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• ICC's '23 Associate Degree Nursing graduates excel on recent NCLEX

  Itawamba Community College’s 2023 May Associate Degree Nursing graduates have achieved a 96 percent pass rate on their National Council Licensure Examination, according to Dr. Dana Walker, program director.             Walker said that the Nex Gen NCLEX went into effect in April, making ICC’s graduates some of the first to see the exam. All but two graduates passed the newly formatted exam on the first attempt. “That is commendable as many times the pass rate drops on a new exam format.”             “I am beyond proud of the hard work the (ICC) nursing faculty did to accomplish this,” Walker said. “I know that the transition to the new exam concepts and format was not easy during a pandemic and post pandemic, but the faculty stuck to the strategies planned and made the students successful.”             Walker noted that the May 2023 graduates started their nursing school journey in the fall of 2021, and some had never taken a face-to-face college course.             “I am immensely excited and proud of this accomplishment by our nursing students, faculty and staff,” said ICC President Dr. Jay ...
• Armstrong challenges 2018 graduates

              More than 600 graduates of Itawamba Community College crossed the stage at the Davis Event Center on the Fulton Campus May 12 during two commencement ceremonies and were rewarded with Associate of Arts or Associate of Applied Science degrees or certificates of completion.             They were among approximately 800 graduates who have earned degrees from ICC this year. Although each graduate’s journey is unique, there were commonalities. In fact, 56 graduates spent 11-20 years in pursuit of the degree, and five invested more than 25 years to reach this point. About 30 percent of the graduates are the first to earn a college degree in their family, and 55 shared the 2018 ceremony with a cousin, sibling, parent, aunt, uncle, son, daughter, spouse and a fiancé.             During both ceremonies, ICC alumnus and Tupelo native Dr. Ketra Armstrong, who is a tenured professor in the school of Kinesiology in the Department of Sport Management of the University of Michigan, shared her life story as a challenge to the graduates. “This (ICC) is home,” she said. “Life takes you around the ...
• ICC selected among 25 semifinalists nationwide for prestigious Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

                Today, Itawamba Community College was selected among the 25 semifinalists for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, a milestone in the award selection process.             ICC and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College were the only public two-year institutions in the state to be selected for this prestigious honor.             The $1 million Aspen Prize is the nation’s signature recognition of community colleges that are achieving high, improving and equitable outcomes for students.             In years past, only 10 finalists have been named, and this change is designed to highlight the increased number of colleges across the country doing excellent work, according to the announcement from the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program.             “Being selected as a semifinalist from among eligible community colleges across the nation is not only an honor, but it is monumental for ICC to be chosen among the top two-year institutions across America to continue to compete for the significant Aspen Prize,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “It is another indication of the success of the ...
• Aspen Institute names ICC as one of nation's top 150 and eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

  Today, the Aspen Institute named Itawamba Community College as 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 two-year colleges. The institutions selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high improving levels of student success as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds.             “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 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 and staff, without whom it would not be possible.”             ICC was selected as a top community college in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 and as a semifinalist in 2023.             The Aspen Prize spotlights exemplary community ...
• ICC graduates receive diplomas, certificates during May 16 ceremonies

  Approximately 1,000 Itawamba Community College graduates crossed the stage at the Davis Event Center on the Fulton Campus, May 16, during three commencement ceremonies and were rewarded with Associate of Arts or Associate of Applied Science degrees or certificates.             Among them included a 15-year-old and his mother, a native of South Africa, a 32-year-old high school equivalency graduate, an amputee and one who started the pursuit of her college diploma more than 20 years ago.             Lathan Jon Austin Nunley of New Albany said he “nervously but excitedly stepped into the world of college. Today, I’m proud to say I’m graduating with my first degree – alongside my mother, who has supported me every step of the way.” His educational journey began at home where his mother homeschooled him ‘from birth to eighth grade.’ “With her guidance and the encouragement of those around me, I was taught to believe that anything is possible. That mindset pushed me to graduate high school at just 13 years old through Penn Foster.” His ultimate goal is to work in the tech field. “I ...
• Mississippi Speaker of the House of Representatives Jason White challenges ICC graduates in one of three commencement ceremonies

               Mississippi Speaker of the House of Representatives Jason White challenged Itawamba Community College graduates today (Friday) at the 10 a.m. commencement ceremony at the Davis Event Center at the Fulton Campus to live by the words he shared with his colleagues as they began the new term in January.  “To whom much is given, much is expected,” White said. “I would tell you graduates the same message applies as you enter this new chapter of your lives. Hurdles and challenges certainly await you; don’t get bogged down by the small things, focus on the big picture and make an impact. Don’t be trepidatious to do something out of the ordinary, challenge conventional wisdom, and even push yourself to a zone of discomfort.”             White said that when he was in law school at Mississippi College, a half mile or two blocks away from the Mississippi State Capitol which he passed every day for three years, he never once dreamed that he would be elected as a Representative nor being involved in politics. “Be open to ...