OXFORD, Miss. — University of Mississippi Chancellor
Robert Khayat and Holmes Community College President Glenn
Boyce met in Grenada today and signed an agreement bringing
higher education to more Mississippians through a joint
venture.
Beginning in January, when students enroll for the spring
2008 semester at the Holmes-Grenada Center campus, the
venture will enable area students to enroll in
graduate-level courses in education. Eventually, juniorand
senior-level courses are to be added.
The target audience is professional educators in Grenada
and surrounding counties who wish to complete master’s
degrees in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in
elementary education.
“We are committed to meeting the higher education needs of
our state not only on the Ole Miss campus but by reaching
out to local communities,” said UM Chancellor Robert
Khayat. “We are grateful to President Glenn Boyce and his
staff for the collaborative initiative.” The program should
quickly help to put more qualified teachers and
administrators in area schools, Boyce said.
“This partnership is a tremendous example of how
collaborative efforts between the community college system
and the institutions of higher learning can bring greater
access and opportunity to Mississippi’s residents,” he
said. “We are very excited about what this will mean for
students in the northern part of our district, and we hope
to have a significant impact on nontraditional students who
are looking for opportunity and access to either finish a
four-year degree or change careers.”
The new program, coordinated by the UM Division of Outreach
and Continuing Education, is similar to offerings at the
university’s other regional campuses, said Tim Angle, UM
assistant provost and director of the outreach division.
“The regional campus locations in Booneville, Southaven and
Tupelo have given people in those areas a chance to
complete their college degrees in a way that is flexible
for working adults,” Angle said. “We anticipate that the
UM-Grenada site will do the same for people in the north
central part of the state.”
Students enrolling in the program attend two graduate-level
classes per week in the evenings at the Holmes-Grenada
Center. By following a specific course rotation that
includes summer sessions, participants can complete their
degrees in December 2008.
The Division of Outreach is working with the UM School of
Education to offer courses that will allow educators to
become school administrators through the master’s of
educational leadership program. Plans are being made to
admit a cohort group into this program in summer 2008.
Junior-level course work for Holmes-Grenada students who
want to complete a bachelor’s degree in education may begin
as soon as the 2008 fall semester.
Classes at the UM-Grenada site are to be taught by School
of Education faculty, using a combination of live lectures,
distance education via satellite and online courses.
“The bachelor’s degree program is a perfect fit for those
Holmes Community College graduates who want to complete
their junior- and senior-level courses, but may not be able
to drive the long distance or relocate to Oxford,” Angle
said. “We tailor these courses for nontraditional college
students so that they can work, care for their families and
remain active in their communities while working toward
completing their college degrees.”
For more information about UM courses at the Holmes-Grenada
Center, contact Pam Starling in the UM Division of Outreach
at 888-386-7621 or pam@olemiss.edu.