Meridian Community College
Encyclopedia
Meridian Community College is a two-year public community college
in Meridian
, Mississippi
(USA
). Founded in 1937, it was originally named Meridian Junior College but changed its name in 1987.
's 15 public community colleges to originate through the initiative of the local school system. MCC began as the vision of Dr. H.M. Ivy (1884-1977), superintendent of the Meridian Separate School District in the 1930s. The college, then known as Meridian Junior College
, operated at Meridian High School until 1964 when the College moved to its present location.
In 1970, the College merged with the historically black T.J. Harris Junior College as a result of a federal court order to the Meridian Municipal Separate School System. More than 400 students joined the MJC campus from Harris that year.
Meridian Junior College made its final break with Meridian Public schools by establishing its own district and Board of Trustees in 1980.
As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the College changed its name to Meridian Community College to more accurately reflect the diversity of opportunities it provides for a growing community area.
's Meridian Campus. Other facilities not located at the main campus include the college's Truck Driving School and Magnolia Hall which is widely used by the community.
Recent data shows enrollment at almost 4,000 students. Meridian Community College offers students a wide variety of activities in which to participate. There are more than 20 student organizations on campus representing a wide range of academic and vocational interest. Many of the student organizations have won acclaim from local to international levels. In fact, in 2006, the college's Nu Upsilon Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa
International Honor Society for the two-year college was recognized as one of the Society's top chapters in the world.
, broadcasting, machine shop technology, electronics
, cosmetology
, dental hygienics
, nursing
, and many other fields of study. Students can also take pre-professional academic courses to prepare them for careers in medicine
, science
, engineering
, mathematics
, economics
, education
, languages, law
, architecture
, and many other fields of study. Theatrical and musical performances are often produced.
and can be seen at various athletic events.
In its strong athletic history, MCC has won five NJCAA National Championships.
Current NBA
player, Ronald "Flip" Murray
(Chicago Bulls
) attended MCC and played basketball for the Eagles in 1997/98-1998/99.
Two former MCC Track and Field athletes have gone on to compete in the Summer Olympics. Coby Miller competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games and Miguel Pate who competed in the 2008 Olympic Games.
Several MLB
players have started their careers with MCC, including Cliff Lee
, pitcher for the Texas Rangers
.
Former Major League Soccer
star Damani Ralph
played soccer for MCC. He scored 59 goals in 45 games for the Eagles and was named MVP for the 2000 NJCAA tournament, which MCC also won. He then went on to play for University of Connecticut
before being drafted by the Chicago Fire.
The MCC Golf program is the only Division I NJCAA program in Region XXIII. Twenty MCC golfers have signed scholarships with various four-year schools in the past decade, including Ole Miss, Mississippi State University
, Troy University
, Middle Tennessee State University
, Southern Miss, and the University of New Orleans
. Former MCC golf coach, Lou Hart was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame
on July 27, 2007. Current MCC golf coach Sean Covich, who played under the direction of Coach Hart from 1998-2000, was named the NJCAA Region XXIII Golf Coach of the Year and Mississippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges Golf Coach of the Year in 2007 after leading the Eagles to a school record nine tournament titles, including the 2007 MACJC State/NJCAA Region XXIII championships. The 2007 squad finished third in the NJCAA division II men's golf championship. In 2009 Covich then became the only coach in NJCAA Region XXIII history to lead a team to both a top ten NJCAA national finish at Division I and at Division II as he led the Eagles to a sixth place finish in the school's first-ever NJCAA Division I National Championship. Since 2006, Covich has led MCC to thirteen tournament titles and had five of his golfers win individual medalist honors.
Jamario Moon
, current professional basketball player of Los Angeles Clippers
in the NBA, played for Meridian "Eagles" for one season (1999/2000; his only season of college basketball), and averaged 20.8 points and 8.7 rebounds pre game.
Jamario Moon (NBA) attended MCC
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
in Meridian
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
(USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). Founded in 1937, it was originally named Meridian Junior College but changed its name in 1987.
History
Founded in 1937 as the "13th" and "14th" grades at Meridian High School, Meridian Community College is the only one of MississippiMississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
's 15 public community colleges to originate through the initiative of the local school system. MCC began as the vision of Dr. H.M. Ivy (1884-1977), superintendent of the Meridian Separate School District in the 1930s. The college, then known as Meridian Junior College
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
, operated at Meridian High School until 1964 when the College moved to its present location.
In 1970, the College merged with the historically black T.J. Harris Junior College as a result of a federal court order to the Meridian Municipal Separate School System. More than 400 students joined the MJC campus from Harris that year.
Meridian Junior College made its final break with Meridian Public schools by establishing its own district and Board of Trustees in 1980.
As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the College changed its name to Meridian Community College to more accurately reflect the diversity of opportunities it provides for a growing community area.
Campus facts
The college is located on a 72 acre (29 hectare) campus located a short distance from downtown Meridian and is next to the campus of Mississippi State UniversityMississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
's Meridian Campus. Other facilities not located at the main campus include the college's Truck Driving School and Magnolia Hall which is widely used by the community.
Recent data shows enrollment at almost 4,000 students. Meridian Community College offers students a wide variety of activities in which to participate. There are more than 20 student organizations on campus representing a wide range of academic and vocational interest. Many of the student organizations have won acclaim from local to international levels. In fact, in 2006, the college's Nu Upsilon Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa, also ΦΘΚ or sometimes PTK , is the international honor society of two-year colleges and academic programs, particularly community colleges and junior colleges. It also includes Associate's degree-granting programs offered by four-year colleges...
International Honor Society for the two-year college was recognized as one of the Society's top chapters in the world.
Academics
Meridian Community College offers a wide variety of academic courses of study. Students can concentrate in a technical field such as construction trade technologyConstruction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
, broadcasting, machine shop technology, electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
, cosmetology
Cosmetology
Cosmetology is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty including hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, and electrology....
, dental hygienics
Dental Hygiene
Dental Hygiene is a 1980 Iranian short film directed by Abbas Kiarostami....
, nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
, and many other fields of study. Students can also take pre-professional academic courses to prepare them for careers in medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, languages, law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, and many other fields of study. Theatrical and musical performances are often produced.
Athletics
MCC's athletic teams are called the "Eagles." "Victor the Eagle" is the official mascotMascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
and can be seen at various athletic events.
In its strong athletic history, MCC has won five NJCAA National Championships.
Current NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
player, Ronald "Flip" Murray
Ronald Murray
Ronald "Flip" Murray is an American professional basketball player, who currently plays for Efes Pilsen S.K. in Turkey. Murray is a , point guard–shooting guard. In the NBA he most recently played for the Chicago Bulls...
(Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
) attended MCC and played basketball for the Eagles in 1997/98-1998/99.
Two former MCC Track and Field athletes have gone on to compete in the Summer Olympics. Coby Miller competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games and Miguel Pate who competed in the 2008 Olympic Games.
Several MLB
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
players have started their careers with MCC, including Cliff Lee
Cliff Lee
Clifton Phifer "Cliff" Lee is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. Lee has also played for the Cleveland Indians, the Seattle Mariners, and the Texas Rangers....
, pitcher for the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
.
Former Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
star Damani Ralph
Damani Ralph
Damani Ralph is a Jamaican football player, who last played for Russian team FC Rubin Kazan in Russia.- Amateur/College :...
played soccer for MCC. He scored 59 goals in 45 games for the Eagles and was named MVP for the 2000 NJCAA tournament, which MCC also won. He then went on to play for University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
before being drafted by the Chicago Fire.
The MCC Golf program is the only Division I NJCAA program in Region XXIII. Twenty MCC golfers have signed scholarships with various four-year schools in the past decade, including Ole Miss, Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
, Troy University
Troy University
Troy University is a public university that is located in Troy, Alabama, United States. It was originally founded in 1887 as Troy Normal School. Its main campus enrollment is 7,194 students. The total enrollment of all Troy University campuses is 29,689...
, Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University, commonly abbreviated as MTSU, is a public university located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States....
, Southern Miss, and the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
. Former MCC golf coach, Lou Hart was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame
Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame
The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Jackson, Mississippi. The hall of fame was established in 1961 and is currently located in a museum that displays the achievements of Mississippi athletes. The museum opened on July 4, 1996...
on July 27, 2007. Current MCC golf coach Sean Covich, who played under the direction of Coach Hart from 1998-2000, was named the NJCAA Region XXIII Golf Coach of the Year and Mississippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges Golf Coach of the Year in 2007 after leading the Eagles to a school record nine tournament titles, including the 2007 MACJC State/NJCAA Region XXIII championships. The 2007 squad finished third in the NJCAA division II men's golf championship. In 2009 Covich then became the only coach in NJCAA Region XXIII history to lead a team to both a top ten NJCAA national finish at Division I and at Division II as he led the Eagles to a sixth place finish in the school's first-ever NJCAA Division I National Championship. Since 2006, Covich has led MCC to thirteen tournament titles and had five of his golfers win individual medalist honors.
Jamario Moon
Jamario Moon
Jamario Raman Moon is an American professional basketball player. Moon played college basketball for one season at Meridian Community College and began his professional career with teams in the United States Basketball League and NBA Development League, the Harlem Globetrotters, and Mexican...
, current professional basketball player of Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in the NBA, played for Meridian "Eagles" for one season (1999/2000; his only season of college basketball), and averaged 20.8 points and 8.7 rebounds pre game.
External links
Jamario Moon (NBA) attended MCC