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General Information

Growth & Development of the College

The district junior colleges in Mississippi grew out of county agricultural high schools. In 1924 the Legislature first approved post-high school courses, and by 1928, ten of the high schools were offering some kind of college program. The interest in many of the other schools in adding college classes led to the first junior college law, which provided that a separate school district or an agricultural high school meeting certain criteria might establish a junior college. The law also provided that school districts and county agricultural high schools might unite with other school districts or other counties in the establishment of junior colleges.

The Northeast Mississippi Junior College was incorporated in Prentiss County in 1941, but the construction program was delayed until the end of World War II. Upon completion of the original plan, the College was opened to students in September 1948, as an agricultural high school and junior college comprising Alcorn, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo, and Union counties. The following year, the name was changed to reflect junior college status only. Since that time, the institution has expanded its offerings in curriculum and physical facilities.

On August 1, 1987, The Northeast Mississippi Junior College officially became Northeast Mississippi Community College, by action of the State Board of Trustees for Community and Junior Colleges. Northeast’s Board of Trustees first approved the name change at their regular May 1987 meeting and reaffirmed the decision at the July 1987 meeting. The action was taken to use the community college name to reflect the comprehensive curricula and community-based nature of the institution.

Northeast Mississippi Community College is located in the northeastern part of Mississippi, approximately 190 miles north of Jackson and 100 miles southeast of Memphis, Tennessee. The school has an elevation of 530 feet above sea level. The climate is moderate both summer and winter. The College is easily accessible by automobile over U.S. Highway 45 (Veterans Memorial Highway)-N & S; and State Highways 4 and 30.

The Board of Trustees empowered the college to grant the degrees of Associate of Arts in 1948 and the Associate of Science in Nursing in 1957. During subsequent years, the following certificates were authorized: Secretarial Science and Career Education. Effective 1977-78, the college began awarding the Associate of Applied Science Degree. In keeping with the philosophy of Northeast, a Department of Career and Technical Education was developed in the fall of 1965 to provide educational opportunities for persons to qualify for employment in various career and technical areas.

A comprehensive evening program is also offered on campus and in off-campus locations. Night classes are taught on the main campus in Booneville and at the off-campus sites in Corinth and New Albany. The institution serves thousands of persons each year through start-up training programs and industrial skills courses provided for local industries. In 1994, a Skill/Tech Center was established on the Northeast campus in conjunction with Mississippi’s program of workforce education and training through one-stop career centers at the community colleges. Created by the Workforce Education Act of 1994, Skill/Tech is a regionally based system for education and training, which responds to the needs of the workforce and employers.

In the Fall of 2000, the college began offering classes via Internet through the Mississippi Virtual Community College (MSVCC). This is a consortium of 15 colleges who provide instructional resources to students throughout the State. In 2002, MSVCC and each of its members received accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). This action cleared the way for students to earn an Associates degree through online instruction.

In August 2003, the Board of Trustees approved a plan to begin developing Northeast at Corinth and Northeast at New Albany into instructional centers. Northeast at Corinth was the first to open on a limited basis in August 2006. Phase I construction saw the completion of a comprehensive WIN Job Center with limited course offerings until July 2006. The college notified the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools that it was ready to fully develop the New Albany site into a comprehensive instructional site. In February 2007, SACS representatives visited the site and approved the center without recommendation. Phase II construction on Northeast at Corinth was completed in January 2009 and included additional classrooms, a science laboratory, and a library. The Corinth site was approved by SACS in August 2009.