To kick off the 2022-2023 academic year, Coahoma Community College President Dr. Valmadge
T. Towner hosted his 2022 Presidential Student Welcome/Dialogue Sessions with various
student groups throughout the CCC campus community. The effort was geared toward elevating
student success, strengthening communication and transparency, and letting students
know that they are supported throughout their time at Coahoma.
Towner, who is entering his tenth year of presidency at the helm of CCC, had three immediate objectives: to listen, learn, & support.
“Through these discussions, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of your experiences as students, answer your questions and concerns and let you all know who I am, as well as learn from diverse perspectives," Towner shared with a student group. “It is my sincerely held belief that our students, faculty, and staff are the college’s greatest resource, and I look forward to learning from and partnering with you.”
Each listening session was scheduled for an hour in length, with the first portion
of the conversation focused on Towner welcoming students to the Coahoma campus for
another exciting year and identifying and describing the areas in which the students
felt the college is performing well, and the second portion of the conversation focused
on discussing areas for improvement.
Now, with students back on campus, Towner said he is revitalized and re-energized to pursue the school’s mission to provide them with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive and be successful when they leave Clarksdale.
The sessions ultimately aimed to understand how the institution can best serve its students, faculty, staff, and the community.
During the visits, Towner posed questions to spark dialogue, and person by person, he heard firsthand accounts of students’ innermost thoughts and opinions about the College.
Nearly 400 students had the opportunity to gain valuable insight directly from Towner
and voiced their thoughts over the course of multiple sessions, giving the Coahoma
president the opportunity to examine and organize feedback to determine ways that
CCC can enhance its services, offerings, and quality of programming.
“Coahoma’s proud tradition inspires and reminds us that, though our service to the College will be short in the full sweep of its history, the influence of decisions we make today will be felt much longer,” said Towner. “What do we want our influence on Coahoma’s to be?”
In terms of the next steps following the conclusion of these introductory sessions,
the information gleaned during listening and learning will help CCC craft actions
to better support the institution’s goals of increased student support and completion
rates. 
“As president, I am committed to listening and leading based on the collective wisdom of our community,” said Towner. “I will use the feedback from these meetings, with the help of my administrative team, to strengthen our strategies and policies geared toward the success of our students.”
Towner plans on continuing efforts to increase communication and engagement activities throughout the campus.