27 October ICC’s Allen receives statewide Champion Award for educational attainment October 27, 2026 By Camp, Tyler W Career Center, General 0 Itawamba Community College President Jay Allen received the 2026 Champion Award for Ascent to Educational Attainment Oct. 22 during the Ascent to 55% Convening at the Trade Mart Center in Jackson. The award recognizes sustained leadership, collaboration and impact in advancing postsecondary attainment in Mississippi. Allen served for several years as chairman of the Mississippi Education Achievement Council, including through the COVID-19 pandemic, and helped lead the development and adoption of the state’s initial postsecondary attainment goal. He remains an active member of its successor, the Mississippi Postsecondary Attainment Council. Under Allen’s chairmanship, the council adopted a resolution in October 2020 establishing goals to increase the share of Mississippi’s working-age population with a postsecondary degree, certificate or workforce credential to 55% by 2030 and 60% by 2035. Those targets established a shared direction for education, business and government partners working to strengthen the state’s workforce and expand economic opportunity. His leadership helped maintain the council’s focus during the pandemic as institutions navigated disruptions to instruction, student support and workforce training. That work laid a foundation for continued statewide collaboration to help more Mississippians pursue and complete education beyond high school. Ascent to 55%, a program of the Mississippi Business Alliance, supports progress toward those goals by connecting educational attainment with Mississippi’s workforce needs. The annual convening brings together education, business, workforce and community leaders to strengthen the connection between education and employment. Established in 2025, the Champion Award honors individuals whose leadership helps move Mississippi toward its attainment goals. Jim McHale, president and CEO of the Woodward Hines Education Foundation, received the inaugural award. Learn more about educational attainment in Mississippi by visiting www.ascentto55percent.org. Related Articles ICC President Allen to receive prestigious Paragon Award 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 ... ICC receives 2019 Halbrook award Itawamba Community College has received the 2019 John C. and Earnestine McCall Halbrook Improvement Award from the Mississippi Association of Colleges. The award, which was presented Oct. 1 at the conclusion of the association’s annual conference in Bay St. Louis, is presented to the single college or university that has shown the greatest increase over the previous year in the percentage of athletes graduating. ICC also won the award in 2013. “At ICC, we continue to strive to provide an educational foundation that allows our students to succeed and reach their maximum potential,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “This wouldn’t be possible without our outstanding faculty and coaches who make it a priority to excel both on the courts and fields as well as in the classroom.” “I am proud of the academic success of our student-athletes,” said Carrie Ball-Williamson, ICC director of athletics. “Hopefully we can continue improving the graduation rate of our athletes.” In addition, two ICC student-athletes received the David M. Halbrook certificate for academic achievement among athletes. They were Jake Kirkpatrick of Amory, men’s soccer; and Samantha Conley ... 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's CR staff receives record number of CPRAM awards Several Itawamba Community College staff members received awards from the College Public Relations Association of Mississippi, which were presented during a recent virtual conference. The 21 awards were the most in the Community Relations Department’s history. They include C.J. Adams of Fulton, first place in View Book for “2020 ICC Recruiting Lookbook;” first place in Admissions and Recruitment Piece for “ICC Recruiting Trifold;” first place in Television Spots for “ICC SkillUp Commercial;” third place in Television Spots for “ICC Tomorrow Commercial;” first place in Radio Spot for “SkillUP Radio Commercial;” third place in Radio Spot for “Start on Time, Finish Early:” first place in Public Relations Campaign for “A New Look for a New Decade: A New Identity for ICC;” second place in Public Relations Campaign for “Navigating the Pandemic: The First Six Months;” grand award in the junior division in Electronic Media for “ICC SkillUP commercial;” second place in Advertisements for “ICC Veterans Day Ad;” Lee Adams of Fulton, first place in Single Piece artwork – Sports for “2020 ICC Football Poster;” second place in Single Piece Artwork – Sports ... 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 Lancaster receives University of Mississippi grant for Open Educational Resources Dr. Ashley Craig Lancaster of Tupelo has received a grant from the William-Flora Hewlett Foundation from the University of Mississippi to fund the integration of Open Educational Resources into her American Literature I course at Itawamba Community College. The award will enable Lancaster to replace her copyrighted course material with that which is openly-licensed, which means that the teaching, learning and research resources can be accessed easily and for free. The openly-licensed material allows for full use, reuse, adaptation and resharing by learners and educators. The free materials that are openly-licensed that Lancaster finds valuable and useful will be acceptable, according to guidelines of the grant. According to Lancaster’s notification letter, the OER projects often save students money and increase engagement and learning. “The committee sees great promise in your proposal, and we look forward to supporting your development efforts.” “ICC is dedicated to helping its students succeed in class, so I’m trying to do my part by making classes more affordable while still maintaining high-quality instruction,” Lancaster said. Lancaster has published academic ... Comments are closed.