Mary Beth Blasingame

History of Community Colleges in Mississippi  1908 – Mississippi Legislature passed laws allowing counties to establish agricultural high schools.  1921 – 51 agriculture high schools in Mississippi  Early 1920’s - the agriculture model of high schools provide unsustainable forcing two schools to close and others to close their dormitories  1921 – Pearl River Agricultural High School began offering college classes

 1922 – Mississippi’s Senate passed a bill allowing agricultural high schools to add two years of college work. Schools had to be atleast 20 miles from University of Mississippi, Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical School (now Mississippi State University), Mississippi State College For Women at Columbus, and Mississippi Normal College (now University of Southern Mississippi) Qualifications for teachers were detailed Entrance exams were required Library standards were set  Hinds County Agricultural High School began offering freshman courses along with Pearl River

 1925 – Hinds offered second year college courses  1926 – Pearl River offered sophomore classes  1928 – Forming of Commission of Junior Colleges, giving a small appropriation of money to these colleges  1929 – 13 junior college districts were formed  1929 – 1,248 students were enrolled in junior colleges  1934 – enrollment totaled 3, 185  1949 – Coahoma Junior College was established for African – American students  1954 – Utica Junior College also established for African – American students  1987 – all of the junior colleges with the exception of one changed their names to community colleges

History made in the U.S. With the forming of the Commission, creating school districts and providing state funds Mississippi created the first state system of junior colleges in the United States.

Influential People  Robert E. Lee Sutherland – Hinds County Agricultural High School  James A. Huff – Pearl River County Agricultural High School These men thought of the idea to merge agricultural high schools with junior colleges. Sighting that “This would keep enrollments up and also enable rural students to take college courses that they would otherwise not have access to” (Fatherree, 2010). Julius Christian Zeller of Yazoo County introduced the bill to the senate that allowed for agricultural high schools to teach college courses.

 Knox Broom – supervisor of agricultural high schools and junior colleges Pushed to limit number of junior colleges Helped establish a state committee to coordinate activities at the junior colleges.

Mission of Community Colleges  When the community colleges began in Mississippi their mission was “to provide a quality, accessible education for the state’s communities at an affordable price” (Fatherree, 2010).  This mission is still that of community and junior colleges in Mississippi

Colleges in Mississippi  15 public community colleges institutions A ll but one began as an agricultural high school All accredited by Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools  8 public four year universities  12 private colleges and universities 4 private liberal arts colleges

Alcorn State University Delta State University Jackson State University Mississippi State University Mississippi University for Women Mississippi Valley State University University of Mississippi University of Southern Mississippi Public 4 Year Universities

Private 4 Year Universities Belhaven College Blue Mountain College Bryson University Mississippi College Reformed Theological Seminary Southeastern Baptist College Virginia College, Biloxi Virginia College, Jackson William Carey University

Public 2 Year Schools

 Pearl River Community College Poplarville, Ms state’s 1 st agricultural high school 1 st school to offer college courses 1924 first public two year college in Mississippi Enrollment Fall 2011: 4, certificate of proficiency programs 26 Career Technical degree programs  Copiah – Lincoln Community College Wesson, Ms founded as Copiah-Lincoln Agricultural High School 1928 the school began teaching college courses Enrollment Spring 2012: 2, degree programs

 Hinds Community College Raymond, Ms began as agricultural high school 1927 granted diplomas to its first graduating class Largest community college in the state Approximately 32,000 students this year technical, academic and career programs  Holmes Community College Goodman, Ms began as an agricultural high school st year to offer college classes 52 academic programs and 19 Career/Technical Enrollment: Fall ,420

 Mississippi Delta Community College Moorhead, Ms. Began as Sunflower Junior College in 1926 Fully accredited in programs of study technical, career and academic Enrollment: Fall ,283  Northwest Mississippi Community College Senatobia, Ms. Tate County Agricultural High School became Northwest Mississippi Junior College in programs of study Enrollment: Spring ,485

 Northeast Mississippi Community College Booneville, Ms. Founded in 1948 Enrollment: Spring , academic, career, and technical programs  East Mississippi Community College Scooba, Ms. 1 st began as Kemper County Agricultural High School in changed to a junior college Offers 25 career and technical programs Enrollment: Approximately 1,000

 Coahoma Community College Clarksdale, Ms Coahoma County was the 1 st county in Mississippi to provide an agricultural high school for African-Americans school introduced college courses and changed name to Coahoma Community College 1950 became the first educational institution for African-Americans to be included in Mississippi's system of public junior colleges 1965 allowed for students of other races to attend Enrollment: Fall , degree programs

 Itawamba Community College Fulton, Ms. In 1948 formed as an extension of Itawamba Agricultural High School 76 programs of study offered in technical, career, and academic Enrollment: Fall ,596  Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Perkinston, Ms. Originally began as Harrison County Agricultural High School and in 1925 began offering junior college courses 1962 adopted the name Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College Enrollment: ,951 total students 67 programs of study in technical, career, and academic

 Jones County Junior College Ellisville, Ms Jones County Agricultural High School became Jones Junior College Total of 96 career, technical, and academic programs of study Enrollment Fall 2012: 4,589  Southwest Mississippi Community College Summit, Ms started as Pike County Agricultural High School 1929 began introducing college courses and 1988 started going by Southwest Mississippi Community College Enrollment Fall 2011: 2,128

 Meridian Community College Meridian, Ms. The school began as the 13 th and 14 th grades at Meridian High School in 1937 Meridian Junior College operated out of the high school until merged with T.J. Harris Junior College Offers 50 programs ranging from associates degrees to certificates Enrollment Fall 2012: 4,019  East Central Community College Decatur, Ms. Formed in 1928 Enrollment Fall 2011: 2,394 Offer academic transfer courses, career and technical programs and adult education classes

Students Enrolled in Mississippi’s Community Colleges

Full time: 60,032 Part-time: 22,376 Total: 82,408

Females: 50,567 Males: 31,832 American Indian/Alaska Native: 584 Asian/Pacific Islander: 466 Black, non-Hispanic: 29,514 Hispanic: 609 Non-resident Alien: 590 White, non Hispanic: 49,007 Race unknown: 1,629

National Graduation Rate compared to Mississippi Community College Rate

Faculty 2011 Faculty Numbers Coahoma 223 Copiah-Lincoln 125 East Central 209 East Mississippi 535 Hinds 1181 Holmes 374 Itawamba 890 Jones 342 Meridian 334 MS Delta 227 MS Gulf Coast 794 Northeast 282 Northwest 478 Pearl River 518 Southwest Miss. 151

Student Teacher Ratios Coahoma 28:1 Copiah-Lincoln 14:1 East Central 25:1 East Mississippi 20:1 Hinds 20:1 Holmes 25:1 Itawamba 31:1 Jones 21:1 Meridian 18:1 MS Delta 20:1 MS Gulf Coast 21:1 Northeast 23:1 Northwest 19:1 Pearl River 16:1 Southwest Miss. 24:1 Student to Faculty

Average Faculty Salary Coahoma41,59942,273 Copiah-Lincoln47,21648,830 East Central47,91952,621 East Mississippi50,10750,229 Hinds46,09646,159 Holmes53,44253,443 Itawamba56,41758,228 Jones52,24052,366 Meridian41,80141,737 MS Delta47,96149,958 MS Gulf Coast42,30242,642 Northeast51,50352,021 Northwest50,69550,491 Pearl River56,22456,687 Southwest Miss.53,12453,129

Collective Bargaining  “Mississippi is among those states — many in the South — where most government employees do not have the right to collective bargaining” (Pettus & Scelzig, 2011)  “Mississippi Alliance of State Employees, which has no bargaining power but provides a voice for state government workers to air their concerns before the governor and Legislature” (Pettus & Scelzig, 2011).

Governance and Administration  Mississippi Commission of College Accreditation – has the authority to approve all institutions or other entities that provide one or more postsecondary academic degrees that are domicile, incorporate and located in Mississippi.  Mississippi Department of Education requires colleges and universities to maintain accreditation by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), Commission on Colleges and to actively pursue accreditation in all possible programs

Academic Productivity Review Board Responsible for:  Ensuring effective use of State resources  Reduce unnecessary academic program duplication  Eliminate unproductive programs

Governing Bodies  Schools are required to submit organizational charts to the Board of Trustees with the Mississippi Department of Education and Office of Academic and Student Affairs  Charts must detail non-academic positions and academic positions

Mississippi Community College Board  Office of Career and Technical Education responsible for Assisting in evaluation of programs with deans and other personnel Reimbursement process for state upgraded equipment Salaries for career and technical personnel Reviews requests for new programs, deletion and modification of existing programs Liaison between Community and Junior College Deans, Mississippi Department of Education and the Research and Curriculum Unit

Finance  A report performed by the State Board of Trustees compared state appropriations of general funds in public 4 year universities and 2 year community colleges and the Institutions of Higher Learning System (IHL)  2012 Fiscal Year community colleges received 4.34%, 4 year universities 44.77% and IHL received 12.65% totaling 61.77% of the general funds being spent on education  2013 Fiscal Year Community Colleges 4.15%, 4 year universities 42.70% and IHL 11.03%

State Awarded Financial Aid Undergraduate Grants AwardAmount 2-Year Public 7,767 $3,750,142 4-Year Public 15,19316,117,836 4-Year Private 2,3682,475,283 Out of State 0$ - Total 25,38222,163,261 Student Loans Awar dAmount 2-Year Public0$ - 4-Year Public915$4,535,605 4-Year Private2201,048,174 Out-of-State or Loan Servicer211604,879 Total1,3466,188,658

Financial Aid  Mississippi Community College Foundation Provides support for the Mississippi Community College Board, junior and community colleges Provided and still provides opportunities through funding for faculty members to upgrade degrees Extensive research on workforce needs to better inform and train students at community colleges Provides funding for local initiative at community colleges to support Entrepreneurial Alliance. This alliance enables businesses to rely on community colleges for resources. Offers leadership programs and scholarships

Community Colleges In State Tuition Out of StateUniversities In State Out of State Coahoma9502,400Alcorn State2,8567,032 Copiah- Lincoln 9751,875Delta State3,0064,200 East Central8951,945Jackson State2,9947,338 East Mississippi 1,0252,050Miss. State6,26415,828 Hinds9802,280Ms University for Women 2,6587,242 Holmes9252,215Miss. Valley2,8147,038 Itawamba9501,825Univ. of Miss.6,60017,568 Jones County 1,0742,074Univ. of Southern Miss. 3,1687,224 Meridian1,0001,690 Mississippi Delta 1,1651,964 Miss. Gulf Coast 1,1502,073 Northeast Miss. 1,0502,100 Northwest Miss. 9751,975 Pearl River1,0002,199 Southwest Miss. 9752,325

Community and Junior College Revenue by Source Fiscal Year 2011 Revenue Source AmountPercentage General Fund$168,422, % Education Enhancement 30,272, ARRA SFSF Gov’t Services 20,041, Indirect State45,637, Federal35,633, Student Fees196,864, District Taxes50,808, Other Revenue4,853, Total Revenue$552,534, %

Community and Junior College Source of Expenditures by Program FY 2011 Expenditures by Program AmountPercentage Academic Instruction$163,570, % Career-Technical Instruction 84,559, Other Instruction63,135, Total Instruction311,266, Instructional Support19,855, Student Services62,566, Institutional Support81,098, Physical Plant77, Total E & G Expenditures 552,534,451100%

Vocational Programs  There are vocational and technical programs in the state of Mississippi  All 15 community colleges are workforce centers providing credit and noncredit education to people seeking skilled jobs.

Vocational Education  Office of Career and Technical Education and Workforce Development is a division of Mississippi Department of Education  It’s duty is to help train a qualified workforce to ensure students are ready for competitive jobs.  Partner with local business leaders and legislature to attain common goals  MCCB Annual Report noted 21,467 students were enrolled in Career and Technical Programs at community and junior colleges in 2010 and 21,97 in fall of 2009.

Career and Technical Education Office of Career Readiness – Miss. Community College Board Implemented the Exemplary Teaching Program Evaluates the quality of teaching and learning in vocational programs Provide Mississippi Career Readiness Certificate This certificate was implemented in Mississippi to help people seeking careers improve skills necessary for the workforce. Verifies cognitive skills

Development Education General Education Development (GED) Available for adults that did not complete high school Testing is administered by the Mississippi Community College Board “For FY 2011, 14,753 GED test booklets were scored and 12,217 transcripts were issued. Approximately 13,483 individuals completed the entire GED best battery with 7,882 receiving a GED credential/diploma. For the fall 2010 semester, there were 9,219 students who were admitted in community and junior colleges via a GED diploma” ( Annual Report,15). 3,858 people earned their GED and 627 continued on to postsecondary education or training

Adult Education Services or instruction below the postsecondary level for individuals who: years of age or older 2. Are not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under State law 3. Lack sufficient mastery of basic educational skills to enable the individuals to function effectively in society 4. Do not have a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent 5. have not achieved an equivalent level of education; or are unable to speak, read, or write the English language

Adult Education 28 basic education programs offered in FY 2011 All 15 community and junior colleges offer classes 9 programs are in public schools, 1 program in a community based-organization 1 in a university 2 in correctional institutions 1,923 people participated in adult education classes

Community Education  Mississippi’s junior and community colleges all come from community’s involvement in the desire to further knowledge of agriculture to better the regions in which the people lived.  Mississippi community colleges have partnerships with one another, local and large scale business to ensure continued growth in the economy.

Hinds Community College  Small Business Development Center and International Trade Center Supported by Hinds Community College Help small business in surrounding counties prosper Partnership with U.S. Small Business Administration

MS Gulf Coast  Community Campus Affordable and flexible training programs Enhance workforce, job growth, job retention rate in the four surrounding counties Gulfport. Enable South Mississippi to grow through industry partnerships

Collegiate Education  Graduation Rate Task Force examines Articulation and Transfer Graduation and Retention Rates Student and Mental Health Services  Two studies conducted by GRTF in order to better analyze where Mississippi needs to improve in retention, graduating and student services

GRTF’s Findings  Mississippi is behind the nation and many countries in education attainment  In order for Miss. to reach the national average the state must produce an additional 147,144 associate and bachelor’s degrees by 2025 or 962 additional degree each year  Mississippi ranks 45 th in the U.S. in percentage of high school graduates  Ranks 49th among the states in the percentage of the population ages with a bachelor’s degree or higher.  Ranks 29 th in getting students through to atleast an associate degree.

More findings…  “Only 12% of African Americans have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 24% of Whites. If all minority groups had the same educational attainment as Whites, the annual personal income in Mississippi would be $7 billion higher” (Graduation Rate Task Force Executive Summary, p. 33).  “Mississippi Community and Junior Colleges (CJCs) award more associate degrees per 1,000 adults age with no college degree than the national average, but awards substantially fewer postsecondary certificates and diplomas than the national average. This reflects the historic emphasis of CJCs on college transfer associate degrees as opposed to short term workforce certification”(Graduation Rate Task Force Executive Summary, p. 41).

Student Graduation rates by campus Public two year colleges

Student Graduation Rates at 4 Year Public Universities in Mississippi

In the Fall of ,916 students that previously attended a community college in Mississippi transferred to one of the eight public 4 year institutions.

ASUDSUJSUMSUMUWMVSUUMUSMTOTAL Coahoma Copiah-Lincoln East Central East Mississippi Hinds Holmes Itawamba Jones County Meridian Ms. Delta Ms. Gulf Coast Northeast Miss Northwest Ms Pearl River Southwest Ms Total , ,3794,916

References  Complete College America. (2011). Mississippi Retrieved From:  Fatherree,, B.H. (2010, March). The Community and Junior College System in Mississippi: A Brief History of its Origin and Development. Mississippi History Now. Retrieved From:  Graduation Rate Task Force. (2009). Graduation Rate Task Force Executive Summary. Retrieved From: pdf  Mississippi Community College Board. (2012) Annual Report. Retrieved From:  Mississippi Community College Board. (2010) month equivalent full-time faculty salaries fiscal years estimated. Community and Junior College Financial Data. Retrieved From: 11.pdf  Mississippi Department of Education. (2012) 2012 Annual Report of the State Financial Aid Programs. Retrieved From: al%20Report_12.pdf

References  Pettus, E. W., & Scelzig, E. (2011). Union bargaining a dream for many state workers. U.S. Business on NBC News.com. Retrieved from