In addition to the announcing of 17 new hires, post-secondary specialists stopped by the campus to prep Coahoma Community College personnel for the upcoming COVID-era school term. Leadership Coach and Teaching and Learning Coach for the Achieving the Dream initiative, Dr. Jacqueline Taylor, kicked off the pre-school conference held in the Pinnacle to promote equity-minded service to all students.
Acknowledging that the Mississippi Delta community has a history of poverty and struggle, Taylor challenged the employees to ponder on an intriguing Martin Luther King quote—Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
"Think about how you see yourself as an educator, and I'm not just talking to the faculty. We are all educators in Higher Ed," Taylor informed.
"What matters to you most? Is it your own paycheck, or is it the future paycheck that your students will receive as their lives are transformed? Coahoma has to be an equity-minded culture. That means that you all have to ask the right questions at the right time for the right reason and then take action."
Taylor, who holds a doctorate in educational leadership/higher education administration, encouraged personnel to work toward equity as well as justice for all students. She challenged employees to take on a race-conscious equity mindset and reject the tendency to blame students and their families for lacking necessary resources that result in the failure to meet classroom expectations.
Professional Development specialist Sean Glassberg, who has worked with Mississippi community colleges, followed up with a chat on customer service, aiming to underscore that students encounter individuals dealing with varied circumstances. Glassberg held a second talk in which he presented data that indicated students attending two-year colleges experience food insecurity at a higher level than those attending four-year institutions.
As a South Carolina community college instructor coming from a family of instructors, he directed advice to faculty. "Make the attempt to communicate more. Explain why more. They ask why more, so we have to give rationale," Glassberg urged. "That's all a part of making them feel valued."
Staffers also held various breakout sessions on imperative topics, including retention and student success, enrollment/recruitment, and COVID-19 safety measures.
Coahoma Community College president Dr. Valmadge T. Towner culminated the assembly with an address focusing on the work of employees.
"Each of you serve as a role model to someone on this campus," said Towner. "We must engage in robust recruiting and retention, doing what we can to keep students."
"Being an educator and an administrator or a member of our support staff presents us with new and unique challenges each year. Because of this, the folks who work here do not merely survive, but you flourish, you thrive, and you rise to meet each new challenge by calling upon the very best qualities that human nature can present."
Expressing his aspiration toward returning to pre-March 2020 conditions, Towner advised getting vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent further spread of the virus and its variants, Delta and Lambda.
He urged using hand sanitizer repeatedly throughout the day, avoiding unnecessary gatherings, wearing masks, and social distancing.
"Always be safe at home and when in the communities," Towner instructed.