Coahoma Community College

Coahoma Community College

Former names	Coahoma County Agricultural High School Coahoma Junior College and Agricultural High School
Established	1924
President	Dr. Valmadge Towner
Location	Coahoma County , Mississippi , United States 34°15′21″N 90°34′11″W
Campus	Rural, 99 acres (400,000 m2)
Colors	Maroon and White
Nickname	Tigers

Coahoma Community College (CCC) is a community college and HBCU located in unincorporated Coahoma County, in the U.S. state of Mississippi, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the city of Clarksdale. The 99-acre (400,000 m²) campus lies in an agrarian setting along Clarksdale-Friars Point Road near the Mississippi River. The administration of CCC also operates Coahoma Agricultural High School.

History

When Coahoma County established Coahoma County Agricultural High School in 1924, it became the first county in Mississippi to provide an agricultural high school for black students under the then existing “separate but equal” doctrine for education. The junior college curriculum was added in 1949, and the name of the institution was changed to Coahoma Junior College and Agricultural High School.

During the first two years (1949–1950), the junior college program was conducted by one full-time college director-teacher and a sufficient number of part-time teachers from the high school division. A full-time dean and college faculty were employed the third year.

During the first year of operation (1949), Coahoma Junior College was supported entirely by county funds. In 1950 Coahoma junior College became the first educational institution for Negroes to be included in Mississippi's system of public junior colleges and to be eligible to share in funds appropriate by the Mississippi Legislature for the support of public junior colleges. Counties, other than Coahoma, that supported the college were Bolivar, Quitman, and Sunflower.

In 1965, Coahoma Junior College opened its doors to all students regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, or disability.

Coahoma Community College and Agricultural High School has been headed by eight superintendents found four presidents: M.L. Strange, 1924–25; J. M. Mosley, 1924-29; J. w. Addison, 1929–37; J. B. Wright, 1937-45; B. F. McLaurin, 1945–66; J. E. Miller, 1966-79; McKinley C. Martin,1980–92; and the incumbent Vivian Presley, 1992 to present. With her appointment as superintendent/president January 6, 1992, Dr. Vivian Presley became the first woman to head Coahoma Community College and Agricultural High School and the first woman to head a community college in the state of Mississippi.

With the approval of the Board of Trustees of Coahoma Junior College and the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges, Coahoma Community College’s name was changed to Coahoma Community College, effective July 1, 1989.

In the spring of 1995, after many years of not having an official district, a bill was introduced into and passed by the Mississippi Legislature and signed by the Governor giving Coahoma Community College a district. Effective July 1, 1995, the Coahoma Community College district became Bolivar, Coahoma, Quitman, Tallahatchie, and Tunica Counties. Coahoma County was removed from the service area of Mississippi Delta Community College, with its main campus in Moorhead, effective July 1, 1995.

Campus and off-campus buildings

The campus is 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Clarksdale, in an unincorporated area. The campus has 99 acres (40 ha) of land.

The following residence halls serve the student body:

• Friends Residence Hall (for men): It has a capacity of 122 students. It was built in 1983 and in 2006 received renovation work.
• McKinley W. Martin Residence Hall (for women): The two-story building has a capacity of 56 students. It was named after the third president of CCC and was constructed in 2014.
• Sezzie McLaurin Residence Hall (for women): It has a capacity of 52 students. Named after the wife of CCC's first president, it is a two-story building that built in the 1983-1984 school year
• George W. Moore Residence Hall (for men): It is a two-story building built in 2002. It was named after a CCC administrator and teacher, and has a capacity of 120.

Two buildings are located away from the main campus: the Robert G. “Brick” Mason Health Sciences Building in Clarksdale, and the Ned Gathwright Workforce Development Center, adjacent to the Clarksdale city limits.

Accreditation and academics

Coahoma Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the Associate of Arts degree, the Associate of Applied Science degree, and certificates in career education.

Student activities

Athletics

The Coahoma Community College athletic teams are known as the Tigers, and their colors are maroon and white.

External links

• [1] – Official web site
• [2] – Official athletics site