11 May ICC's Guntharp named Mississippi Community College Connectivity Consortium chairman May 11, 2023 By Thomas, Donna S. General 0 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 diverse interests and skillsets. This group has been such a benefit to me, and my hope is for us to collectively continue to move our college technology programs forward.” In 2003, Guntharp earned the associate’s degree with honors at Itawamba Community College, where he was selected to the Hall of Fame and received awards of distinction in his field for two years. He also holds numerous technology certifications. Guntharp has served as coordinator of technology for the Lee County Schools and later taught courses in ICC’s Information Systems Technology program. He joined the ICC Telecommunications and Information Systems department in 2011 and served as network administrator until 2017. His honors include 2010 Lamplighter recipient, graduate of the 2014-15 Leadership Development Institute and 2016-17 Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy. He and his wife, Shea, have four daughters. Related Articles 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 ... ICC's Guntharp represents all 15 community colleges during significant C Spire MissiON announcement Itawamba Community College Systems Engineer Jason Guntharp of Fulton represented all 15 Mississippi public two-year institutions during a press briefing Thursday to announce their addition to a statewide science, engineering and technology research and development consortium called the Mississippi Optical Network (MissiON). Guntharp served as chair of the subcommittee, which assisted with the addition of Mississippi’s community colleges to the C Spire initiative. Additional speakers for the virtual press conference included Hu Meena, president and CEO of C Spire; Dr. Andrea Mayfield, executive director of the Mississippi Community College Board; David Sliman, CIO of the University of Southern Mississippi; and Jim Richmond, vice president of marketing for C Spire. They discussed the addition of community colleges to the network, the boost for distance learning, efforts to train and equip students for future jobs in Mississippi employers and benefits for the state’s economy through the MissiON network. “As Mississippi’s leading broadband communications provider, C Spire is proud to provide innovative, leading-edge technology and the latest fiber optic infrastructure to help expand the size of ... ICC's Holloway completes prestigious Mississippi Community College Policy Fellows Program Itawamba Community College’s Michael Holloway of Saltillo, director of recruiting and orientation, is among the 2023 graduates of the Mississippi Community College Policy Fellows Program. Holloway, who is a native of Amory, attended Itawamba Community College on a soccer scholarship. His educational background includes the associate’s degree from ICC and the bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Mississippi. He has worked in higher education for 15 years, all in enrollment management. Before joining the ICC staff 11 years ago, Holloway was a regional admissions counselor for the University of Mississippi for four years. He and his wife, Erin, a teacher for the Tupelo Public School district, are the parents of three children, Emma, 10; Bennett, 6, and baby John Michael. They are members of the First United Methodist Church of Saltillo. “It was an honor to be a part of this (CPFP) experience,” Holloway said. “I appreciate Itawamba Community College for providing me with the opportunity to participate and learn more about advocating at the state and national levels and to collaborate with colleagues across Mississippi for ... ICC named one of nation's top 150 community colleges Today, the Aspen Institute named Itawamba Community College one of the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges. Those selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds. The 150 eligible colleges have been invited to submit data and narratives as the next steps in an intensive data and practice review process, culminating in the announcement of the Prize winner in spring 2023. “It is a tremendous honor for Itawamba Community College to be selected as one of the top 150 community colleges in the nation and to be afforded the opportunity to compete for the significant Aspen Prize,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “It is another indication of the success of the College, its continuing status as a premier community college and a testament to our exceptional faculty ... ICC's Dr. Melissa Haab completes Community College Policy Fellows Program Itawamba Community College Dean of Enrollment Services Dr. Melissa Haab of Louisville was among 14 Alabama and 13 Mississippi community college administrators who recently completed the Community College Policy Fellows Program. The 10-month professional development program sponsored by the Alabama Community College System and the Mississippi Community College Board culminated in a trip to Washington, D.C. to advocate on behalf of college students in both states. “It was an honor to be selected and to participate in the program and to represent Itawamba Community College,” Haab said. “This experience allowed me to learn more about the community college systems in Mississippi and Alabama and gave me the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across both states. I was able to broaden my professional skillset and will hopefully will be able to use those skills to benefit ICC and our students.” Directed by Tyson Elbert of Advocacy Build, LLC, the curriculum focused on four national program pillars: policy, leadership, networking and advocacy. It also highlighted comparative elements of both state systems. ... ICC's McCraw, Waters complete Mississippi Community College Fellowship Program Itawamba Community College’s Dr. Brandi McCraw of Fulton, Instructional Coordinator, and TZ Waters of Tupelo, director of Workforce Education, have completed the Mississippi Community College Fellowship Program. In addition, McCraw was selected as the recipient of the Mississippi CPFP 2020-21 Cohort Outstanding Fellow Award, which recognizes those who have displayed distinctive leadership and meritorious service to their profession through participation in the CPFP program. They were selected by their peers. The CPFP program is designed to give Fellows first-hand high-level experience with the workings of the Federal government and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs, according to Tyson Elbert, founder and executive director of AdvocacyBuild, LLC and senior fellow of The Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute, who presented the awards. It requires Fellows to dedicate time away from their professional responsibilities, but also from their families, communities and social commitments. McCraw, who has been at ICC since 2008, has also served as switchboard operator, Student Services receptionist, administrative assistant to the dean of eLearning Instruction, eLearning adviser and eLearning coordinator. Her educational background includes the associate’s ... Comments are closed.