From humble beginnings in 1927 as one of the state's first junior colleges, East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) has grown from the original campus site as an agricultural high school to a multilocation delivery system for instruction, training and service. As with the other 14 community colleges, EMCC began as an institution designed to meet the needs of the people in the communities where they live. Today EMCC is the fastest growing community college in the state, serving more than 1,500 credit students as well as more than 4,000 non-credit students. Academic, technical, and vocational programs are offered to the public at five locations: the Scooba campus, the Golden Triangle campus, Columbus Air Force Base, Meridian Naval Air Station, and Macon extension center.

EMCC originated in Scooba serving six counties: Lauderdale, Kemper, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Lowndes and Clay. In 1968 the Golden Triangle Vocational-Technical Center was established to provide vocational and technical education to the students at the north end of the district. Programs unique to the Golden Triangle campus include a riverboat deckhand training program, the first in the nation, and an aviation maintenance technology program.

In the fall of 1972, EMCC again expanded its services by opening an extension center at Columbus Air Force Base in Columbus. A new vocational-technical center was completed in 1974 on the Scooba campus.

Business and industry needs are met through the EMCC Skill/Tech One Stop Career Center, which was added in 1995. Skill/Tech serves as a catalyst for training the six-county district work force. Services include career counseling, assessments, resume development, interview skills and job search strategies, as well as specific training programs.

In 1995 the Greater Golden Triangle Economic Development Council teamed with area manufacturers to develop a Manufacturing Technology Center to train workers for advancements in manufacturing technology and to meet the increasing needs of the upcoming century. The Mississippi Legislature appropriated $3 million to help in financing the Center for Manufacturing Technology Excellence. This effort is designed to improve the East Mississippi region's ability to provide highly skilled, technically proficient workers.

In April 1996 the new administration building on the Scooba campus was dedicated. The trustees named it the Thomas L. Davis Jr. Administration Building to acknowledge the president's leadership and vision for the school. Dr. Davis has served as president of EMCC since 1990. During his tenure as president, EMCC has expanded numerous programs and added or renovated a number of buildings. Other recent additions include a new football stadium entrance named for the legendary EMCC football coach "Bull" Sullivan and former philanthropist and alumnus James C. Windham. The project was funded through the EMCC Development Foundation. An addition to the cafeteria, the renovation of a men's dormitory, a band hall renovation, and the addition of a warehouse and maintenance facility were also recently completed.

As enrollment has increased, so has the need for additional programs. In the past three years EMCC has added drama, marching band, practical nursing, golf and women's softball to the educational experiences offered to students.

As the campus grows, so does the number of students. The Scooba campus enrollment has increased 68 percent since 1990, and the school has experienced a 41 percent increase districtwide. In addition to the successful enrollment growth, EMCC is proud of its dedicated students. In the state of Mississippi, the Halbrook Award is presented to the junior/community college with the greatest number of student athletes graduating the previous year. EMCC has received this prestigious award for the years 1983, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1990 and 1993.

Decades of service by dedicated faculty members who are outstanding in their particular areas of specialization, administrators who see visions of better things for the school and students who are eager to learn have led to the achievement of much success at EMCC.

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