1 November ICC/The W sign MOU for bachelor's degree program in elementary/special education November 1, 2024 By Thomas, Donna S. Career Center, General 0 Itawamba Community College and Mississippi University for Women signed a memorandum of understanding today (Nov. 1) to offer an undergraduate program of study that will lead to a bachelor’s degree in elementary education or special education from the School of Education at The W. “We are excited to announce this partnership with ICC that strengthens our commitment to providing access and new pathways for our students,” said W President Nora Miller. “Together we are dedicated to fostering academic growth and preparing teachers for their classrooms.” “This agreement will allow our students to now have an opportunity to transfer their credits and work toward a bachelor’s degree at MUW in a discipline in which they are truly passionate,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “This degree opportunity recognizes the value of both elementary and special education degrees offered at Mississippi’s community colleges and the impact they are making not only on Mississippi’s workforce but to provide an unparalleled foundation for our children in the state and beyond. This allows our previous, current and future elementary education or special education majors a natural progression for post-ICC educational endeavors while transferring academic credits.” Both ICC and The W advisers will collaborate to ensure seamless transition between programs. The W’s School of Education offers students the ability to complete a bachelor’s degree in elementary education online with the expectation of fieldwork, which will be available for students to complete in a local school, potentially where a student may want to teach. The W accepts up to 90 transfer credit hours toward the 120 credit hours required for a bachelor’s degree. “The MOU with MUW is an excellent opportunity for our students to have a smooth transition from ICC’s School of Education into MUW’s School of Education,” said Chris Cox, Education Department chair. “There is a big need for quality educators, especially in elementary and special education in our area and state. This partnership is another step in ensuring that ICC is helping to produce great educators that will not only help eliminate the teacher shortage but also make a major impact on our local communities. We are excited about this opportunity and hope to continue to find ways to partner with our local universities.” “We’ve been very successful in helping students onboard to teacher education at The W. We want them to get to know us early, complete key courses as soon as possible and move seamlessly from completion of their associate’s degree to starting their bachelor’s teacher education program with us, said Dr. Martin Hatton, dean of the School of Education at The W. “The MOU represents our commitment to work together to make that happen to each student transferring into a teacher education program at The W.” In 2021, ICC and The W signed an MOU to provide educational opportunities for students pursuing careers in early childhood education. The agreement establishes a pathway for ICC students who are earning an associate’s degree in early childhood technology to have the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree at The W. Related Articles ICC, TPSD sign MOU for innovative Associate Degree Nursing Preferred Candidacy Middle College program to begin this fall Itawamba Community College and the Tupelo Public School District signed a memorandum of understanding today to announce the innovative Associate Degree Nursing Preferred Candidacy Middle College program, which will begin this fall. The agreement, which was signed by ICC President Dr. Jay Allen and TPSD Superintendent Dr. Robert Picou in a formal ceremony, will promote early entry into the two-year nursing program. Qualified applicants will begin this track in their junior year. “Graduating seniors are often attracted to the idea of ‘going away’ to experience the first year of college,” Allen said. “Many of those graduates return home for various reasons and do not have a degree. If we can attract graduates early, we can educate them and give them an opportunity early that will open unlimited doors.” “Nursing offers a variety of job opportunities, both locally and beyond,” said Dr. Dana Walker, director of ICC’s Associate Degree Nursing program. During recent years, nursing programs across the nation have experienced a decline in qualified applicants. “The early entry opportunity would offer high quality students who are focused on ... ICC signs preferred candidate program agreement with MHP; only community college in the state selected Itawamba Community College signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a Preferred Candidate Program with the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Jan. 26, at the Tupelo Campus. The initiative is a pilot program that will be implemented at ICC, the only community college in the state selected. “Itawamba Community College is more than excited about this partnership with the Mississippi Highway Patrol,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “According to research, having successfully completed a college degree substantially improves the knowledge and abilities of officers on a vast range of areas from the criminal justice system to conceptual and managerial skills.” The agreement will allow those who are enrolled to pursue either an A.A. or A.A.S. degree in ICC’s Criminal Justice program, meet with an MHP recruiter and apply for the MHP Preferred Candidate Program to skip weeks of the Mississippi Highway Patrol Academy. In order to graduate from the MHP Preferred Candidate Program, students must complete one or more semesters of the MHP Candidates on Rapid Entry curriculum, earn the associate’s degree from ICC, meet the C.O.R.E. Patrol School PT requirements ... IHL/MCCB relaunch Complete 2 Compete program; significant benefit to ICC students In 2017, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board launched the Complete 2 Compete program focused on increasing the degree attainment rate in Mississippi. As at Itawamba Community College, the initiative concentrated on removing barriers that keep adult learners from returning to complete their degrees. Within a year, a new university degree program and renewable C2C Grant were established to facilitate adult learners returning to complete their degree. Mississippi’s public community colleges and universities expanded the number of online classes, and many developed student services tailored to provide working adults with greater access. Additionally, teams of coaches were commissioned across all of the institutions providing greater coordination, streamlining the review of transcripts and maximizing application of earned credits. In just over two years, the program assisted more than 2,100 former students in returning to complete their degrees. In addition, more than 4,000 former students, who had not been enrolled in classes for more than two years, were enrolled on a fast path to degree completion. In October 2020, complicated ... ICC, The W sign memorandum of understanding to provide opportunities for Early Childhood Education majors Itawamba Community College and Mississippi University for Women signed a memorandum of understanding today (July 14) to provide educational opportunities for students pursuing careers in early childhood education. The agreement establishes a pathway for ICC students who are earning an associate’s degree in Early Childhood Technology to have the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree at The W. According to the agreement, ICC and The W will work together to enroll students in the Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Development program, including advising and encouraging students, alumni and constituents who qualify. The W agrees to share information regarding the rotation of its Early Childhood Development courses so that eligible ICC graduates may make informed advising decisions and complete degree requirements in a timely manner. “I am so pleased that Itawamba Community College and The W are partnering to provide 2+2 pathways for their students to become ours upon completion of their associate degrees,” said Nora Miller, W President. “These pathways streamline students’ transition to our bachelor’s programs, allowing them to plan their schedules so they won’t lose credit hours when ... ICC partners with USM for 2+2 program for construction management degree Itawamba Community College has entered into a partnership with the University of Southern Mississippi for a 2 + 2 program to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in construction management. ICC’s Construction Management Technology is an instructional program designed to prepare technicians for employment within the construction industries and firms in mid-level management operations as estimators, planners, project managers, layout specialists or other construction opportunities. Upon completion of the two-year curriculum, students are awarded the Associate of Applied Science degree. According to Scott Emison, instructor and director of ICC’s Construction Management Technology program, the program allows his students to transfer to the University of Southern Mississippi to complete degree work in two years. “This collaboration is a new and a slightly more direct route for ICC’s students to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in construction management at Southern Miss,” Emison said. “This 2 + 2 option allows our ICC students the opportunity to fully transfer credit of 60 hours and to seamlessly enter the third-year cohort with the rest of the USM-BCM track students. The four semesters ... ICC ranks second in state in producing more bachelor's degrees than any other community college Recent data from Mississippi’s Institutions of Higher Learning shows students who graduate from Itawamba Community College and transfer to a university receive their degree with a grade point average above the state average. In addition, ICC graduates earn their college credentials with a higher GPA than students who begin their university studies during their freshman year. The statistics also indicate that ICC ranks second in the state in producing more bachelor’s degrees than any other community college, 12 short of first place, which is held by an institution that doubles our enrollment, said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. Students who began their college careers at ICC and transferred to a university graduated from there with an average GPA of 3.28. The average among all IHL graduates is 3.23. ICC graduates finish with higher GPA than the average completion GPA of all Mississippi community colleges and institutions of higher learning,” Allen said. “ICC’s priority is our students, and it is our mission to provide them with a quality educational foundation, no matter where their life journey takes them,” Allen ... Comments are closed.