NATCHEZ &8212; Graduates from the Alcorn State University&8217;s Master of Business Administration Program are ready.

Eighteen students from all over the world were honored Thursday at a reception hosted by school officials, sending them into a competitive business world ahead of the game.

The MBA program, a 36-hour program at Alcorn, has turned out successful business people holding jobs in Corporations such as Disney, Sonoco and even locally at Concordia Bank.

Students went through the program for different reasons, but all accomplished the goal set out.

&8220;These are outstanding students and we have a very good program to go with it,&8221; first year Alcorn professor Clyde Posey said. &8220;I&8217;ve taught all over the United States and I would put these up against any I have ever had.&8221;

The MBA program, which has strength in marketing and finance, is one that guest speaker and House of Representatives Chairman Bobby Moak calls &8220;unique.&8221;

&8220;We want Mississippians to work in Mississippi and this program has taken a lead in that,&8221; Moak told the gathering. &8220;By getting this degree you have opened doors and helped people you don&8217;t even know yet.&8221;

Graduates ranged in age and in time spent finishing the program, but all were excited about their accomplishment.

&8220;I really enjoyed it and have decided to stay in Mississippi and use the knowledge I&8217;ve learned here to give back to the community,&8221; MBA recipient Srdjan Gojkovic said.

Speakers of the event called the school a boutique school because of its charming ability to radiate feelings of comfort.

&8220;A boutique type of school is what this reminds me of and that&8217;s what a lot of people are looking for today,&8221; Moak said. &8220;It just feels right here at Alcorn, it feels good.&8221;

The graduate program contains about 60 to 65 students, Associate Dean of the Graduate Business Program Steve Wells said.

&8220;Our faculty are focused on graduate programs here,&8221; Wells said. &8220;That makes our faculty primarily a graduate faculty that spend their time dealing with graduates and that&8217;s where you get the boutique feel.&8221;