Outstanding Professors Honored

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will celebrate the 2018 Instructors of the Year at the annual Spring Reception held on April 5 at the Hospitality and Resort Management Center in Biloxi.

Dr. Emma Miller of the Jackson County Campus, Dr. Vernon LaCour of the Jefferson Davis Campus, and Angela Sparkman of the Perkinston Campus are this year’s honorees. Each of them will receive a $1,000 stipend from the MGCCC Foundation for use in teaching and classroom expenses.

MGCCC has honored outstanding instructors with the prestigious Instructor of the Year Award since 1971. The winners are selected based on their academic excellence, dedication and professionalism both inside and outside the classroom.

Dr. Emma Miller
Mathematics
Jackson County Campus

Dr. Emma Miller has taught mathematics at the Jackson County Campus since 2011. She is also an MGCCC alumna, graduating from the college in 2000. She has a doctorate in Instructional Design and Development from the University of South Alabama and received her bachelor’s degree from The University of Southern Mississippi. Miller is married to another MGCCC mathematics instructor, John Miller, who is the Honors director and Phi Theta Kappa chapter advisor.

Dr. Vernon LaCour
French/Spanish
Jefferson Davis Campus

Dr. Vernon LaCour has been teaching French and Spanish at the Jefferson Davis Campus since 1998. He has been Language Arts department chair since 2008. He has a doctorate in Second Language Acquisition Methodology from Berne University, dual master degrees from The University of Southern Mississippi and a bachelor’s degree from Delta State University. An alumnus of MGCCC (1975), LaCour’s daughter, Anne-Marie, and his grandchildren Michael and Lindsey also attended MGCCC. 

Angela Sparkman
Business
Perkinston Campus

Angela Sparkman has been teaching Business at the Perkinston Campus since 2014, but has taught at the college level much longer.  She has also taught at Itawamba Community College, Meridian Community College and Central Wyoming College. Sparkman is currently working on her specialist degree at William Carey University, where she also plans to complete her doctorate. She has a Master of Business Administration and bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University. She said her oldest son, Jordan, and her daughter, Erin, have both attended MGCCC. Erin will graduate from the Perkinston Campus in May.

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