Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is a public community college with its main campus in Perkinston, Mississippi. It was founded as Harrison County Agricultural High School in 1912.
MGCCC has three campuses and seven centers:
- The main campus in Perkinston;
- The Jackson County Campus in Gautier;
- The Harrison County Campus in Gulfport;
- The George County Center in Lucedale;
- The West Harrison County Center in Long Beach;
- The Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Center in Gulfport;
- The Keesler Center at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi;
- The Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport;
- The Bryant Center at Tradition in Harrison County; and
- The Haley Reeves Barbour Maritime Training Academy in Pascagoula.
History
MGCCC began as the Harrison County Agricultural High School on September 17, 1911. Four years later, north Harrison County became Stone County, and both counties continued to support the school. On September 14, 1925, with the support of Jackson County, Harrison-Stone-Jackson Agricultural High School and Junior College began offering its first year of Junior College work. George County then added its support in 1942, and the institution took the name of Perkinston Junior College.In 1962, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College District was formed, and three years later, Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College added the Jefferson Davis and Jackson County campuses. Between 1965 and 1985, 4 new centers were opened. The college name was changed to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on October 1, 1987. In 1996, the Community Campus, a campus without walls, was added as a fourth campus.
In 2006, President George W. Bush became the first sitting President to speak at a community college graduation, when he spoke at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
In June 2018, the Bryant Center School of Nursing & Simulation Lab opened in the Tradition Community, Harrison County.
On July 22, 2020, the Board of Trustees for MGCCC voted to change the name of the Jefferson Davis Campus to the Harrison County Campus, as people in Mississippi and in the U.S. called for the removal of symbols and names that honor the Confederate States of America.