Copiah–Lincoln Community College (Co–Lin) is a public

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...

with its main campus in Wesson, Mississippi. The Co–Lin District serves a seven-county area including

Adams Adams may refer to: * For persons, see Adams (surname) Places United States *Adams, California *Adams, California, former name of Corte Madera, California *Adams, Decatur County, Indiana *Adams, Kentucky *Adams, Massachusetts, a New England town ...

, Copiah,

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral di ...

, Jefferson, Lawrence,

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Linco ...

and

Simpson Simpson most often refers to: * Simpson (name), a British surname *''The Simpsons'', an animated American sitcom **The Simpson family, central characters of the series ''The Simpsons'' Simpson may also refer to: Organizations Schools *Simpso ...

counties. The college provides academic college-level courses for the first two years of four-year degree programs as well as career and technical programs.

History

Copiah–Lincoln Agricultural High School, through the joint efforts of Copiah and Lincoln Counties, was established in the fall of 1915 in Wesson, Mississippi, at the edge of Copiah County. Copiah–Lincoln Junior College was organized during the summer of 1928. Since its establishment in 1928, Copiah–Lincoln has continued to grow in size and prestige and now occupies a prominent position in the state's educational system with an enrollment of over 3,200 and a physical plant valued at more than $35 million. Five counties have joined in the support of Copiah–Lincoln: Simpson County in 1934; Franklin County in 1948; Lawrence County in 1965; Jefferson County in 1967; and Adams County in 1971. In the fall of 1972, upon the request of local and state officials, Copiah–Lincoln opened a branch at

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, ...

, to better meet the educational needs of the citizens of that area. In the fall of 1997 the Simpson County Center opened in downtown Magee. Academic Evening Classes, Employment Training and an LPN class were offered in that facility until the fall of 2005, when a new facility was opened at Legion Lake, between Magee and Mendenhall. The new facility, named in honor of the late Sidney Parker, opened in the fall of 2005 with a comprehensive academic program, along with three Career-Technical programs. Copiah–Lincoln Junior College became Copiah–Lincoln Community College on July 1, 1988, as approved by the state and the Board of Trustees. The name change reflects Co–Lin's continuing service to the community, its young people, adults, and senior citizens.

Accreditation

Copiah–Lincoln Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Associate in Arts and Associate in Applied Science degrees. Copiah–Lincoln is also an active member of the

American Association of Community Colleges The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), headquartered in the National Center for Higher Education building in Washington, D.C., is the primary advocacy organization for community colleges at the national level and works closely with ...

, the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges, the Mississippi Association of Colleges, and the Southern Association of Community and Junior Colleges.

Campuses

* Natchez Campus,

* Simpson County Center,

Mendenhall, Mississippi Mendenhall is a city in Simpson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,504 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Simpson County. Mendenhall is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. Mendenhall has one of the ...

* Wesson Campus, Wesson, Mississippi

Athletics

Co–Lin sponsors six men's sports (

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

, football,

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

, and archery), and five women's sports (basketball,

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

, tennis, soccer and archery). It also sponsors a

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ent ...

squad which is one of the most competitive squads in the state, winning numerous awards at junior college coed division at the University of Alabama UCA cheer camp. The athletic teams are nicknamed the Wolf Pack. The teams compete in

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

Region 23, which includes colleges in Mississippi and

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

. The baseball, golf and softball teams participate in Division II. All other sports, except football, play in Division I. Bryan Nobile is the college's athletic director. The women's tennis team was the NJCAA Number 1 Academic Team of the Year in 2019. Co–Lin has produced over 100 NJCAA Academic All-Americans since 2000. The football team won the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges in State Championship in 2012. The Lady Wolves basketball team, coached by Gwyn Young, the NJCAA's second winningest active coach, has made numerous trips to the NJCAA National Tournament. The baseball team has finished fourth in both the 2000 and 2005 NJCAA World Series.

Notable alumni

Greg Briggs Greg Briggs (born October 19, 1968) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. He was also a member of the Frankfurt Galaxy in Frankfu ...

, former NFL player *

Tony Bryant Tony Bryant (born September 3, 1976) is a former American football defensive end who played for the Oakland Raiders (1999–2002) and the New Orleans Saints (2003–2005) in the National Football League (NFL). He was born and raised in Marathon, ...

, former NFL player * Jim Carmody, football coach for

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles The Southern Miss Golden Eagles and Lady Eagles (also known as Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and Lady Eagles) are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), located in Hattiesburg, Missi ...

Nick Fairley Nicholas Lachester Fairley (born January 23, 1988) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for Auburn University, where he was recognized as an All-American and was a member of a BCS National Championship ...

, former NFL player *

Mary Lou Godbold Mary Lou Gray Godbold ( Gray; October 15, 1912 – April 18, 2008) was an American politician and educator. She was a member of the Mississippi State Senate from 1956 to 1960, succeeding her husband after his death. After she left office, she tau ...

(1912–2008), Mississippi state senator * Victor Green, former NFL player *

Cindy Hyde-Smith Cindy Hyde-Smith ( née Hyde; born May 10, 1959) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Mississippi since 2018. A member of the Republican Party, she was previously the Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture ...

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and p ...

* Nook Logan, baseball player for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...

* DeQuan Menzie, former NFL player *

Cleveland Pinkney Cleveland Pinkney III (born September 14, 1977) is a former American football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League. He last played for the Detroit Lions. Pinkney attended and played football at Sumter High School. He gradu ...

, former NFL player *

Montez Sweat Shaquan Montez Sweat (born September 4, 1996) is an American football defensive end for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State, Copiah–Lincoln, and Mississippi State before being ...

, NFL player * Randy Thomas, former NFL player *

M. K. Turk M. K. Turk (May 20, 1942 – December 6, 2013) was an American college basketball coach and player. A native of Bardwell, Kentucky, Turk played basketball at Carlisle County High School from 1957 to 1960. He was the junior captain and an all-stat ...

, basketball coach for

* Reggie Williams, Basketball player for the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Copiah-Lincoln Community colleges in Mississippi Educational institutions established in 1928 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Copiah County, Mississippi Education in Adams County, Mississippi Education in Simpson County, Mississippi Universities and colleges in the Jackson metropolitan area, Mississippi NJCAA athletics 1928 establishments in Mississippi