Marjorie Taylor, Delta State University’s Director of Continuing Education
has been selectedto become the new director for the Higher Education Center
in Greenville.
The center is the combined efforts of Delta State University, Mississippi Valley State University, and Mississippi Delta Community College. The purpose of the center is to offer the non-traditional student population the opportunity to obtain an education. Many of the students who will attend courses at the center will be those who are unable to attend classes
during the traditional scheduled times due to work schedules, family obligations, or unable to travel to one of the three campuses. Taylor will report to the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Delta State.
As the Director for the Center, Taylor will coordinate course offerings between the three institutions. One of Taylor’s first priorities upon her arrival on July 1, will be to conduct a thorough needs assessment in the Greenville area to determine what educational programs the community wants or needs. She will then coordinate the programs with the institutions.
Taylor has been involved in education since 1986. She taught high school in the Cleveland public schools for three years and from there, she worked at a corporation in Indianola as a training coordinator, which gives her experience in workforce training. She has also worked in the community college system and has been at Delta State for the past three years.
“From my experience here at DSU, I have seen a larger number of non-traditional students returning to school not only in the pursuit of a degree, but for professional development courses,” says Taylor. “Many have come to our workshops to upgrade their skills to help them with their jobs, or for professional certification. We also have teachers that have returned
to school to gain non-credit units to renew their teacher certifications.
“There is a growth in non-traditional students. With this growth, in order to meet their needs, you have to arrange flexible schedules of programs to accommodate these individuals. This new center will be a way to fulfill needs and I think we have a historic opportunity here to pool the resources from three institutions together to meet those needs. Because of
this, we will be able to establish quality educational programs for Greenville and that will be a great benefit to everyone, not only in Greenville, but to those in this area of the state.”