Page 258 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2017

THEFINALSAY DR.
MARY
GRAHAM
President, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
photo courtesy of Dr. Mary Graham
With programs such as Process Operations Technology, Culinary Arts, Nursing, 3D Modeling & Design, Mechanical Maintenance, Precision Manufacturing & Machining Technology, and Marine Pipefitting, women can take charge of their career paths through training that meets their needs. The 92-percent job-placement rate in career and technical programs ensures MGCCC graduates are likely to get great jobs in local industry.
But women are underrepresented in these high-earning fields. While science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees are dominant in academic majors at MGCCC, they still make up less than half of
all majors chosen by our female students. In career and technical programs, only about 35 percent of women choose STEM fields. This trend is not unique to MGCCC. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) found that not only are women underrepresented, they have actually lost ground in the past decade in STEM programs. Between 2000 and 2009 the number of women earning associate’s degrees in STEM fields decreased by 25.7 percent, and the number of women earning short-and medium-term STEM certificates decreased by 50 percent.
At Gulf Coast, we recognize that STEM preparation and employment offer routes to economic security for women and that their opportunities for training often begin at the community college level. We encourage our students to major in STEM fields through a variety of offerings. The
college’s associate of science degree allows students to take a higher concentration of science and math classes in preparation for continuing their education in a STEM major at the next level.
Additionally, MGCCC students can now work toward a bachelor’s degree in engineering at the college’s Jackson County Campus. Offered through Mississippi State University, the engineering classes are available entirely at the Gautier campus or online. The college also offers the Gulf Coast Scholars Program, a full-tuition scholarship for STEM majors. Students in career and technical programs are able to receive CTE scholarships. And lastly, the college’s 10th location, the Nursing and Simulation Center at Tradition — once completed — will allow the college to more than double the number of nursing graduates each year.
At MGCCC we are proud to help women reach their goals. Whether through non-credit certification or a diploma from a career, technical or academic program, MGCCC continues to offer the best educational opportunities in South Mississippi.
258 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • September 2017
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