Above: USM president Dr. Rodney D. Bennett and MGCCC president Dr. Mary S. Graham shake hands after signing a memorandum of understanding between the Honors Colleges of both institutions on Monday, August 24, at MGCCC’s Perkinston Campus.
The presidents of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and The University of Southern Mississippi signed a memorandum of understanding between the Honors Colleges of both institutions on Monday, August 24, at MGCCC’s Perkinston Campus. The agreement will allow Honors students at MGCCC easier access to the Honors College at USM when they transfer.
“The MGCCC Honors Program focuses on inspiring academic achievement and excellence,” said Dr. Mary S. Graham, MGCCC president. “We want our Honors graduates to be successful beyond MGCCC, and this agreement offers them an outstanding opportunity to do that. By continuing their education in this exceptional USM program, which focuses on research and studying abroad, students will gain a rich educational experience that will help them succeed in the workplace and in any graduate-level collegiate endeavors.”
Almost 150 students participate in MGCCC Honors College, which is offered at the Jackson County, Jefferson Davis and Perkinston campuses. The program includes an advanced curriculum and other requirements that students must meet to graduate with an Honors College distinction.
“At The University of Southern Mississippi, we provide each of our students with endless opportunities for increasing the quality of their educational experience,” said USM president Dr. Rodney D. Bennett. “I am delighted that Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College students will now be able to easily transfer their Honors College membership along with their academic coursework when they come to USM.”
The agreement allows MGCCC graduates seeking admission to the USM Honors College automatic admission to the program once they are admitted to USM; have submitted the Honors College Application for Admission to Senior Honors; have a letter stating they are in good standing in the MGCCC Honors College; and carry a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better. Honors College students who complete required Honors courses and maintain at least a 3.25 GPA at USM can graduate from the university with a Latin designation (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude).
Dr. Ellen Weinauer, dean of the USM Honors College said, “We have seen first-hand that students in the Honors Program at MGCCC are already engaged in research, and we’re excited about the opportunities to partner with our Honors colleagues at MGCCC to encourage them to continue on in their research journey and to nurture their ambitions at Southern Miss and beyond.”
Founded in 1976, the Honors College at The University of Southern Mississippi is the oldest of its kind among Mississippi’s universities, with the first Honors classes taught at the University in 1965. The college currently enrolls 605 students. To learn more about the USM Honors College, call (601) 266-4533 or visit www.usm.edu/honors.