Mississippi College

Despite the lingering COVID-19 pandemic that has had a negative impact on scholarly activities, institutions of higher learning across the country are riding a new wave of increasing enrollment as incoming and transferring college students appear eager to continue their academic journeys. That's especially true at Mississippi College. However, the University's improving enrollment numbers aren't just attributable to a declining worldwide pandemic, according to Hannah Richards, director of enrollment marketing and communications at MC. "We see across the board that our students are not just attracted to the price point we ask or to the location we're in, but to the unconditional warmth and community they find on our campus," Richards said, "in conjunction with professors at the top of their fields who also make themselves available to students in a myriad of ways, on campus and off, in churches and in small groups. "Students get to experience all of this when they come to MC for a visit, and I think it's incredibly attractive." The "personal touch" of new student recruitment at MC extends all the way to the top. Last year, Dr. Blake Thompson, Mississippi College president, wrote more than 500 personal notes to students who attended one of the many regional recruitment events hosted by the University. "Our new student numbers are up, year over year," she said. "A lot of that is due to our regional strategy. Our regional recruiters have proven to be an effective piece of the recruitment model, connecting with even more students on their home turf." Between January and April, MC's Office of Admissions hosted about 800 prospective students in 18 recruiting events across the Southeast. Richards said the recruiters concentrated on four areas in particular: Birmingham, Memphis, the northern shore of Louisiana and the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. The recruiters invited small groups of interested students to dinner at local restaurants or coffee shops to meet with MC faculty members, students and admissions counselors and learn about life at the Christian University. Along with hosting academic Select Scholars Competition and Transfer Scholar Competition - events that attract 120 to 150 students vying for valuable scholarships - and receptions of up to 150 prospective students, the less-formal, individualized meetings are a hit with incoming freshmen and transfer students alike.

Mississippi College Scouts has selected 63 students to join the Scouts in Fall 2021. Scouts work hands on with prospective students and admissions counselors to welcome them to Mississippi College. During weekly scout hours, members are able to write letters to potential students and take them and their families on a tour of the campus. The Scouts also create chances for prospective students to meet with professors before officially enrolling. Each semester, the Scouts get together to organize and host a preview day for potential students and their families.

After using the Career Services office at Mississippi College to help prepare for job interviews and improve his resume, Noah has been hired as a Tesla Advisor.

Mississippi College quarterback, DeAnte' Smith-Moore was named the Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Week Monday morning after his stellar performance this past weekend versus North Greenville. Smith-Moore led the Choctaws to a 42-21 defeat over the Crusaders as MC produced over 409 yards on the ground including five rushing touchdowns. The quarterback himself finished with 110 rushing yards on 22 carries and four touchdowns. Smith-Moore also added 98 yards through the air on 3-of-5 passing attempts, including a 23 yard touchdown pass to running back Marcus Williams, to help guide MC to 2-2 overall and 1-1 on the season in GSC play. On the season, Smith-Moore has amassed 195 yards on the ground with a team high five touchdown runs while averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He has also completed a team best 7-of-16 passes for 166 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. Mississippi College returns home this weekend, Oct. 9, for a 2 p.m. GSC kickoff versus West Georgia at 2 p.m. at Robinson-Hale Stadium.

The Mississippi College's Lexie Laurendine became the program's all-time assists leader as the Choctaws completed a season sweep of the University of West Alabama on Tuesday, Oct. 5 with a straight-sets victory inside A.E. Wood Coliseum. Laurendine recorded a team-best 21 dimes and now holds school's record with 1,776. The junior also logged a team-best 10 kills and added five digs on the ledger. Laurendine surpasses former Choctaw Sydney Chandler (2014-17). Levi Lennard dished out 12 assists on the night. Erin Davis led the squad with 13 digs while Kendall Platt chimed in 11 with 10 coming from Missy Beber. Stevie Nesbit defended the frontline with a team-leading three blocks. After a 25-18 victory in the opening set, Mississippi College took charge of the match in the second set. The Navy and Gold jumped out to a 12-3 early and held the visiting Tigers to single digits until a MC miscue changed the score to 20-10. The Choctaws maintained the double-digit advantage down the stretch, despite the visitors trying to cut into the deficit. A Nesbit tip secured the set 25-16 and gave the Choctaws a 2-0 lead. The two teams battled through the early goings in the third set with West Alabama gaining the upperhand midway through the contest - holding as much as a four-point lead. MC rallied and tied the contest at 18-all and closed the match on a 10-1 run to clinch. Mississippi College returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 9 as it hosts Union (Tenn.) University. Fans coming through the door can grab donuts, while supplies last, courtesy of the volleyball team as the Choctaws host Digs and Donuts before first serve at 10 a.m.

The Mississippi College men's soccer team knocked off the University of Texas at Tyler Patriots 4-0 on Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 6) in mid-week non-conference action. The Choctaws improved to 5-4-1 (3-2-1 GSC) on the year, while Texas-Tyler fell to 4-3-1 (0-0 LSC). It was a slow start to the match as neither team truly threatened the other team's goalkeeper and the match went into the half scoreless. The beginning of the 2nd half was much of the same even though there was a moment of controversy as a UT-Tyler goal was stopped after contact in the box. The Choctaws finally broke through in the 71st minute when Noah Wagnerstepped in front of a pass along the Patriots backline, after Pedro Corteshad clipped the ball forward, and then put a shot past the UT-Tyler keeper to put MC up 1-0. The goal marked Wagner's 7th of the season. Antoine Recizac then doubled the MC lead just minutes later as he put a fierce strike on his first touch in the back of the net off an assist from Santi Diosa in the 74th minute. Recizac's goal was his 2nd of the season. Filippo Bellu then added a brace in the next several minutes as he first scored in the 78th minute off a assist from Guilherme Santos on a nice ball into the box by Santos. Bellu got his 2nd goal of the match again just minutes later in the 81st minute as he scored on an assist from Noah Wagner as a through ball from Wagner got through and the ball ended up in the net as a sliding mass of bodies all converged together. The goals marked Bellu's 6th and 7th of the season respectively which now tie Wagner for the most on the team. Overall, MC outshot Texas-Tyler 15-5 and held a 5-1 advantage in shots on goal. Bellu led the way for MC in shots with 5. Alejandro Chavarria also made a save in goal as he played 86 minutes in net for the Choctaws without conceeding a goal. The Choctaws will be back in action on Monday afternoon (Oct. 11) as they travel to take on LSU-Alexandria on the road in another non-conference tilt. MC will be back in GSC play on Friday, October 22nd against Christian Brothers.

When Hurricane Ida, one of the most powerful storms ever to lash the U.S., tore through the Gulf Coast of Louisiana Aug. 29, leaving a wide swath of destruction in its wake, it did more than cripple power lines, spoil food and water supplies and damage homes and businesses. It also presented an opportunity to share God's love. Not long after Ida finished her deadly rampage across the state, Mississippi College and Morrison Heights Baptist Church in Clinton teamed up with St. Rose Community Church in Louisiana to collect donations of water, food and cleaning supplies to help residents of the small river community just outside of New Orleans.

The Mississippi College Marching Band made its 2021 debut Sept. 2 on campus with performances at MC's football home opener against Albany State. The band is under the direction of Duncan Goff.

The Mississippi College Dance team has hit the ground running this season having already performed at multiple events including two Choctaw Football home games. Tryouts were held over the summer and they completed boot camp training in August. The team is sponsored by Dr. Hope Tipton.

As the new academic year begins, Worship Collective has already begun working together and performing. MC's Worship Collective is a worship music ensemble affiliated with the worship leadership program, but students in the Collective represent many majors. The Collective focuses not only on performing worship music, but also on writing original songs. To date, MC Worship Collective has released four albums of original music.

Congratulations to Mr. MC! Selected by the student body as a man who best typifies the ideal Mississippi College student.

Mississippi College alumna MaryKelli Bethea's creative skills blossomed as an interior design major on the Clinton campus. At this spring's commencement celebration, MaryKelli's academic success opened doors for the Edwards resident to receive the university's 2021 Sadler Award. Announced in early May, the honor goes to a graduating senior achieving perfect grade point averages at Hinds Community College and MC. The late Dr. William O. Sadler, a 1929 MC graduate and longtime biology professor at his alma mater, established the prestigious award. A U.S. Navy veteran who served in World War II, the former biology department chair died in 1995 at age 91.

A busy mom raising six kids, Keri Herrington excelled as a Mississippi College student. Balancing the demands of family life with rigorous MC studies, Keri maintained a perfect 4.0-grade point average since enrolling in 2016. Her strong academic performance was good enough for the 33-year-old Clinton resident to be selected MC's Nelson Award recipient. MC leaders announced the honor at May's commencement celebration on the Clinton campus. The award goes to outstanding MC graduating seniors and is named for President D.M. Nelson. He served the Christian university for decades until his retirement in 1957.

The Mississippi College Office of Academic Affairs releases the dean's list after the close of fall and spring semesters each academic year. To be eligible for the Dean's List, a student must maintain a 3.5 grade point average, based on a 4.0 system. The student must take a full course load of at least 12 semester hours of undergraduate credit with all academic courses impacting their grade point average.

The Mississippi College Office of Academic Affairs releases the president's list after the close of fall and spring semesters each academic year. To be eligible for the President's List, a student must maintain a 4.0 grade point average, based on a 4.0 system. The student must take a full course load of at least 12 semester hours of undergraduate credit with all academic courses impacting their grade point average.

The Perry Academic Awards were established by Mr. and Mrs. M. W. Perry (Marion Walter Perry, '32 and Effie Elaine McDonald Perry, '33) for the purpose of recognizing scholastic achievement at Mississippi College. Academic Awards, in the form of gold medals, will be awarded to not more than seven seniors per year from the following majors: biological sciences, business administration and business education, including accounting, computer science, and marketing; chemistry; history; English; languages; mathematics; physics; arts and music; medical technology and nursing; education and psychology; kinesiology (formerly family and consumer sciences) and interior design; communication; sociology and social work. Consideration for the awards are with emphasis on academic performance with all nominees having not less than a 3.5 grade point average. Academic excellence will receive 75% consideration and 25% for qualities of leadership, citizenship, creative ability, activities, and moral character.

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

Congratulations to our award winners in the Department of Modern Languages!

Never straying far from his roots in rural North Alabama, Kyle Hamrick will soon wrap up two outstanding years as the "Mississippi Collegian" editor. From the grand opening of Chick-fil-A at Mississippi College to the university's effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hamrick and the newspaper staff stayed on top of campus developments. A history major and journalism minor, the MC senior, is mapping his next stage in life. He's eager to begin graduate studies to build his journalism and communication skills at the University of Alabama. His acceptance letter from UA officials arrived in late February.

The Mississippi College Office of Academic Affairs releases the president's list after the close of fall and spring semesters each academic year. To be eligible for the President's List, a student must maintain a 4.0 grade point average, based on a 4.0 system. The student must take a full course load of at least 12 semester hours of undergraduate credit with all academic courses impacting their grade point average.

The Debbie Norris scholarship typically goes towards the students' final two years at MC. The award is for $1,000 annually. Students are eligible to stack it with other scholarships. Admissions director Kyle Brantley believes the scholarship speaks volumes about the highly regarded administrator. This year, Norris is busy overseeing the university's complex national re-accreditation process. She invests considerable time to make it a successful enterprise every few years. "Dr. Norris has made such a strong, positive impact on MC over her career," Brantley said. "We're delighted to be able to honor her." The scholarship bearing her name, he said, "will help bring other influential transfers to our campus community."

The Mississippi College Office of Academic Affairs releases the dean's list after the close of fall and spring semesters each academic year. To be eligible for the Dean's List, a student must maintain a 3.5 grade point average, based on a 4.0 system. The student must take a full course load of at least 12 semester hours of undergraduate credit with all academic courses impacting their grade point average.

Two Mississippi College freshmen are being showcased by leaders of the National Art Education Association. This fall, MC students Ashley Thurman and Brittany Bradley were recipients of the professional organization's Rising Star awards. Ashley was a student at Power APAC and Forest Hill High in Jackson before enrolling at MC in late August.

The Worship Collective values sharing the gospel through authentic worship. They perform on campus and at local church events. The students balance music and faith to praise God in a way that is uniquely MC.

Dr. Steve Martin, director of MC's physician assistant program, is pleased to welcome the 36 new students. "The graduates will play an important role in helping address many needs" in Mississippi and other states. MC's program typically enrolls 90 students overall. Some of the university's PA graduates are on the frontlines treating COVID-19 patients at hospitals across the USA.

Mississippi College students selected for Rural Physician Scholarships will receive a $120,000 scholarship to medical school at UMMC in Jackson, Mississippi.

Mississippi College Announces the 2020-21 Student Government Association Student Leadership Council. The legislative powers of the Student Government Association are vested in the Student Leadership Council. This distinguished body of 28 members is comprised of four elected representatives from each academic class, six representatives from various campus organizations, and six representatives selected by the Deans of each school at Mississippi College. The purpose of the Student Leadership Council is to draft legislation to be brought before the Leadership Council and subsequently presented to administration if approved on the Leadership Council floor. Addressing issues regarding all aspects of campus, the Student Leadership Council is a very distinguishing and rewarding way to make a difference on campus.

Mississippi College Announces the 2020-21 Student Government Association Executive Council. The Student Government Association (SGA) represents all undergraduate students of Mississippi College. The SGA serves as a liaison between the students and the administrators, faculty, and staff of Mississippi College by advocating the proposals for advancement made by the Student Leadership Council, in accordance with Leadership Council procedure. The SGA also promotes student welfare by providing opportunities for extracurricular student interaction and by exercising the authority to make judgments regarding student violations of campus rules. The SGA is divided into spheres of power, which consists of the Student Leadership Council, the Judicial Council, the Executive Council, and respective boards and appointments. These spheres of power have both separate and overlapping jurisdiction, according to the provisions of the SGA Constitution, which can be found at the end of this section. The Executive Council is the governing body of the Student Government Association. It includes the President, Vice President, Business Manager, Chief Justice, and Chief of Staff.

Four Mississippi College grads were selected to receive a $120,000 scholarship over four years to UMMC in Jackson, Mississippi. Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program awards to 61 medical students totaled $1.83 million this fall. Three privately funded scholarships were awarded this year from the Madison Charitable Foundation, the Selby and Richard McRae Foundation and the Medical Assurance Company of Mississippi. Other benefits from the scholarships include personalized mentoring from practicing rural physicians and academic support. The MRPSP scholar must provide four years of service in a clinic-based practice in a Mississippi community of 15,000 or fewer people. The program is based at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

TJ McIntosh sees Mississippi College as the best place to pursue his dream to become a physician. There are plenty of medical opportunities in his native Mississippi with its vast healthcare needs. His passion for medicine accelerated during his two years as a biology major at Itawamba Community College. And TJ's love for the sciences only grew stronger due to his father's battle with health issues.