Flowood Center Opens Doors to College Studies

Repairing or replacing broken glass in cars, offices and homes is a huge business in Mississippi. If the Magnolia State doesn’t lead the nation in chipped car windows, it’s very close to the top.

While running Glass by Daughtry near downtown Brandon six days a week, John Daughtry decided he needed to learn much more about the business world. He discovered Mississippi College offered the best opportunity to pursue a bachelor’s degree during evening hours.

So did business partner Rebecca Pevey and they signed up for Accelerated Degree Program classes, including courses conveniently located a few miles away at the Christian university’s Flowood Center in Rankin County.

“The ADP classes proved to be quite challenging, as any successful adult student can testify,” says Daughtry, 53, who opened his first glass company in 1989. “There are many late nights and long weekends of study required in order to comprehend and carefully absorb the knowledge presented in our classes.”

The Slidell, Louisiana native and Pevey are now on track to graduate from Mississippi College in mid-December with a degree in business administration. The knowledge they’ve gained in accounting, finance, marketing, sociology and other business classes is paying off in their daily management decisions.

“It’s a very well rounded business program in our view,” Daughtry said.

Professors like Sandra Parks and Sheree Corkern, he said, “are fabulous teachers who inspired us to look at accounting from the perspective of not only crunching numbers, but as responsible for making vital management decisions that affect the success of businesses of all sizes.”

Daughtry and Pevey founded their Brandon business in 2006, and the company has managed to enjoy success despite tough times for the USA economy.

A growing number of busy adults like them are finding out that MC’s two-year-old Flowood Center is a terrific place to start their college studies. The good news for prospective students is the MC branch will offer more classes on Saturday mornings in the new year.

In addition to classes on two evenings per week, Saturday classes will begin January 26^th and run through May 4. Classes offered in Flowood include New Testament, international business and a sociology course. Accelerated Degree Program classes are also offered on the main Clinton campus.

“We’ve found that many of our students have expressed interest in the Saturday classes, because it helps them accelerate their degree even further without interfering with work or home life,” says Flowood Center Director Sara Kimmel.

Kimmel, a professor in the School of Business, will teach the Global Dimensions of Business class. Wayne VanHorn, dean of the School of Christian Studies and the Arts, and Gary Mayfield, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, will teach the other classes from 9 a.m. until 11:10 a.m.

Another new opportunity for Flowood Center students is the statistics dual enrollment class. It will be offered on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30 p.m. until 3:45 p.m. The course is designed for high school seniors, particularly those in Rankin County, to receive college credit.

People interested in learning more about the Mississippi College center near the Dogwood mall are invited to a Christmas Open House on December 10. On that Monday from 3-5 p.m., there will be Christmas treats, holiday music provided by music professor Michael Rushing and tours of the two-story facility. For additional information, contact Sara Kimmel at 601.925.7775.