Coahoma Community College is proud to announce that the institution has been awarded
a USDA Rural Development Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant amounting to $943,884.
U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) recently welcomed
almost $3.5 million in telemedicine and distance learning grants to five healthcare
and educational organizations in Mississippi.
Coahoma Community College President Dr. Valmadge T. Towner is glad to see the college
receive funds to expand its reach within its five-county service area. The institution
has recently increased its efforts to build more expansive technological infrastructures
in recent months. This award builds upon Coahoma’s commitment of providing accessible
educational opportunities for all.
"Excited and ready to implement the project is our mood at Coahoma. External funds
are always needed to enhance the efficiency of meeting the educational needs of our
students and constituents. This grant partnership will enable the college to create
innovative and transformative strides relative to infusing technology into our educational
and training programs," said Towner. "Deliverables generated from the USDA rural development
grant are sure to help all of our students. The future is bright at Coahoma."
According to the USDA's website, the Distance Learning and Telemedicine program helps
rural communities use telecommunications' unique capabilities to connect to each other
and to the world, overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density.
For example, this program can link teachers and medical service providers in one area
to students and patients in another.
Letha Richards, director of Educational Outreach, was the principal writer of the
grant. She sees awards like this as opportunities for Coahoma to better serve the
broader community.
"I am very pleased and excited about the funding of CCC's RUS DLT 2020 project: Creating
Access to Interactive Technology across the Mississippi Delta. We pursued this opportunity
to expand our rural district's access to our programs and faculty as well as to strengthen
the STEM pipeline through interactive technologies," said Richard.
USDA Rural Development offers loans, grants, and loan guarantees to help create jobs
and support economic development and essential services such as housing, health care;
first responder services and equipment; and water, electric, and communications infrastructure.
Richards added, "this grant will allow us to purchase distance learning equipment
and infuse cutting-edge technology, such as Z-space, in our science classrooms, both
face-to-face and virtual. By engaging the learner through exploration and experiential
learning activities, we can then create exciting learning experiences to take learners
in the Rural Delta to places they never thought they would go and help them do things
they never thought they would do! And this will truly be an awesome moment for them!
Our K-12 partners for this project include Madison Palmer High School in Marks, Ms.,
Northside High School in Shelby, Ms. and Coahoma Early College High School in Clarksdale,
Ms."
Additionally, the USDA promotes economic development by supporting loans to businesses
through banks, credit unions and community-managed lending pools. They offer technical
assistance and information to help agricultural producers and cooperatives get started
and improve the effectiveness of their operations.