Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) is a community college located in Perkinston, Mississippi. It was founded as Harrison County Agricultural High School in 1912. MGCCC has three campuses and five centers: The main campus is located in Perkinston; the Jackson County Campus is in Gautier; the Jefferson Davis Campus is in Gulfport; with the George County Center in Lucedale; the West Harrison County Center in Long Beach; the Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Center in Gulfport; the Keesler Center at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi; and the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport.
MGCCC also offers a Community Campus that provides workforce education programs, onsite and online, to south Mississippi residents and employers.
The college's athletic teams are known as the Bulldogs. They compete in the Mississippi Community College Athletic Conference in football, basketball, baseball, soccer, softball, golf and tennis. MGCCC won the National Junior College Athletic Association Football Championship in 1971, 1984 and was co-national champion in 2007.
History
MGCCC began as the Harrison County Agricultural High School on September 17, 1911. Four years later, north Harrison County became Stone County, and both counties continued to support the school. On September 14, 1925, with the support of Jackson County, Harrison-Stone-Jackson Agricultural High School and Junior College began offering its first year of Junior College work. George County then added its support in 1942, and the institution took the name of Perkinston Junior College.
In 1962, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College District was formed, and three years later, Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College added the Jefferson Davis and Jackson County campuses. Between 1965 and 1985, 4 new centers were opened. The college name was changed to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on October 1, 1987. In 1996, the Community Campus, a campus without walls, was added as a fourth campus.
In 2006, President George W. Bush became the first sitting President to speak at a community college graduation, when he spoke at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
Awards
MGCCC has been nominated for the Aspen Institute Prize for Community College Excellence. It is currently in the 120 eligible schools for the 2013 award. MGCCC was among the top 10 finalist for the same award in 2011 as well.
Notable alumni
Gallery
See also
- Harrison Hall (Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College)
References
External links
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
- MGCCC College Catalog
- Aspen Awards for 2013
- Aspen Prize Finalists for 2011
- President Bush Delivers Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Commencement Address