MISSISSIPPI JUNIOR AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES
For Mississippi Business Journal
S » EMILY ALFORD Major: Pre-Business Progress
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MILY ALFORD grew up singing on her family’s Progress dairy farm. A voice student since the third-grade, she admits she is a huge fan of “American Idol.” “I like to sing classical music but also like pop and country,” Alford says. Alford says she was one of the first singers in the country to star in the high school musical version of “The Phantom of the Opera.” She also won first place in singing at the Brookwood Festival in Brookhaven. While she often sings on the Southwest campus and in church Alford doesn’t want a career in the limelight. The pre-business major is just as happy with her college internship at a local Trustmark Bank and has her heart set on a career in accounting or law. “You can’t do anything halfway,” Alford advises students. “You can’t slack off and tighten up in the end, it doesn’t work that way. College is fun but it’s about putting in the work.” Alford is active in student government, Bear Trackers student recruiting and the Baptist Student Union.
OUTHWEST Mississippi Community College has never forgotten its agricultural roots even after more than a century of graduating classes. For current students to remember this heritage, they needn’t look any further than the campus tree farm. The school prides itself on being a low-cost institution. Financial aid is available in the form of scholarships, grants, work-study jobs or a combination of any of these programs and students can also earn money through part-time jobs on campus. The college has come a long way since its days as an agricultural high school in a sleepy former resort town. The campus now includes 28 buildings, a stadium and a baseball field located around a central lake with walks, bridges and paths connecting the buildings. The recent opening of the campus Regional Workforce Training Center will provide advanced-skills workforce
training to industries, including retail, manufacturing, oil and gas, emergency medical personnel, public works, law enforcement and all other first responders. SMCC offers a number of academic and career/technical courses from nursing and the humanities to math to social science. Its automobile technology program prepares students for careers in automobile servicing and maintenance. Other programs range from website design to medical billing. Southwest has a robust athletic program including soccer, basketball, football, baseball, and softball. All SMCC intercollegiate sports teams abide by the rules and regulations of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College and the National Junior College Athletic Association.
– STEPHEN MCDILL
» SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE » www.smcc.edu » Year Founded: 1929 » Address: 1156 College Drive, Summit, MS, 39666 » Phone: (601) 276-2000 » Website: www.smcc.edu » E-mail: mattc@smcc.edu » Undergraduate Enrollment: 2084 » Annual Tuition and Fees: $2400.00 » Annual on-campus room and board: $3010.00 5 day $3260.00 7 day » Application Deadline: Ongoing » Average ACT: 19
Mississippi Business Journal
» Financial Aid: Pell, SEOG, ACG, MTAG, MESG, LEAP, institutional, work study » Students with Financial Aid: 80 percent » Faculty-to-Student Ratio: 1:21 » Popular Majors: Nursing, electrical technology, process operations technology, and well construction technology. » President: Steven Bishop » Director of Admissions: Matthew Calhoun » Famous Alumni: Jerry Clower, Paul Ott Carruth, Glover Quin » What’s the most important thing a parent
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would need to know about your institution? SMCC is an economical choice that provides its students an excellent quality education. » What’s the coolest thing about your campus that a potential student needs to know? Students enjoy sporting events, school sponsored trips, religious activities, tailgate parties, musical and drama productions, and leadership opportunities. DISCLAIMER: The information for the school profile was taken from the institution’s web site, and was assumed to be accurate at publication.
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