SKIP TO PAGE CONTENT

A Message from Dr. Ricky Ford

Northeast continues to grow and move forward in many areas. As we try to maintain the academic excellence Northeast has established, we must continually be on the forefront of technology. The world we live in today demands this expertise from our graduates. Getting our students successfully through college and into the workforce is our top priority. Sometimes we fail to understand that this is a shared responsibility. Developing community partners is of the utmost importance in providing unlimited possibilities for Northeast graduates. We rely on our tremendous faculty to provide top quality and up-to-date instruction. Northeast graduates will graduate with the knowledge and expertise to meet the challenging demands of today’s workforce.

With the arrival of the COVID-19 virus we have been forced to evaluate the normal day to day operations of Northeast Miss. Community College. We made the decision to Move Forward and have opened the campus for face to face classes this fall. The students have many options in which to choose. Among those options are the traditional face to face, hybrid, and fully online classes. We provided an option for all students with a myriad of concerns. Keeping in mind we will adhere to all CDC and MSDH guidelines to insure the safety of our students, faculty, and staff.

During this critical health crisis and pandemic, we (Northeast) must take the lead and provide valuable leadership for the state’s colleges and universities to follow. Northeast has provided and will continue to lead the way in classroom instruction with our technology initiative we have in place.

We have an emphasis being placed on graduating career technical and middle skilled workers now more than ever. With this being very important, we cannot forget the careers that require a more advanced degree. Professions such as educators, doctors, lawyers, and engineers, just to name a few, are all important. We must maintain a stable and balanced job market.

Workforce development continues to be a priority for Northeast. We must continue to be a partner and key player in economic development. As we form partnerships with all members of our communities, we continue to be committed to assisting the enhancement of the quality of life to all citizens of northeast Mississippi. Toward this end, Northeast now has centers located in each of our five supporting counties. These centers will provide the citizens of each county easy access to all services available. One of our goals is to provide an AA degree for local citizens without being required to travel a long distance.

Northeast desires to provide the complete college experience to all our students. In order to continue toward that end, we must constantly strive to expand and excel. We must have a vision. Through our Grow Northeast and Moving Forward initiative, we have developed just that.

Through our marketing and community relations efforts, we have raised our visibility, advanced our brand, and articulated a clear message. A popular item is our weekly podcasts, marketing all areas of the college to students, the institution, and the community.

The office of Public Information and Marketing/ Community Relations have worked together to utilize all aspects of social media to its fullest extent.

We covet your support as we constantly monitor and measure our progress as we continue to grow and move forward.

We could not be effective with everything we do if not for the support of the Board of Supervisors in each county. Northeast Mississippi Community College belongs to the citizens of Alcorn, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo, and Union Counties. We must therefore devote our time and energies to assist these citizens.

In recent days, Northeast has experienced growth in our enrollment as students from all over Mississippi and the U.S. have recognized the high-tech instruction we deliver. They have chosen to attend Northeast in order to be at the forefront of a highly technological classroom which leads to high employability rates. The increase in enrollment has increased our portion of state appropriated funds. This certainly assists with the reduction of those funds.

Northeast is fortunate to have a tremendous Board of Trustees. This group is very supportive of our work and the Grow Northeast/Moving Forward vision. With their guidance and leadership, I can only envision Northeast becoming a greater and greater asset to northeast Mississippi.

Northeast has been very successful in past years primarily due to the passion, devotion, and energy of all the employees of Northeast. We have a workforce that is second to none. They are the strength of this institution. I invite you to investigate all the possibilities that are available at Northeast. Please come visit anytime. Join us as we Grow Northeast and Continue to Move Forward!

Sincerely,

Screen-Shot-2021-04-29-at-12.52.15-PM.png

Ricky G. Ford, Ph.D.
Northeast Mississippi Community College President