Ā鶹ֱ²„ celebrates retiring 2022 employees
ELLISVILLE ā Ā鶹ֱ²„ held its annual āRetirement Teaā for six employees who are retiring this year. When combined, these six employees provided 119 years of service to JC, with some having additional years of service working at other professional/educational institutions.
This yearās retirees include Arlena Sullivan who has been teaching business/economics courses at Ā鶹ֱ²„ for 28 years. Rochelle Dahmer has been teaching English at Ā鶹ֱ²„ for 25 years. Diasetta Nelson has 23 years of service to the college in environmental safety. Diane Love has been working in the college Bookstore for 16 years. Lisa Purdum worked in eLearning and marketing for 15 years. Stan Livingston has served as Chief of the Campus Police for 12 years.
Picture Cutline 2022 retiree group: Six Ā鶹ֱ²„ employees were honored at the annual Retirement Tea, celebrating their service to the college and retirement in 2022. Pictured seated left to right are Diane Love, Rochelle Dahmer and Arlena Sullivan. Pictured standing left to right are Lisa Purdum, Chief Stan Livingston, and Diasetta Nelson.
Ā Ā鶹ֱ²„ Crowns Natalee Ainsworth āMost Beautifulā
ELLISVILLE ā Ā鶹ֱ²„ sophomore, Natalee Ainsworth of Laurel was
crowned āMost Beautiful 2022ā at the annual Ā鶹ֱ²„ Most Beautiful Pageant, held April 12, in the M.P. Bush Fine Arts Auditorium. JCās āMost
Beautiful 2021,ā Caidyn Crowder returned to bestow the crown upon this yearās winner. Ainsworth competed with 29 JC students vying for the title.
Earning the First Alternate honors was Summer Boyd of Laurel, with Keely Skellion of Ellisville receiving the Second Alternate title. Third Alternate went to Abney Pittman of Waynesboro and Fourth Alternate was Analee Dumas of Petal. Top Ten winners included Isabella Graham of Stringer, Karlee Green of Laurel, Mackenzie Goleman of Moselle, Madalyn Stringer of Laurel, Abigail Stauffer of Laurel, Ainsworth, Boyd, Skellion, Pittman and Dumas.
Other winners included Mary Kebodeaux of Richton who earned the title of āMiss Congeniality,ā and Keely Skellion won the title of āMost Photogenic.ā The audience chose Bralynn Newell of Newton to win the title of āAudience Choice.ā
āI appreciate the JC āfamilyā for coming out to support their friends in the pageant, this year, which seemed more ānormalā since the pandemic kept a lot of people home last year,ā said Journalism advisor, Kelly Atwood. āIād also like to thank the Pageant Directors, Dr. Tessa Flowers and Bruce Smith because this event would be impossible without them. Also, Iād like to thank our emcee for the night, Renee Adcock, Jones OnStage for providing entertainment for the evening, Horticulture instructor Wendy Wilkerson and her students decorated the auditorium beautifully, and Patrick Trest provided technical support which helped make the night perfect. There were many more people behind the scenes who also played an important part in creating a beautiful event.ā
The Most Beautiful Pageant is hosted by the Ā鶹ֱ²„ Yearbook, The Lair.
Ā鶹ֱ²„ Sophomore Art Show on display
ELLISVILLE ā Seven Ā鶹ֱ²„ sophomore art students will be showing off their artwork in their final exhibition from April 11, through May 6, in the Eula Bass Lewis Art Gallery on the Ellisville campus. The public is invited to a reception on April 19, at 1:30 p.m. for sophomores, Savannah Couch of Ellisville, Aryn Cox of Laurel, Alexis Ducksworth of Taylorsville, Carly McInnis of Mize, Rachel Reon of Ellisville, Ana Claire Walters of Laurel, and Quinton Chapman of Sandersville.
At Northeast Jones High School, Chapman said he focused on mainly one type
of art. Jones helped him discover thereās more to art than he realized.
āJones made me understand I could do a lot more in art than just one type of art,ā said Quinton Chapman of Sandersville. āI discovered I really enjoy painting and drawing and not just the comic book or animeā style of art.ā
Ā鶹ֱ²„ Art instructor, Melanie Eubanks said these art majors are required to take the Exhibition IV course. The goal is to give them practical experience in displaying their artwork, what to show along with learning the other facets of creating artwork.
āIt is a great opportunity for students to showcase the work they’ve done here at Jones over the last two years.Ā We prepare them in all aspects of art from learning technique and the technical aspects of creating art, to learning how to best display their artwork. They have done all the matting and hanging themselves,ā said Eubanks.
The artwork on display includes drawing and designs, 3D designs, painting, and ceramics. For more information about the JC art show or to arrange a visit to the gallery call, 601-477-8401. The Eula Bass Lewis Art Gallery is open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., and Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The gallery is closed during the holidays. If you want to know more about the Ā鶹ֱ²„ Art Department, go to the JC Art Departmentās Facebook page, and on Instagram .
Ā Ā鶹ֱ²„ hosts āMost Beautifulā Beauty Pageant
Photo Cutline most beautiful top 6 small by Hunter Heath 2021: Ā鶹ֱ²„ sophomore from Ellisville, Caidyn Crowder (center) was crowned Most Beautiful at the annual Most Beautiful Pageant, held April 20, 2021. Also pictured in the Top 6 are (pictured left to right) Keely Skellion of Ellisville, Rylee Brabham of Waynesboro, Most Beautiful-Caidyn Crowder of Ellisville, First alternate-Lydia Ruth Odom of Bay Springs, Second alternate-Brinley Bullock of Laurel and Third alternate-Karsyn Ulmer of Laurel.
ELLISVILLE- The annual Ā鶹ֱ²„ Most Beautiful Pageant will be held Tuesday, April 12, at 7 p.m. in the M.P. Bush Fine Arts Auditorium. Thirty contestants are vying for several awards including the title of āMost Beautiful,ā Top Ten, Top Five, Most Photogenic and the People’s Choice Award.
Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children 12 and under, and free for Jones students with their student ID. The audience will have the opportunity to choose the āPeople’s Choiceā award for a $1 āwrite-inā vote. Attendees will also see a performance by JonesOn Stage. For more information, contact the Office of Student Affairs at 601-477-4030.
Ā鶹ֱ²„ & William Carey University partnership equals more options to earn degrees
ELLISVILLE ā The recent partnership between Ā鶹ֱ²„ and William Carey University equals more options for students to earn bachelorās degrees than ever before, in a shorter amount of time and with less costs.
āTogether, partnerships like this create more pathways to degrees for our
students,ā said Ā鶹ֱ²„ President, Dr. Jesse Smith. āThe end goal is to have more health care professionals in every community. Thereās no better way to create more pathways than to use existing resources. Weāre leveraging those resources to provide health care in every small town in Mississippi.ā
The first of two Memorandum of Agreements (MOU) between Ā鶹ֱ²„ and William Carey University will expand the growing options for nursing students to earn bachelor’s degrees while also earning their associate degree at the same time. The dual enroll nursing option includes William Carey University instructors teaching two bachelor of nursing courses on the Ellisville campus of Ā鶹ֱ²„, with students paying the Ā鶹ֱ²„ tuition rate. Additionally, Jones students and faculty will have access to WCU advisors to ensure students are on the right career and degree path.
āThis will take (nursing students at Ā鶹ֱ²„) towards their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, otherwise known as the B.S. to B.S.N. degree. Jones students will get a head start in getting those degrees,ā said William Carey University Associate Vice President of Health Programs and Dean of the College of Health Sciences, Dr. Janet Williams. We will also offer (dual enrollment) with our HAE (Health Administration and Education) program. All of this helps students get a head start in earning their degrees. We look for every advantage to help students do big things in the future.ā
As nursing shortages reach critical stages in the state, providing more education pathways is part of the answer. Ā鶹ֱ²„ has a similar partnership with the University of South Alabamaās nursing program. Providing more options with the addition of William Carey Universityās nursing dual enrollment option can only help resolve the crisis.
āIf you want to stop the nursing shortage you have to increase supply to stop demand,ā said Williams. āEverything we can do to increase the supply, including the number of nursing faculty. If you increase the number of faculty, you can increase the number of nursing students.ā
Williams added that as a state, nursing schools turn away almost as many qualified applicants as colleges can admit because they donāt have the faculty and resources to be able to handle the number of students interested in nursing. Assistant Dean of Health Sciences at Ā鶹ֱ²„, Teresa McDonald said she is excited about the possibilities with this partnership.
āIām looking forward to the opportunities offered to our students on campus with this partnership. When Covid hit, it was like throwing gas on the fire as far as the nursing shortage. It caused tremendous complications,ā said McDonald. āWCUās new degree options are great for students because these graduate programs lead to improved salary and administration opportunities.ā
Another caveat to the partnership agreement between the two institutions of higher learning is the expansion of pre-professional programs. Williams said WCU has been working on ways to create a 3+ 3 program by expanding Ā鶹ֱ²„ās pre-professional health programs which will put JC students on the path to grad school at WCU.
āWe have several professional programs or doctorate degrees available at WCU in physical therapy, pharmacy, nursing, and health administration and education. When Jones students complete their two years in the pre-professional program, they will come to WCU for their third year, and they can apply to grad school. It wonāt guarantee admission, but it guarantees an interview to go through this fast track. Earning a professional degree in six years versus eight years is a huge advantage for students,ā said Williams.
WCUās goal is to offer every community college in Mississippi fast-track opportunities into the health care related professional programs. Executive Vice President at William Carey University, Dr. Ben Burnett said the second MOU announced at Ā鶹ֱ²„ gives Career and Technical Education (CTE) graduates more options. By accepting CTE credits, CTE graduates now have a pathway at WCU to quickly earn a B.A., B.S., and the newly created Bachelor of General Studies.
āWCU is providing two different pathways for the career tech grads who ordinarily think once they earn their CTE degree, they go right into the workforce. Now, there are a couple of degree options where they can continue their education, in any major and use CTE hours,ā said Burnett. āFlexibility-thatās how higher education is changing, and Ā鶹ֱ²„ is the first institution weāve partnered with to offer these new opportunities.ā
This is the first private university Ā鶹ֱ²„ has partnered with that will now accept CTE credits toward earning bachelorās degrees. All eight public universities currently have this articulation agreement with all 15 community colleges in Mississippi. Smith noted that Jones students who are enrolled in associate of applied science degree programs, like computer programming and electromechanical engineering technology are among the students who can take advantage of these new options and combine the A.A.S. degree credits to earn a bachelorās degree at WCU in math or science for example.
Burnett isnāt shy about recruiting community college students, but he doesnāt want to āstealā students from Ā鶹ֱ²„. He shared that William Carey University heavily depends on this group of students.
āWe donāt exist without community college transfer students. Forty percent of WCU students are community college transfers. We want to partner with you in any and in every way mutually beneficial to make Mississippi stronger. We know (Ā鶹ֱ²„) is doing that and WCU wants to partner with you,ā said Burnett.Ā For more info contact Ashley Knight at, aknight@wmcarey.edu
