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Alcorn State Natchez campus to offer education degrees
Published Sunday, October 18, 2009
NATCHEZ — The Natchez public school system and Alcorn State University are preparing to become cohorts — not partners in crime, but partners in education.
“‘Cohort’ — it’s a group of students enrolled in the same program who will start the program together and they will remain together as a group until the end of their program,” Special Assistant to the President at Alcorn State University Ruth Nichols said.
Starting in January 2010, Alcorn will begin offering education bachelor’s, master’s and Master of Arts degrees in teaching degree courses on its Natchez and Vicksburg campuses.
“Courses will be scheduled in a continuing sequence that will allow (students) to finish in a short period of time and ensure the courses they need will be offered,” Nichols said.
“It also develops a group cohesion and strengthens their chance for success because they can rely on each other. It almost forms a support group.”
Nichols said the cohort program will allow Alcorn professors to travel to the university’s Natchez campus to teach weekly courses, thus making it possible for students to work their studies into their already full schedule.
“These classes are going to be offered on a more flexible schedule for these adult learners,” Nichols said. “It’s obvious that most of these students will be working, have families and need to take courses on a schedule that will fit their already busy schedule.”
Nichols said students who have completed or have been working on a bachelor’s degree in education would be able to enroll in the courses offered and either complete their bachelor’s degree or work toward their master’s degree in education.
For students from the Natchez area who are thinking of going into education but have not started their degrees, Nichols said it would be a good opportunity to work with Alcorn’s partner university, Copiah-Lincoln Community College Natchez Campus.
“For people who don’t have the first two years of their bachelor’s degree, we would recommend people take their first two years at Co-Lin,” Nichols said.
Nichols said one of the more interesting forms of degree that can be earned from the cohort program is a master of arts in teaching.
By obtaining a MAT, any bachelor degree-holding citizen of Mississippi can teach within the state, no matter what area their original degree focus was.
“Its user friendly for people who want to teach school,” Nichols said.
The Natchez-based program’s first organizational meeting will take place on Alcorn’s Natchez campus at 5 p.m. Oct. 28.
“We’ll have staff there to answer questions,” Nichols said. “It’s our goal to offer flexible, non-traditional formats that will make education more accessible to our communities and provide a bigger chance for success.”
The program not only keeps travel time to attend higher-level education classes to a minimum, but it also helps more people from the Adams County area become certified, degree-holding educators in Mississippi — which is currently seeing a shortage in teachers.
“I think it is a great opportunity for K through 12 and higher education to work together to advance opportunities for our employees who are pursuing their education,” Assistant Superintendent Morris Stanton said.
Nichols said this program is just the beginning of many Alcorn is working on bringing to Natchez.
“Because of the opportunity of having Co-Lin and Alcorn both in Natchez, we want to make it much more possible for people to stay in Natchez and get four to six years of college right here at home,” Nichols said.
Comments
Posted by wesman601 (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 1:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I worked there many years ago in the school district, and I can tell you, that never have I seen a district so wasteful and so arrogant, in the way they treat their teachers. I can see a need for this program, because people who are knowledgable will not work there!
Posted by generoberts (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 4:55 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by youneverknow (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
generoberts all your children-grandchildren must already be long gone. You have such a bitter attitude about life and people. No one and I mean no one can be sure trouble doesn't visit our home. That includes you .
Posted by unclered (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 8:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Haven't Alcorn education graduates done enough damage to to the NASD and the teaching profession?
Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 10:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
unclered, if not for Alcorn State University and the quality educators that have been produced there, NASD would really be in trouble.
Posted by proudteacher (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 10:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Amen Incognito
Posted by CROOKEDELBOWS (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 11:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
THE PROBLEM WITH NASD STARTS AND ENDS AT THE TOP. PEOPLE IN HIGH PLACES USE THEIR POSITION TO "STRONG ARM" THEIR SUBORDINATES. THIS IS WHY DR. LOFTON IS NO LONGER THERE. HE WOULDN'T PLAY BY THEIR RULES. FOR THAT I COMMEND HIM.
Posted by Sister (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 12:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is what happens when you take a good college and force them out for one that a joke. Look at what has happened to the school system since USM was forced to close the Natchez campus. Can't have two 4-year Universities within 40 miles of each other. That is crazy!!! Mississippi needs all the education it can get. I can't wait to see how long it takes for Alcorn to force Co-Lin out of town. It is just a matter of time.
Posted by unclered (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 3:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Alcorn produces very few quality educators. Most of the teachers form Alcorn cannot speak English any better than their students, then we wonder why the language scores are so low. No form of academic English, which is appropriate in an academic setting, is used. They speak like their students. Even an administrator at the high school last year, when discussing hiring new teachers said, "There is too much Alcorn influence here." Of course, the academic results in the district tell the story best.
Posted by harris06 (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 7:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am a current student at Alcorn State University majoring in education. Some of the views stated are so negative. There are great instructors at ASU. All instructors in the Education and Psychology departments at ASU are required to have a doctorate degree. Some of the teachers in the NASD use of language has nothing to do with where they were educated, but in background, culture, and everyday speaking habits of their family and the people in which they surround themselves with. If they are surrounded by, and/or were raised around incorrect grammar then it has made it's way somehow into their use of language. Also, those with the negative point of view on such a positive article should go out and take a poll on what colleges did the educators in the NASD attend, and then see what your results will be. What is the percentage of ASU graduates as opposed to other universities. Just because it is a historical black college does not mean it doesn't produce great scholars.
Posted by NatTaylor (anonymous) on October 18, 2009 at 8:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think the problem with Natchez lies not with Alcorn but with the small minded petty people who live here. This program is being created to help and all everyone here wants to do is whine and moan about how awful things are here. Also all schools have educators cant speak English. Attend a class at LSU or MSU and you will see the same thing. Also the only influence here that is bad is all these private schools. Maybe if we united under the public district and put the district back together as it should be we could begin to see change and action in Natchez. But of course that wont happen because Natchez is so divided along racial lines that we cant see beyond keeping the white kids and black kids away from each other. Alcorn is not the cause of the problems here. The problem is the backward hay eatting white folk who are only interested in keeping the color lines firmly drawn. O and by the way I am white person. An open minded normal white person who sees beyond this small backward town which is being kept down once again not by a school but by the people who live here.
Posted by generoberts (anonymous) on October 19, 2009 at 6:11 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by fightingthebattle (anonymous) on October 19, 2009 at 11:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Bravo @ NatTaylor
Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on October 19, 2009 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Much applause NatTaylor, with people like you, all of us decent, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, etc., can make this world a better place!!!!
Okay, gene, cut it out! Side snicker.
Posted by sideline (anonymous) on October 19, 2009 at 11:14 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by mom02 (anonymous) on October 20, 2009 at 7:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am also an Alcorn student majoring in education. I see that we will never prosper in our hopes of providing an education to students here in Natchez. There are so many negative attitudes toward this great cause, and the people who are making these negative assumptions about Alcorn students are wrong. How dare you tear at the positive spirit of those who want to make a difference in this community? You sit back and hark about these students but you are doing nothing to make a change in the test scores. Why? You couldnt possibly know where to begin to make a change. Understand that the students who are pursuing this opportunity to educate and change the statistics about the low levels of student testing and scores are making a greater effort than those who are complaining about the programs that Alcorn State and NASD are offering to help their students and future teachers!!!
Posted by troypage (anonymous) on October 20, 2009 at 8:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I personally know several people who graduated from Alcorn ,either in nursing or education . Guess what ? they still haven't passed their state exams in order to become certified teachers or registered nurses . This was three years ago and they are still flunking these exams . Good college , if you say so . Must be a lot of cheating at those schools because their students can't even pass the state exams .
Posted by notknown (anonymous) on October 20, 2009 at 12:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
They dont have to pass the state tests to teach within the NASD, this is how they balance the budget. They pay some of the folks that cant pass the state test sub pay and give themselves raises. NASD has so many teachers working with "emergency" labels. A person is only supposed to be hired in an "emergency" if a certified teacher who passed the required tests cant be found. The Miss-Lou area has a bunch of unemployed certified teacher based on these common practices. And you say Dr. Morris was voted what of the year? I wonder y?
Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on October 20, 2009 at 1:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good look, Alcorn!!
Posted by Incognito (anonymous) on October 20, 2009 at 8:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, rest assure, every teacher/prof./instructor will have academic flaws, remember we are human beings. Please note, just because an individual has an affliation with a majority institution does not consitute superior academic knowledge of that individual.
Just for the sake of history, Alcorn was established in 1871. Now, had the university been given the resourses as the State's majority insitutions, more programs and opportunites for student advancement could have been widespread (please insert Jake Ayers)!!
Troypage, one can't make a student adequately prepare for exams. At one point, the nursing program had a 100% pass rate. I remember when a certain group of people didn't pass, they went directly to the media. Well, I'll just leave that one alone.
Posted by tigerfan (anonymous) on October 20, 2009 at 9:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How can people take a good thing and turn it negative. I havent been on here in a while reading these comments because they are so negative all the time. No matter what it is , it always becomes a issue of race. Its 2009 and we are no better off than my parents and there parents during there lives. People wake up and all the so called christians read your bibles and dont interput them to fit what you want them to mean. But take for what God gave it to you to live by. Just a Thought.
Posted by juju (anonymous) on October 20, 2009 at 9:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sister, I believe that the location that USM-Natchez picked years ago(now present-day Alcorn-Natchez) was picked to purposly be 1-2 miles out of the 40 mile radius when they left Duncan Park. But they were getting the State College Board 'squeeze' and conceded to let Alcorn have it.
Posted by mscommunity09 (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 10:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Tigerfan, I will have to agree with you. Everyday I log on to read the newspaper and stories that are big issues were ngood or bad someone always post something negative. I am not a native of Natchez but I have resided here for the last 2 years and everything is solely based on color almost. If people would look around some black and white are not worried about what color you are. This county will never succeed if they cannot move past that. We, as a nation have far too much education and advancement opportunities now that we often let one flaw(race) make a decision for us.
Posted by drinthehouse (anonymous) on November 3, 2009 at 4:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Although some of the staff at ASU have never had the experience of teaching in a classroom setting prior to teaching at Alcorn, I believe they have grown by their present continuous teaching experience. This is about opportunity, not condemnation of the school, professors, or students. Remember that a person's greatest worth lies within them; therefore, regardless of who or where the delivery of instruction occurs, achievement lies with the student's desire to fulfill personal expectations.
Posted by lowdowndog (anonymous) on November 10, 2009 at 12:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ARE WE HAVING FUN YET. GLAD I'M NOT A PART OF
ALL THIS. MOVING TO MONTANA NEXT YEAR TO BE A HERMIT. CAN'T WAIT TO DIG OUT OF MY FIRST SNOW STORM.
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