Mississippi Community College Board

Miss. Code Ann. tit. 37, ch. 4
in effect

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-4-1 Legislative findings and declaration of policy.

The Legislature finds and determines that the social, cultural and economic well-being of the people of Mississippi, and hence the state, are enhanced by various educational experiences beyond the elementary and secondary school years. The Legislature hereby provides a means for the continuation of a system of community and junior colleges and declares the following to be the policy of the State of Mississippi: The general purpose of the community and junior colleges is to provide educational services for the people of its geographic area within the legal structure of the comprehensive community college. These services include the teaching and guiding of students who intend to transfer to senior colleges to pursue an academic degree and the teaching and guiding of career-oriented students in academic, technical and vocational programs. These services also include providing opportunities for continuing education in academic, technical, vocational and adult education, and providing leadership in civic, economic and cultural growth. Different geographic regions of the state have differing needs for human development. Local governance of the public community and junior colleges is an effective and efficient means of meeting the diverse local needs, as well as those needs and priorities established by the state. All post-high school youth and adults who have the motivation and ability to benefit from additional educational services and experiences should be provided such an opportunity. Community and junior colleges should provide quality instructional activities that are accessible geographically and financially to the people of the state, within the resources available for this purpose. Instructional activities should be related to the needs of the individual, region and state, and should be available throughout one’s life regardless of prior educational experiences or attainment. An appropriate relationship between local district and state financial support of community and junior colleges shall be established. Coordination between public schools, community and junior colleges and universities shall complement the educational goals and attainments of individuals and the state. The Associate Degree should be a definitive and accepted higher educational degree, recognized for transfer to four-year institutions and for employment and promotion in business and industry. The community and junior colleges shall be the presumptive deliverers of public post-secondary training designed to meet the needs of individuals, business and state development objectives. This includes, but is not limited to, post-secondary training conducted under federal and state vocational and technical acts. Community and junior colleges shall be considered agencies of local government rather than agencies of the state.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-4-3 Establishment of board; composition; qualifications, appointment, terms of office and compensation of members; officers; director of state system of public junior and community colleges; general powers and duties of board.

From and after July 1, 1986, there shall be a Mississippi Community College Board which shall receive and distribute funds appropriated by the Legislature for the use of the public community and junior colleges and funds from federal and other sources that are transmitted through the state governmental organization for use by said colleges. This board shall provide general coordination of the public community and junior colleges, assemble reports and such other duties as may be prescribed by law. The board shall consist of ten (10) members of which none shall be an elected official. The Governor shall appoint two (2) members from the First Mississippi Congressional District, one (1) who shall serve an initial term of two (2) years and one (1) who shall serve an initial term of five (5) years; two (2) members from the Second Mississippi Congressional District, one (1) who shall serve an initial term of five (5) years and one (1) who shall serve an initial term of three (3) years; and two (2) members from the Third Mississippi Congressional District, one (1) who shall serve an initial term of four (4) years and one (1) who shall serve an initial term of two (2) years; two (2) members from the Fourth Mississippi Congressional District, one (1) who shall serve an initial term of three (3) years and one (1) who shall serve an initial term of four (4) years; and two (2) members from the Fifth Mississippi Congressional District, one (1) who shall serve an initial term of five (5) years and one (1) who shall serve an initial term of two (2) years. All subsequent appointments shall be for a term of six (6) years and continue until their successors are appointed and qualify. An appointment to fill a vacancy which arises for reasons other than by expiration of a term of office shall be for the unexpired term only. All members shall be appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate. There shall be a chairman and vice chairman of the board, elected by and from the membership of the board; and the chairman shall be the presiding officer of the board. The board shall adopt rules and regulations governing times and places for meetings and governing the manner of conducting its business. The members of the board shall receive no annual salary, but shall receive per diem compensation as authorized by Section 25-3-69, Mississippi Code of 1972, for each day devoted to the discharge of official board duties and shall be entitled to reimbursement for all actual and necessary expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties, including mileage as authorized by Section 25-3-41, Mississippi Code of 1972. The board shall name a director for the state system of public junior and community colleges, who shall serve at the pleasure of the board. Such director shall be the chief executive officer of the board, give direction to the board staff, carry out the policies set forth by the board, and work with the presidents of the several community and junior colleges to assist them in carrying out the mandates of the several boards of trustees and in functioning within the state system and policies established by the Mississippi Community College Board. The Mississippi Community College Board shall set the salary of the director of the board. The Legislature shall provide adequate funds for the Mississippi Community College Board, its activities and its staff. The powers and duties of the Mississippi Community College Board shall be: To authorize disbursements of state-appropriated funds to community and junior colleges through orders in the minutes of the board. To make studies of the needs of the state as they relate to the mission of the community and junior colleges. To approve new, changes to and deletions of vocational and technical programs to the various colleges. To require community and junior colleges to supply such information as the board may request and compile, publish and make available such reports based thereon as the board may deem advisable. To approve proposed new attendance centers (campus locations) as the local boards of trustees should determine to be in the best interest of the district. Provided, however, that no new community/junior college branch campus shall be approved without an authorizing act of the Legislature. To serve as the state approving agency for federal funds for proposed contracts to borrow money for the purpose of acquiring land, erecting, repairing, etc., dormitories, dwellings or apartments for students and/or faculty, such loans to be paid from revenue produced by such facilities as requested by local boards of trustees. To approve applications from community and junior colleges for state funds for vocational-technical education facilities. To approve any university branch campus offering lower undergraduate level courses for credit. To appoint members to the Post-Secondary Educational Assistance Board. To appoint members to the Authority for Educational Television. To contract with other boards, commissions, governmental entities, foundations, corporations or individuals for programs, services, grants and awards when such are needed for the operation and development of the state public community and junior college system. To fix standards for community and junior colleges to qualify for appropriations, and qualifications for community and junior college teachers. To have sign-off approval on the State Plan for Vocational Education which is developed in cooperation with appropriate units of the State Department of Education. To approve or disapprove of any proposed inclusion within municipal corporate limits of state-owned buildings and grounds of any community college or junior college and to approve or disapprove of land use development, zoning requirements, building codes and delivery of governmental services applicable to state-owned buildings and grounds of any community college or junior college. Any agreement by a local board of trustees of a community college or junior college to annexation of state-owned property or other conditions described in this paragraph shall be void unless approved by the board and by the board of supervisors of the county in which the state-owned property is located.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-4-4 Persons required to attend meetings of board; compensation.

The Commissioner of Higher Education, or his designee, and one (1) member of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning to be designated by the chairman of said board, shall attend all regular meetings of the Mississippi Community College Board. Said university representatives shall have no jurisdiction or vote on any matter within the jurisdiction of the board. The Commissioner of Higher Education and any designee who is a state employee shall receive no per diem for attending meetings of the board, but shall be entitled to actual and necessary expense reimbursement and mileage for attending meetings at locations other than Jackson, Mississippi. The designee of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning shall receive per diem compensation as authorized by Section 25-3-69, Mississippi Code of 1972, for attending said meetings, and shall be entitled to reimbursement for all actual and necessary expense reimbursement and mileage, which shall be paid from funds appropriated to the Mississippi Community College Board.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-4-5 Definitions.

The terms “Junior College Commission” and “State Board for Community and Junior Colleges,” whenever they appear in the laws of the State of Mississippi, mean the “Mississippi Community College Board.” The term “High School Equivalency Diploma,” whenever it appears in the laws of the State of Mississippi, means a high school diploma that has been approved by the Mississippi Community College Board. The terms “general educational development,” “general education development” and “GED,” whenever they appear in the laws of the State of Mississippi, mean a high school equivalency diploma as defined in subsection (2) of this section.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-4-7 Development by board of uniform employment contract for professional employees.

The Mississippi Community College Board shall study the feasibility of developing and implementing a state adopted uniform contract within each community and junior college district. Such study shall include, but not be limited to, the following areas for consideration: Terms of employment; Salary schedules; Leave provisions; Health insurance benefits; Tenure; Retirement benefits.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-4-9 Conduct and funding of incentive certification program.

The Mississippi Community College Board is authorized to receive income from voluntary fees, contributions, donations, other forms of financial assistance, materials or manpower from persons, corporations, organizations and other sources, private or public, to be utilized and expended by the board in carrying out the incentive certification program mandated by the Work Force and Education Act of 1994 in Sections 37-151-63 through 37-151-75 and 37-153-1 through 37-153-13. Additionally, awards or scholarships to industry or to students or both are authorized.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-4-11 Transfer of Industrial Training Programs and postsecondary Adult Short-term Training Programs to Workforce Education Program; board to develop accountability system; annual report.

The purpose of this section is to insure the uniform management, oversight and accountability of the state-funded Industrial Training Programs, and postsecondary Adult Short-Term Training Programs and Workforce Education Programs administered by the Mississippi Community College Board for adults provided to the citizens of Mississippi. Effective July 1, 1999, all state-funded Industrial Training Programs and postsecondary Adult Short-term Training Programs administered by and through the State Department of Education on June 30, 1999, shall be transferred to the Workforce Education Program of the Mississippi Community College Board. The Legislature shall appropriate annually to the Mississippi Community College Board funds necessary to administer these programs. Effective July 1, 1999, all funds, unexpended balances, assets, liabilities and property of the State Department of Education which are used in the delivery of postsecondary Adult Short-term Training Programs and Industrial Training Programs, excluding funds, unexpended balances, assets, liabilities and property associated with the Research and Curriculum Unit at Mississippi State University, shall be transferred to the Workforce Education Program funds of the Mississippi Community College Board. The State Department of Education also shall transfer to the Mississippi Community College Board all positions and funds employed by the State Department of Education and community colleges which render industrial training, postsecondary adult short-term training or workforce education services, including the seven (7) administrative and support positions providing support to these programs. Sufficient staff positions shall be transferred from the State Department of Education, which will have a reduction in training and educational responsibilities by virtue of this section, to the Mississippi Community College Board to assure that the transferred responsibilities will be properly managed and administered. Any funds available to the State Department of Education for Industrial Training Programs and state-funded postsecondary Adult Short-term Training Programs which are subject to carryover shall be transferred to the Work Force Carryover Fund established by Chapter 498, Laws of 1995, for use by the Mississippi Community College Board, on or before August 15, 1999. The Mississippi Community College Board shall develop an accountability system that shall report and describe all classes taught in the area of workforce education, the number of persons taught in these classes, and the location and cost of each class taught. To assess the impact of these programs, the Mississippi Community College Board also shall report: Whether the needs of industry have been met through training program offerings; Any changes in the income of trainees between the completion of training and the date of the report; The number of jobs created and the number of jobs retained through the programs; and Trainee success in passing proficiency tests, where applicable. This information shall be reported on a fiscal year basis and shall be provided to the House and Senate Education Committees before December 15 of each year.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-4-13 Mississippi Community College Board authorized to negotiate multi-year industrial training program commitments.

In negotiating commitments under the Industrial Training Programs with industries seeking to locate or expand in Mississippi, the Mississippi Community College Board may enter into multi-year agreements for such training programs subject to the availability of funds appropriated therefor. The Mississippi Community College Board shall file a report with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives listing the commitments that are made pursuant to subsection (1) of this section.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-4-15 Board to conduct study of state funding structure for community and junior colleges.

On or after July 1, 2002, the Mississippi Community College Board shall contract with a competent management consulting or accounting firm to study the state funding formula for community and junior colleges. The study shall accomplish the following specific outcomes: Evaluate the validity of the current student classifications used in the funding formula and make recommendations for change in the classification system if advisable; Evaluate the weights assigned to each student classification and make recommendations for change in the current weights if advisable; Identify the best management practices associated with the production of graduates in each of the student classifications and use such information as a basis for validating any changes in weights referred to in paragraph (b) of this subsection. The study of best practices shall also identify the amount of state funding that is used in program areas at schools exhibiting the best management practices. The report also shall recommend to the Mississippi Community College Board all reporting requirements and systems needed to collect information necessary to maintain a valid system of weights, student classification and the best practices associated with producing graduates most efficiently. All community and junior colleges shall cooperate with the Mississippi Community College Board in conducting this study and in providing all further information on an annual basis necessary to update the weights for programs established as a result of this study, the best management practices and the student classifications established as a result of this study. The Mississippi Community College Board shall report its findings to the Chairs of the House and Senate Education Committees and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees no later than December 15, 2002.

Starting a business in Mississippi? Mississippi LLC guide: costs and requirements