MOORHEAD – Tyra Hudson (Leland) and Jackson Vance (Canton) were named Tuesday as the Mississippi Delta Community College female and male certificate recipients of the prestigious Halbrook Award for the 2019-2020 school year, as announced by the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC).
Hudson is a graduate of nearby Deer Creek School and MDCC, and is currently pursuing her four-year degree at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. The former outfielder on the Trojan softball team finished her academic career in Moorhead with a sterling 3.94 GPA.
Vance is a Canton Academy and MDCC graduate who is currently continuing his academic and athletic career at Blue Mountain College. He was a two-year letterman as a right-handed pitcher on the MDCC baseball team and finished his work in the classroom at Moorhead with a 3.70 GPA.
The David M. Halbrook Certificate for Academic Achievement Among Athletes recognizes the efforts of individual student athletes who excel in academics, leadership and service. Each college or university selected a male and female student athlete to receive this recognition. The annual award recognizes academic excellence in athletics at Mississippi's public, private, two-year and four-year postsecondary institutions and were presented at the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities (MAC) business meeting, held recently using an online meeting platform. The program recognizes colleges and universities that achieve and maintain high academic standards for student athletes, thus encouraging high graduation rates.
The awards are usually presented during the annual MAC Conference, which brings together attendees from across the state serving in postsecondary institutions in roles including presidents and chancellors, chief academic officers, chief student affairs officers, chief financial officers, admissions officers, institutional effectiveness officers, faculty and administrators. Due to COVID-19, the MAC Conference was not held this year.
University of Mississippi Chancellor Dr. Glenn Boyce, who served as the 2019-2020 president of the MAC Board of Directors, presented the awards. Itawamba Community College and Northwest Community College finished tied for the community college with the highest percentage of graduates and/or completers amongst their student-athletes.
The Halbrook Award for Academic Achievement Among Athletes was established in 1984 as a result of the passage of House Concurrent Resolution No. 88. The awards program is made possible through endowments from former Representative David M. Halbrook of Belzoni and his brothers, John C. and James G. Halbrook of Belzoni and J. A. Halbrook of Beaumont, Texas, in honor of their parents, John C. and Ernestine McCall Halbrook.
Additional information on the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference can be found at https://www.macccathletics.com/.
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