Co-Lin, MUW partner in Two Plus Two Culinary Arts Program

MOA Signing

Mississippi University for Women President Dr. Jim Borsig (left) and Copiah-Lincoln Community College President Dr. Ronnie Nettles (right) sign the memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the Two Plus Two program culinary arts program. Looking on are Co-Lin’s Vice President of Instructional Services Dr. Jane Hulon (second from right) and Co-Lin’s Dean of Career, Technical and Workforce Education Jackie Martin.
(Photo by Chris Jenkins, Mississippi University for Women)

WESSON, Miss. (Press Release) — Copiah-Lincoln Community College and Mississippi University for Women announced a new partnership that will allow culinary arts students to receive a bachelor’s degree from The W. The enhanced Two Plus Two program will provide a seamless transition for Co-Lin associate degree graduates in culinary arts technology to finish their four-year degree at The W.

Co-Lin President Dr. Ronnie Nettles and MUW President Dr. Jim Borsig signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) during a ceremony in Co-Lin’s Rea Auditorium on the college’s Wesson Campus.

“This agreement will provide additional opportunities for students at Copiah-Lincoln who wish to pursue four-year studies in culinary arts at The W. We look forward to providing a seamless transition to their studies with us, and we thank Dr. Nettles for his leadership in creating this partnership,” Dr. Borsig said.

Co-Lin’s Culinary Arts Technology program offered on both the Wesson and Natchez Campuses provide a solid foundation in the methods and science of cooking through exposure to classical, American, and international cuisine as well as the art of baking and pastries. Special emphasis is placed on culinary tools, equipment, techniques, and specialty ingredients. The heart of the Culinary Arts Technology program is hands-on lab instruction in a commercial kitchen.

“We are very pleased that our students will now have an opportunity to build on their associate degree from Co-Lin and continue their education at The W,” said Dr. Nettles. “We are pleased to be partners with MUW in this program. It demonstrates the commitment of both institutions to develop quality programs that focus on the success of students. The W has a strong reputation throughout the state of Mississippi for high academic standards. Dr. Borsig has made the recruitment of outstanding community college students to MUW a priority.”

Established in 1996, The W’s Culinary Arts Institute offers one of the nation’s first four-year baccalaureate degree programs in culinary arts. It is a premier national program that includes concentrations in food journalism, food art, entrepreneurship, nutrition and wellness, and Culinology.

Students entering the new program will earn a bachelor’s degree in technology and professional studies with a concentration in culinary arts. Career options include positions as executive chefs, small business owners, caterers, food stylists and food photographers, among others.

“Our goal is to provide educational opportunities that can allow students to earn stackable credentials to lead to career advancement,” said Jackie Martin, Co-Lin’s Dean of Career, Technical and Workforce Education. “We value this growing partnership with The W and also appreciate professional development opportunities it will afford our culinary arts instructors to enhance the current program. The MOA will provide scholarship opportunities specifically for our culinary arts graduates that desire to continue their education in this field at The W. The “Guest Chefs” program at MUW will also be extended to Co-Lin students and faculty in which demonstrations will be given from culinary experts. It will also assist with marketing efforts and professional development funds for Co-Lin Culinary Arts instructors.”

“Traditionally, career-technical pathways end with an associate’s degree, but with this type of forward thinking it is our hope that we can seek out more valuable opportunities like this for many of the other career technical programs,” Martin added.

To learn more about Co-Lin’s Culinary Arts Technology program contact Sonya Sims at 601-643-8324 (Wesson Campus) or Esther Perryman at 601-446-1150 (Natchez Campus) go to http://careertraining.colin.edu/culinary.

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