Shelby County Today

September 23, 2021 - On Wednesday, Sept. 22, the 2021-2022 Panola College Foundation board gathered in the Frances B. Ross Ballroom on the Panola College campus to conduct a quarterly business meeting and to vote on the acceptance of one new board member, Mrs. Toni Biggs.

The Panola College Foundation was formed 39 years ago to support and promote the mission and vision of Panola College, to seek and obtain gifts for the advancement of Panola College, and to assist the students of Panola College in being successful. In addition, the Foundation also seeks to increase community awareness of the programs and accomplishments of the College and to promote excellence in education.

The 2021-2022 Panola College Foundation board members are (from left to right) Robbie Shoults, Tracy Shoults, Alan Howard, Toni Biggs, Robert Sherman, Pat Browning, Sandy Payne, Ray Schieffer, Will Lucas, Stephen Williams, Vicky Hudson, Jon Ray, Ginger Borders, Bobby Phillips, and Greg Powell.

September 13,2021 - Panola College is one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to a new survey by the Great Colleges to Work For program. The College has received this honor for 10 years in a row.

The results, released Sept. 13 in a special insert of The Chronicle of Higher Education, are based on a survey of 196 colleges and universities. In all, 70 of the 196 institutions achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition for specific best practices and policies. Results are reported in small, medium, and large institutions, with Panola College included among the institutions with 500 to 2,999 students.

Panola College was also named to the Great Colleges Honor Roll, a status granted to only 12 community colleges this year. The Honor Roll status is given to institutions which stand out across the recognition categories.

Panola College named a ‘Great College to Work For’ 10 years in a row. Panola College won honors in nine categories this year:

• Job Satisfaction & Support
• Compensation & Benefits
• Professional Development
• Mission & Pride
• Confidence in Senior Leadership
• Faculty & Staff Well-being
• Shared Governance
• Faculty Experience
• Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging

“There is a strong sense of family at Panola College, and I think that is the primary reason The Chronicle of Higher Education has recognized us as an Honor Roll college for ten consecutive years,” said Dr. Greg Powell, the Panola College President. “It is quite a feat to be named a Great College to Work For, and I am extremely proud of the Board of Trustees, the faculty, staff, and our students.”

The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institution questionnaire that captured employment data and workplace policies from each institution, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators, and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback.

The employee survey underwent a number of changes this year, including the addition of 11 new survey statements, some of which are related to new survey themes around diversity, inclusion, and belonging, as well as faculty and staff well-being. New survey demographics related to gender identity and remote work were also included this year.

In accordance with the survey changes, the recognition categories for the program were also updated this year to better reflect current patterns and methodologies in employee engagement in higher education.

The Great Colleges to Work For program is one of the largest and most respected workplace-recognition programs in the country. For more information and to view all current and previously recognized institutions, visit the Great Colleges program website and GreatCollegesProgram.com and GreatCollegesList.com. ModernThink, a strategic human capital consulting firm, administered the survey and analyzed the results.

July 23, 2021 - Panola College is offering new classes in the Fall and scholarships are available! Classes include Certified Nurse Aide, Pharmacy Tech, and EKG and are available in Center, Carthage, Marshall, and Jefferson.

To find out if you qualify, please come to the next information session at the Shelby College Center, 3600 Loop 500 in Center on Thursday, July 29th from 10am until 4pm.

Day and night classes begin:

• CNA - August
• Pharmacy Tech - September
• EKG - October

For more information, call 936-598-9543.

Kolt Dement - Southern Region Bareback Champion

June 8, 2021 - The Panola College Rodeo Team will be traveling to Casper, WY June 12-19 for the College National Finals Rodeo. For more than twenty years, the College National Finals Rodeo has made its home and legacy in Casper, Wyoming. Nowhere else in the world can you find the most elite college athletes and animals going head to head in the dirt, competing to be crowned the best. Champions will be crowned in saddle bronc, bareback riding, bull riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing, breakaway roping, and goat tying. Team championships will be awarded to the top Men’s and Women’s team competing at the CNFR. Over 400 cowgirls and cowboys from over 100 universities and colleges will compete to be Champions.

Gauge McBride - Southern Region All Around Champion

The Panola Men’s Team is the 2019 defending National Champion. The CNFR was canceled in 2020 due to covid-19. This year, the Men’s Team won the Southern Region to qualify in the top spot, which the top 2 teams from each of the 11 regions across the country qualify. Coach Jeff Collins will be taking 7 men’s team members and one young lady to represent Panola College. The top three individuals in each event in a region qualify for the CNFR.

Kincade Henry

The Panola Men’s Team competing at the CNFR include: Kolt Dement, a freshman from Rusk, TX, won the Southern Region Bareback Championship; Gauge McBride, a freshman from Kearney, NE, won the Southern Region All Around Championship; Kincade Henry, a freshman from Mt. Pleasant, TX, took second place and teammate Macon Murphy, sophomore from Keatchie, LA, took third in the tie down roping; Team Roper Riley Rieken, a freshman from won 2nd in the Southern Region; Michael Womack, of Bastrop, LA, took 2nd in the saddle bronc, and Seth Rustin, a sophomore from Nacogdoches will be competing in the bullriding.

Macon Murphy 

Tie-down roper, Macon Murphy is the only team member returning to the CNFR from the 2019 Championship Team. In 2019 at the CNFR, Macon stunned the crowd and brought them all to their feet with the fastest time ever at the CNFR and went on to win the Tie Down Rookie of the Year.

Michael Womack

Jayden Gould, a sophomore from Lufkin, TX, will be representing the women’s team for Panola this year in the breakaway roping. Jayden finished 2nd in the Southern Region to qualify for the CNFR.

Jayden Gould

The CNFR begins Sunday, June 13 at 1 p.m. and will continue each day down to Championship Night on Saturday, June 19. The College National Finals Rodeo is expanding live television coverage on ESPN. This year, all performances of the CNFR—Tuesday through Saturday (June 15-19)—will air on ESPN3. ESPN3 is available by using the ESPN App. Download the ESPN App from the App Store or Google Play. ESPN3 is also available on your computer. To view ESPN3 on a computer: Go to ESPN.com, click on ‘WATCH’, scroll down to ‘CHANNELS’, Select ESPN3 and click on “College Rodeo”. CNFR performances will stream live and replay the following day. Watching ESPN3 is easy using iOS, AppleTV, Andoid, Chromcast, Roku, Kindle Fire, Fire TV, and Xbox. You may need to register to watch, using your cable or satellite provider sign in. Additionally, the CNFR telecast production team will be producing two programs to air later in the summer on ESPNU. These programs will feature interviews, premier action from Casper, Wyoming, and the crowing of the CNFR champions. The CNFR telecast team would like to thank our corporate partners: Cinch Jeans & Shirts, Wyoming Division of Tourism, VisitCasper, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associaion, Platinum Performance, Cactus Saddlery, and Ram Rodeo.

Seth Rustin