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The City of Raymond presented a resolution to ��«Ӱҵ President Dr. Clyde Muse in honor of the college’s Centennial celebration. The resolution, passed unanimously by the Board of Aldermen, was presented to Muse by Alderman Jack Moss on Sept. 9 at the annual Raymond Country Fair.

The resolution was signed by Mayor Isla Tullos, Moss and aldermen Lou Anne Askew, Aubrey Barnett, Randall Harris and Joey Jamison.

“On half of the city of Raymond, we appreciate all ��«Ӱҵ does for the city of Raymond,” Moss said.

The resolution acknowledged the intertwined history of the college and the city as well as Muse’s tenure as president.

“I’ve enjoyed the 40 years I’ve been here and been a part of the ��«Ӱҵ family. We’ve enjoyed being a part of Raymond all these years,” Muse said

If it weren’t for the City of Raymond’s desire to be the home of a boarding agricultural high school in the early 1900s, there might not be a ��«Ӱҵ today. When the state Legislature opened the door with seed money to create schools to educate rural high school boys and girls, Raymond jumped at the chance.

With its central location and offer of land and other support, Raymond won a county school board’s approval over several other towns in May 1916.  The town issued bonds in the amount of $5,000 and, on Feb. 8, 1917, paid $2,000 to Raymond Mayor A.H. Sivley and his wife for about 45 acres of land, partly within the corporate limits of Raymond, but mostly to the east.

Then with $75,000 in funding from the ��«Ӱҵ County Board of Supervisors, construction began on three brick buildings: a two-story dorm for females, a three-story administration and classroom structure, and a matching two-story dorm for males in that order on a semi-ellipse on the north side of the Raymond-Jackson highway.

Beginning on Sept. 2, 1917, a week before the beginning of the fall term and with no students on campus, the AHS hosted the annual convention of the State Conference of Teachers with attendees allowed to board in the new dorms. A week later, on Sept. 9, 1917, ��«Ӱҵ County Agricultural High School Superintendent W.N. Taylor greeted 117 students.

[tweetable alt=””]City of Raymond honors ��«Ӱҵ CC Centennial.[/tweetable]

��«Ӱҵ is celebrating its 100^th year of Community Inspired Service in 2017. ��«Ӱҵ opened in September 1917 first as an agricultural high school and admitted college students for the first time in 1922, with the first class graduating in 1927. In 1982 ��«Ӱҵ Junior College and Utica Junior College merged, creating the ��«Ӱҵ District. Today, as Mississippi’s largest community college, ��«Ӱҵ is a comprehensive institution with six locations. ��«Ӱҵ offers quality, affordable educational opportunities with academic programs of study leading to seamless university transfer and career and technical programs teaching job-ready skills. To learn more, visit or call 1.800.��«ӰҵCC.