EMCC’s Columbus AFB Extension Serves Both Military And Civilians

COLUMBUS, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) – East Mississippi Community College’s Columbus Air Force Base extension opened in 1972 primarily to serve the educational needs of members of the military stationed there.

Today, 44 years later, each semester the extension serves 150 to 200 students, comprised of not only of active and retired service members and their dependents, but civilians as well.

Enlisted members at Columbus Air Force Base can complete their associate’s degree with EMCC or transfer credits to the Community College of the Air Force, a federally chartered degree-granting institution that offers Airmen courses that lead to a degree, certification, licensure or accreditation in their field of study.

Tech Sgt. Andrew McAnally is stationed at CAFB and is working on his Avionics Technician Degree through the Community College of the Air Force, which offers the bulk of the technical classes necessary for him to graduate.

But he also needs a handful of core academic courses. This semester, McAnally is taking a class in public speaking at the EMCC’s CAFB extension.

McAnally likes the convenience of taking classes on base where he has been stationed for three years. He would have taken the classes sooner, but had other priorities.

“I have two daughters – one 3 years old and the other 6 months old – and I have been trying to let them grow up a little bit before I started taking courses,” McAnally said.

While the core mission of providing courses to the military has not changed, the bulk of EMCC students at CAFB are civilians, Extension Director Jacqueline Newton said.

“Most of our students come from this side of Columbus,” Newton said. “And, although we do not recruit in Monroe County, we have students from Hamilton and Aberdeen who take classes here on base. The location is convenient for them.”

Location was the deciding factor for Samantha Dell, whose husband is a civilian Department of Defense employee at the base.

“The main campus is further away from our home and this was just more convenient,” said Dell, who plans to earn her associate’s degree at EMCC and then major in education at Mississippi University for Women.

About 25 classes are taught at the CAFB extension each semester, ranging from college algebra and English composition to psychology and sociology.

“We teach all of the basic core classes with the exception of science courses,” Newton said.

The CAFB extension is a one-stop shop for students, offering the same administrative services as EMCC’s Golden Triangle and Scooba campuses, including admissions, registration, a business office and a bookstore stocked with pens, binders, pencils and notebooks.

The extension’s smaller size makes the college experience more personal for students, said Newton, who has worked there since 1992.

“We are just like one big happy family here,” Newton said. “Once new students come in here one or two times, I pretty much remember their names. The one-on-one relationship helps make them feel comfortable to make the transition from high school to college.”

And it was the size of the CAFB extension and fewer distractions that prompted Columbus resident Quanick Hodges to enroll there this semester. Nineteen-year-old Hodges graduated from Columbus High School in May.

“Most of the people I went to high school with went to Mayhew, so I came out here so I could stay more focused,” Hodges said.

For more information about EMCC’s Columbus Air Force Base Extension, call (662) 434-2559 or (662) 434-2660.