Itawamba Community College

Today's post is a return to the community college sector. I first stepped on to the Itawamba Community College campus in the fall of 2023. One of my sons plays in his high school band, and a regional competition with bands from several states was held there. The reason, aside from being in a location with general ease of access to high school bands from Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, is that like its counterpart Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, Itawamba has a very large campus complete with intercollegiate athletics facilities. I had wanted to explore the campus some at the time, but timing and the competition did not leave me with enough time to do so. Thankfully, I was able to return to the campus a bit unexpectedly and had the chance to take some photos for this post. Although it was not for my son's band, there was in fact another high school band competition taking place there during this visit.

ICC gets its name from Itawamba County, one of the principal counties the colleges serve. The name comes from the Native American Chickasaw Chief known to European Americans by his English name of Levi Colbert and to the Chicksaw by the name Itte-wamba Mingo. The name means Bench Chief in English. Itte-wamba Mingo was born in 1759 in present day Muscle Shoals, Alabama to Scots American father James Logan Colbert and Choctaw mother Minta Hoye. He was one of seven children. Thanks to a bilingual, bicultural upbringing both Itte-wamba Mingo/Levi and his brother George (also known as Tootemastubbe in the Native tongue) became interpreters for in the negotiations of the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek (part of the larger process began with the Indian Removal Act of 1830 which saw Native Americans forced to move west of the Mississippi, with much of the original terms of the various treaties ignored by the Federal government). 

In addition to having the college and the county named after him in Mississippi, Colbert County Alabama, home to Muscle Shoals, is named in honor of Levi/Itte-wamba and his brother George/ Tootemastubbe as is town of Colbert's Spring, Alabama. Honoring Itte-wamba Mingo with the name of two counties, a town, and a community college is fitting, although hardly sufficient given the maltreatment of the Chickasaw and other Native American nations forced west. The treatment of Chickasaw was terrible, even more so since they had allied themselves with the U.S. during the War of 1812 and other conflicts.

ICC was founded in 1948 with the name Itawamba Junior College. Public community colleges in Mississippi officially date back to 1928. But as with many things, their roots go back further. As was the case with Northwest Mississippi Community College, ICC really began its life as an agricultural high school. If you are unfamiliar with the agricultural high school, an easy analogy is a vo-tech focusing on things farming and home economics. The state passed the County Agricultural High School Law in 1908. The schools established under the law were boarding schools. Each school was required to have twenty acres of land to support agricultural education. Between 1908 and 1919, fifty agricultural high schools opened across Mississippi. This was a remarkable achievement, as prior to their establishment there were only a handful of high schools in the state and more or less all of them were located in the state’s few cities and they only had a four-month academic year. The establishment of the ag schools was a hit, and this was the start of many improvements within the public schools in the state. 

Mississippi continued formalizing public schools and the roles of the ag high schools began to change. In 1924, the Mississippi legislature approved the teaching of college-level courses at the ag schools with most courses being in the area of teacher preparation. These courses were a hit and served to fill a gap in the state’s growing higher education system. Indeed, the programs were so successful that in 1928 Mississippi passed the Public Junior College Law. The law sought to advance the college-level mission of the agricultural high schools and the reaction was immediately positive. When the law went into effect, ten of the high schools were launching college courses. From these seeds, the current community college system in Mississippi would grow.

Over time, the mission of the schools saw them go from offering high school courses, to a mix of high school and college, to college-level courses only. The names of the institutions operating during this period varied according to these evolving standards, going from “agricultural high school” to “agricultural high school and junior college” to “junior college”. Eventually, “junior college" fell away for the modern “community college” moniker. Adoption of the various names varied by each institution based on their particular needs and offerings.

Itawamba did not make the transition from agricultural high school to junior college too quickly. Although Itawamba and what would become today’s Northeast Mississippi Community College were approved to move to junior college status in 1941 this would not happen until 1948 thanks to World War II. Things were actually moving along quite nicely to make the transition from high school to junior college before the outbreak of the war. Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds were available to support the change, and to do their part the people of Itawamba County went to the polls on the warm Tuesday that was September 21, 1941, and approved a bond of $55,000 (about $1.18 million in 2024 value) to construct new buildings for the transition. Of course, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor less than ninety days later and the new college, like so many things, had to wait until after the war. It was not the first challenge in the institution’s history, nor would it be the last.

When it comes to establishing something as large or larger than a community college, any success is due to a group of people. Despite this fact, in many cases a person or a small group of individuals are sometimes noted as being the champion or main facilitator of the institution. In terms of making the transition from an agricultural high school to a junior college one such champion was George W. Owens. Owens was an alumnus of the agricultural high school (I believe he was from the Class of 1927). He would go on to serve several terms in the Mississippi House of Representatives and later, after a failed re-election bid, would serve in the paid position of Assistant Clerk of the House. His advocacy for and support of Itawamba began when he was still a student. In 1926, a wooden structure serving as the boys’ dorm burned down. Although the national economy in 1926 was doing quite well, funds were not readily available in rural Mississippi to immediately rebuild. It was up to locals in the area to help the institution rebuild. One of the twenty people who personally signed a promissory note to get the necessary funds was Owens, who was a senior that year. Now that is loyalty and dedication!

There is currently a scholarship at Itawamba called the George W. Owens and Mae H. Owens Endowed Scholarship. I was unable to find it if Mr. Owens and his wife established the scholarship, or if it was established by others to honor them. Despite the important role Owens played in Itawamba’s history, there is nothing on campus that I could find that honors him. One might imagine a building or street would carry his name, but this not the case.

Today, ICC has almost 5,000 students in terms of enrollment, and an FTE of about 3,160 students across multiple campuses, and the Itawamba Indians compete in ten intercollegiate sports, five each for women and men.. The college’s catchment area includes five counties: Chickasaw, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe, and Pontotoc. 

Below are two views of the David Cole Student Services Building. Cole was selected as ICC's fourth president in 1993 and served in that role until his retirement in 2013. Twenty years is a very long time to president of college! He had previously served as Superintendent of the South Panola School District in Batesville, Mississippi. The building opened during his tenure in the position and was initially called the Student Services Building. Opening in 1998, the building sits on the site of the original Itawamba Agricultural High School building's location. Coming in at 63,000 square feet, it contains a dining area, administrative offices, student meeting rooms, and a variety of other spaces. It was the second building constructed during Cole's presidency. The building was named in his honor in 2013.

The first photo below is the Walk of Memories. It is a pathway that separates the site of the original Agricultural High School and the first community college buildings. People can buy inscribed bricks along the  walkway. The second photo, which was the best of some poorly framed ones I took with the sun in my eyes, is​Magnolia Hall. Magnolia is one the dorms on the ICC campus and one of two that is on the south side of the campus. You cannot tell it from this photo, but it is a rather large L-shaped structure. It is a very new building. Groundbreaking for the residence hall was held on October 30, 2020. It was completed in 2022, and was formally opened on July 14th that year. The three-story building comes in at 71,921 square feet and can accommodate about 250 residents. It cost $19,012,938 to complete. The building was the work of architect Michael Taylor of the Pryor Morrow architecture firm. There is another dorm behind it, Sheffield Hall, which is the largest on campus. Sheffield, by the way, is named for ICC's first president, Philip A. Sheffield, who served in that role from 1948 until 1960. I didn't realize it was there during my visit or I would have taken a photo. Sheffield can accommodate nearly 300 residents. There is also an endowed scholarship at ICC named for President Sheffield.

The first photo below is a central walkway between a number of buildings in the original heart of the campus. The building on the right in that photo is the Cole Student Services Building. One the left is a series of buildings that are connected via covered walkways and courtyards. The first building on the left in that photo is the E-learning Building. The distance learning unit at ICC is called elearning. The second photo shows the covered walkway connection between E-learning (which is just out of view) and the Language Building. The walkway leading to this area has the marker you see in the third photo, commemorating the Agricultural High School Class of 1927. The fourth photo shows the Language Building (on the left) and the Community Relations Building on the right. It's neat how all of the buildings in this group have offices and classrooms that open directly to the outside without a central hallway. The fifth photo is the backside of the Community Relations Building as seen from its courtyard area. The sixth photo is the Administration Building again, this time on the other side where the building is connected to the Community Relations Building. It is a little difficult to tell it from this photo, but there is a small fountain in the circular area where the stone sits. The seventh photo is the courtyard area by the Administration Building. The last photo was taken by the Administration Building looking back in the direction where the first photo in this set was taken.

Unfortunately, despite some considerable time sleuthing online, I was not able to find out anything about these structures.

Across from the Administration Building and next to the Cole Student Services Building is the ICC Library, the subject of the next set. The library was closed that day, or I would have went in and browsed around some. 

The two photos of the next set are of the Student Activities Building. I didn't realize it as I toured campus, but this is actually the oldest currently standing building on campus. It opened in 1961 and comes in at about 13,000 square feet of space. It has been updated a number of times over the years, but it reopened this past August after a significant renovation that came with a $4.1 million price tag. It will be supplemented by a new 9,000 square foot conference and food building currently under construction with an anticipated opening date of sometime in the spring of 2026. 

The next set of photos are all of residence halls. First up is Monroe Hall. I would have guessed from its appearance that they building opened in the mid-1970's. It just has that kind of vibe architecturally. In fact, it opened in 1968. Monroe recently underwent a renovation which upgraded the interior. The rooms in Monroe were originally designed with double occupancy rooms, but now after the renovation are meant for single students. Architect Michael Taylor of the Pryor Morrow firm did the design work for the renovation. The work was completed in July 2024. The name reflects Monroe County, which is part of the ICC catchment area and which supports the college. The county, and hence the dorm, is named after President James Monroe, the fifth president of the U.S. The second photo is the ​Monroe Hall Annex, which sits adjacent to its namesake to the north. I was not able to fully discern if it was renovated along with Monroe, but I have the impression from what I did find online that it was not. Despite the fact that it an "annex", it seems as big or bigger than Monroe Hall itself. I was not able to find out anything about the building. 

The third photo is Lee Hall. It looks very similar to Monroe with the exception that it is one story taller. Its name is derived from Lee County, Mississippi, and another of the counties that fall within the ICC catchment area. The county is named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The fourth photo is ​Pontotoc Hall, a men's residence hall. Pontotoc Hall receives its name from the eponymous county which is part of the ICC catchment area. Pontotoc is a Chickasaw word meaning “place of the hanging grapes”. I was not able to find out much of anything about the building, but it was apparently open in 1969 as I found a comment on a social media post from the college to that effect. Pontotoc is another county within the ICC catchment area. 

The fourth photo is ​Chickasaw Hall. I believe it also underwent a recent renovation, but the information I found online about it was sketchy so I cannot say for certain. I could find no real information about the building. The last photo is Itawamba Hall. I am not certain when it was built, but it was recent enough that the architecture firm McCarty Architects still has a page dedicated to it on their website (see here). Itawamba houses up to 200 women in its 42,500 square feet of space. I could find no other information about the building online.
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The first photo below is the Boggs Humanities Building. It takes its name in honor of Wythel E. Boggs (commonly called "W.E."), a long serving faculty member and administrator at Itawamba. Indeed, his career at Itawamba spanned some forty years from 1961 until 2001. Boggs was interim president of the college during the 2000-2001 year. His wife Gwen was also an instructor at ICC, teaching courses in the Department of Social Sciences. The building was named in their honor in 2005. 

The second photo is the ​John S. Crubaugh Technical Education Building. Crubaugh joined the ranks at ICC in 1948 when he was hired to be Dean of Students. During his time at Itawamba he was principal of the Agricultural High School, coached the women's basketball team, and the baseball team. He became the second president of ICC in 1960 when then president Sheffield passed away while in office. He held that role until 1972. Unfortunately, I was not able to find out anything about the building.

The last two photos are of the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center. The building opened in 1978 and was renovated in 2021/2022. The building has exhibit space and a large auditorium and comes in at about 24,000 square feet. The building is named in honor of former ICC President Winston Odean Benjamin. I was not able to find out anything more about the building.

There is a lovely large green space on campus and it is home to the Crane Pavilion, which can be seen in the first photo of the following set. I know the pavilion opened sometime during the 1990's, but I was not able to find out exactly when. Beyond the pavilion is a small belltower which you can see in the second photo. I assume it was constructed at the same time, but I found no information about it online. 

Just to the west of the Crane pavilion is Academic Hall, which can be seen in the third photo. I could not find out anything at all about the building unfortunately. The last two photos show the front of the Natural Sciences Building. It opened in 1996. Beyond that, I was not able to learn anything about the building.

The first photo in the set below is the Carrie Ball Williamson Recreation Center. Opening in 2006, the Williamson Center is a multiuse facility. In addition to having traditional weight training and cardiovascular exercise equipment spaces, it also contains classrooms and a gym. The $2.6 million (about $4.1 million today) facility was designed by Tupelo-based McCarty Company Design Group. McCarty has designed numerous collegiate structures including buildings at Mississippi State University, Northeast Mississippi Community College, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the University of Mississippi. As you can see the Williamson is physically connected to the Bud and Buster ​Davis Event Center by a walkway on each building's second floor.

The second and third photos are of the Bud and Buster ​Davis Event Center. Named for iconic ICC basketball coaches Windle “Buster” Davis and Kindle “Bud” Davis, the Davis Event Center is a relatively new structure. Opening in 2007, it is the home of the ICC basketball programs (men’s and women’s). It has a total seating capacity of 3,500 including 2,800 with chair-back seating. The ICC commencements are held in Davis, and it is used for other events like concerts. The building cost roughly $15.6 million (roughly $23.8 million in 2024 dollars) to construct. It was also designed by the Tupelo-based firm the McCarty Company Design Group. As fate would have it, ICC won the first game played in the facility when the Lady Indians beat the Holmes Community College Lady Bulldogs on January 11, 2007. The building was not open during my visit, and I took the third photo of the interior through the door (hence the rather dark tone of the picture). The last photo of this set is the back of the building along with the rear of the Williamson Recreation Center. The individuals you see in this photo are students from the various high schools on campus getting ready for the band competition.

The next set is of the ICC football stadium. The stadium takes its name in honor of Aaron Colus “Butch” Lambert. Lambert was an alumnus of the institution when it was still the Itawamba Agricultural High School (Class of 1941). He joined the Navy during World War II and when he was discharged he went to the University of Mississippi where he played football. An injury in 1946 ended his playing career early. Then Ole Miss head coach Johnny Vaught kept Lambert as a student manager. After completing his work at Ole Miss, Lambert started the football program at ICC, then known as Itawamba Junior College, in 1949. He served as athletic director at the college for three years. He remained active in collegiate sports for decades thereafter but not in a coaching capacity. He was an official for the SEC, refereeing both football and basketball for the conference. He was an SEC football Line Judge from 1953 to 1982 and an SEC basketball referee from 953 to 1973. He was the SEC's Chief Line Judge in 1980 and 1981. He officiated twelve bowl games including two which determined national champions - the 1975 and 1982 Orange Bowl games. He was a state legislator and state tax commissioner. Lambert was also president of the National Junior College Athletic Association. He passed away on January 26, 1995 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease). The stadium opened in 1994.

Next are two views of the ICC softball stadium. The stands, press box, and locker room facility in the middle are  new, having opened in September of this year. The new space was added to an existing softball field. As you can tell, the dugouts are older. The press box has 1,500 square feet of space, and there is a 4,500 square feet locker room facility underneath which also serves the tennis team. It can seat 380 people and has deck areas on either side of the press box. 

I will close with a photo of the ICC lamppost sign. The Itawamba campus is nice and it has some cool features to it. The ICC campus in Tupelo has seen a good deal amount of construction as well, and if I am ever in the vicinity, I will swing by to take a tour and post about it.