The last educational institution in Mississippi that called itself a junior college is rebranding.
Jones County Junior College (JCJC) now calls itself Jones College, although its official and legal name won’t change.
All the other two-year colleges in Mississippi that had called themselves junior colleges have officially changed their names to community colleges. Jones, however, long held on to the alliterative JCJC initials.
Jones President Jesse Smith said in a that the rebranding had been under consideration for a decade before it was announced at a freshman assembly last week.
Smith says the term junior college no longer indicated the full breadth of Jones’ offerings.
“In our efforts to better inspire student demand and engagement, we realized that the term ‘junior college’ was no longer indicative of who we are or what we offer,” according to a statement from the college. “A new look, a new impression, based on analysis from without and within, has resulted in a great milestone for our institution.”
