Page 146 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2020

FINAL SAY
DR. MARY
S. GRAHAM
MGCCC President
Uncommon times often call for uncommon solutions, which I am proud to say that Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College has been able to provide. Some of the most essential and in-demand workers during the COVID-19 pandemic have been those in the health care industry, first responders and truck drivers. Despite not having students on campus for the past several months, Gulf Coast has been able to respond by providing online classes so that our students can continue to complete their programs and find jobs in those critical areas.
Nearly 500 students are currently enrolled in both the Associate Degree Nursing and Practical Nursing programs at the Bryant Center at Tradition, which is Gulf Coast’s newest location. Graduates of those programs boast a 93 percent pass rate on the NCLEX exam for the past three years. These students are engaged in necessary clinicals at local hospitals and clinics, ensuring they are prepared to begin work immediately after graduation.
Our other Allied Health programs, including those for emergency medical technicians, paramedics, respiratory therapists, surgical technicians and phlebotomists, continue to certify and graduate students who are uniquely prepared to meet local health care needs. In fact, students in our paramedic program must be currently working as emergency medical technicians to qualify for the program. Most of these students already work for local ambulance services and fire departments.
Each year, our Health Sciences programs make up a large portion of our graduates, and this year was no exception, with more than 300 graduates in those areas. We have
10 Health Sciences programs at Gulf Coast, including Medical Lab Technology, Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Care Technology, Paramedic, Emergency Medical Technician, Medical Assisting Technology, Surgical Technology, Physical Therapy Assistant Technology, Associate Degree Nursing, and Practical Nursing. These programs are a tremendous asset to our communities as they provide much-needed workers for the ever-growing health care industry.
Also on the front lines are law enforcement officers. Through the Harrison County Law Enforcement Training Academy, a partnership between Gulf Coast and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, we provide training to as many as 30 students in each basic class three
times each year. While these students are from all over Mississippi and surrounding states, the bulk of them are local and planning to work for law enforcement agencies in South Mississippi. The training offered through the Academy and through our Criminal Justice Technology program provides well-trained, professional law enforcement personnel to our Gulf Coast communities.
As our economy continues to recover, some of the
most critical workers are those in the hospitality and transportation industry. We are very proud that students in these essential programs have continued to complete their coursework and training and have been able to graduate this year.
One of our Culinary Arts Technology graduates,
Aaliyah Brown, is also a Collegiate Academy graduate, completing requirements for both her high school diploma and associate degree at the same time. She is the first Collegiate Academy student in the state to complete
a career or technical program through the Academy. Students like Aaliyah are vital to our Coast economy because they provide workers in our biggest industry: tourism. We are also very proud of our Commercial Truck Driving program, which as both a stand-alone program and through an apprenticeship partnership with a local company, provides drivers to keep business moving.
Now that the state and nation are beginning to reopen for business, the education and training provided at MGCCC are more vital than ever. We continue to explore new opportunities to expand our footprint and mark new and higher levels of achievement, leading the way for economic, educational, and cultural prosperity in our communities in South Mississippi.
146 | July 2020
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