Bill Graham / The Meridian StarMegan Seal of DeKalb, a nursing student at MCC, speaks with fellow student Shelby Plowman during the college’s golden anniversary celebration Thursday in the Tommy E. Dulaney Center.

Meridian Community College’s Associate Degree Nursing program celebrated its past – and future by observing its golden anniversary Thursday in the Tommy E. Dulaney Center.

Since the program started 50 years ago, MCC has produced 4,811 nursing graduates, according to Dr. Betty Davis, the dean of nursing at the school.

Davis credited the program’s success to strong support from the community and MCC administrators and said it continues to benefit the area economically.

MCC President Dr. Scott Elliott called the program “a true success story, not just in the annals of MCC, but in the entire community college system in Mississippi.”

“It’s helped to put MCC on the map,” Elliott said, adding, “The program has been blessed with visionary leadership.”

Elliott said the program’s graduates have had a wide-reaching impact in East Mississippi and West Alabama.

“Because of the nurses MCC has produced, a lot of people have enjoyed a better life…there’s nothing small about that.”

Meridian Mayor Percy Bland, who delivered a proclamation designating Thursday as MCC Associate Degree Nursing day, encouraged the program’s students, who are set to graduate May 12.

“Each of you will be a game-changer in our community,” he told them.

One of those nursing students is Megan Seal of DeKalb. She said the MCC program was challenging, but she’ll be a better nurse because of it.

“The teachers really drive you to be your best,” she said.

Robin Hull, who graduated from the MCC nursing program in 1981, later earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing and is working on a master’s degree in healthcare administration. She credits her ongoing success in the field to her teachers at MCC.

“The instructors were right there beside us – during school and after school,” Hull said. “They were always available to help us in anything we did…they were even available to us when we got out into the workforce.”