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Up to 1,600 students graduated from MGCCC in 2008.
For the sixth year in a row, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College remains one of the top associate-degree producers in the nation and No. 1 in the nation in producing associate degrees for education majors.
At No. 98 overall, Gulf Coast is once again ranked as one of the country’s top 100 community colleges, according to Community College Week, an educational magazine.
For the fourth year in a row, Gulf Coast is the only community college in the states of Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee to make the overall top-100 list. The ranking is based on the number of degrees awarded to students from the country’s 1,300 community colleges.
Gulf Coast was ranked No. 89 in 2007 and No. 67 in the 2006 Community College Week list.
“To be included on this elite list for six years in a row is amazing,” said Dr. Willis Lott, Gulf Coast president. “Our staff, instructors and students continue to excel as we strive to make a positive difference in people’s lives every day. They deserve all of the credit for our continuing recognition.”
Gulf Coast was again highly ranked in several lists the magazine compiled as part of this year’s article, “Analyzing the Data,” including the No. 1 spot with education majors. The college turned out 222 students earning associate degrees in education, making it the fifth year in a row the college has placed in the top 10. The college’s Associate Degree Nursing program also continues to shine as it remains in the nation’s top 50 in that category.
In 2005, Gulf Coast enjoyed status as the state’s largest community college. But that changed when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005. The college’s eight locations in George, Harrison, Jackson and Stone counties were hit hard by the storm, when more than 3,000 of its 10,500 students withdrew after Katrina because of life circumstances. Also, the homes of more than 200 Gulf Coast employees were either lost or uninhabitable. Despite those setbacks, Gulf Coast reopened just 17 days after Katrina made landfall.
By the fall 2007 semester, the college’s enrollment had increased to 9,315 credit students, a number not far behind the fall 2005 total of 10,500.
“We’re making steady progress toward our goals,” said Lott. “Our faculty and staff have worked hard to help students and to let the community know that our college is here to serve.”
In 2008, nearly 1,600 students graduated from Gulf Coast, with more than 1,200 receiving associate and certificate degrees.
Dr. Victor Borden, author of “Analyzing the Data,” compiled the list using data certified by the U.S. Department of Education.
