Copiah-Lincoln Community College provides academic courses equivalent to the first two years of college or university work that can apply to a baccalaureate or professional degree. Co-Lin also offers programs to prepare students for employment and community service. The college also offers programs for workers to update their skills or learn new ones.. The main campus is located in Wesson, Mississippi. Another campus is in Natchez, Mississippi, and a facility is in Magee, Mississippi.
School History
Copiah-Lincoln Agricultural High School, through the joint efforts of Copiah and Lincoln Counties, was established in the fall of 1915 at Wesson, Mississippi, in the edge of Copiah County. During its early years, the high school was a boarding school serving the rural districts of those counties. However, as consolidation of local schools progressed within the counties, practically every family in each county had access to an accredited high school. This availability of local schools created a new role for the agricultural school.
In addition, educators in the agricultural high school and in the county public schools became aware that the youth of Copiah and Lincoln Counties needed educational opportunities beyond the level of the 12th grade. To meet this need, Copiah-Lincoln Community College was organized during the summer of 1928 under the authority of Section 308, Chapter 283, of the General Laws of the State of Mississippi of 1924. Although an enrollment of about 50 students was anticipated that first year, the actual enrollment was more than 90.
Since its establishment in 1928, Copiah-Lincoln has continued to grow in size and prestige and now occupies a prominent position in the state's educational system with an enrollment of over 2,000 and a physical plant valued at more than $35 million.
In 1934 the officials of Simpson County requested an opportunity to join in the rights and benefits of the public junior college. Accordingly, the Copiah-Lincoln Board of Trustees accepted Simpson as a cooperating county.
Since that time four additional counties have joined in the support of Copiah-Lincoln: Franklin County in 1948; Lawrence County in 1965; Jefferson County in 1967; and Adams County in 1971.
In the fall of 1972, at the request of local and state officials, Copiah-Lincoln opened a branch in Natchez, Mississippi, to better meet the educational needs of the citizens of that area. The Mississippi Legislature in the 1975 session authorized that "there shall be two campuses in the Copiah-Lincoln Junior College District: one located in or near Natchez to be known as the Natchez Campus, and the other in or near Wesson to be known as the Copiah-Lincoln Campus."
In the fall of 1978, the Copiah County superintendent of education assumed responsibility for the high school. It was renamed Wesson High School. During the fall of 1979, the Wesson High School was moved to a new facility in Wesson.