12 February ICC President Allen to receive prestigious Paragon Award February 12, 2019 By Thomas, Donna S. General 0 Itawamba Community College President Dr. Jay Allen has been selected as a recipient of Phi Theta Kappa’s Paragon Award for New Presidents. The awards are given to new college presidents who have shown strong support of student success by recognizing academic achievement, leadership and service among high-achieving students at their college. Recipients were nominated by students on their campus. “It is an honor to be nominated by our students for this award,” Allen said. “It is most rewarding to watch students succeed as they grow in leadership and academics during their participation in the PTK organization.” Allen became ICC’s seventh president on July 1, 2017 after serving as president and chief executive officer of Hopkinsville Community College in Kentucky since January 2014. A native Mississippian, he has served in several leadership positions at Hinds Community College and as a senior-level administrator for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College – Perkinston and the George County Center – for a combined total of 23 years. He earned the associate’s degree in May 1991 from Hinds Community College; the bachelor’s degree in 1993 and the master’s degree in 1995, both from Mississippi State University; and the doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Mississippi in 2009. His educational experience includes such areas as both academic and career and technical education, student services, institutional development, information technology, business services, athletics, workforce and other non-credit areas. Dr. Allen and his wife, Belinda, have two daughters, Emma Grace, 15; and Mollianne, 11. Allen is one of 25 new presidents who will receive the award from Phi Theta Kappa, which is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The society is composed of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 nations. More than 500 college presidents were eligible to receive the award. The awards will be presented during PTK Catalyst 2019, the society’s annual convention, Apr. 4-6, in Orlando, Fla. Related Articles ICC President Dr. Jay Allen Named Finalist for National CEO of the Year Award Itawamba Community College President Dr. Jay Allen has been named a finalist for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) CEO of the Year Award, a national honor recognizing exceptional leadership among community college presidents across the United States. The AACC CEO of the Year Award honors leaders whose work has made a significant and lasting impact on their institutions, students and the communities they serve. Dr. Allen will be formally recognized as a finalist during the AACC annual convention, the nation’s premier convening of community college leaders, to be held in April in Seattle, Washington. Since assuming the presidency at ICC, Dr. Allen has emphasized student success, workforce alignment and community engagement while maintaining a strong focus on institutional culture and excellence. Under his leadership, the college has continued to strengthen academic programs, expand workforce and industry partnerships and enhance the overall student experience across all ICC locations. “I am deeply honored by this recognition, but it truly belongs to our outstanding employees,” Allen said. “Every day, our faculty and staff go above and beyond to serve students and positively impact our communities. Their commitment, professionalism and ... ICC President Allen opens fall 2025 convocation with challenge to 'create a masterpiece;' new faculty/new roles announced Itawamba Community College President Dr. Jay Allen challenged faculty and staff to “create a masterpiece” during his remarks at the fall 2025 convocation Wednesday at the Fulton Campus. “Each year when we gather for convocation, I’m reminded that our work here is more than a list of tasks, programs and budgets – it’s a living, evolving canvas. And this year, our theme reminds us of ‘The Power of One: The Big Picture Begins with You!’ Think of ICC as a great mural in progress. Across its expanse are the colors, textures, patterns and decades of service – brushstrokes laid down by those who came before us, strokes that define our heritage and our foundation.” Those who attended had an opportunity to paint a section of an art piece in the lobby. Allen said that masterpieces don’t happen all at once. “They are built one stroke at a time. One deliberate motion of the brush, and each of you holds a brush in your hand.” Allen noted that there are those who add bold colors, bring delicate details, work in the foreground while ... ICC's Howard to receive PTK Paragon award Bradley Howard of Saltillo, Computer Science Division chair at Itawamba Community College, has been selected as a recipient of Phi Theta Kappa’s 2022 Paragon Award for New Advisers. He will be among those recognized during PTK Catalyst 2022, the society’s annual convention in Denver, Colo., Apr. 7-9. Howard, who has been employed at ICC since 2006, is sponsor for the STEM and Computer clubs and eLearning lead instructor for computer science. His committee service includes College Council, Commencement, Curriculum, eLearning, Honors Council, Instructional Policies and Planning and Assessment. Howard’s honors include Lamplighter award recipient and sponsor for ICC’s first Top 10 finalist team for the American Association of Community Colleges and National Science Foundation’s 2021 Community College Innovation Challenge. He also cowrote a $20,000 grant that ICC received to implement a STEM Club, STEM week and an Introduction to STEM Professions course. Howard is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery and is currently serving on a STEM Research committee which will enable two ICC students to partner with Dr. Erica Walker of Brown University for a summer ... Laken Jones receives prestigious award Itawamba Community College sophomore Laken Jones of Belden has been named a 2017 Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Bronze Scholar. Jones will receive a $1,000 scholarship and a special medallion. High-achieving students are nominated for the award by campus administrators. An independent panel of judges considers academic achievement, leadership and engagement in college and community service in the selection process. The program is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and is administered by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. The student scholars will receive local, state and national recognition at Phi Theta Kappa’s annual convention, Apr. 6-8, in Nashville, Tenn. Jones is majoring in occupational therapy at ICC where her honors include president’s and dean’s lists, Who’s Who Among Students in American Community and Junior Colleges, Miss Itawamba Community College, All-Mississippi Academic Team first team and Phi Theta Kappa. She is a member of the All-American Marching Band, Indian Delegation, Baptist Student Union and the L.I.N. (Live Indian News) Report. Her parents are Tracy and Kimberla Jones. PTK is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of community college students. The Society is ... ICC staff members receive CPRAM awards Several Itawamba Community College staff members received awards from the College Public Relations Association of Mississippi, which were presented during the recent conference in Gulfport. They include C.J. Adams of Fulton – first place, digital Art/Photo Illustration for Autumn Leaf; second place, Public Relations Campaign for ICC eLearning Regional Campaign; first place, Photograph for Snow Day; second place, Annual Report for 2020-2021 ICC President’s Report; first place, Viewbook for Orientation Booklet; first place, Creative Partners for Ignite the Fight Against Breast Cancer Awareness; second place, Institutional Magazine for Connection; second place, New Media for Inside ICC; first place, Public Relations Innovations for Online Commencement Practice; first place and grand award, Web Page for New ICC Home Page – www.iccms.edu; third place, Television Spots for Live and Learn commercial; and first place, Advertisement for Veterans Day ad; Lee Adams of Fulton – second place, Sports Photography for Welcome Home; first place, Web page – Sports Only for www.letsgoicc.com; third place, Single Piece of Artwork – Sports for Softball Champions; first place, Single Piece of Artwork ... ICC's Phi Theta Kappa chapters receive multiple regional awards Both the Beta Tau Sigma (Tupelo) and Upsilon Sigma (Fulton) chapters of Phi Theta Kappa at Itawamba Community College received multiple awards at the organization’s Mississippi/Louisiana Regional Conference, Mar. 6-7, at the University of Mississippi. Both chapters were awarded five-star status, for which chapters must fulfill the following stars or milestones within a calendar year: Reach, Network, Engage, Lead and Discover, according to Makaela Salmon, adviser for the Upsilon Sigma chapter. Beta Tau Sigma’s awards included Jenny Bowers, Tupelo Campus adviser, Horizon award; Honors in Action Theme 8 award; 5-Star Chapter award and Allyson Johnson of Nettleton, Golden Key. Bowers said that in the summer, advisers meet with officers and review the themes in the Honors Program Guide. “We make a list of topics that students are interested in and then we vote. Folklore, Fables, and Fairy Tales was selected. It centered around the traditional stories of the Chickasaw, who inhabited our area before us. We gave a presentation in November, and the Chickasaw Heritage Tree that we made is still on display in the Academic and Student Center on the ... Comments are closed.