History
Originally called Sunflower Junior College, the college was formed in conjunction with Sunflower County Agricultural High School in 1927. With its first freshman class enrolling that September, the college became a fully accredited junior college by the Accrediting Commission of the Senior Colleges of Mississippi in April 1928. The name was changed to Mississippi Delta Junior College in 1960 and to Mississippi Delta Community College in 1989.[2]
Main campus
The main campus is located in Moorhead, Mississippi.
Administrative and educational facilities
Stauffer-Wood Administration Building houses administrative functions. The 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m2) facility is located on the southern border of the college and was named after Sherman Stauffer and Pete Wood, respectively an assistant to the president of the college and business manager, and a former agriculture teacher who had graduated from the college. The building was built as an armory of the National Guard and in 1997 was renovated into its current purpose.[4]
The Jack E. Harper Jr. Science Building, built in 1998 and named after Jack E. Harper, Jr., a Sunflower County man who served on the college's board of trustees, houses science classes. Office space, eight laboratories, and nine classrooms are located in 26,700 square feet (2,480 m2) of space.[5]
Allen-Foley Career-Technical Complex houses career and technical education (CATE) classrooms and laboratories; it houses the Dr. Farilyn Bell ABE/GED Classroom which houses General Education Development (GED) and Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes. The building's namesakes, Otis W. Allen and Charles Foley, were a Leflore County man who served on the college's board of education and the dean of the Career-Technical Center of the college, respectively. The ABE/GED classroom was named after the college's first ABE and GED program director. Allen-Foley was built in 1977 and remodeled for GED and ABE classes in 2005.[6]
The Horton Building, built in 1968, houses instructors' offices, two computer labs, classrooms, and laboratories. It was named after a previous president of the university, W. B. Horton.[7]
Stanny Sanders Library, built in 1972, is the college's library. It was named after a Leflore County woman who was on the college's board of representatives. The facility; which has a room dedicated to the Community College Network, study rooms, a media center, and the College Center of Learning; has 482 seats available for patrons.[8]
The Greer-Stafford Allied Health Building, built in 1993, houses medical and dental classes and laboratories; the 32,000-square-foot (3,000 m2) Dr. Arthur Richter Dental Hygiene Clinic houses the dental hygiene classes. It was named after H.T. Greer and Sam Stafford, respectively a Sharkey County man who served on the college's board of trustees and a vice president. The dental hygiene clinic addition opened in 2001.[9]
The Yeates Fine Arts Building, built in 1973, houses the college's fine arts classes and includes the M. E. Tharp Auditorium, Joe Abrams Band Hall, Jean Abrams Art Gallery, and Merle Tolbert Piano Lab. It was named after a music teacher, Mildred Yeates.[10]
Tanner Hall, built in 1963,[11] houses the MDCC Bookstore[12] as well as classrooms and computer labs. Its namesake is a Sunflower County man who became a member of the college's board of trustees, E. A. Tanner. The college installed a computer lab in the building in 1994.[11]
Student services and recreational facilities
The Vandiver Student Union houses the Office of Student Services,[13] student government facilities, a locker room and sports facility, the Chief William P. Lacy Campus Police Office, the campus bookstore, and a student dining facility. The building itself was named after Sunflower Junior College's first president, Joseph S. Vandiver; and the police office was named after the college law enforcement agency's first chief of police.[14]
The Boggs-Scroggins Student Services Center houses the Office of Admissions, the Office of Business Services, the Office of Financial Aid, the Office of Instruction, the Office of the President and other services such as counseling, human resources, institutional effectiveness, advising and information technology.[15]
The Herman A. Thigpin Cafeteria, which has seating for over 400 students, was constructed in 1986 and named after an academic dean and science teacher. It has about 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2) of area.[16]
J.T. Hall Coliseum, constructed in 1976, houses the athletic director's offices; an about 1,000 seat multipurpose hall used for basketball games; the Helen Allen Dance Studio, a performing arts performance and practice area; and the Sports Hall of Fame Room. It was named after Dr. James Terry Hall, who once served as the president of the university.[17]
The Jimmy Bellipanni Baseball Complex, named after an athletic director and coach at the college, was built in 1974. As of 2010[update] the complex's fence is made of cypress.[18]
In 1980, the Carl & Brenda Grubb Women's Softball Field opened. It is located on the Moorhead campus, north of the coliseum. In 2015 a press box and concession stand were added.[15]
The campus also includes the Maintenance Building.[12]
There is a Baptist Student Union on the college grounds.[19]
Residential facilities
Active dormitory buildings for students include Edwards-Stonestreet Residence Hall (for men) and Hargett-Lee Residence Hall (for women).[20]
The Hargett-Lee Hall is the women’s residence hall located on the Moorhead campus. Completed in 2008, the residence hall consists of 80 rooms that can accommodate 236 students. The facility has a lobby and recreation area both upstairs and downstairs. The residence hall was named in honor of Herbert M. Hargett, long standing member of the MDCC Board of Trustees for 43 years during which time he served as chairman of the board for 3 years, and in honor of Dunbar M. Lee, also a member of the MDCC Board of Trustees for 40 years.College Catalog.
The Edwards-Stonestreet Men's Dormitory, located on the eastern boundary of the campus, is a motel-style structure which houses 258 men. The building is named in honor of Lum Edwards, a
former county Superintendent of Education, and J. D. Stonestreet, a former mathematics instructor and football coach. The building was renovated and reopened for occupancy in the fall of 2011. College Catalog.
The college also has housing for faculty members and the president's home.[21] These facilities are within the Sunflower County School District, and dependents of faculty and staff living on campus would be assigned to James Rosser Elementary School and Moorhead Middle School.
The Stennis-Penrod Building, located on the northern edge of Trojan Lake, houses the sleeping quarters for the cadets attending the MDCC Law Enforcement Training Academy; two apartments for the staff of the LETA; and offices for the Director and staff of the LETA. The building is named in honor of Ms. Janie Stennis, a former science teacher, and Mrs. Noble 0. Penrod, a former teacher of mathematics. College Catalog.
