A student, instructor, and administrator from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College have all been recognized by the American Technical Education Association (ATEA), which held its national conference April 3 in Biloxi.
Jeremy Hess is one of six students chosen for the ATEA Outstanding Technical Student Award, an honor presented to people enrolled full-time in a postsecondary educational program. A student at Gulf Coast’s Jefferson Davis Campus, he is pursuing an associate’s degree in both Computer Networking and Technology and Network Security Technology. He’s also maintained a 4.0 GPA, made the President’s List, and received the Tri-MEC Scholarship each semester.
“Jeremy is an ideal student who pushes his peers to learn and excel in everything they do both inside and outside the classroom,” said a fellow student. “He sets the bar high for himself and encourages his fellow students to meet challenges with him.”
Elana Myers, a Computer Networking instructor at the college’s JD Campus, was one of nine people nominated for the ATEA’S 2008 Outstanding Technical Teacher Award. Myers also maintains the Microsoft Server Domain for the CIST department. She’s also taught preparatory courses for secondary schools in the college district, and her previous experience as a web and network administrator has enabled her to simulate real-world experiences in the classroom.
“Elana is by far one of the most dependable instructors I’ve ever had the privilege of working with, and she’s always ready to help out in any capacity,” said Dr. Beverly Clark, assistant dean of Career and Technical programs at the JD Campus. “When students begin to doubt their own abilities, she inspires them to keep learning.”
Anna Faye Kelley-Winders, Gulf Coast’s Community Campus vice president, has spent more than 30 years at the college as an instructor and administrator. She is also on the college’s Executive Council.
After Hurricane Katrina, Kelley-Winders used her business, industry, and government contacts to set up partnerships between Gulf Coast and national, state, and government agencies, private foundations, trade organizations, and other industries to develop cutting-edge career and technical training programs. Within two months, the college launched two rapid-response training programs to alleviate workforce shortages and assist in the Gulf Coast’s rebuilding efforts. She’s also served as president of several organizations, including Delta Kappa Gamma, Lucedale Rotary Club, and Mississippi Post-Secondary Career-Technical Deans and Directors.
MGCCC’S Polk earns International Institute for Public Policy Fellow
Adding to his ever-growing list of accomplishments, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College student Deeneaus Polk was recently selected as a 2008 Institute for International Public Policy (IIPP) Fellow. The 21-year-old Jackson County Campus student will join other 24 other college students as they address an identified national need for increased numbers of underrepresented minorities in international service careers.
“I feel extremely lucky and blessed,” Polk said. “Only a few students out of thousands who apply for this fellowship get it, so it’s a major accomplishment. I still can’t believe I got it.”
Students accepted into the IIPP Fellowship Program begin their journey with a seven-week Sophomore Summer Policy Institute (SSPI), hosted by Spelman College, one of the premier liberal arts institutions in the country. The SSPI introduces Fellows to the basics of international policy development, foreign affairs, cultural competence, careers in these fields, and options for graduate study. To assist Fellows in putting what they learn at the SSPI into context, they participate in study missions to Washington, D.C., and New York, N.Y., through briefings at the Department of Education, the Department of State, and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as well as with such organizations as the Council on Foreign Relations, the United Nations and the World Bank.
After IIPP Fellows successfully complete the Sophomore Summer Policy Institute, they participate in IIPP’s Junior Year Study Abroad component. Following their junior year abroad, IIPP Fellows attend the Junior Summer Policy Institute (JSPI) at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy. The JSPI includes seven weeks of intensive, graduate-level work in international relations and foreign policy on such topics as security, development, economics and trade, and statistics. Coursework is designed to prepare Fellows for successful admission to and completion of graduate school.
“Deeneaus is a very well-rounded and capable individual who has proven to be an indispensable part of our Honors Program, campus, and community,” said Dr. MaryAnn Sison, JC Campus social studies instructor. “He has a keen insight for the needs of the people around him and is always eager to plan and participate in service projects. He has already distinguished himself in this regard far beyond the contributions made by his peers.
“Obviously, he is well-respected by students, faculty, and administrators,” Sison continued. “Deeneaus has embraced the responsibility of serving as a role-model for young people. But in reality, his energy, selflessness, optimism, and integrity are an example to all ages. Overall he has proven to be one of the most responsible, dedicated, and pleasant students with whom I have dealt with in the many years that I have taught at the university and college level.”
Deeneaus, or “D” as he’s called, will graduate from Gulf Coast on May 15, 2008. During his time at the college, D has arguably achieved more than 10 people could do in a lifetime. For instance, during the summer of 2006, D visited with President George W. Bush when he spoke at the college’s graduation, he earned the prestigious $1,000 Coca-Cola Scholarship designed to empower today’s youth; and he visited Germany. Polk earned a visit with the nation’s commander in chief after he had won the President’s Freedom Corps Volunteer Award, an honor given to people who make volunteering and helping others a priority.
“Some people dream about their future, but D is making his future what he wants it to be,” said Dr. Willis Lott, Gulf Coast president. “We know that D will do a great job and we are very proud of him.”
Polk also plans on attending The University of Mississippi after graduating from Gulf Coast. Recently he also found out that he has earned a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, which is part of a program designed to help community college students with exceptional promise and demonstrated financial need make the transition to four-year colleges and universities.
“I never would’ve dreamed that I could accomplish so much at Gulf Coast,” he said.
MGCCC’S Irvin Favre Showcase Classic set for June 21
Irvin Favre as a defensive back at Perk in the 1960’s.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is putting together a one-of-a-kind event for a one-of-a-kind person. On Saturday, June 21, Gulf Coast, along with the Island View Casino Resort, will host the first-ever Irvin Favre Showcase Classic at Windance Country Club in Gulfport.
The two-day event will feature a VIP Pairings Party and Silent Auction June 20 at the Island View and golf at 11 a.m. on June 21 at Windance.
“Every golfer on the Gulf Coast will want to play in this fabulous event,” said Tommy Snell, Gulf Coast golf coach. “It’s a must-play event honoring someone who meant so much to athletes and students on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”
Star athlete turned coach/mentor to kids
Most know Favre from his 28 years in coaching, 24 of those in the Hancock County School District. At Hancock North Central High School, he coached all three of his sons, Scott, Jeff, and Brett, who went on to become the legendary NFL quarterback who led the Green Bay Packers to the Super Bowl XXXI title. However the elder Favre, a Gulfport native, played football and baseball from 1964-65 at what was then Perkinston Junior College. While at Perk, Favre was part of the 64-65 football teams under head coach Ken “Curley” Farris. On the baseball diamond, also coached by Farris, Favre helped lead the Bulldogs to South Division titles in 1964 and 1965.
“This is all about Irvin Favre, a star athlete while he was here, who has never been honored as he should,” said Jere Hess, Gulf Coast associate vice president for Development. “He’s not in our Athletic Hall of Fame, because when he was contacted each year by our archivist Charles Sullivan, he would not respond with the information about his athletic accomplishments. That is so like Irv. He didn’t mind telling you about his kids and their awards, but when the subject came around to him, he would change it. He was not into self-promotion. That is why naming this tournament after him is so fitting.”
Irvin Favre Showcase Classic to raise money for academic/athletic scholarships
Showcase, which is entering its 18th year of existence, raises scholarship money for Gulf Coast students.
“It has always been successful,” Hess added, “but with the Irvin Favre name attached to it, the sky is the limit. I know his many friends will want to make this tribute to Irvin as successful as it can be.”
During his time at Perk, Irvin Favre had many big moments on the baseball diamond, and on the gridiron. Among many highlights was a 1964 baseball game against Clarke, where he pitched a shutout and smacked the game-winning home run in a 1-0 win. During that same year, Favre played defensive back on the football team and set a team record with four interceptions. Off the field, he was going to school and dating Bonita French, who would later become his wife for 38 years until his death in 2003.
Favre hits home run
“I met Irvin while at Perk,” Bonita Favre said. “It was at a party in Pass Christian and Jimmy Benigno introduced us. Jimmy was the quarterback on Perk football team. Irvin proposed to me on the Perk baseball field! For us, our times at Perk were the beginning of it all.”
Sponsorships for the Irvin Favre Classic are as follows:
Silver Sponsor/$1,000: Includes six tickets to the pairings party and a sponsorship sign at the golf tournament.
Gold Sponsor/$2,000: Includes a team in the golf tournament, 10 tickets to the pairings party, and a sponsorship sign at the golf tournament.
Platinum Sponsor/$25,000 (Only five available): Includes a team in the golf tournament, 10 tickets to the pairings party, and a sponsorship sign at the golf tournament, and VIP passes to a private dinner with Brett and Deanna Favre and the entire Favre Family at Emeril’s Gulf Coast Fish House.
“It’s such an honor to have this event in my father’s name,” said Brett, a three-time NFL Most Valuable Player during his playing days in Green Bay. “My relationship with my dad meant so much to me, and I’m overwhelmed and proud to be a part of this event.”
All proceeds for the event will go toward scholarships for Gulf Coast students and to the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation. For more information contact Dee Dee Hatten, Gulf Coast Alumni/Foundation secretary, at 601-928-6344, or e-mail her at dena.hatten@mgccc.edu, or contact Tommy Snell, Gulf Coast golf coach, at 601-528-8952, or e-mail him at thomas.snell@mgccc.edu.
“Brett Favre’s commitment to giving back to our community---a legacy he shared with his father, makes it an honor for Island View Casino Resort and Windance to serve as the main sponsors of this wonderful event,” said Rick Carter, Island View owner. “Brett is a fine example of what we as Mississippians can do in this world, and I have deep respect and appreciation for him and his entire family.”
MGCCC statewide award winners were recognized at the MGCCC Board of Trustees luncheon April 23.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College was well represented at state competitions for Career and Technical students held in spring 2008. Eighty-six students brought home awards from various competitions, with 50 earning first-place honors. Clubs represented, site of competition, and place winners are as follows:
SKILLS USA-VICA CLUBS OF AMERICA
April 10, 2008
Jackson, MS
Jackson County Campus
First Place: Marine Service Technology, Dale Caughorn (Vancleave) First Place: Motorcycle Service Technology, David Wedgeworth (Ocean Springs) Second Place: Welding, Clinton Bodine (Ocean Springs) Third Place: Power Equipment Technology, Daniel Cochran (Petal)
Jefferson Davis Campus
First Place: Occupational Health and Safety-Multiple, Michelle Schifano (Gulfport) Second Place: Occupational Health and Safety-Single, Varsha Berry (Gulfport) Second Place: Food and Beverage Service, Jana Gonzalez (Biloxi) Third Place: Commercial Banking, April Joyner (Biloxi)
Perkinston Campus
First Place: Computer Maintenance Technology, Ronald Ballard (Saucier) First Place: Welding, Jerry Frame (Saucier) First Place: Web Design, Justin Fregoe (Saucier) First Place: Web Design, Lindsay Jones (Saucier) State Officer:Jerry Frame (Saucier) State Officer: State President, Juanita Mayfield (Saucier)
George County Center
First Place: Cosmetology, Dayshla Garrett, (Lucedale) Third Place: Prepared Speech, Megan McLeod (Lucedale)
Secondary Students: First Place: Job Interview, Leroy Havard (Lucedale) Second Place: Food and Beverage Service, Katie Harris (Lucedale) West Harrison Center
First Place: CNC Milling, Justin Saegert (Long Beach) Second Place: Precision Machining, Trent Bigot (Gulfport) Second Place: Culinary Arts, Shannon Toler (Gulfport)
Secondary Students: First Place: Precision Machining, Joel Brooks (Long Beach) First Place: Sheet Metal, Derek Cameron (Long Beach)
Delta Epsilon Chi (DECA)
February 27-29, 2008
Hattiesburg, MS
Jefferson Davis Campus
First Place: Internet Marketing, Harmony Raffeo (Long Beach) First Place: Business Law, Jana Gonzalez (Biloxi) Varsha Berry (Gulfport) First Place: Sales Representative and B2B Marketing, Stephanie Brauchle (Biloxi) First Place: B2B Marketing, Adam Cuevas (Biloxi) Jason Henson (Gulfport) First Place: Business Ethics, Deondre Vinson (Biloxi) Ramon Walker (Pass Christian) First Place: Human Resource Management, Marilyn Peterson (Gulfport) First Place: International Marketing, Michael Sigafoose (Gulfport) Robert Robinson (Gulfport) First Place: Hospitality Management, Michelle Schifano (Gulfport) State Officer: President, Michelle Schifano (Gulfport)
Phi Beta Lambda (PBL)
February 27-29, 2008
Tupelo, MS
Jefferson Davis Campus
First Place: Accounting Principles, Timothy White (Pearlington) First Place: Public Speaking, Zach Lunsford (Long Beach) Fourth Place: Impromptu Speaking, Zach Lunsford (Long Beach) Fourth Place: Public Speaking, Esther Tidwell (Long Beach)
Perkinston Campus
First Place: Web Site Development, Dustin Malley (Gulfport) Zach Lunsford (Wedmore, England) Ashley Johnson (Saucier) First Place: E-Business, Mikael Ems (Gulfport) Victoria Leach (Wedmore, England) First Place: Internet Application Programming, Mikael Ems (Gulfport)
Future Business Leaders of America
March 4 – 5, 2008
Jackson, MS
George County Center Secondary Students: Third Place: Word Processing II, Brett Erkhart (Lucedale) Third Place: Computer Applications, Tyler Rogers (Lucedale) Fourth Place: Business Communications, Lena Jones (Lucedale)
Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA)
April 10 – 12, 2008
Jackson, MS Jefferson Davis Campus
First Place: Prepared Speaking, Angela Ayres (Long Beach) First Place: CERT, Bridget Burdine (Biloxi) Alissa Hickman (McHenry) First Place: Pathophysiology, Mariah Lewis (Gulfport) Second Place: Extemporaneous Speaking, Linda Cosio (Gulfport) Second Place: Clinical Nursing, Angelia Cruthirds (Gulfport) Second Place: Nursing Assistant, Virginia Frost (Biloxi) Second Place: Dental, Angela Stevens (Gulfport) Third Place: CPR/First Aid, Latrice Bivens (Moss Point) Tameka Parnell (Gulfport) Third Place: Nutrition, LaTova Mosley (Biloxi) Fourth Place: Medical Math, Valerie Sconyers (D’Iberville)
George County Center
First Place: Administrative Medical Assisting, Sherry Lummus (Lucedale) First Place: EMT, April Seals (Lucedale) Kellie Johnson (Leakesville) First Place: Research Persuasive Speaking, Honey Stillman (Perkinston) First Place: Pharmacology Knowledge Test, Heather Watson (McLain) First Place: Nutrition Knowledge Test, Josh Ridgeway (Ridgeland) First Place: Medical Math Test, Michael Hogg (Lucedale) Second Place: CPR/First Aid, Rachel Ethridge (Fruitdale, AL) Blake Partin (Spanish Fort, AL) Second Place: Concepts of Health Care Knowledge Test, Shannon Smith (Wilmer, AL) Third Place: Pathophysiology Knowledge Test, Rachel Varnadore (Lucedale) Fifth Place: Medical Spelling, Jada Pierce (Lucedale)
Secondary Students: First Place: Dental Assisting, Vana Eubanks (Lucedale) First Place: National Recognition, Emma Hamilton (Lucedale) Second Place: Medical Photography, Alex Gandy (Lucedale) Second Place: Medical Spelling, Lainey McLeod (Lucedale) Third Place: Nursing Assistant, Vaana Eubanks (Lucedale) Third Place: Medical Photography, Loren Rouse (Lucedale) Fourth Place: Clinical Nursing, Savanna Martin (Lucedale) Fifth Place: Veterinary Assisting, Morgan Jenkins (Lucedale)
American Society for Clinical Laboratory Sciences of MS and LA
April 15 – 18, 2008
Bay St. Louis, MS
Jackson County Campus
First Place: ASCLS Student Bowl, Briana Royals (Saucier) Alynn Prill (Lucedale) Jessica Dansby (Moss Point) Elizabeth Blakeney (Gautier) Tina Lafferty (Pascagoula)
MGCCC to present “The 11th Hour”
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will feature several showings of “The 11th Hour,” a movie that looks at the state of the global environment, April 27-29, at the college’s Jefferson Davis and Perkinston campuses’.
The Perk Campus’s SAVE (Students Against Violating the Earth) Club will present multiple showings of, April 27-28 at Malone Hall on the college’s Perkinston Campus.
“We are very excited to have this opportunity to show our students and the community this important film,” said John Speed, Gulf Coast SAVE Club advisor. “The Salvation Army and the Stone County Economic Development Partnership made it possible through donations, so we can’t thank them enough.”
The Perkinston Campus kicked off its own Go Green Project Jan. 31.
“Stone County is one of the first in Mississippi to go green,” said Michelle Sekul, Perkinston Campus dean of Student Services. “Gulf Coast is proud to help create a culture of environmental responsibility on our campuses and throughout South Mississippi.”
During the two-month event, students held recycling competitions and learned more about environmentally friendly ways to conserve energy and recycle everyday products. Recycling bins were also placed at several Perk Campus locations. The Go Green Project culminates with “The 11th Hour” movie presentations.
“We’re happy to partner with Gulf Coast as we move into the 21st century,” said Charlotte Koestler, Stone County EDP executive director. “Stone County is taking the lead in Mississippi in protecting our environment for ourselves and our future citizens. Education of our residents is important. It creates awareness, which results in a pro-active community.”
Show times for “The 11th Hour” at the Perk Campus are:
Sunday, April 27th – 1:30pm
Sunday, April 27th – 9:00pm
Monday, April 28th -8:00pm
On Monday, April 28, “The 11th Hour” will also be shown at the JD Campus at 12:00 p.m. in the Commons area. On Tuesday, April 29, the film will be shown in the Arena Theatre at 12:30 p.m. and also at 6:30 p.m. The community is invited to the showings on April 29. At JD, the event will be hosted by Phi Theta Kappa and the JD Student Activities Association.
Fred Haise to speak at 2008 MGCCC graduation
Fred Haise
Former astronaut and Biloxi native Fred Haise will be the commencement speaker at graduation ceremonies for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on May 15. The event is set for 7 p.m. at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi.
Haise, a 1952 graduate of Perkinston Junior College, is also a 1970 Gulf Coast Alumni Hall of Fame inductee.
“It’s a tremendous thrill for our students, our college and our state to host Fred Haise at the most important event of our academic year,” said Dr. Willis Lott, Gulf Coast president. “His outstanding achievements as an astronaut and the fact that he is a native of South Mississippi and part of our Gulf Coast family truly make graduation 2008 a special event for everyone involved.”
Haise’s 20-year NASA career began as an aeronautical research pilot at Lewis Research Center in 1959. Further assignments were held as a research pilot at the NASA Flight Research Center in 1963 and as an astronaut at Johnson Space Center in 1966. He served as backup crew for the Apollo 8, 11 and 16 missions. He flew as the lunar module pilot on the aborted Apollo 13 mission in 1970, a mission that was dramatized in the 1995 Ron Howard movie "Apollo 13." He also flew five flights as the commander of the Space Shuttle Enterprise in 1977 for the Approach and Landing Test Program at Edwards Air Force Base.
Among his awards are the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Haley Astronautics Award, the General Thomas D. White Space Trophy, the Society of Experimental Test Pilots Kinchloe "Test Pilot of the Year" Award, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Award, the NASA Special Achievement Award, the Aerospace Walk of Honor and the US Astronaut Hall of Fame.
Haise is an associate fellow of the AIAA and fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the American Astronautical Society, and is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Gamma Tau and Phi Theta Kappa honor societies. He currently resides in Pasadena, Texas, with his wife, the former Patt Price of Rogers, Texas.
Approximately 800 students and 350 faculty and administration will participate in this year’s ceremony.
MGCCC receives $30,000 donation from Gulfport Memorial Hospital
From left, Linda McCulloch, Volunteer Services coordinator, Gulfport Memorial; Peter Psikogios, president, Gulfport Memorial Auxiliary; Jere Hess, associate vice president of Development at Gulf Coast; Myrtis Franke, trustees chair, Gulfport Memorial; and Gary Marchand, president/CEO, Gulfport Memorial
Gulfport Memorial Hospital Auxiliary recently donated $30,000 to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College to aid scholarship efforts for several college medical programs. Each of the college’s three main campuses will receive $10,000 each for Nursing, Medical Laboratory Technology, Medical Radiologic Technology, and Medical Office technology programs.
"These scholarships are named for Rev. E.L. Howard and Mrs. Geneva Howard, who have combined for 110 years of voluntary service to the hospital", said Peter Psikogios, president of Gulfport Memorial Auxiliary.
"We are so grateful that you included the three technology programs as well as nursing because the need for scholarship help is across the entire medical field,” said Jere Hess, Gulf Coast’s associate vice president for Development. “With this gift the members of the Auxiliary are making a positive difference in the lives of our medical students as well as their future patients. We thank you for caring and for sharing this wonderful gift".
Rev. E.L. Howard and Geneva Howard were also recognized for their continuing voluntary service.
MGCCC employees get “2 4 1” deal
It may sound like a spring sale at a local clothing store or an early bird special at a restaurant, but this two-for-one may end up saving someone’s life. On April 16, 40 employees at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jefferson Davis Campus participated in the American Heart Association’s Walk at Work program. At exactly 2:41 p.m., the group walked for two miles around the perimeter of the JD Campus.
“The idea is you get two of life back when you walk for one hour…two for one,” said Karen Stennis, Health and Physical Education instructor at the JD Campus. “We hope this will evolve into an everyday thing for college employees.”
American Heart Association walk director Christin Lebeouf said the walking idea is also catching on at other businesses.
“Bigger corporations and other companies are also doing this,” she said. “They say thanks to more exercise, their employees have more creativity, better attitudes, and increased productivity.”
On Saturday, April 26, The JD Campus group will also hold its annual Heart Walk. In 2007, the group collected $15,000 in donations. Registration for that event begins at 7 a.m. and the walk begins at 8:30 a.m. on the west side of the JD Campus.
MGCCC students receive Community College Presidential Scholarships
One of the many goals at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is to send its students off to four-year universities with the best academic training possible. This spring five Gulf Coast students plan to move on with some financial help from Gulf Coast President Dr. Willis Lott.
Adrienne Gannon and Jordan Holder of Gulfport, Katherine Guthrie of Perkinston, Stephanie Maxwell of Ocean Springs, and Chelsea Tyner of Long Beach have all received Community College Presidential Partnership Scholarships. Next fall, Holder, Maxwell and Tyner are all headed to The University of Southern Mississippi, while Gannon and Guthrie will be attending college at Mississippi State University.
“These are truly outstanding students who have been very involved in their campus activities,” Lott said. “We appreciate the financial assistance these institutions are providing for these community college students to complete their educational goals.”
Maxwell (3.55 GPA) attends the college’s Jackson County Campus; Gannon (3.78 GPA) and Tyner (3.54 GPA) attend the Jefferson Davis Campus; and Holder (4.0 GPA) and Guthrie (3.93 GPA) attend the Perkinston Campus.
“Gulf Coast is fortunate to have such outstanding students who contribute to our educational programs,” added Lott. “We look forward to hearing of their continued success as transfer students.”
According to the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges, nearly 70 percent of all freshmen enrolled in Mississippi post-secondary institutions attend a community or junior college, while one out of three students who earn an Associate of Arts degree at a community or junior college end up transferring to a four-year college or university.
MACJC 2008 Sports Hall of Fame Inductees
Curtis Davis
Ed Evans
The Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) Sports Hall of Fame will have its second annual banquet on Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at Wolf Hall A, B, & C of Thames Center at the Wesson Campus of Copiah-Lincoln Community College.
New inductees are nominated by the fifteen (15) individual community colleges. They include the following:
Coahoma Community College
George A. Green (deceased), Isaiah Peterson (deceased)
Copiah-Lincoln Community College
Alton Ricks, Charlie “Chunkin” Ward (deceased)
East Central Community College
Earl Marshall, Lamar Blount (deceased)
East Mississippi Community College
Don Edwards, Ken Waddell, Sr.
Hinds Community College
Joe Renfroe (deceased, William “Bucky” McElroy
Holmes Community College
Larry Therrell, Melvin “Mel” Gibson
Itawamba Community College
Windle “Buster” Davis, Kindle “Bud” Davis
Jones County Junior College
Randall Boone, John A. Perkins
Meridian Community College
Jim Redgate, Jason William Smith
Mississippi Delta Community College
Carl Grubb, Jim Randall
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Curtis Lee Davis, Edward A. “Ed” Evans
Northeast Mississippi Community College
Kenneth Lindsey, Harold White (deceased)
Northwest Mississippi Community College
Cortez Kennedy, Harry Adair
Pearl River Community College
Jerrel Wilson (deceased), Tommy Walters
Southwest Mississippi Community College
Robert Brock “R.B.” Nunnery (deceased), Sammy Howard
Registration and reception will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the banquet to follow at 7:00 p.m.
MGCCC 2008 Inductees
Curtis Lee Davis
Born September 15, 1927 in Vancleave, Ms. Davis learned to play tennis as a youngster on homemade dirt courts in his hometown. He played basketball while attending Perkinston Junior College from 1946-48. At Miss. State College (1948-1950), Davis played tennis, advancing to the semifinals in Southeastern Conference play in 950, a first for his college. Davis began his work career at Perk in 1950 as a vocational/technical instructor and soon became the tennis coach. In nine seasons, Davis’s men’s and women’s teams went 72-2-2, and earned seven state championships. On May 14, 2001, that enviable record won him induction as a member in the National Junior College Athletic Hall of Fame. In recognition of his contributions, the college awarded him the prestigious Sam Owen Trophy at the 1994 Homecoming. On August 16, 2005, the Aquatic, Physical Education and Health Building at the Jackson County Campus was named in honor of Davis. It was only the second building at JC named in honor of an individual. He was also a charter member of the MGCCC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
Ed Evans
Evans lettered in football for four years at Perkinston Agricultural High School, and he lettered in football for two years at Perkinston Junior College. He also played basketball and baseball, and ran track. He was twice named first-team All-State in football, and was a member of Perk’s 1948 State and Co-National Championship football team. He played end for two years at Mississippi State College, and played one year of service football at Fort Jackson, S.C. Evans returned to Perkinston and began coaching in 1956. Three years later, he became the head football coach. In 1961 he served as line coach of the east squad which defeated the West squad in the All-American Junior College Bowl in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He left coaching in 1962 to become an administrator. He retired in 1991, and in 1996 the MGCCC Alumni Association awarded Evans the Sam Owen Award for outstanding service to the college. Evans was also a charter member of the MGCCC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
George Sekul, Ken “Curley” Farris, and Bob Weathers were all 2007 MACJC Sports Hall of Fame inductees from Gulf Coast.
Donna Alexander judges work at MGCCC’S first-ever Club Achievement Competition April 9.
Three outstanding student organizations at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College were recently honored at the college’s first-ever Club Achievement Competition, where student clubs/organizations submit notebooks of yearly membership and community service efforts. Each winner received a $500 Willis H. Lott Community Service Award. The event was judged by Donna Alexander, executive director of the United Way for Hancock, Harrison, and Pearl River counties, and by Gulf Coast employees.
“I am extremely proud of these student organizations and their advisers for the work they’ve done in our community,” said Dr. Willis Lott, Gulf Coast president. “All of them have made a positive difference in peoples’ lives by caring for the needs of others and excelling beyond the classroom.”
The winners were Alpha Beta Gamma (Jackson County Campus, Rebecca Rutz, adviser), Wesley Foundation (Jefferson Davis Campus, Janis Slade, adviser), and Phi Theta Kappa (Perkinston Campus, Gayle Greene-Aguirre, adviser).
“I was impressed with the commitment to community service demonstrated by the student organizations on each Gulf Coast campus,” Alexander said. “Projects and activities chosen by the clubs reflected student members’ knowledge and the specific needs of the various agencies. Gulf Coast students and club sponsors volunteer hundreds of hours for the benefit of their communities by preparing and serving meals at Loaves & Fishes, planting gardens, and providing clothing for the homeless. Their contributions are significant.”
Biloxi News a historical find for South Mississippi
MGCCC archivist Charles Sullivan reads a page from The Biloxi News, a recently discovered publication that dates back to the late 1920’s.
One of the color comics from an edition of The Biloxi News.
Who would’ve thought that a collection of newspapers stashed away for many years and owned by former South Mississippi newspaper publisher Clayton Rand would turn into a historical goldmine? Rand, who was an internationally known editor-publisher-lecturer, owned the Dixie Press in Gulfport from 1925 until his death in 1971. During that period, he published The Guide, which he billed as the first illustrated newspaper in Mississippi.
On March 31, 2008, Cheri Dillard, who owned the Dixie Press after Rand, and who now makes her home in Hattiesburg, showed up at the office of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College archivist and Professor Emeritus Charles Sullivan with a bound volume of old newspapers that belonged to Rand. Both Dillard and Sullivan expected the newspapers to bear the masthead Guide, but upon opening the volume, they discovered that the newspapers bore the title The Biloxi News.
The first issue in the volume was Volume 1, No. 1, March 21, 1926, and the last issue in the volume was Volume 1, No. 52, March 13, 1927. Neither Dillard nor Sullivan could figure out why Clayton Rand had kept this volume---until they looked at the name of the editor, Clayton Rand.
None of the biographies and obituaries of Rand mention that he ever published a newspaper called The Biloxi News. Another amazing facet to this story is that Rand began publication of The Guide on Sept. 17, 1925, and then began publishing The Biloxi News on March 21, 1926, scarcely six months later.
“If Rand billed The Guide as the first illustrated newspaper in Mississippi, then The Biloxi News must have been the second, because it has just as many illustrations as The Guide did,” Sullivan said. “The Guide was published weekly and The Biloxi News was a Sunday paper — the first such in Mississippi Gulf Coast history.”
Sullivan also pointed out that on Sunday, Feb. 20, 1927, The Biloxi News claimed another first — color comics.
“There was no indication in the last issue of the volume that the paper was ceasing publication,” he said. “Actually, there was a big push to garner more subscribers. Rand obviously published the paper for a longer period than this volume contains, but we do not know how much longer.”
The original copies of The Biloxi News will soon be handed over to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, but not until Sullivan and others enjoy taking in the historical morsels from another source of Coast history.
“It’s one of those instances when you don’t know what you have,” Sullivan said. “And when you realize what it is, you understand that it has to be shared with the rest of the world.”
MGCCC Perk Players to present “Laughter on the 23rd Floor”
Trae Spears, Jordan Davis, Drew Paslay, Jessica Taylor in MGCCC’S Perk Players production of Neil Simon’s “Laughter on the 23rd Floor.”
Name of Production: Laughter on the 23rd Floor
Playwright: Neil Simon
Presented by: The Perk Players
Run dates and times: April 15, 16, 17, & 18 at 7pm
Where production will be held: Malone Hall Black Box Theatre - MGCCC – Perkinston Campus
Director’s Name: Robert Barrett
Director’s phone number: 601-928-6282
Brief Description of play:
Inspired by Simon's early career experience as a junior joke smith (along with his brother Danny, Larry Gelbart, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and a precocious young talent called Woody Allen) for Your Show of Shows, the play focuses on Sid Caesar/Jackie Gleason-like Max Prince, the star of a weekly comedy-variety show circa 1953 and his staff. Simon's alter-ego Lucas Brickman maintains a running commentary on the writing, fighting, and wacky antics which take place in the writers' room. At the plot's core is Max's ongoing battles with NBC executives . The network bosses want Max to dumb down his show so that middle America gets the jokes and the advertisers can sell more soap. Meanwhile, Senator Joe McCarthy is scaring the pants off the country with his 'reds-under-the-beds' paranoia. Laughter on the 23rd Floor is Simon’s hilarious and touching behind-the-scenes homage to the golden age of American television and the crazy writers' room that became known as 'the Harvard of comedy'.
Cast:
Lucas Brickman: Trae Spears [Gulfport]
Max Prince: Drew Paslay [Wiggins]
Val Skotsky: Jordan Davis [Wiggins]
Brian Doyle: Brian West [Gulfport]
Ira Stone: Aaron Clayton [McHenry]
Milt Fields: William Weaver [Gulfport]
Kenny Franks: Joseph Gresham [Pascagoula]
Carol Wyman: Jessica Taylor [Gulfport] & Morgan O’Neal [McHenry]
Helen: Hillery White [Ocean Springs] & Brandi St. Cyr [Ocean Springs]
Ticket Prices: all admission $5
Ticket Information/reservations: 601-928-6369
Emmitt Till exhibit at MGCCC serves as powerful history lesson
At first glance, it looks like ten, free-standing panels full of newspaper clippings. But a deeper inspection of the Emmitt Till Gallery on display in the library at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County Campus reveals the harsh details of a hate crime that many say was the harbinger of America’s Civil Rights Movement.
“It’s an important educational tool for our students and our community,” said Gwendolyn Carter, JC Campus librarian. “Mississippi has come along way since 1955, but we don’t want to forget where we’ve been. It’s important for all of us to know this part of history, so we can learn from it and keep moving forward. ”
The display, which features 10 panels, each with it’s own theme, The panels contain newspaper accounts, photos, and written letters concerning the death of Emmitt Till and the trial of his killers. Delta State University, with help from the Mississippi Humanities Council and the national Endowment for the Humanities, put together the exhibit.
Till, a 14-year-old African-American from Chicago, was visiting relatives in the tiny Delta town of Money in 1955, when he was kidnapped an murdered by two local men for allegedly whistling at a white woman in a local store. The two men accused of the crime, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, were tried for the murder in Sumner, but were eventually acquitted by an all-white jury.
According to the gallery guide, “the outrage around the country was instantaneous. Emmitt Till had become a symbol for a fledgling Civil Rights Movement. The voice of 1955’s citizens of America, Europe, and Asia sound off, offering their opinions and views on the murder and trial of young Emmitt Till and his murderers. The hand-written and typed letters placed throughout the exhibit offer a glimpse into the opinions of individuals. The newspaper clippings offer glaring headlines as newspapermen, radio, and television broadcasts kept pace of every new development and detail.”
The Emmitt Till exhibit is on display at the JC Campus every Monday-Thursday, from 7:30 a.m. – 8 p.m., and on Fridays from 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. until April 21. Admission is free.
New academic facility planned for MGCCC’s George County Center
Architect’s conception of the MGCCC George County Center’s new academic facility.
(Left to right): Dean Belton, administrative dean at the George County Center; Dr. Mary Graham, vice president of the Perkinston Campus and George County Center; and Dr. Willis Lott, president of Gulf Coast, at the groundbreaking ceremonies at the George County Center March 31.
Plans are in place for a new state-of-the-art, $2.7 million academic facility at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s George County Center in Lucedale. The two-story, 13,750 square-foot building will feature a 120 seat lecture hall, a student lounge area, three academic classrooms and one art classroom, along with science and computer labs and a large administrative area. Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new facility took place March 31.
“We’re proud of the progress made in George County,” said Arlie Howell, Gulf Coast Board of Trustees secretary. “We’re also impressed with the improvements that this new facility will bring to this center.”
Chris Albritton Construction Co. will build the new facility, which was designed by Guild Hardy Architects.
“The college is excited with the growth this new classroom building will bring to the George County Center,” said Dr. Mary Graham, vice president of the college’s Perkinston Campus and George County Center. “The citizens of George County will certainly benefit from new offerings that will be provided as a result of this state-of-the-art facility.”
Currently, the George County Center offers both postsecondary and secondary career programs, including Cosmetology, Electric Lineman Training, Office Systems Technology, and Practical Nursing and Surgical Technology.
MGCCC Estuarine Education Center opens at JC Campus
The Outdoor Recreation Leadership Center at MGCCC’S Jackson County Campus.
Sen. Thad Cochran (center, tan sport coat) helps with ribbon-cutting ceremonies for MGCCC’S Estuarine Education Center March 29. With him are:
(From left to right, top row): Wayne Brown/MDOT, Manly Barton/Jackson County Board of Supervisors, Dr. Rick Christmas/MGCCC JC Campus Vice President, Beau Gex, Rep. Gene Taylor’s office.
(Bottom row, left to right): Dale Diaz/Miss. DMR, Mary M. Glacklin/NOAA, Scott Walker/Sen. Roger Wicker’s Office, Sen. Thad Cochran, Moreno Jones/MGCCC Board of Trustees, Dr. Willis Lott/MGCCC President.
One of the final pieces of a $5.5 million expansion project is in place at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Environmental Science Technology program at the Jackson County Campus. Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the Estuarine Education Center will take place Saturday, March 29, at 11 a.m.
“We want to educate people, and at the same time preserve the environment,” said Dr. Rick Christmas, Jackson County Campus Vice-President.
The whole concept came out of an educational and environmental idea that began in 1999 and is in the final stages of being implemented. At the JC Campus, 34 acres of land have been developed for a laundry list of projects, while at the same time keeping the area’s woodlands and wetlands intact.
“It’s Part of the Pascagoula River basin,” said Christmas. “All of that ties into the project.”
The facility features an Outdoor Recreation Leadership Center on the banks of Mary Walker Bayou, a Marine Technology Facility, a 1 ½ mile walking trail and the Learning Ropes Challenge Course, which opened in the fall of 2006.
“Learning about marine science has never been more important,” said Janice Cooley, Science instructor at the JC Campus. “As our coastal population continues to increase, so does our need to learn more about our coastal waters. Having a marine science class located on Mary Walker Bayou provides students an opportunity to study firsthand the normal physical parameters of a brackish estuary. Estuaries are extremely important – they are the nursery grounds for all of our recreational fishers and 90 percent of our commercial fishers. The building is located on a pristine estuary that allows students to actually see the characteristics of an estuary. It also lends to numerous labs where students can monitor the health of the estuary and initiate data collection which is synonymous with research.”
DeDual, Towles earn NACADA awards
The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) recently honored Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College employees Chris DeDual and Roxanne Towles with Region IV Merit Awards. NACADA’S Region IV consists of Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and parts of the Caribbean including Puerto Rico. Dedual, the Developmental Studies department chairperson and instructor at the college’s Jefferson Davis Campus, was recognized as a Region IV 2008 Outstanding Faculty Academic Advisor.
“Whether it is summer orientation sessions, evening orientation sessions for General Education Degree and home schooled students, or orientations for online students, Chris is always there to assist,” said Karla Smith, Social Studies instructor at the JD Campus. “He realizes that making personal contact early on with students is essential to the retention and advisement of students. During our final and late registration sessions that are held each semester, he works specifically with those students who are undecided about their major. He truly cares about the needs of students here at Gulf Coast.”
Towles, a Student Services counselor and adjunct instructor at the JD Campus, was honored as a Region IV Outstanding Academic Advisor.
“As a very important member of our career center staff, Roxanne not only brings energy, professionalism, and an irreproachable work ethic to the work place, but she also spreads warmth, humor, and empathy, when needed, to both students and her fellow workers, ” said Denise Daniel, Student Services counselor at the JD Campus.
Pugh set to be new VP at MGCCC JC Campus
Dr. Jason Pugh
Dr. Rick Christmas
A familiar face comes back to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College as Dr. Jason Pugh prepares to take over as vice president at the college’s Jackson County Campus. The 38-year-old Bay Springs native served as a Physics and Engineering Mechanics instructor at the JC Campus from 1994-2000. He begins working at Gulf Coast May 16, 2008.
“I am very excited to be returning to Gulf Coast,” said Pugh. “When I began my career in 1994 as an instructor on the JC Campus, I never dreamed that I would one day have the opportunity to serve as its vice president. I am truly humbled by the confidence that the Board of Trustees, Gulf Coast president Dr. Lott, and the college’s Executive Council has in me. I will work as hard as I can every day for the college, the community and most important of all, for our Gulf Coast students.”
Pugh replaces the retiring Dr. Rick Christmas, who’s been vice president at the JC Campus since May, 2002. During his tenure, the campus developed into a significant business and community player in the Jackson County area. Several renovation and construction projects were completed, new programs of study were added, and the college’s state-of-the-art Estuarine Education Center was conceived and built on the campus.
“I was fortunate enough to be part of this fantastic team during these positive times,” Christmas said. “Our major accomplishment has been re-establishing a sense of trust and teamwork among the JC Campus employees, which has fostered more positive attitudes and a significant increase in morale. The establishment of “tobacco-free zones” and development of the Estuarine Education Center should have long-lasting effects on the lives of our employees, students, and the community.”
Since his time at Gulf Coast as an instructor, Pugh has served in a number of positions at the Mississippi State Board for Community and Junior Colleges (MSBCJC), including his most recent term as associate executive director for Workforce, Career and Technical Education.
“We had an extremely competitive number of applicants to follow Dr. Christmas as the vice president of the JC Campus,” said Dr. Willis Lott, Gulf Coast president. “From that pool, we are truly excited to have Jason returning to the Gulf Coast family as the leader at JC. He is very competent, knows the communities that we serve, the mission of the college, and is excited to be returning home in this new leadership role. I know that everyone at Gulf Coast joins me in welcoming him home as we look forward to serving the people of George, Harrison, Jackson, and Stone counties.”
Pugh also worked with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and at the Georgia Institute of Technology Research Institute.
“The faculty and staff at Gulf Coast are truly professionals who are at the top of their industry,” said Pugh. “This professionalism is demonstrated both state-wide and nationally.”
Pugh and his wife Deanna have two children; Rachel, 10, and Michael, 8. He currently resides in Florence.
MGCCC salutes 2008 Difference Maker Award honorees
They demonstrate an exceptional work ethic, a deep sense of college and community involvement, and a tremendous commitment to the students. Each year four outstanding Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College employees earn the L.N. Dantzler Difference Maker Award for their tireless work at Gulf Coast.
Since 2003, Gulf Coast has selected Difference Makers from among its eight locations in South Mississippi. Any Gulf Coast employee, except members of the Executive Council, are eligible for the annual award, which is designated for individuals who have demonstrated an exceptional work ethic, college and community involvement, and a sincere commitment and caring attitude toward students.
Dr. Willis Lott, president of Gulf Coast, said the Difference Makers “put the college mission into action by providing the best in customer service and by making a positive difference in the lives of those they touch. They live the college mission in the office, at home, at church, at the grocery store…everywhere they go, their role as a Gulf Coast recruiter never stops.”
Debra Rogers/Central Business Office
Debra Rogers
It’s safe to say Debra Rogers knows anything and everything about the budget at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. As the institution’s budget assistant finance clerk, Rogers makes crunching numbers and wading though expenditure reports look like child’s play. For 28 years, she’s worked alongside Gulf Coast comptroller Jerry Bryan in the Central Business Office. In 2007, both received accolades for their work from the Mississippi Association of Educational Office Professionals (MAEOP). Bryan, the college’s comptroller since 1977, was the 2007 MAEOP Educational Administrator of the Year, while Rogers, earned MAEOP’s 2007 Official Professional of the Year honors.
“It was kind of a unique situation when two people from the same office receive these awards,” Rogers said. “We’ve worked together for so long each of us knows what the other is thinking.”
So it’s no coincidence that Both Rogers and Bryan are retiring this year.
“I have many experiences and memories, but I think the most memorable are the ones of friendship and support I have received during difficult periods,” Rogers said. “My co-workers are my friends and family. We work well together. We laugh and cry together.”
Although her family at work has been an important facet of her life, Rogers said her parents are the ones that have truly served as her inspiration all these years.
“They instilled my belief in God and taught me priorities and responsibility,” she said.
Not only has she been with Gulf Coast for 28 years, but she’s also been married to her husband Dale for that amount of time.
No matter if it’s her family at home, or her extended family at work, Rogers is praised for her dedication and commitment to excellence.
“Her knowledge of our budget is a tremendous help to me,” said Jerry Bryan. “She knows what’s right and what’s wrong with the budget, as well as other financial issues involving the college. She never complains…she just gets the job done.”
After her retirement from Gulf Coast, Rogers said she plans on working part-time with the Junior College Federal Credit Union. She also plans to become involved with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
William Martin/Jackson County Campus
William Martin
In 42 years on the job, William Martin has seen and heard it all as Dean of Instruction at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County Campus. However, his mindset on how students should be treated hasn’t changed since the late 1960’s.
“If we talk to them and treat them like adults, then they will respond like adults,” Martin said. He also suggested the college could better serve its students by knowing where to send them for help and by remembering to always be friendly with them. For Martin, the more things change, the more they stay the same…like focusing on customer service, and keeping his professional attitude despite the ever-changing world around him. Many of his colleagues said Martin has been the one constant at JC in four decades worth of changes.
“He is always consistent and fair to everyone,” said Marilyn Moss, Language Arts department chairperson at JC. “He’s been able to make intelligent decisions based on years of seeing changes and the effects of those changes on our system.”
JC Campus math instructor Raymond Tanner agrees.
“He and I have worked through four vice presidents,” Tanner said. “He is devoted to the college and its employees. He makes decisions based on what he thinks is best for the college, and not what is best for him.”
After graduating from Perkinston Junior College in 1962 with an associate’s degree in drafting and design, it seemed architecture would be martin’s calling.
Martin said he was most inspired in his career and life by Bob Slaughter, who owned an architecture company that employed Martin.
“Working for Bob taught me time management, professionalism and the expectations of the working world,” he said.
But after receiving three degrees all related to education, a career at Gulf Coast became the perfect fit.
“Any person who devotes his career to an organization and educational institution for more than 40 years personifies dedication, loyalty, and integrity,” said Cecilia Frisbie, Developmental Studies department chairperson at JC. “We respect and appreciate his tireless efforts to help make Gulf Coast a place where a positive difference is made each day.”
Gloria Smith/Jefferson Davis Campus
Gloria Smith
Gloria Smith's life has been one of service - to her family, her faith, her students and her country. She began her career at JD as the instructor for the Teacher Assistant program in January 2002. Prior to that, she had served kindergarten and elementary students in the public schools on the Coast for more than 12 years.
“We can make our students feel more important when we treat them like they are important,” Smith said. “The students are looking for caring and responsive services. The key is open communication and being willing to do whatever it takes to complete a task.”
On her application for employment at the college, Gloria said her philosophy of education as it relates to community colleges is “to educate students who will be well trained in their chosen profession. This education should provide critical thinking skills, foster a respect for lifelong learning and instill the obligation to give back to the community.” These were not just pretty words designed to impress; Gloria's philosophy of giving back has been demonstrated clearly through her service to her country. As dedicated as Gloria was to her students, a higher duty demanded her attention when she was called to serve in Iraq from February 2003 to March 2004. “It was a life-changing experience,” she said. “I realized what really matters in life, and that I should not take anything for granted.”
Upon her return to the states and to JD, Gloria became a Special Populations coordinator and has served our ADA students and those enrolled through the Dream of Prosperity program among others. She has become a valued member of the Career Center staff, taking on whatever responsibilities are assigned to her and performing them in an exemplary manner.
“Gloria is always kind and gracious,” said Libby Richmond, secretary to the vice president, JD Campus. “On several occasions, I have referred students to her, and they always come back to me and thank me for referring them to someone who is so concerned and helpful. She makes them feel like their needs are important and that she is there to help them along the way.”
Jason Rouchon/Perkinston Campus
Jason Rouchon
Jason Rouchon’s official title is “Assistant Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds.” In other words, if there’s a hole to dig, a trash can to be replaced, or an air conditioning unit to be fixed on the Perkinston Campus, Jason is on the job.
“Jason has one of the most difficult jobs at Gulf Coast,” said Michelle Sekul, Perk Campus Dean of Student Services. “Yet he greets every request and demand with a simple, ‘We’ll take care of it. When he tells you that a job will be done, there is little question that it will be. He’s trustworthy, he never gets upset, he never says, ‘That’s not my job,’ and he treats every person with dignity and respect. His can-do, will-do attitude is greatly appreciated on the Perkinston Campus.”
Although Rouchon accepts this prestigious honor, he said he’s also sharing it with his staff.
“Co-workers are what it’s all about,” he said. “If you have a good team, you can make a difference in everything you do. They are the one’s that help me make a difference.”
As a Gulf Coast alum, Rouchon knows that paying attention to detail is how he and his staff turn routine projects into works of art. Whether it’s putting up decorations for the Perk Campus’s annual Festival of Lights, or simply mowing the grass, going “above and beyond” is an everyday work trait.
“Jason consistently makes a difference for every person on the Perkinston Campus,” said Dr. Joan Haynes, Perk Campus dean of Business Services. “He coordinates efforts to keep our campus clean and beautiful every day. He’s a hands-on leader who works with his co-workers to accomplish all of the things we do here at Perk. He gladly sets up equipment and furniture for events and activities on campus. He’s a huge part of the behind-the-scene activities for events like Homecoming and Backyard BBQ. And there is no way the Festival of Lights could happen without him and his crew. Even doing all this, Jason’s strongest quality is his positive attitude and can-do spirit. I have never heard him say a negative thing about anyone or anything.”
Hunt, Murphy, Dedeaux earn 2008 MGCCC Instructor of the Year honors
For every instructor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, making a positive difference in peoples lives every day comes naturally. In 2008, three Gulf Coast instructors are being honored for doing more than just teaching class. This year, Amy Hunt, Sandra Murphy, and Kathy Dedeaux are the 2008 Instructor of the Year honorees. The annual award goes to the outstanding faculty members from the three main Gulf Coast campuses. Nominations are submitted by students, faculty, administrators or college organizations.
All three award winners were honored at a reception March 17 at Heidelberg Hall on the Perkinston Campus.
“At Gulf Coast, quality instruction and creating a world class educational opportunity for students are two of our highest priorities,” said Dr. Willis Lott, Gulf Coast president. “These instructors exemplify teaching excellence in everything they do with their students.”
Amy Hunt/Jackson County Campus
Amy Hunt
As a high school and college athlete, eating right and staying in shape came naturally to Amy Hunt. In fact, she majored in nutrition and dietetics at The University of Southern Mississippi.
That’s when her healthy obsession took over.
“I was on my way to being a registered dietician,” said Hunt. “But I realized in college that I didn’t just want to be working in a hospital or cafeteria somewhere. My views on health and behavior modifications were broader, so I changed my major to include all health aspects, and not just nutrition.”
Two master’s degrees and seven years later, she’s an expert on anything that goes into your body, and on any way to exercise it out. Hunt’s more into it than being that aerobics instructor who pushes you to the limit during a workout, or that friend who makes sure you don’t “biggie size” your drive-thru order - she’s on a personal crusade to make sure people live longer and healthier lives. Hunt said her role as a health and physical educator instructor at the college’s Jackson County Campus goes beyond setting up exercise mats and killing time for 45 minutes, or rolling out basketballs to her students in the gym.
“When I first decided on this as a career, my main goal was to try and change the perception of physical education,” she said. “It encompasses all of our sciences…nutrition, anatomy, physiology, and biology. It’s more important to me that my students learn things that they can apply in their own lives.”
Sure, she’s obsessed with health and nutrition. But for her students, it’s a healthy obsession by an informed mentor, educator, and friend.
“She’ll never know how much she helped me with my physical and mental health,” said Sandy Creel. “Whoever said ‘what you don’t know can’t hurt you’ has never meet Mrs. Hunt.”
If knowledge is power, then Amy Hunt is a powerful conduit of information.
“I try to empower my students and tell them that they are in charge of making choices,” Hunt said. “They have the power to change.”
Sandra Murphy/Jefferson Davis Campus
Sandra Murphy
A-D-N stands for Associate Degree Nursing. For Gulf Coast ADN instructor Sandra Murphy, her students and colleagues feel it should stand for “Awesome, Dedicated, and Nurturing.”
“It takes a very special person to be the type of instructor that she is,” said Gulf Coast nursing student Karen Walley. “She teaches us the compassion and empathy we need to become a nurse, not with her words, but with her actions. This is needed in our last level of education, because we’ve learned all the book information, but she teaches us to be true, caring nurses.”
That’s high praise for a highly decorated and caring instructor who became a registered nurse in 1988, but got into teaching nine years later.
“I didn’t feel like I had fulfilled my calling,” Murphy said. “That classroom and those students are my motivation for everything.”
Sit in during one of Murphy’s classes, and you’ll find a mixture of valuable information and constant back-and forth idea exchanges between instructor and students.
“I think if we have open communication and a lot of dialogue, we can all learn from each other,” she said. “I believe the whole thing is cyclical. I teach them, and they’ll teach others.”
Murphy is currently the curriculum coordinator for the ADN department’s second-year team at the JD Campus. She’s also served as a department chairperson, and on numerous hiring committees. In 2007, Murphy was nominated for the prestigious Nightingale Award, an honor that goes to the state’s top nursing educator of the year, as decided by the Mississippi Nurses Association.
Selena Wilkerson, a 2006 Gulf Coast graduate and current Intensive Care Unit nurse at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport, said compassion is also an element Murphy, a.k.a “Murph,” instilled in her everyday life.
“In my area of nursing, compassion is needed everyday,” Wilkerson said. “Compassion is not only needed by the patients, but also the families. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t hear Murph in my head telling me to never lose the compassion that’s needed to be a great nurse.”
Kathy Dedeaux/Perkinston Campus
Kathy Dedeaux
How do you keep math interesting? Show up at one of Kathy Dedeaux’s classes, and you’ll find out.
“I try to teach it to the students as if it were a game,” she said. “You get all the pieces together, which are made up of what you’ve learned in the past. Then you pull from that knowledge, and put all the pieces together. It is my job as a math instructor to help them overcome anxieties towards mathematics and achieve their educational goals.”
Dedeaux can even make math interesting for students like Alaina Pahlavan, who is hearing impaired.
“She showed me how much fun math can be,” Pahlavan said. “Ms. Dedeaux also treated me normally despite my disability. Thanks to her, I am pursuing higher math courses, and I may change my major to one that has lots of math requirements.”
For instructors like Dedeaux, that kind of reaction is more than just satisfying.
“Alaina was an excellent student,” Dedeaux said. “She came into college algebra unsure of herself, and she was used to being treated differently by her high-school teachers. She expressed that she enjoyed my class because I treated her as an equal to my other students. I didn’t realize what a difference that made to her.”
What got Dedeaux into teaching? Quite simply, the answer is fear, and love.
“I wanted to eliminate the fear of math,” she said. “A lot of people were scared of it. I try to change mindsets about it and show them they can do it if they put forth the effort. I like to show others that it’s not as bad as they think it is.”
Dedeaux also said it’s rewarding to her to become a part of the confidence-building process for incoming freshmen at Gulf Coast.
“These same students leave after two years and are not only more mathematically grounded, but also more self-assured in their abilities to be successful at a senior-level college. I love math, and I try to let my students see that.”
MGCCC hosts regional student learning research consortium
Dr. Belle Wheelan speaks at the Community College Consortium for Student Learning Research.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in partnership with Mississippi's Community and Junior Colleges recently hosted the Community College Consortium for Student Learning Research March 2-3, at the Imperial Palace Casino Resort in Biloxi.
“Improving Together” was the theme chosen for the inaugural event. Evolving accreditation requirements coupled with a strong commitment to accountability mean that community and junior colleges are striving to demonstrate improvement of instruction through the assessment of student learning outcomes. The consortium allowed administrators and faculty members from two-year institutions to share successful initiatives and innovative ideas for continual program improvement through assessment. More than 200 representatives from 38 institutions were on hand for the two-day event.
“The event was very comprehensive and engaging,” said Yolanda Mayberry, instructor of human services at the college’s Jackson County Campus. “Each group was able to meet with instructors from different states, share ideas, and learn how to turn those theories into real-life application in the classroom.”
Dr. Belle Wheelan, President, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC) presented the keynote address, while Dr. Peggy Maki, author of “Assessing for Learning: Building a Sustainable Commitment across the Institution” also spoke at the consortium.
“Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College was honored to produce this event, not only for our colleagues in Mississippi, but throughout the southeast,” said Dr. Willis Lott, MGCCC President. “Our goal is to promote a culture of assessment at our institutions to continually improve instruction and the success of our students.”
MGCCC sees huge turnout for Bulldog Day 2008
For more than one-thousand South Mississippi high school seniors, the annual Bulldog Day event at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College was their first taste of college life. The March 4 program held at the college’s three main campuses was a fact-finding mission for more than 1,500 students. The kids got a first-hand look at college life, including campus tours, financial aid and scholarship information. Entertainment, T-shirts and lunch were also part of the mix.
According to the Mississippi Faculty Association for Community and Junior Colleges, 69 percent of all freshmen in both public and private institutions of higher learning in the state are enrolled in community colleges.
The annual event is put together at each campus by the Student Services staff, Preview Day Committee, the Reflections Team, Student Council, student clubs and organizations, grounds crew and the college’s recruiting department.
MGCCC’s Women in Technology Conference focuses on cyber security, recognizes Stone County educators
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College hosted the seventh annual Women in Technology Conference at its Perkinston Campus Feb. 27. Almost 200 high-school students and teachers attended the one-day conference. During the conference, the E3 Award, given to outstanding contributors in education, with emphasis on equality and education, was presented to Stone County residents Mike Cain and Mary Webb (center). They are pictured with Dr. Mary Graham, vice president of the Perkinston Campus, left, and Anna Faye Kelley-Winders, vice president of Community Campus, right.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College hosted the 2008 Women in Technology Conference at the Perkinston Campus on Feb. 27. The annual conference attracted almost 200 high-school students and teachers from the Gulf Coast district of George, Harrison, Jackson and Stone counties and other areas of the state. This year’s theme was “Southern Belles Love ITech.”
The one-day conference, which is sponsored in partnership with Northrop Grumman Ship Systems I.T. Department, featured workshops that focused on computer and cyber security. The workshops were presented by Gulf Coast’s information technology faculty. A technology expo was included to inform students about new technology available and to showcase careers for women in information technology.
Included as part of the conference each year is the E3 Award given to outstanding contributors in the area of education. This year’s award, with Emphasis on Equality and Education (E3), was awarded to Stone County residents Mike Cain and Mary Webb. The honorees, retired science teachers, opened The Learning Lab, an education-based business that, until 2006, offered motivational science education, science fairs, leadership and team-building workshops throughout the state. They have conducted workshops for various organizations in the state and provided summer science camps, a traveling classroom for elementary students, and developed the Stone High School Natural Science and Teaching Museum.
Support for the conference was also provided by the Partnership for Geospatial and Information Technology Job Training and Capacity Building (GEO-ITECH) grant, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and Tech Prep.
MGCCC creates Mississippi Bowl set for Dec. 2008
On Dec. 7, 2008 the Mississippi Gulf Coast will feel the excitement of the state’s community and junior college football as the first-ever Mississippi Bowl takes place on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Harrison County. South Mississippi will play host as one of the state’s top community/junior college teams goes up against another selected national team in the state’s only community college bowl game. Three fun-filled days of local entertainment, food, and football will welcome the teams and their families, friends, and special guests.
“The purpose of the Mississippi Bowl is to host the state championship team from Mississippi and the highest nationally ranked avai
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