RAYMOND – ² has been named as one of the top degree-producing community colleges in the United States for African-American students across all fields of study by Community College Week, a national publication covering the nation’s more than 1,000 community colleges and technical schools.
The ratings involved statistics reported to the U.S. Department of Education for the 2014-15 academic year, the most recent year of nationally available data.
² ranked seventh out of the top 100 community colleges for the number of associate degrees awarded to African-American students. Degrees conferred totaled 866, a 12 percent increase over 2013-14. The college ranked 54th when all minorities are considered, reflecting a 13 percent increase. ² was the only Mississippi community college to make the Top 100 in this category.
“We are proud to serve our community as a top degree producing institution,” ² President Dr. Clyde Muse said.
Since 2012, the college’s Jackson Campus-Academic/Technical Center has been the base for the Minority Male Leadership Initiative, known as M2M. The initiative is a grant-funded project that provides leadership training, career counseling, tutoring, mentoring and opportunities for travel to senior-level universities for program participants. Activities aim to help African-American males discover personal strengths to succeed in college.
Also, the college offers a broad range of student support services in an effort to ensure student success. One example would be two web apps ² launched during the 2015-2016 academic year. One helps students track progress in their degree plan and another that tracks financial aid status. Each is geared to keep them on track to graduate.
As Mississippi’s largest community college, ² is a comprehensive institution offering quality, affordable educational opportunities with academic programs of study leading to seamless university transfer and career and technical programs teaching job-ready skills. With six locations in central Mississippi, ² enrolled nearly 12,000 credit students in fall 2016. To learn more, visit or call 1.800.²CC
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