Scott Elliott

The Meridian Star invited some community leaders to identify their priorities for 2017. The following is from Scott Elliott, president of Meridian Community College.

Meridian Community College’s highest priority will always be to achieve excellence in educational programming that promotes an improved quality of life in our community. As for three specific goals for the coming year, I would cite:

(1) working with the Legislature to achieve optimum support for our programs across the curriculum;

(2) finishing some major capital improvements projects on campus;

(3) completing an important element of the college’s reaffirmation of accreditation process through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) called “The 5th Year Report.”

As to the former, community colleges currently receive about 7 cents out of every tax dollar that is invested by the state in public education. The K-12 and university systems are appropriated the other 93 cents. In order for community colleges to offer and develop contemporary workforce education and university transfer programs, stay relatively current in technology, maintain facilities, and hire and retain quality faculty, stronger state support is crucial. So, it’s a priority in every legislative session to provide leadership with good information on the correlation between economic development and the community college mission.

On the second priority, MCC will open its new workforce center during the spring term. It will be a place where students can be trained in viable job skills, while showcasing for prospective industry what our community has to offer in skills training. Also, MCC will open a new dormitory in the fall of 2017, which will be a very positive addition to the campus.

The third priority may seem mundane, but it is nonetheless vital. Every five years all colleges under SACS must undergo an exhaustive evaluation process that ensures its continued accreditation. A college’s accreditation is an official validation of its quality and secures its eligibility to deliver federal financial aid. An unaccredited college is dead in the water, so it’s a big deal.

All of these priorities, in some fashion, contribute to MCC meeting that foundational “quality of life” mission.