Pearl River Community College
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Pearl River Community College http://www.prcc.edu is a public community college in Poplarville, Mississippi, USA. It was founded as a Pearl River County Agricultural High School in 1909, then became the first junior college in Mississippi in 1921.
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[edit] History
Pearl River County Agricultural High School was the result of the Mississippi Agricultural High School Law of 1908, making it the nation's first state-funded system of agricultural high schools. The law was found to be in violation of the separate but equal clause in the state's constitution by the state's Supreme Court late in 1909 when no equal opportunity was offered for the state's African-American children. The overturned law caused all but three of the twenty original agricultural high schools in the state to close, since state funding was no longer available. Pearl River County citizens came to the school's rescue, however, when private citizens secured a loan from a local bank to fund the school until the Mississippi Legilature could pass a new law which made opportunity for both races.
Classes began on September 8, 1909 under the direction of Professor T.M. Kelly. The entire boarding high school was located in one three-story building erected on 20 acres of land on the edge of the county's seat, Poplarville. Classrooms and the cafeteria was located on the building's first floor, while the girls' dormitory occupied the second floor and the boys' dormitory occupied the third floor.
Pearl River College has since expanded to include three campuses, the original one in Poplarville, the Forrest County center and Lowery Woodall Advanced Technology Center in Hattiesburg, MS, and the Hancock County Center in Waveland, MS.
In August 2005, The Poplarville campus of PRCC suffered an estimated $9 million in damage from Hurricane Katrina, according to the campus newspaper, The Dixie Drawl. This included the almost complete destruction of Moody Hall, which had been the oldest academic building in the state of Mississippi, and housed the campus' theatre, music, and dance classes. The Hancock County campus on the Gulf Coast was also severely damaged. As of February 2007, all campuses are again open and operational.
[edit] Sports:
Pearl River's athletic teams are called the Wildcats, and the football team won four straight MACJC (Mississippi Association of Community-Junior Colleges) championships (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) since head coach Tim Hatten took over the program in 2002. Pearl River also won the 2004 National Championship of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) with the help of three NJCAA All-Americans, including wide receiver Larry Brackins, who was selected 155th overall by the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2005 NFL Draft; quarterback Jimmy Oliver, and offensive lineman Matt Lott. PRCC played for the 2006 NJCAA title in the Pilgrim's Pride Bowl Classic in Mt. Pleasant, Tex., but lost to Blinn College (Tex.) 19-6.
Brackins is now a member of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League. Larry Kendrick, Brackins' 2003 Wildcat teammate, signed on with the Ole Miss Rebels following the one-year stint at Pearl River and was an NJCAA All-American as a wide receiver and a defensive back, as well as being named the NJCAA's Male Athlete of the Year in 2003.
PRCC's 2006 state title marked its 19th in school history, which is a record for Mississippi community colleges. Oliver guided the Wildcats to their 2004 and 2005 titles and earned NJCAA "Offensive Player of the Year" honors both seasons, including All-American accolades. Oliver currently plays with the Jackson State University Tigers, while Lott plays for Baylor University.
Pearl River won four MACJC state championships during the 2003-2004 school year in football, men's basketball under head coach Richard Mathis, women's soccer under former head coach Adam Breerwood, who is now Dean of Student Affairs at PRCC; and baseball under former head coach Jay Artigues, who is now head coach of the Southeastern Louisiana Lions. PRCC also won the 2005 MACJC women's soccer championship under head coach Patrick Hayes.
Four former Wildcat players are currently in the NFL, including Washington Redskin defensive linemen Cornelius Griffin and Jeff Posey, Oakland Raider defensive back Hiram Eugene, and Kansas City Chief wide receiver Donovan Morgan. Former PRCC basketball standout James Singleton plays with the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association.
[edit] Academics:
Pearl River Community College offers programs in the following fields:
Department of Humanities and Social Science:
* Elementary Education * English Education * Journalism * Library Science * Philosophy and Emphasis in Religion * Paralegal Studies/Law * Criminal Justice * Political Science * History with Secondary Certification * Psychology * History * History(BA) * Sociology * Social Work Emphasis Child and Family Studies
Department of Fine Arts & Communication
* Art and Art Education Emphasis * Music Education Emphasis * Pre-Architecture Emphasis * Interior Design Emphasis * Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Studies
Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
* Athletic Administration and Coaching * Sports Medicine/Sports Injury Management
Department of Nursing Education
* Associate Degree Nursing * Practical Nursing
Department of Science,
Mathematics, and Business
* Pre-Professional * Biological Sciences * Nutrition and Dietetics * Business Administration Emphasis * Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management Emphasis * Computer Science * Mathematics or Physics * Engineering * Engineering Technology
[edit] Technical Programs:
Barbering Brick, Block, and Stonemasonry Cosmetology Dental Assistant Practical Nursing Truck Driving Training Welding Aerospace Electronics Technology Automation and Control Technology Automotive Mechanics Aviation Maintenance Technology Biomedical Equipment Repair Business Marketing & Management Technology Business and Office Technology
Accounting Technology
Medical Office Billing and Coding
Medical Office Technology
Microcomputer Technology
Office Systems Technology
Computer Information Systems Technology
Computer Programming Technology
Computer Network Support Technology
Web Development Technology
Construction Management Dental Hygiene Drafting and Design Electrical Technology Electronics Early Childhood Development Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Machine Shop Technology Medical Laboratory Occupational Therapy Assistant Physical Therapist Assistant Respiratory Care Technology Radiologic Technology Surgical
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