PRCC hosts annual ‘Legislative Government Officials Breakfast’

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - Pearl River Community College hosted its annual “Legislative Government Officials Breakfast” at the Forrest County Campus to allow legislators and city and county officials to provide various project updates and meet and greet students.

Dr. Jana Causey, the vice president of the Forrest County Campus, said it’s important to make students feel comfortable when speaking and reaching out to lawmakers.

“We show our legislators and our government officials what we do for our students, what we are putting taxpayer money to use on our college campus,” said Causey. “Here lately, we can talk about the expansion of our medical programs to meet our local needs.”

Multiple students including Claire Thornton and Carlo Catlett gave speeches during the breakfast to discuss their experience at PRCC.

“My instructors have really taught me to be confident in what I am saying,” said Thornton. “And, so, today, talking in front of the legislator, it is a very nerve-wracking thing but my instructors have put me into a position where they have told me what to talk about and have made me feel comfortable.”

The Forrest County Board of Supervisors also attended and David Hogan, the board president, said, as far as projects go, the board has helped with multiple building renovations and contributed to the student tuition program.

“These students are our future workforce, and as a lot of people know, workforce development is very important to job creation,” said Hogan. “When we have people looking at our area to do capital investment and bring their companies in, they want to know they have skilled workers to fill those positions.”

Mississippi Senator Chris Johnson said the state has put money for grant programs in Allied Health, which is specifically for community colleges. These programs are meant to help enhance a student’s college experience.

“It’s a great opportunity to meet some of these students who are going through some of the programs that we, at the state level, allocate money to,” said Johnson. “We try to work on workforce development. So, it’s ... a great opportunity for us to hear from them on things that are working, things that are not, what they are looking for and how we can get them to stay in Mississippi.”

According to PRCC, the enrollment rate has increased by 15.1% since 2016 and has increased in Practical Nursing, Associate Degree Nursing, Surgical Technology, Respiratory Therapy and Radiological Technology.

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