"We have some disenchanted contributors, too, who are very disturbed about this thing, who made major commitments and they see all this controversy," Chain said. "They're worried that they made these commitments and nothing has happened."

Thames is scheduled to be in Jackson Thursday to explain his vision for the university to the state College Board.

Although he has been involved with the project since its inception, Chain is baffled by the delays.

"There's nothing about it that makes sense," he said. "I mean, we had all the people in place to raise the money. We just needed the university administration to cooperate with us as we started.

"Because the idea didn't originate out there (at USM), maybe that's the problem. Maybe it wasn't Dr. Thames' idea. It was not his idea. It was Sen. Lott's idea, and never in his wildest dreams did he ask to have this building named for him."

Attempts to reach Thames for comment were unsuccessful Monday and Tuesday. University spokeswoman Lisa Mader referred all calls to Dvorak.

Thames said in January he would ask the College Board for approval to bid the project without all the funds in hand. He later said he misspoke and did not make the request.

At the College Board's March meeting, Thames withdrew a request to transfer $3.5 million to the Lott Center that had been earmarked for renovation of the former Albertsons grocery building at Cloverleaf Center. The former grocery store is supposed to house the university's nursing program.

"It looks like we might have somebody who's willing to help us," he said then. "We're just going to do it a different way."

During an April 13 meeting with students, Thames said the $3.5 million was included in a general bond bill pending in the Legislature. The bill died in the final days of the session.

Dvorak said she does not know if the university will revisit using the Albertsons project money for the Lott Center.

While private donors have pledged money to the center, most its funding comes from the federal government.

"The first year this was funded from the federal government was $2 million," she said. "The second year was $980,000, and this year it will be a little less than $4 million. That's the federal funds that have been secured to date. We have received in cash $672,600 in private funds through April 30. We have total pledged $2,0250,000. That's private money."

The latest $4 million federal appropriation can be used for site development and technology, but not for construction, she said.

USM Foundation director Tim Ryan is also responsible for fund-raising for the Lott Center, Dvorak said. She referred questions about donors of the private funds to Ryan who couldn't be reached for comment.

Chain said that he has been cut out of the project by the administration and Dvorak is now handling details of the Lott Center.

"She knows about as much about building as I do about teaching English," Chain said.

So far, $700,000 has been spent on the architect's drawings of the building, Chain said, and an additional $2 million has been pledged to the project.

But Chain said he is upset that several members of the Economic Development Department and a member of the USM Foundation have since left the university, resulting in a lack of follow-up with those pledges.

Chain, who has known Lott since the senator was 26 years old, said that the numerous donors who have committed to the project are contributing because of Lott's involvement.

"Obviously, they're not interested in the University of Southern Mississippi," Chain said. "They're interested in Sen. Trent Lott."

The idea for the center initiated with Lott in the late 1990s and Chain has helped shepherd the project since then. He has organized two fund-raising events involving defense contractors, airline officials and others.

Lott did not return calls for this story Monday and Tuesday.

Chain said that Thames lost his enthusiasm for the center and that Thames "tried to pick a fight with me" about moving the center into the College of Business, something that Chain said Lott was adamantly against.

Asked if there has been behind-the-scenes wrangling about this project, Chain laughed: "I think that'd be a generous statement. There's been a huge amount. Every time we try to do something there's a roadblock put up."

There has been discussion of possibly moving the center from campus to a space in the planned innovation and commercialization park off Classic Drive.

"It's been suggested that the Trent Lott economic development center be moved from the (U.S.) 49 location to this park and this would help stimulate the development of the park," said Phillip Halstead, president of the Area Development Partnership in an interview last week. "That's in preliminary stages of discussion."

When asked about that possibility, Dvorak said that idea was "a casual comment" and Halstead later said it was "an idea in passing."

The federal money does not lock the university into building the Lott Center on the Sports Arena site, Dvorak said. But Chain disagreed and said the federal money was specifically set aside for that space.

"A building has been designed to fit that location," Chain said. "The plans are complete."

In addition to these challenges, Chain is now searching for a new state chairman for the project.

Michael Garrett, former Mississippi Power Co. president and chief executive officer, moved to Georgia to assume leadership of Georgia Power Co. He had been the state committee chairman.

A Georgia Power spokeswoman said Garrett was successful in raising funds and is no longer associated with the center's committee.

Despite the controversy, Chain and Dvorak say they remain committed to completing the Lott Center.

"This administration is doing everything humanly possible to bring this building to fruition," Dvorak said. "We need this building desperately. Every day we have opportunities to utilize a center for economic development and entrepreneurship."

Chain said he felt "awful" about the delays and feared that it would be an embarrassment for the university - and Lott - if the project doesn't come together.