[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 12, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING YOLANDA JONES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 2016

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Yolanda Jones, who is a director, counselor and educator.
  Yolanda Jones grew up in Greenwood, Mississippi, and after graduating 
from Greenwood High School she enrolled in Grambling State University.
  Although she recalls her time at Grambling fondly, it was her first 
experience living away from home and she oscillated between being 
focused on schoolwork and being distracted by the more social aspects 
of college life. Eventually, she left Grambling before finishing her 
degree, working a number of odd jobs, both in Greenwood and Jackson, 
before deciding to re-enroll in JSU in 1999 under a program called 
Academic Second Chance, which is a program that allowed students, who 
failed to return and complete their bachelor's degree, to be under a 
strict retention plan.
  The next year Jones, who is fluent in sign language, received her 
B.A. degree in Disabilities Studies and Hearing-Impaired Education 
graduating summa cum laude. She also earned a master's degree in 
rehabilitation counseling from Jackson State University in 2002. She 
began her career as a counselor in 2002 at MVSU and currently serves as 
the Director of the Comprehensive Counseling Center, a position she's 
held since 2007. Jones also has received a master's degree in criminal 
justice from Mississippi Valley State University.
  Additionally, Dr. Jones has also been afforded the opportunity to 
study abroad In the summer of 2012, she studied in Beijing, China, at 
the University of Trinidad and the University of West Indies.
  Dr. Jones also served as: co-chair of the Financial Aid Appeals 
Committee, for students that are not meeting satisfactory academic 
progress; chair of the MVSU Behavioral Intervention Team; Advisory 
Board Member of the Boys and Girls Club, Inc. (MVSU Unit); and also a 
statutory member of the Mississippi Blues Commission, where she was 
appointed in 2013.
  Dr. Jones has presented at several state and national conferences, 
which included: the United States Conference on AIDS (USCA) 2010 in 
Miami, Florida; the White House Initiative Policy Planning meeting in 
2010, where she was selected to serve as the Historically Black 
Colleges and Universities' representative; and most recently, at the 
2015 National Association of Student Affairs Professionals conference 
(NASAP) in Huntsville, Alabama.
  In Dr. Jones' dissertation, ``An Examination of Academic Variables 
that Explain Persistence to Graduation for Students who take Remedial 
Courses in Higher Education'', she examined academic variables between 
two groups of students (students that were required to take remedial 
courses and students that were not required to take any remedial 
courses) at public four year institutions to determine if there was a 
significant difference in their persistence to graduation. Utilizing a 
quantitative design, she examined the success of the students taking 
remedial courses as measured by graduation and the number of years it 
took them to meet their graduation requirements.
  She is a scholar/practitioner who continues her research in this area 
as well as in the areas of retention, student persistence and student 
success among college students in hope of providing practical 
application that will assist in increasing the gap in college 
attendance and graduation rates of all students that enroll in 
institutions of higher learning. Jones hopes to use her doctorate in 
order to expand her influence in higher education administration, 
developing strategies that increase student retention and promote 
student success.
  ``Strategic planning is crucial!'' she emphasized. There has always 
been a plethora of issues in higher education; however, it is pivotal 
that higher education institutions began making extraordinary efforts 
to meet students where they are, with special emphasis on the ``under-
prepared'' students, in which schools are admitting in alarming numbers 
every year.''
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. 
Yolanda Jones, a Director, Counselor and Educator, for her dedication 
to serving others and giving back to the African American community.

                          ____________________