NATCHEZ &8212; Alcorn State University has the go-ahead for offering a graduate degree in hospitality and gaming management as part of its executive MBA program, ASU President Clinton Bristow Jr. said Monday.

&8220;This is a big coup for Alcorn,&8221; he said. &8220;It will allow us to train all the executives in the gaming industry who want advanced degrees.&8221;

Classes could begin as soon as fall 2006. &8220;We&8217;ll hire one additional faculty person, and probably in the fall of 2006 we&8217;ll be able to roll this out,&8221; Bristow said.

Dr. Steve Wells, associate dean for graduate business programs at the Natchez campus, where the MBA program is based, said the new program will be a &8220;unique program for a very vibrant and growing industry.&8221;

At its monthly meeting last week, the board of trustees of the state Institutions of Higher Learning approved the ASU program, Bristow said.

The University of Southern Mississippi at Hattiesburg earlier had been approved to award undergraduate degrees in hospitality and gaming management.

&8220;This was a controversial issue,&8221; Bristow said. He referred to differing views of the law regulating schools or programs offering gaming courses &8212; whether the state Gaming Commission or the college board could authorize such programs.

&8220;Finally the courts ruled that the college board could approve gaming classes,&8221; Bristow said.

The college board first had asked the state Legislature to approve casino management courses for the state&8217;s universities, but those efforts failed. In 2004, however, the board filed suit over the issue. Earlier this year, a Jackson civil court judge ruled in favor of the college board.

&8220;This is going to be very significant for Alcorn and for Natchez,&8221; Bristow said.

Wells said he is &8220;extremely excited and pleased to be able to offer a high-quality program for people either entering the industry or already in it and wanting to move up the ladder.&8221;

The 10-course program will be delivered in different ways, including by way of the Internet.

Using Web cam, the university can offer the classes to anyone with a laptop or PC. &8220;They will be able to see and hear the instructor simultaneously. And the sessions can be saved to view later or to retrieve for review.&8221;

Therefore the Alcorn program will be available beyond Mississippi, Wells said. &8220;Gaming is exploding in England, for example. The demand in London for gaming management courses is extremely great.&8221;

The curriculum will consist of business-level courses geared toward hospitality and gaming managers but will not &8220;train someone to repair machines or deal black jack,&8221; Wells said.

Because of the Hurricane Katrina destruction of casino properties on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, rebuilding casinos, especially because they now may be built on land, will reshape the industry in the state, Bristow said.

&8220;The sophistication of the managers will be different, and there will be great employment opportunities,&8221; he said.

Opportunities for Natchez will grow, as well, he said. &8220;Here in Natchez, the same thing will occur. As Natchez looks at Silver Street and along the riverfront, it probably will follow some of the models of the Gulf Coast, developing the industry in a more tourist-friendly manner.&8221;

Bristow has seen the gaming industry &8220;explode in Vicksburg,&8221; where Alcorn also has a branch of its main Lorman campus.

Vicksburg officials &8220;worked with the gaming industry to ease some of the zoning restrictions,&8221; he said.

An example, he said, was a recent addition to its property by Ameristar casino. &8220;Ameristar needed a zoning change to build a new hotel and parking garage, and they came up with a plan that did not block the river view. This is a major development,&8221; Bristow said.

Furthermore, about 10 years ago Vicksburg officials designed a plan for downtown and won a bond issue to carry it out.

&8220;Ten years ago, their downtown was way behind Natchez,&8221; he said. &8220;They got busy, got a bond issue, did cityscape work downtown. They recognized that you have to go into the bond market to make changes to attract businesses and industries.&8221;

Natchez should have a plan, Bristow said. &8220;How do we develop from the pecan factory all the way to the bridge?&8221;