BY ALLEN ROARK DBJ Contributing Writer

Education is the key factor to future growth of the Delta. This is an uncontested fact acknowledged by business and government leaders, citizens, and workers throughout the region. It is a fact trumpeted by those who are entrusted to run our universities and colleges, whose purpose it is to ensure proper and adequate training, and impart knowledge, to the Delta’s young people.
Obstacles to this purpose exist, however, in spite of the wide consensus of its importance. Internal problems at our higher education facilities, such as brain drain, and external problems, such as budgetary restraints and cuts, hinder the full accomplishment of the goals of the state’s colleges and universities. Especially hard hit are those in and around the Delta which serve our area.
In spite of these obstacles, though, the heads of our regional learning facilities are zealous in their pursuit of excellence and point to several factors that bode well for the future. The challenges of their respective jobs bring out an unshakable tenacity in these education leaders to meet and overcome the problems, and change lives in the process.
Realizing, along with just about every other thoughtful Delta resident, that education is indeed the key to our region’s future success, the Delta Business Journal again looks at what is currently taking place at our local colleges and universities to get a feel for what this future will hold. In a circle that does not necessarily have to be vicious, education is the deciding factor in jobs, growth, income and success for the Delta; the DBJ goes straight to the source to get an update.
Dr. Malcolm Portera, President of Mississippi State University in Starkville, sees the recent state education budget cuts as a major dilemma. “In our case, the total cut from the state will be $23 million,” Portera says. “We’ve had to accommodate for the cuts by some downsizing which includes some loss of faculty. Of course, we regret this deeply for many reasons, not least which is the fact that classes will now become larger and less intimate.
“The most serious concern I have right now, and what I have discussed at length with the heads of the legislature, is the prospects we face long-term in the state and the ability that will have in our retention of key staff,” Portera continues.”You might can go without a raise for a few years, but, longer than that, it almost looks hopeless. We must convince our faculty that there is a viable future here and there are positive reasons to stay in Mississippi.”
“I think there is hope,” Portera says. “We just all must leverage our resources, and try to generate more outside resources as well. For example, we’ve had tremendous growth in our research efforts, and we must look at ways to generate greater faculty income through such growth. I hope, in the next legislative session, that we, those of us in higher ed, can make the case effectively that we need to plant the seed corn and not eat it, if you will. We must pay our faculty to keep them here and bring in additional talented individuals to capitalize on the many gains we’ve made over the last several years.”
On that note, Portera mentions what Mississippi State brings to the Delta: “We offer research and development centers on campus and in the Delta,” Portera says, “which provides technically–proficient people to work in industries such as Viking Range, with whom we have a partnership. We also assist the state, and the Delta, by exposing our research and technical capabilities to concerns looking to locate their businesses. Mississippi State prides itself, for example, in our critical historical role in helping the catfish industry becoming a reality. Our Stennis Institute of Government has helped towns like Shaw and Cohoma with various city problems, and the Stoneville Extension Center has garnered a well-deserved reputation as a major player in the Delta’s economy.”
Echoing others surveyed, Dr. Portera notes that MSU has seen a steady stream of outstanding students coming to the school, many of whom come from out of state. “I believe that the future of our state ultimately depends on these young people, especially insofar as they participate in technology and research,” he summarizes.
Dr. Marjorie Taylor, director of the new Greenville Higher Education Center, has a unique role in “educating the Delta.”The need for this center was discussed several years ago,” Taylor comments. “There was seen to be a need in Washington County to serve non-traditional students, such as those who work full-time who would have difficulty traveling to a university. Thus, community and civic leaders got behind the idea for a center in Greenville to meet this need, the Legislature approved it, construction began two years ago, and we opened this January.” The Center just completed its first semester, which was very successful, according to Taylor.
“The collaborating institutions represented at the Center, Mississippi Delta Community College, Mississippi Valley State University and Delta State University, all have off-campus courses taught here,” Taylor says. “We had 852 students here during our first semester. We just recently started our summer session, and have a little over 300 students enrolled. During the Spring, we primarily offered night courses, but this summer we’re focusing more on daytime classes because of traditional students who live in Greenville coming in.” Taylor says Greenville was selected for the Higher Ed Center because of its location, and because the community pushed so enthusiastically for it.
Coming aboard last July, Taylor says she conducted an educational needs assessment to determine what the curriculum at the Higher Ed Center should consist of. The results were given to the three schools involved, and these colleges provided the faculty, mostly adjunct and part-time and schedules which were submitted to Dr. Taylor.
“We focus mainly on traditional credit courses, professional development opportunity—through workshops and seminars—and personal enrichment, leisure-type courses,” Taylor says. “We have plans for future expansion as well, both physically and in terms of courses offered,” she adds, noting the facility also has a meeting, multi-purpose room which seats over 210 people that provides needed space for the Greenville community for various functions.
Dr. Clyda Rent, president of the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, notes that the long record of service and outstanding graduates have also aided the Delta region. “Our mission is to provide a high-quality education to undergrads, primarily,” Dr. Rent states, “with an emphasis on women. We have a very unique niche as far as liberal universities in Mississippi, and the Southeast.
“We believe we can be, and are, a valuable source for providing a talented, well-educated labor force to the state,” Rent continues, referring to MUW’s mission. “Consistently, MUW is ranked in U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of Best Colleges as well. In the 2001 guide, we were ranked the No. 1 Southern public liberal arts college, the fourth straight year we have been named such. It’s one of the outstanding honors we have received here at the W,” Rent says.
MUW can also boast about a Culinary Arts Institute, one of the few of its kind in the nation. Also, Rent says that MUW is partnering with the University of Mississippi, the University Medical Center and Mississippi State University to address nutritional problems faced in Mississippi. “This is one way we can be very ‘hands-on’ in assisting others in our area, including the Delta,” Rent says. “This partnership is especially pertinent in light of the various health problems linked to diet in the state.”
Mississippi Valley State University, flush with campus excitement in light of their recently held Founder’s Week celebration, is indeed finding cause for celebration in spite of also having to cope with the budget cuts.”Our first summer school session here at Valley set an all-time attendance record,” President Dr. Lester Newman reports. “This bodes very well for us, and is a testimony to our commitment to get Mississippi Valley’s message of excellence out.”
Regarding the budget cuts, Dr. Newman says that “certainly we face a crisis. It effects how we, and other universities, function, especially here in the Delta. When your staff is not able to receive pay raises, they naturally begin to look elsewhere for work and we’ve seen this happen. Some of our best have left. It’s a major concern and is very limiting. You have to look for external funding, delay purchasing, and cut back on other expenses, all of which we’ve done.
I am confident that our state legislators are doing their best to cut as little as possible from the budget given the circumstances,” Newman continues. “Still, we have to look very carefully at everything we do here on campus. Education is key to our region, and we have to look at priorities. Education has to be a top priority and should be funded as such.”
On more positive notes, Newman points out Valley State’s impressive television station located on campus which had its grand opening in April. “We’re very proud of our television station, which is loaded with state-of-the-art equipment. It’s been called the best in the area,” Newman says. “The station, as well as our new radio and journalism labs, helps provide our students with real-world experience.”
Additonally, Valley State plans to open a new golf course on campus, as well as new academic facilities. Newman jokes, “A lot of business decisions are made on the greens! So, not only will our students learn to excel at the game, they will also perhaps learn to do business while golfing as well. It’s frequently part of the way deals are made these days,” he laughs.
“We wish to spread the opportunity for education all across the Delta, to all people,” Newman says of Valley State’s mission. “With our enrollment at an all-time high, we are confident that we are succeeding at this. We take pride in our community, and have a number of outreach programs, from kindergarten to twelfth grade. We need to expose young people to the university experience at an early age and our programs are designed to do just that. We are preaching success and getting the word out.”
As far as the Ayers case, Newman says it is critical that the issue be settled. “We must move forward,” Newman notes, “but also be aware that Ayers is not the ‘end all’ panacea most perceive it to be. It is a step that will allow our institutions to do some catching up and allow the state to move forward. The focus, though, must always be the same: educating our citizenry.”Dr. Robert Khayat, chancellor of the University of Mississippi, says that Ole Miss is coming off its Commitment to Excellence campaign which he calls a “huge success.” “We began a $200 million, private capitol campaign in 1995, with a goal of providing private support to supplement state funding to achieve what we called the ‘margin of excellence.’ We wished to strengthen the academic programs, make the library stronger, adding technology, updating classrooms, providing scholarships, and so forth.We wanted to address a variety of concerns through private support. The response was overwhelming: over the five-year period we received $525.9 million from our backers.
Because of this enormous generosity, we passed our goal of one million volumes in the library, for example,” Khayat says. “Our honors college was established. Phi Beta Kappa came aboard in April, a real credit to this university and this campaign. We are now on a level of excellence to which we aspired and which now we can sustain.”
Khayat says that, with the upcoming Fall semester, Ole Miss will have the biggest, most diverse freshman class in campus history with the highest academic credentials in its history as well. Because of such “history making” statistics and private support, Khayat reports that the staff on campus is very positive and upbeat in spite of the current education economic woes. “We continue to prosper in spite of the 8.3 percent reduction in state funding,” Khayat says. “We have not lost any momentum.”
Khayat says that the current student body is one of the most intelligent, most talented group the campus has ever seen. “Our students can think before they get here,” he notes, “and then we hone their skills and thinking ability. These young people know how to lead, as well, and that’s why there is a large number of Ole Miss graduates in positions of leadership across the nation.”
In regards to providing support to the Delta, Khayat mentions the Delta Teacher Corps, headed by Dr. Andy Mullins, which takes recent graduates from around the country and puts them into Delta schools to teach. Also, the Delta Systemic Initiative. a math and science program led by Dr. Charles Alexander, is centered in the Delta and makes substantial contributions to the region, as does the Barksdale Reading Institute, which addresses literacy challenges throughout the state. “We are getting tangible results from these programs and efforts as well,” Khayat reports.
Interim president of Mississippi Delta Community College, Dr. J.T. Hall, took over the reins when Dr. Bobby Garvin retired from the post in March of this year. “I had previously been president for 23 years, form 1966 to 1989, at MDCC and had been president emeritus,” Hall says, “and so agreed to come back to head up the search for a new president and handle the duties of president until one was found.” Hall says that, hopefully, a new president will be in place within the next few weeks.
“Our role in Delta education is well known,” Hall says. “Obviously, when it comes to technical training, we truly lead the way. Our mission is to educate anyone who is educable, with an emphasis on vocational courses. We train for industry, and have successfully done so throughout our history. MDCC also provided one of the first nursing programs in the Delta; we were a leader in health care. What would hospitals be like in the Delta today without an RN program?” he asks.
With 2600 full time students, Mississippi Delta Community College has a positive future according to Dr. Hall. “With our involvement in the Greenville Higher Ed Center, the training center in Indianola and with our many commuting and part-time students, MDCC is reaching an ever greater number of people and, in the process, aiding our local industries and businesses.”
Dr. Vivian Presley, president of Coahoma Community College, says her school’s message is to “educate our young people in skills training and academic training for those who wish to go on in their studies. “ With a total student population of 1260 students, the school, in existence since 1949, fills a special niche in Delta education similar to the role of Mississippi Delta Community College. “We both provide the necessary preparation for either a career, or for further education,” Presley says, “and we do this for those who might otherwise not considered going to college.”
When asked about current problems faced by today’s Delta educators, Presley mentions students and faculty leaving the region for “greener” pastures, i.e., brain drain. “To counter this, we are going to have to be able to provide more opportunity, more good jobs for these students,” she says. “The choices available now are better out of state, to be honest. We’ve got to work to change this, and it’s not an easy proposition. Training is a key part of that proposition, and that’s where Coahoma Community College comes in.”
Dr. Presley mentions that CCC recently partnered with Delta State University, purchasing a facility in Clarksdale whereby courses are offered by each school depending on the levels taken by the student. “We are very excited about that,” Presley says. “Partnerships are very important in higher education, particularly here in the Delta.”
“Our mission includes going out of the traditional means of educating students, be they non-traditional or technical students,” Presley says. “We try to reach out to those who don’t fit in the typical mode, like older students or those who aren’t primarily liberal arts-based, drawing mainly from Coahoma and Bolivar Counties, as well as Quitman, Tunica and Tallahatchie Counties.”
Dr. David Potter, Delta State University’s president, says the biggest concern facing Delta educators is keeping good faculty. “We are starting to see a troubling exodus of quality teachers,” Potter notes, “particularly younger faculty. Here at Delta State, we’ve lost 30 members over the past few years. It’s hard to compete with the dollar.” However, not all is lost, Potter says.
“We have to find a way to convince our legislators that one of the state’s most pressing needs is faculty salary at our state universities,” he comments. “And I’m hoping that need can be recognized, and I believe it will. When you’re dependent on state funding, you have to spend a good deal of time helping our government leaders understand the crucial role of higher education in Mississippi. There are still some who just aren’t as aware of this as they should be.”
Is the Delta left out in the whole process then? “I think there’s enough fairness,” Potter says, “although we might have to work a little bit harder occasionally. In talking to our legislators, though, I think that we do have reason for optimism in the short term,” Potter continues. “I see a sense of urgency that, to me, is encouraging. It wasn’t there before.”
As far as Delta State goes, Potter confesses his love of his job, and sees tremendous potential. “I’m very pleased with the level of energy from the faculty members who are weathering the storm with us,” he says. “That energy helps DSU live up to our mission of being a developer for the Delta and being a cultural force. We are making a difference here and that’s what we are supposed to be doing.”
Much work needs to be done, especially on the political front. The leaders of the Delta’s higher education institutions, however, remain cautiously optimistic as they forge ahead armed with their particular missions which, collectively, combine for the betterment of the region. These institutions may be slightly down, but they are definitely not out, and the prognosis is good for the renewed health of education in the Delta. DBJ

(Editors Note: At press time, Dr. Clyda Rent had resigned her post as president of MUW and MDCC had named a new president. Details will be forthcoming in future editions of the Delta Business Journal.)