Chancery judge rules college can teach casino management

Wednesday, July 6, 2005 | 9:38 a.m.

JACKSON, Miss. -- The state College Board has the right to approve casino-management courses at the University of Southern Mississippi, a chancery judge has ruled.

Hinds County Chancellor Patricia Wise wrote in her 10-page ruling that while state law prohibits public colleges and universities from training workers in skills such as blackjack dealing, the law does not ban management courses.

Wise wrote that the College Board "was within its constitutional authority to approve the curriculum proposed by the University of Southern Mississippi."

Commissioner of Higher Education Richard Crofts, in a news release Tuesday, praised Wise's ruling, which was handed down on Friday before the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

"We were pleased that Judge Wise reaffirmed the ongoing constitutional authority of the Board of Trustees to manage and control the state's universities," Crofts said.

The College Board in April 2004 approved a USM plan to offer a bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis on casino and resort management.

Attorney General Jim Hood issued a nonbinding opinion in May 2004 that the College Board didn't have the authority to approve the gaming courses at USM, and the College Board filed a lawsuit to challenge the opinion.