2010

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inston County vital

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thanks to an articulation agreement between the state's community and junior coUeges and four-year col· leges and universities, those courses are guaranteed to transfer to the respective institutions. To further assist students in Winston County, numerous academic coursework is offered at the Winston Conn· ty/Louisville Career-Technical Complex as part of the Col· lege's evening class schedule and summer program. East Central continues w offer several healthcare pr~ grams, including associate degree nursing, practical nursing, ~iT-Paramedic Tech· nology and surgical techno!~ gy. The CoUege recently began a Dual Enrollment Practical Nursing Program for district high school seniors and grad· uated the fir t class in December 2009. Students who qualify for the four-semester program attend afternoon classes "free of charge" Monday through Thursday on !he Decatur campus. Funding for the unique program is provided by a grant from the Mississip– pi Board for Community and Junior CoUeges. Dr. Betsy Mann, dean of healthcare education,said the Dual Enrollment Program is designed to allow high school seniors •a fast track approach• to the nursing field.

s;75 and the board fee is $765 Total cost to attend ECCC per semester (without financill assistance) is $2,210 for a fiR

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W~mton County continues to pm a maJor role in the q]lC~ of East CenuaJ Com– muni£} CoUege in Decatur. where a record enroUmem was reported for the faU 2009 term. The record enroUmem - 2,841 students - along with the CoUege's first tuition increase in several years, have helped to offset state budget cuts totaling in excess of $800.000 for the current fis– cal year. A conservative approach to busin~s opera· tions has also played a major role in maintaining the Col– lege's financial stability. We had antictpated bud· get cuts due to the decreased revenue in the state coffers,~ said ECCC President Dr. Phil A. Sutphin,·and knew that to offset the cuts, we needed additional revenue. We cer· tainJy did not want to raise tuition but had no choice." In addition to incre.tSing tuition and raising some fees, Dr. Sutphin said the CoUege has implemented various cost-cutting measures to its $19 million-plus budget. "We have done just about all we can do to cut costs, including limiting travel and purchases, etc." said Dr. Sut· phin."But with the increased enroUment, we have more students to serve, which makes it a challenge to pro– vide the quality education and services they deserve.It's the same old song for us and the other community and junior coUeges, and that is to continue to do more with less.•

offer a wide variety of career· technical programs,including automotive technology, busi· ness and office technology, carpentry and cabinetmak· ing, early childhood educa· tion, collision repair, drafting and design,electrical technol· ogy, electronics, culinary arts, machine shop and welding and cutting. Culinary arts technology is now a tw~year program and has moved to the Decatur campus from the Choctaw Hospitality Institute along with the hotel and restaurant management pro– gram. And for those students needing a"second chance," at education, East CenuaJ con– tinues to provide its ABE (Adult Basic Education) and GED (General Educational) Program, offered through the Office ofAdult and Continu– ing Education. Gene Davis of Louisville is the longtime dean of the program. Classes are offered throughout the five-county district. In Winston County, classes are offered at Louisville United Methodist Church and Taylor Machine Works. Each summer the College recognizes graduates of the program by holding Com· mPnrPmPnt t"YPrri~ ff\r ct11.