Members of the UM chapter of the Collegiate Automotive Manufacturing Society include (from left) Joseph Reed, a mechanical engineering major; Taylor Scism, a business management major; and Tyler Thompson, who is majoring in mechanical engineering. Photo by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Communications
OXFORD, Miss. – As the auto industry in the United States continues to rebound, University of Mississippi students are positioning themselves for future productivity and success.
Twelve students have formed a campus chapter of the Collegiate Automotive Manufacturing Society. The chapter began in fall 2015 as a result of an idea presented by Ryan Miller, programs manager for the Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence and the group’s adviser.
A member of the Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association board of directors, Miller suggested to the CME students that they found a collegiate engineering-business-accounting honors society with MAMA as the parent association.
The goal is to better connect automotive manufacturers with millennials and try to help the manufacturers better understand them through more direct contact. Miller’s dream is that all the Automotive Manufacturers Associations will develop CAM Society chapters of their own in their respective states’ public universities.
“Ryan approached me with the idea, looking for input and assistance from a student perspective,” said Harleigh Huggins of Oxford, a junior mechanical engineering major and chapter president. “Together, we developed the officer structure and planned the first recruitment meeting.
“It has grown from there. We are the guinea pigs for this project, as we are the first CAM Society to get past the planning stage into the recruitment stage. We will hopefully pave the way for future CAM societies.”
Other CAM Society officers are Tyler Thompson of Madison, a junior mechanical engineering student and vice president; and Taylor Scism, a junior business management major from St. Louis, serves as the chapter’s chief financial officer.
Representatives of the group attended the Southern Automotive Conference this fall in Biloxi, where they served as panelists in two sessions dealing with a multigenerational workforce and working with “millennials.”
“It was a great opportunity for us to network with Southern automotive manufactures and their suppliers,” Huggins said. “Giving members that exposure and opportunity for networking is extremely important to CAM.”
The students’ presentation received high marks from those in attendance.
“They have been lauded as the best part of this conference by multiple sources,” Miller said. “The team represented the university with great class, tact and professionalism.”
UM students Harleigh Huggins (second from left) and Joseph Reed (far right) answer questions following a presentation at the Southern Automotive Association annual meeting. (Submitted photo by Taylor Scism)
Among activities the chapter has sponsored in since its charter was having Donald “Stogie” Stoegbauer, a member of MAMA, come talk to chapter members about his group’s importance and the benefits of a relationship with MAMA.
“It is our goal to get students in higher education more involved with the automotive manufacturing industry and make it easier for those already in the industry to engage with potential future employees,” Scism said. “It is our hope that other four-year institutions nationally recognize the impact this could have on the industry and create their own chapters.
“As we are expanding our recruitment process, we are looking for engaged individuals who have a passion for the automotive industry and academics.”
Plans for the coming year include a recruiting event scheduled for Feb. 9, 2017, for all interested Ole Miss engineering, business and accountancy students.
“We will meet potential recruits and explain what the CAM Society is all about,” Huggins said. “We will also have applications for CAM and an email sign-up list available. Part of the application will be submitting a resume. After that, we will be holding interviews and sending out acceptances into CAM Society.”
Other spring events will be member events, such as philanthropy, team-building activities and a “Cars Under the Stars” event with MAMA. Members also have discussed helping local Cub Scout packs with their Pinewood Derby car designs as an outreach activity.