6 May IHL/MCCB relaunch Complete 2 Compete program; significant benefit to ICC students May 6, 2021 By Thomas, Donna S. General 0 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 by the pandemic and funding challenges, the program was temporarily suspended. To date, 86 associate’s degrees have been awarded by Itawamba Community College through the C2C program, said Dr. Emily Tucker, ICC recruitment coordinator and adviser and liaison for the C2C program. ICC participants in the C2C program have received $523,386.08 in C2C grant money to date. Additional figures show that 496 total students have been enrolled through the C2C program, and 170 in 2021. “The C2C program helps us as a community college to further strengthen our mission of being accessible and affordable,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “This program affords those individuals who may have experienced life difficulties the first time around a second chance to positively impact their lives.” Today, in a joint statement, Dr. Alfred Rankins Jr., Commissioner of Higher Education, and Dr. Andrea Mayfield, Executive Director of the Mississippi Community College Board, announced the re-launch of the C2C program with a renewed focus on reaching those adults most in need. “Our goal remains steadfast, to reach out and welcome back students who left without a degree, providing them the support and resources they need to finish what they started.” “Expanding career and wage opportunities are two of the many benefits of C2C,” the statement continued. “The generational impact of degree completion can be truly transformational for families in the state.” More information is available at the C2C website, www.msc2c.org. Related Articles Complete 2 Compete Itawamba Community College is among Mississippi’s two- and four-year institutions which are collaborating in an initiative to assist adults who have earned some college credit but insufficient hours for a degree to complete the requirements necessary. The Complete 2 Compete initiative has launched a website, www.msc2c.org, to provide information and resources to enable state residents to evaluate their previous coursework to determine a pathway to college completion. “Itawamba Community College is excited about the unlimited possibilities Complete 2 Compete will provide for residents of our region and beyond,” said President Dr. Jay Allen. “We look forward to participating in this initiative to provide an exceptional educational foundation to enhance the quality of life, particularly for the adult learner segment of the population.” “Complete 2 Compete will grow our skilled, educated workforce, in turn growing economic development across the state,” said Gov. Phil Bryant at the recent website launch. “This partnership will ensure Mississippi remains attractive to business and industry looking for a favorable tax climate and a workforce ready to excel on day one. I am grateful to everyone involved in ... ICC to offer Complete2Compete information sessions Area residents who have earned some college credit but insufficient hours for a degree can receive information about the statewide Complete2Compete initiative during special sessions at Itawamba Community College in January. Dates are Jan. 4 from 5-7 p.m. and Jan. 6 from 8:30-11:30 a.m. in the Student Support Center on the Tupelo Campus. ICC is among Mississippi’s two- and four-year institutions collaborating in the Complete2Compete initiative, which is designed to increase the number of adults with postsecondary degrees or credentials of value to positively impact the state’s educational attainment rate and economy as well as the quality of life for those who complete their degrees. The program matches adults with a Complete2Compete coach at an institution who reviews prior credit and provides them with a pathway for obtaining a degree. Complete2Compete is available to Mississippi adults who are at least 21 years old, have not earned a postsecondary degree and have been out of college for at least two years. Complete2Compete tuition assistance grants are available to qualifying adult learners. Additionally, ICC offers an Adult Learner Incentive scholarship, which provides half-tuition for ... ICC's Nursing students have opportunity to benefit from Women's Foundation of Mississippi grant Students in Itawamba Community College’s Associate Degree Nursing and Practical Nursing programs will have an opportunity to benefit from a significant grant from the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi. The $40,000 Access to Opportunity – Training and Graduating a Healthcare Workforce for Mississippi grant will be divided between the ADN and PN programs based on relative program enrollments, said Rilla Jones, dean of Health Science Instruction. This year, 31 ADN and 19 PN students will receive funds. Students in their final year/semester of their nursing program will be informed of this grant during the beginning of the fall semester, Jones said. Those who would like to be considered for the grant will complete an application and sign a consent form for FAFSA data to be accessed. Selection will be based on lowest estimated financial contribution and income level and the most number of dependents. Students who are selected will be awarded $800. “This targeted, need-based funding will allow students near graduation to be able to pay for expenses, such as NCLEX review courses, licensing exams ... First students complete academic dual enrollment initiative Two New Albany High School students Jill Gafford and Joseph Fennell are the first completers of an academic dual enrollment initiative between the CREATE Foundation, Itawamba Community College and Northeast Mississippi Community College. According to the agreement, the students were selected on the basis of applications, which were evaluated by a joint committee of ICC and NEMCC personnel. Among the eligibility requirements were minimum overall 3.0 GPA on a 4.o scale on all high school courses and with successful completion of at least 14 core high school units or a minimum of a 3.0 GPA on all high school courses and a minimum composite ACT score of 30 or the equivalent SAT score. Both Gafford and Fennell will receive postsecondary credit for their coursework. The initiative offered both health- and computer-related pathway options. Gafford and Fennell, who both chose the health-related path, completed Introduction to Health Professional I at Northeast, and Medical Terminology in Allied Health and Personal Community Health at ICC. They have enrolled every term since the MOU was established in ... Metallica's All Within My Hands grant significantly impacts lives, futures of ICC students A $50,000 grant from Metallica’s All Within My Hands foundation is significantly impacting the lives and futures of more than 50 Itawamba Community College career education and health sciences students. They were selected based on an application process, which included information about the difference that receiving the scholarship will make in continuing their educational journey, according to Dylan Baldwin, dean of Career Education, who wrote the grant proposal. “This significant opportunity is making the difference in enabling many of the recipients to continue enrollment in their programs,” Baldwin noted. “Sometimes we don’t realize the struggles that students have to overcome to earn their ICC degrees to ensure a better future not only for themselves, but also in many instances, their families.” Among the student stories are, “My husband and I are struggling with money because of doctor bills…I am a 40-year-old veteran, 80 percent disabled trying to do something different with my life, something that’s not as physically hard labor as I’m used to…I am a 4.0 honor roll student, have maintained a 4.0 GPA since being in college ... Adults can take advantage of increased C2C funds in the spring to complete degree at ICC Beginning in January, adults who have earned some college credit but insufficient hours for a degree may qualify for a Complete 2 Compete grant of $1,000 per semester to finish the necessary requirements at Itawamba Community College. The grant is renewable per semester as long as the recipients remain in good academic standing. “We are excited to be able to continue to assist students with obtaining their first postsecondary degree, and we are confident that the grant increase will further accelerate our ability to do so,” said Amber Palmer, project coordinator for Mississippi Public Universities. ICC is among Mississippi’s two- and four-year institutions which are collaborating in the Complete 2 Compete initiative. “Itawamba Community College is excited about the unlimited possibilities Complete 2 Compete is providing for residents of our region and beyond,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “It enables us to provide an exceptional educational foundation to enhance the quality of life, particularly for the adult learner segment of the population.” Complete 2 Compete is available to Mississippi adults who are ... Comments are closed.