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Study: Mississippi has nation's top community college system W•rren Kulo I wkuloOal.com By Warren Kulo I wkuloOal.com Email the author I Follow on Twitter on September 01, 2015 at 11:55 AM, updated Sepcember 01, 2015 at 5:18 PM

MiS.siS~ GulfCoasc C:Ommunty Colege, i"ICluelnQ ts Gautiercampt.t:, !'ankoct n the top 100 of670 c.omml.l"llty coleges., • rtterw. stucty whteh round Mllslss~ nas me nation's best comm1.11ty colleQe system.

WASHINGTON, D.C. •• For on~. there·s good education news for MissisS1pp1.

Fie photo/Gunve.eom

A recent study found that the Magnolia State has the nation's top community college system, with nve Mississippi schools ranl

The onllne financial site WalletHub examined the 670 schools In four key areas: • Cost a Financing included data relative to in-state twt1on and fees, state, local and federal ate!, cost per stuoent and school spending • Clauroom Experience examined active and collaDorative learmng, academoc cnallenge and student-faculty interaction. • Education Outcomes IOOl

Datil for the study was gleaned from tile National Center for Education Stat1sbcs, the Center for Community College Student Engagement, the Council for Community and Economic Research and the American Institutes for Researeh and Opt1mlty Advisors.

"Long perceived as the bOttom rung of the higher-education ladder, community colleges are often made the butt of Jokes by 1ust about everyone •• rrom un1vers1ty loyalists to cable TV to some or the very studf!llts who attend them,• me study's authors wrote.

"But guess who isn't laughing: Community-college graduates out-eaming bachelor's degree holders. Indeed, tne '1un1or colleges,' as mey're somebmes referred to, are finally gamering tile resiiect they deserve, proving they're more than Just 'halfway schools for losers '"

M~1ss1P1l' Gulf Coast Community College President Mary Graham agreed.

"M1ss1ss1ppi has outstanding community colleges and 1t s wonderful to have this report to support that knowledge,· said Dr. Mary Graham, MGCCC president. •Pl. MGCCC, our goal is to provide the very best educabonal and tra1n1ng opportun1oes to the residents of our four·county cllstrict.

·1 think the fact that we are ranked in the top 100 community colleges In the nation on WalletHub.com and our top ranking on other indices such as Community College Week's Top 100 Associate Degree Producers, Military-Friendly Schools, STEM College and Fastest-Growing Community Colleges, shows that we are meeting that goal. •

Itawamba Community College was Mississippi's top-ranked school, ccmlng In at sixth out or the 610 schools studied. Itawamba ranked 72nd 1n Cost & Financing, 62nd in Classroom Experience, 35th In Education Outcomes and 228th 1n Career Outcomes.

Southwest Community College ranked 15th, ranking 14th 1n Cost & F·nanong, 138th In Classroom Experience, 196tlt in Education Outcomes ancl number one m the nation in Career Outcomes

North..est Community College was Ille next M1SS1SSIPPI schOOI on tne hst, coming in at 19th civerall, w•th a ranlong of 124th in Cost & F1nanang, 248th 1n Classroom Exper1en~. 123rd 1n Education Outcomes and 255th m Career Outcomes.

Mlss1ss1pp1Gulf Coast Community College, wh!Ch Includes the Gautier campus, also finished In the top 100, with an overall ranking of 82nd MGCCC ranked 247th in Cost & Financing, 156th 1n Classroom Experience, 18lst 1n Education Outcomes and 197th In Career Outcomes.

The other Mississippi school In the top 100 was east Central Community College, which ranked 96th overall. ECCC ranked 159th in Cost & Financing, 40th In Classroom Expenence, 329th In Education Outcomes and 369th in Career Outcomes.

"Across the board, comnun1ty colleges are slowly stacking up against their trad•tlonal rour·year counterparrs,• the study says.

"Schedule nex1b11tty, ngorous coursework and smaller Class sizes supply the ma1or1ty or the•r appeal to first-time college entrants as well as to un1vers1ty stuoents choosing to transfer to community colleges •• an emerging trend that goes against Ille usual grain or trans1bon1ng from a two·year to a four-year 1nsutut1on •

Whtie tne study round M1$SiSS1pp1 has the nation's top community college system, North Florida Community College 1n Madison, Fla., eameo the llOnor as the nation's top Individual scnool

M1ss1sslpp1ne1ghb0rs Alabama and Louisiana did not rare as well 1n the study, with overall system rankings of 32no and 44th, respectively.

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