Dr. Charles McAdams, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.Dr. Charles McAdams, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, recently guided a team of 12 Delta State leaders at Mississippi’s College Completion Conference in Jackson, which focused on college completion and graduation tactics.
Sponsored by Mississippi Public Universities, the Mississippi Community College Board, and Complete College America, the conference, held Sept. 28-29 at the Mississippi e-Center at Jackson State University, emphasized the benefits of obtaining a college degree.
The benefits of earning a postsecondary degree are well-documented — higher earnings, lower unemployment, greater civic involvement and better health are just a few recognized. But getting across the finish line is not always easy.
Students face challenges both inside the classroom and beyond. Helping students overcome these challenges and graduate was the primary focus of the conference open to community college and university educators from across Mississippi.
“We need to have more students completing their degrees because they are going to be required for the workforce in the future,” said McAdams. “Students can’t achieve their personal aspirations and goals if they don’t have a degree.
“Another reason having a degree is essential is because of finances. A lot of our students take five or six years to complete their degree, but I’m not sure they’re aware of how much that actually costs them in the long run.”
McAdams said one beneficial topic at the conference was the concept of academic maps.
“Academic maps is the notion of providing each student in each major exactly what they need so they can graduate,” he said. “I know we’ve had four-year programs in the past, but these maps go into a much greater detail, and they really allow academic chairs, advisors, and students to see how prerequisites and scheduling come into play.
“We don’t want anything to get in the way or be a barrier for a student to complete on time. I’d like the public to know that Delta State is committed to finding ways to help and support students to graduate on time.”
Mississippi’s Commissioner of Higher Education, Dr. Glenn F. Boyce, also provided guidance at the conference.
“Increasing educational attainment is a very important issue for our university system and our state,” said Boyce. “This conference provides us with the opportunity to bring together national leaders in the field with the educators who work directly with the students. Our goal is to help every student graduate in a timely manner, and these discussions will help us explore ways we can improve the programs and services offered to help achieve this goal.”
