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• ICC Named Bellwether Award Finalist for First Time

  Itawamba Community College has been named one of 30 finalists nationwide to compete for the prestigious Bellwether Award at the 32nd Annual Community College Futures Assembly (CCFA). This marks the first time ICC has been selected as a finalist for the nationally recognized honor, which celebrates outstanding and innovative programs in U.S. community colleges. The Bellwether Award highlights excellence across three categories: Instructional Programs and Services – recognizing programs that foster student success and teaching innovation. Workforce Development – highlighting strategic partnerships between colleges and workforce entities that address regional labor market needs. Planning, Governance and Finance – celebrating creative approaches to planning, management and resource optimization. “We broke last year’s record with a total of 114 submissions from 91 community colleges across 30 states,” said Dr. Rose Martinez, director of the Bellwether College Consortium. “The large number of competitive entries reflects the impactful work community colleges are doing nationwide—and the academic and economic boost they provide to their local communities. The consortium looks forward to hosting the 2026 Community College Futures Assembly and recognizing three top colleges with the Bellwether Award.” A Bellwether Finalist represents a community college program that earned one of the ...
• Forbes Advisor ranks ICC Business and Marketing Management Technology program sixth in nation; only Mississippi college recognized

  Forbes Advisor has ranked Itawamba Community College’s Business and Marketing Management Technology program sixth in the nation, the only community college in Mississippi to be recognized.             Forbes Advisor’s ranking methodologies use data from the National Center for Education Statistics, education providers and reputable educational and professional organizations to produce its unbiased rankings. An advisory board of educators and other subject matter experts reviews and verifies its content to provide trustworthy, up-to-date information.             “We are honored to be recognized by Forbes Advisor as we strive each semester to teach our students the most relevant skills they’ll need to be successful in the workforce,” said Jodi McCrimon, ICC’s Business and Marketing Management Technology program director. “As one of the top 10 best online community college programs in the nation, we enthusiastically offer this degree to meet the needs of student and adult learners in our community. The best start here!”             ICC President Dr. Jay Allen joined McCrimon in appreciation for the honor. “While we strive to always provide the best educational product and experience, it’s always exciting for others to ...
• Itawamba Community College receives $100,000 and joins 41 other schools across the US as All Within My Hands' Metallica Scholars Initiative expands in year five

    Metallica’s foundation, All Within My Hands, continues its multimillion-dollar investment in critical workforce programs at community colleges nationwide. Among the schools, Itawamba Community College was selected from a competitive pool of applicants to receive $100,000 to transform the futures of students in the community. “It is a tremendous honor for Itawamba Community College to be selected as one of the recipients of the prestigious All Within My Hands grant, which will significantly impact our career education programs, providing funding for students to pursue a pathway and their best start,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “It is another indication of the success of the College and reinforcement of the mission that students and their success are our top priority.” The Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI) was launched in 2019 by Metallica’s foundation, All Within My Hands (AWMH), in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). The workforce initiative marks its fifth year with an ambitious expansion into new curricula. MSI now directly supports 42 community colleges across 33 states, and by the end of this year, it will have helped ...
• For the Eighth Time, ICC Recognized Nationally by Aspen Institute as a Top U.S. Community College

  The Aspen Institute has named Itawamba Community College as one of the 200 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s premier recognition of high achievement and performance among two-year colleges. The 200 colleges were selected based on their student outcomes data, including retention, completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment rates. Started in 2010, this is the ninth cycle of the Aspen Prize.  ICC is one of only four Mississippi community colleges selected this year, and the smallest of the four, to be named as eligible to compete for this prestigious recognition. “Being named among the top 200 community colleges in the nation by the Aspen Institute is both an honor and a testament to the dedication of our faculty, staff and students,” said Dr. Jay Allen, president of Itawamba Community College. “This recognition affirms the excellence of our work and affords us the opportunity to compete for the Aspen Prize, one of the highest distinctions in higher education. It’s a reflection of who we are at ICC: a community committed to student success ...
• Dr. Anna Morgan Named ICC’s 2026 Mississippi Humanities Teacher Award Nominee

  Itawamba Community College has selected Dr. Anna Morgan, piano instructor, as its nominee for the 2026 Mississippi Humanities Teacher Award. Morgan will be recognized at the Mississippi Humanities Council Public Humanities Awards Ceremony on March 20, 2026, in Jackson. The annual event honors exceptional faculty in traditional humanities disciplines across Mississippi’s colleges and universities. Morgan, a Mantachie resident, joined ICC in 2017. Before returning to Mississippi, she taught PreK through fifth grade elementary music in Tennessee, laying an early foundation for young students’ musical development. She holds a doctorate in music education from William Carey University and a master’s degree in piano performance from Middle Tennessee State University. In addition to her teaching role, Morgan serves as pianist for the ICC Choir, supporting student musicians and contributing to the College’s longstanding choral tradition. She also remains active in the regional arts community as manager of the North Mississippi Youth Orchestra and pianist and organist at Baldwyn First Baptist Church. Her service beyond the arts includes previous work as a board member for the Tupelo-Lee Humane Society. Morgan will be featured alongside honorees from ...
• ICC's Guntharp named Mississippi Community College Connectivity Consortium chairman

              Jason Guntharp of Fulton, system engineer/project manager at Itawamba Community College, has been recently named chairman of the Mississippi Community College Connectivity Consortium (MC4).             MC4 is the evolution of the state’s Computer Center Director’s Association, now known as MJCCCDA, which was formed on Dec. 10, 1986. Its purpose is to collaborate and share solutions to problems that affected all colleges as well as the catalyst for a computer network to connect all of the two-year colleges.             The Strategic Planning Council, which was the first IT technical group, evolved into MC4. Today, the organization represents community colleges from across the state and confronts the technology challenges that affect every community college, Guntharp said. “It is an honor to lead and be part of a group with such a rich history in the state. We are in a synergistic position whose projects will help all community colleges across the state.”             MC4 has quarterly meetings with input from vendors on various technologies that could benefit the state’s community colleges, Guntharp noted. “We have a group with ...