MDCC Receives $3.6M in Federal Grants

Mississippi Delta Community College has received $3,650,000 from the U.S. Department of Education through the Predominately Black Institutions (PBI) Program. MDCC has several off campus locations including the Greenville Higher Education Center (pictured).

MOORHEAD – Mississippi Delta Community College (MDCC) was recently awarded two grants totaling $3,650,000 from the U.S. Department of Education through the Predominately Black Institutions (PBI) Program.

MDCC will receive a minimum of $250,000 per year for five years under the funding formula portion of the program. The college will receive $600,000 per year over four years through the competitive grant portion of the program.

“We are excited and gratified by this award to MDCC under the PBI program,” an MDCC official said. “We submitted applications for both programs earlier this year to support the continuation and expansion of the Pathfinders Program. The College will now be able to expand this very valuable program to all instructional sites.”

Mississippi Delta Community College and Hinds Community College are the only two colleges in Mississippi that were awarded. Across the nation, 62 colleges were selected to receive funding to enhance capacity to serve low and middle-income African American students.

Lynda Steele, a retired junior college administrator, is now the interim president of MDCC. A former administrator with the college, Steele will lead the 3,500-student two-year school until a permanent replacement can be found for Larry Bailey who retired on June 1.

The PBI program makes grant awards to eligible institutions to plan, develop, undertake and implement programs to enhance the institutions capacity to serve more low- and middle-income African American students. It is also aimed at expanding higher education opportunities for eligible students by encouraging college preparation and student persistence in postsecondary education; as well as strengthening the financial ability of the institution to serve the academic needs of these students.

MDCC is receiving funds under two programs that both support predominantly black institutions with an undergraduate enrollment that is at least 40 percent African American and at least 50 percent low-income or first-generation college students.

The first is a formula grant program, which awarded $9,601,758 to 35 schools in 14 states. The funds will be used for a wide range of projects that include academic instruction in disciplines in which Black Americans are underrepresented; tutoring; counseling service programs designed to improve student success; upgrading libraries, laboratories, and other instructional facilities, and establishing or enhancing a teacher education program, to name a few. These grants are funded for five years.

The other is a competitive grant program, which awarded $15,000,000 for 27 four-year grants to schools in 12 states. Funds in this program are used to establish or strengthen programs in specific areas: STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics); health education; internationalization; teacher preparation, and improving educational outcomes for African American males.

Located in Moorhead, MS, Mississippi Delta Community College has “a vision built on tradition.”

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