ITTA BENA, Miss.— Hinds Community College (Hinds CC) recently signed a 2 Plus 2 agreement with Mississippi Valley State University to offer junior and senior level courses for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health, Biology or Chemistry.
Representatives from both institutions gathered at 10 am. Friday, April 27, at Hinds CC-Raymond Campus for a signing ceremony to formalize the new partnership, designed to better serve students and to promote successful undergraduate educational experiences for students who wish to attend both institutions.
Before signing the agreements, Hinds CC President Dr. Clyde Muse and MVSU President Dr. Jerryl Briggs, Sr. discussed the benefits of the partnership for both institutions.
“This is a good opportunity that we have to come together as institutions to confirm our relationship and to have the opportunity to further it with this agreement,” said Muse. With this agreement, we have made the process of transfer much simpler, and that’s an advantage for the student.”
During his remarks, Briggs stated that higher education is not just about providing students with a degree, but rather an education.
“I think that this partnership will speak to that—our students receiving an education from both institutions and moving on to build and grow their lives,” he said.
According to Briggs, the agreement serves as an example of both institutions moving forward.
“One thing that we’ve established at Valley is that vision of ‘ONE GOAL. ONE TEAM. ONE VALLEY.’ and now that’s ‘…In Motion’. It means that we’re moving in the right direction, and this is the right direction, I think, for both institutions,” he said.
Alluding to her own start as a community college STEM major, MVSU Vice President of Academic Affairs Constance Bland reiterated how vital it is for community colleges and 4-year institutions to work together.
“50 percent of graduates from 4-year institutions get their start at community colleges, so it’s very important for us to embrace those community college students and make a pathway as large as we possibly can…I’m just really excited about this from an academic perspective,” she said.
Bland added that she’s excited to see the partnership expand to include other majors.
“It’s wonderful that we’re starting out with our STEM departments, and we’d like to fan this opportunity out to any majors that want to matriculate and make that pathway on to Mississippi Valley State University.”
As part of the agreement, MVSU will accept all Hinds CC courses outlined in the articulation agreement, providing students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Natural Science and Environmental Health with a seamless transfer.
In addition, MVSU has agreed to provide junior/senior and graduate level courses on Hinds’ campus. It will also offer two transfer scholarships to Hinds CC graduates with a 3.5-grade point average or higher.
Hinds CC has agreed to provide MVSU access to its campus for classes, registration, recruiting and support services.
According to MVSU Assistant Vice President for Online and Distance Education Dr. Kenneth Done, MVSU will begin offering courses on Hinds’ campus as early as the Fall 2018 semester.