Mid-South Trustees Receive Honorary Degrees at Final Meeting

During what is most likely the final meeting of the Mid-South Community College Board of Trustees, the institution awarded honorary degrees to board members for 2014-15. The college also presented Board Chair Mary Toney with a plaque for her leadership over the past 12 months.

The trustees, in turn, recognized Dr. Glen Fenter and Dr. Barbara Baxter with mementos in honor of their 20+ years of service. Both are retiring from the college this summer.

Pending approval of the Higher Learning Commission, MSCC will become part of the Arkansas State University System as ASU Mid-South on July 1, and the Board of Trustees will become a Board of Visitors.

While some of the trustees suggested special recognition for the three founding members – Toney, Solon Anthony, and Alex Coulter – Toney said she felt everyone should receive something for their time, effort, and place in MSCC history.

“I’ve tried to do everything this year that members asked, other than one thing. The board told me to do something for myself, Mr. Anthony, and Alex, but I wanted to do something for everybody. So I exerted my authority as chair.”

MSCC Foundation’s ‘Campaign For Hope’ Moving Steadily Toward Goal

The Mid-South Community College Foundation’s Campaign for Hope, a $250,000 scholarship fund-raising effort to honor outgoing president Dr. Glen Fenter, has topped 60 percent, and the effort is entering the home stretch.

Dr. Fenter, who has served the college and community for nearly 23 years, will retire from MSCC on June 30 and become chief executive officer of the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce. A Donor Appreciation Event and Tribute Dinner has been scheduled for June 26, and contributors of $500 or more will be invited to the special event.

“I am humbled by the outpouring of generosity in support of this scholarship,” Dr. Fenter said. “When members of our Foundation Board first discussed this idea with me, I told them I thought they could raise a whole lot more money if the fund were to pay me to leave town, not create scholarships.

Debra West Appointed Chancellor at Arkansas State University Mid-South

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. – Arkansas State University System President Dr. Charles L. Welch today announced the selection of Dr. Debra West as chancellor of the ASU Mid-South campus.

West, an Arkansas native with broad experience in community college workforce training initiatives, will succeed Dr. Glen Fenter, who will resign June 30 as the first president of Mid-South Community College to become CEO of the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce. Pending approval by the Higher Learning Commission at its June 25-26 meeting, the college will become Arkansas State University Mid-South on July 1.

 “We conducted an extensive national search, had four outstanding finalists and I believe hired one of the most competent and visionary administrators in the country,” Welch said. “An added benefit is Dr. West’s strong knowledge of, and commitment to, this institution and the Delta region as a whole. One of the search advisory committee members stated she was looking for a candidate who was strong in communication, motivation and innovation. Dr. West definitely excels in those areas, and the response received from all campus constituencies was overwhelmingly positive regarding her leadership abilities.

Delaware North Co-CEO Helps MSCC Dedicate Hospitality Center

Louis Jacobs, co-chief executive officer of Delaware North, talked about family, history, and community spirit while participating in Mid-South Community College’s dedication of the $2.2 million Jeremy Jacobs Hospitality Center on June 2.

Speaking to a large crowd gathered in MSCC’s newest facility, Jacobs started his presentation with regrets from his father, whose name will appear on and in the building.

MSCC Foundation Seeks to Honor Dr. Fenter with Endowed Scholarship

Mid-South Community College’s Foundation Board of Directors has announced Campaign for Hope, a $250,000 fund-raising effort to honor outgoing president, Dr. Glen Fenter.

The campaign will focus on the creation of a scholarship endowment in Dr. Fenter’s honor that will support deserving students pursuing their dreams at MSCC.

“Glen Fenter is a visionary president whose leadership has had an extraordinary impact on Mid-South Community College and eastern Arkansas,” said Foundation Board Chair Franklin Fogleman. “By endowing this scholarship in Dr. Fenter’s honor, we ensure a tribute in perpetuity to Glen and the success he has been instrumental in achieving for the College.

MSCC Students Earn 15 Medals at SkillsUSA State Championship

Mid-South Community College students won two gold, nine silver, and four bronze medals at the Arkansas SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Championship at Hot Springs on April 14-15.

MSCC has earned 161 medals since joining the SkillsUSA competition in 2007.

Jeremie Paige of MSCC and the Academies of West Memphis and Veronika Pounds of MSCC and Earle High School won state championships and qualified to participate in the 51st annual National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville City this summer.

Educators’ Forum Draws High School Students to MSCC

Crittenden and Poinsett County high school students gathered recently at Mid-South Community College to hear about opportunities, rewards, and challenges of the teaching profession.
 

The 8th Annual Future Educators’ Forum included three breakout sessions, an MSCC campus tour, a keynote address by Tamika Jordan, Curriculum Technologist from Avondale Elementary School (Marion K-1), door prizes, and event T-shirts

“We had a good turnout again,” said Lori (Payne) Forrester, MSCC faculty member and Lead Instructor in the education program at the college who established the event. “It was fun, and the students really enjoyed it."