MC Hosts 76th Annual Higher Education Conference
About 300 visitors from the state's universities, community colleges and private colleges discussed those topics and more at the 76th annual conference of the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities.
In the midst of the nation's economic downturn, many schools in Mississippi and around the nation are facing lean budgets.
"I keep all you (college) presidents on my prayer list," said Belle S. Wheelan, president of the Commission on Colleges with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
In Mississippi, the state's high poverty rate and lack of high-paying jobs translate into poor funding levels for education, she noted.
Officials on the Clinton campus from Blue Mountain College, Pearl River Community College and the University of Mississippi listened carefully to the words from the SAC leader. Her Georgia-based agency oversees the reaccreditation process for schools around the South.
A former community college president in Virginia, Wheelan also made a point to tell educators to keep pressing for higher graduation rates for the state's colleges and universities. But graduation levels also need to be addressed at high schools in the region. In the South, high schools have a 30 percent dropout rate. "That's unconscionable," she told hundreds of educators at Swor Auditorium.
MC President Lee Royce, who serves as leader of the board of directors for the MAC group this year, welcomed the participants.
Other speakers included Bob Shireman, deputy undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Education. He touched on a number of topics - from federal Pell Grants to his department partnering with other agencies in Washington, such as the U.S. Department of Labor. He also touched on proposed education legislation on Capitol Hill.
Former Southern Mississippi head baseball coach Corky Palmer delivered the keynote address at a luncheon Monday to honor the state's efforts to promote student-athlete scholastic success.
Winners of the Halbrook Awards for 2008-2009 included Millsaps College in the independent college division, and Meridian Community College in the two-year school division.
The University of Mississippi received top honors for women's athletic teams in the public university division. The University of Southern Mississippi won first-place for its men's teams in the public university division.
The John C. and Ernestine McCall Halbrook Improvement Award went to Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia.
During his remarks, Palmer thanked his parents for serving as role models and constantly encouraging him to get a college education. His late father, who died at the age of 45 when Corky was 18, was forced to turn down a USM football scholarship decades ago because he had to support his family. When he attended Southern Miss and played catcher for the Golden Eagles, Palmer recalled it was USM coach Larry Ladner who served as a role model who helped guide him through college.
Attracting leaders like Delta State President John Hilpert, Hinds Community College President Clyde Muse, Pearl River Community College President William Lewis, and dozens of MC officials, the conference wraps up at Mississippi College Tuesday.
Sign-up For Our Newsletter
Get the latest news about Mississippi College delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Along College Street e-newsletter.
