Eaton Plans Exit At ICC

FULTON (WCBI/ICC RELEASE) – Itawamba Community College President Mike Eaton has announced that he plans to retire June 30, ending a 43-year career that has included several leadership positions as well as head football coach.

EATON

He notified the College’s Board of Trustees at its January meeting.

“After prayerful consideration over the last six months, I felt it was time to pass the torch to new leadership,” Eaton said. “I have had a wonderful 43 years at the College (21 of those years I lived on campus) and have been greatly blessed. It has been an honor and privilege to serve in various roles throughout my career. I have enjoyed the challenge of being ICC’s President. When you are blessed with such an outstanding, dedicated faculty and staff and Board of Trustees, it makes the job of being the president much easier.”

Eaton became the sixth President of ICC on July 1, 2013. He is credited with providing the leadership for every major initiative the College has undertaken in the last few years including chairman of the Institutional Effectiveness task force, which focused on student persistence, the improvement of retention and an increase in the graduation rate. The task force’s “Graduation…It Matters” campaign led to ICC’s achieving the highest percentage increase in graduation rates among all 15 two-year institutions in Mississippi. From July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011, 1.355 students received degrees or certificates, a 53.80 percent increase over FY 10. In 2013, ICC earned the John C. and Earnestine McCall Halbrook award for the greatest improvement in percentage of athletes graduating (20 percent).

During Eaton’s tenure, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program has named Itawamba Community College one of the nation’s top 150 community colleges three times, and WalletHub has selected ICC as sixth best in the nation.

Currently, a five-year plan is etching a new face on the Tupelo Campus with the addition of a new physical plant and the construction of a two-story general academic building, which will house a commons area, food service, classrooms and administrative offices. A Federal Emergency Management Agency $3.5 million grant is funding a 13,585-square-foot multipurpose hazardous weather safe room currently being built on the Fulton Campus. It will also serve as a new home for ICC’s All-American Band. Additional facility upgrades and construction include the conversion of the Technical Education building at the Tupelo Campus to a Natural Science facility and the Health Science building to an Academic building at the Fulton Campus as well as a new indoor practice facility. Improvements have also been made to the women’s soccer complex and Cresap Field. A new ropes challenge course, which is a component of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield Foundation WellFIT 365 grant, is providing an opportunity for team building exercises for students, faculty and staff as well as members of the community.

Most recently, Itawamba Community College is partnering with several entities in the creation of the Furniture “Certified” Academy, which will enable its graduates to go to the front of the hiring line at participating industries and will result in a higher base pay upon employment.

Under Eaton’s leadership, initiatives such as dual-credit, accelerated terms and the LEAP summer bridge program have been implemented. Through ICC’s Any Time, Any Place, Anywhere focus, students can now take advantage of multiple entry points. Also, the College has added a Public Health Technology program, for which as one of six recipients in the nation, the College earned recognition from the League for Innovation in the Community College for its work in developing programs in public health.

In addition, Eaton has served as chairman of the College’s Standards committee, which successfully branded the College by establishing guidelines for the utilization of logos and marketing/public relations efforts through the development of a Standards Manual.

Eaton’s 43-year career at ICC encompasses serving as assistant to the president, vice president of student services, dean of students, director of student activities, head football coach, assistant football coach and health instructor.

His honors have included Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges Sports Hall of Fame, Itawamba Community College Athletic Hall of Fame, National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame and in 2011, Eaton Field was dedicated in his honor at ICC.  He ranks 30th among the NJCAA’s All-Time Winningest Coaches and 40th in the NJCAA’s Highest Winning Percentage at .629 in 18 seasons.

Eaton is a graduate of both the State and National Community College Leadership programs. He has served as chairman and secretary of the Mississippi Community and Junior College Hall of Fame committee and previously as a member of the MACJC Athletic Appeals committee.

He and his wife, Marcia, are the parents of two daughters, Mallory Eaton and Laura Bates (Todd). They have three grandchildren, Tyler, Sam and Mark Bates.

The Board of Trustees is charged with employing his replacement.