NATCHEZ — Mississippi’s torchbearer for community and junior colleges said Wednesday what was once considered a system of rural, subpar schools has become a treasure for the state and a potential boom for economic growth.

Eric Clark, executive director of the Mississippi State Board for Community and Junior Colleges, told members of the Rotary Club of Natchez that the state’s 15 community and junior colleges have a huge impact in the state.

“We teach more than one-quarter of a million Mississippians each year and nobody knows it,” Clark said. “We know we’re doing a tremendous amount of good, but we feel like we’re under the radar.”

Mississippi’s community and junior college system is ranked in the top five of all states, Clark said, citing two different national surveys.

“It really is something that we can be proud of,” he said.

Enrollment is booming. In fall 2009, the community and junior college enrollment exceeded the collective enrollment at the state’s eight universities.

And that’s despite funding cuts that Clark said have been tough to swallow.

“As our enrollment has boomed, the state support has simply not kept up,” he said. “We have enrollment that is skyrocketing at the same time our budget is being cut.”

In the last 10 years, community and junior college funding is up by 53.6 percent, while per-student state funding is down nearly 26 percent.

Clark is traveling the state speaking to groups to lobby support for the system ahead of the 2011 Legislative session in which the budget shortfall will take center stage.

Clark said he’s urging state leaders to consider that community and junior colleges are the fastest way to turn state money into economic growth by educating the workforce.

“In the 21st century our citizens have to be educated if they’re going to work and pay taxes,” he said. “In less than two years, we can take a minimum-wage worker and we can produce someone who can walk out the door and make a good living for their family.

“These folks can get what I call a second bite at the apple of the American Dream.”

Despite budget cuts and a sluggish economy, Clark said he’s upbeat about Mississippi’s future and the community college’s role in it.

“Anyone who has a doom and gloom economic outlook for our state hasn’t done their homework,” said Clark, a former history instructor.

He said since the 1930s in every decade except the 1980s, Mississippi boosted its level of prosperity in comparison to other states.

“We’ve made enormous progress,” he said. “For us to continue to do that, our people must be educated.

“Community colleges will take any citizen, wherever they are in their life, socially, economically,” Clark said.

Statistically, an educated Mississippian will earn much more, be healthier, pay more taxes, be less likely to engage in crime and even vote more often, he said.

“We feel like we’re the hidden treasure of our state. It’s the closest thing to a silver bullet to move our state forward economically.”