Tina Halbrook Donahoo, daughter of former Mississippi Rep. David Halbrook, left, Hinds President Dr. Clyde MuseHinds Community College has won the Halbrook Award in the community college division for the 14th time since 1987. The award is given each year at the Mississippi Association of Colleges annual conference to the college having the highest number of student-athletes who graduated or completed class work for all second season participants in the 2013-2014 academic year.
The award was presented at the 81st annual Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities Conference on the campus of Mississippi University for Women at Columbus.
Hinds posted a 96 percent graduation/completion rate among its student-athletes in 2013-2014.
The Halbrook Award for Academic Achievement Among Athletes was established in 1984 as a result of House Concurrent Resolution No. 88. The awards program is made possible through endowments from former Rep. David M. Halbrook and his brothers. Holbrook served in the Mississippi House of Representatives for 26 years until his retirement in 1996.
Dot Murphy, assistant athletic director and assistant football coach, said the college’s success depends on a joint effort.
“Our athletic department has always taken pride in excelling in athletics and academics. That’s part of our recruiting tool. We stress to student athletes that we emphasize the classroom,” she said. “They can’t get to the next level if they don’t perform in the classroom.”
Murphy said counselors make sure the “student athletes get in the correct classes that lead to graduation. The coaches stay on top of their kids making sure they are attending classes and completing their work. Between the coaches and the counselors, we make sure they’re on track to graduate. The teachers do an excellent job communicating with our coaches and keeping our coaches abreast of their performance and conduct in the classroom. It’s the effort of our college as a whole that makes it successful.”
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As Mississippi’s largest community college, Hinds Community College is a comprehensive institution offering quality, affordable educational opportunities with more than 170 academic, career and technical programs. With six locations in central Mississippi, Hinds enrolled nearly 12,000 credit students in fall 2014. To learn more, visit www.hindscc.edu or call 1.800.HindsCC.