[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14904-14905]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GREGG HARPER

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 1, 2013

  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, Mississippi College--the oldest institution 
of higher learning in the state of Mississippi and the second oldest 
Baptist university in the United States--recently celebrated the 
opening of its 187th school year. Since 1826, Mississippi College has 
provided students from across the state and around the world an 
education informed by Christian values, and was the first co-
educational institution in the nation to grant a degree to a woman.
   The university has a long and distinguished history of educating 
future public servants, counting current leaders in federal and state 
government among her alumna, including Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant 
as well as both my wife, Sidney, and me. Through service to the Board 
of Trustees, U.S. Representative Alan Nunnelee and Order of the Golden 
Arrow recipient Gayle Wicker, wife of U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, have 
provided exceptional leadership to the university's presidents through 
the years. Located in Clinton, Mississippi, Mississippi College is a 
proud constituent of the U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson.
   For 64 years, students have received exemplary training in areas of 
speech, media, public relations, theater and related practices in the 
Mississippi College Communication Department. Founded in 1949 by Drs. 
Hollis and Julia Todd as the Department of Speech, the current 
Communication Department presented diplomas to hundreds of students who 
have subsequently experienced personal and career success in their 
chosen fields. Among its alumni, the department prides itself in seeing 
former graduates become leaders in fields as diverse as business and 
ministry, education and journalism.

[[Page 14905]]

   The faculty of the Mississippi College Communication Department 
embodies dedicated and sustained service to the university and its 
mission. In fact, only three individuals have chaired the department 
over the span of its 64 years: Dr. Hollis Todd, Dr. Billy Lytal, for 
whom the annual student scholarship fund is named, and current chair 
Dr. Cliff Fortenberry. With a teaching philosophy built around the 
practical application of theory and curriculum, departmental faculty 
are teachers first, individuals who view their service at Mississippi 
College as an investment in their students' lives and in their 
community.
   The Mississippi College Communication Department currently enrolls 
undergraduates in interpersonal and public communication, journalism, 
mass media, public relations, and theater concentrations, and offers 
graduate degrees in journalism, health services communication, 
professional communication in sports, and public relations and 
corporate communication. Leading in innovative online classroom 
offerings, the communication department partners with other academic 
departments to offer unique degree programs to meet student and market 
demands.
   With a current enrollment of over 5,000 students and future leaders, 
Mississippi College is known as a university recognized for academic 
excellence and commitment to the cause of Christ. The faculty, staff, 
students and alumni of the Mississippi College Communication Department 
are proud to fulfill this vision as the department enters its 65th year 
of service.

                          ____________________