator.

To learn more about MSU-Meridian, visit meridian.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.