Administrator praises Coahoma's teamwork & ‘caring’ faculty

CLARKSDALE – Although Rosemary Craven Dill admits, “My heart belongs to teaching and students are always number one,” this top administrator at Coahoma Community College is recognized for her expertise in college planning, assessment and accreditation.

Not only is Dill president of the Mississippi Association of Institutional Research representing all two-year and four-year institutions from Millsaps to Jackson State and Delta State University, she is state coordinator for the Southeastern Association for Community College Research – representing 14 states.

For the past five years, Dill’s super-organized brain cells and high energy levels have focused on the re-affirmation of CCC’s accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities (SACS).

March 15, 2010, is the first deadline when written self-study reports are due documenting compliance to standards, current status, plans, goals, and outcomes of every department in the college from transportation and athletics to academics and the business office.

In September 2010 SACS officials will visit the campus.

“This is actually a good thing,” says Dill who describes SACS as the “IRS of institutions.”

She says self-study is geared toward evaluating student learning and gauging whether or not the institution is successful in advancing students and preparing them for careers in business, industry, and other fields.

“Accountability” is a key word, she says.

Part of the process has included student testing to measure their oral communication skills, critical thinking, math skills, and culture, she says.

Committee reviews of all college programs also are part of the scrutiny, she says.

Asked to comment on the college’s preparation for SACS, Dill says, “We did not wait until the last minute to prepare, she said. “We wanted to make our preparation as strong as possible, and we have just completed the third draft of our written report,” she said.

“Coahoma has come far in 60 years, and the best way to advance is through data-driven decisions,” she says.

Labeling herself a team player, Dill says to prevent being overwhelmed when she took over her job five years ago, she set goals to get things organized since the last accreditation in 2000.

An overhaul of the college’s policy and procedures manual was number one plus an updating of the school’s mission statement and goals.

Others tasks included the creation of a syllabus for each class, a system of student evaluation, faculty evaluation, surveys, strategic planning sessions, and the credentialing of faculty.

Next on the list is the development of CCC’s Quality Enhancement Program (QEP) and its emphasis on increasing reading comprehension skills.

Asked to make a general assessment of the college, Dill says, “Coahoma’s faculty and staff really care about our students and make every effort to meet their needs.”

“Some institutions do not work well together; we have a really good and cooperative team,” she continues

“We partner in the community, but remain modest and not bragging to such an extent that good things about the college are almost a secret,” she says.

Dill continues a long line of educators in her family including both parents who stressed the importance of teaching, reading, the arts, church, and close family relationships.

Following careers in teaching, Dill’s parents opened a small country store where young Rosemary grew up making change, filling the drink box, sweeping, moping, and checking out reading material from Carnegie Library’s Bookmobile.

. “There was never a dull moment; I met many interesting people,” she said. “I wish my own daughter Adrian Rose, 15, could have the same experience.”

Her brother Taylor Craven is in the insurance business, and her sister, Cristen Craven Barnard is an acclaimed artist.

Dill earned an honors undergraduate degree in English from Delta State University and a master’s degree with a 4.0 average in educational leadership from the University of Mississippi.

For three years she taught in Greenville, and spent seven years teaching at Coahoma County High Schoolwhere she chaired the English Department. In 2000 she became Tech Prep coordinator at CCC where she initiated numerous innovative programs.

Dill is an officer of CCC’s Executive Council, and a member of numerous diverse committees from the Judicial Council to the Homecoming Talent Show Committee.