Contact: Melissa Reifert
July 6, 2007

MECC Partners with Lindsey Wilson College to Bring Four-Year Degree in Human Services

When fall classes get under way at Mountain Empire Community College, area residents will be able to earn a four-year college degree in counseling. Beginning in August, students from MECC can continue their college careers at Lindsey Wilson College without stepping foot off the campus in Big Stone Gap. Because of an agreement between officials at Lindsey Wilson in Southcentral Kentucky and MECC, students can earn a bachelor’s degree in human services by attending Lindsey Wilson classes at MECC.

“We at Mountain Empire Community College look forward to the benefits that will come to our students and to citizens of our service region as a result of the agreement with Lindsey Wilson College,” stated MECC President Terrance Suarez. “It is a great opportunity for students to earn a four-year degree in human services without having to leave the MECC campus or Southwest Virginia.”

And Lindsey Wilson officials said they are looking forward to serving students in the Big Stone Gap area.

"We are very excited about this partnership with Mountain Empire," said Lindsey Wilson President William T. Luckey Jr. "This is a win-win situation for MECC students because they will be able to earn a bachelor’s degree while continuing to attend classes in Big Stone Gap."

Lindsey Wilson will offer classes on Friday and Saturday at MECC. Students will enroll in two Lindsey Wilson classes at a time, which will meet for three weekends. The classes are taught by Lindsey Wilson’s full-time faculty, who will travel to the MECC campus each week.

"We are so glad that we will have this opportunity to work with MECC to bring this opportunity to Big Stone Gap and the region," said John Rigney, dean of the Lindsey Wilson School of Professional Counseling. "Lindsey Wilson has a very dedicated faculty that is committed to helping students realize their dreams of earning a four-year college degree.

"Another one of this program’s strengths is that we work with students to maintain their busy schedules. This program is perfect for the busy and ambitious working adult because it accommodates their schedules."

The partnership with MECC is the 11th partnership LWC’s School of Professional Counseling has with a community college. Among the other nine, eight are in Kentucky, one is at Southwest Virginia Community College and one is in West Virginia.

Rigney said that if students enroll in the program full-time, they should be able to earn a bachelor’s degree at MECC in little more than a year. Rigney noted that the Lindsey Wilson program will help address a critical health need in the region.

"There is a well-documented and severe shortage of qualified mental health professionals in this region of Virginia, and we look forward to working with the area’s mental health agencies to help address this need," Rigney said. "Lindsey Wilson is committed to becoming a permanent member of the Big Stone Gap region."

Lindsey Wilson’s School of Professional Counseling includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in human services and counseling and a master of education degree in counseling and human development. The school’s graduate program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, the accreditation arm of the American Counseling Association.

"It’s a very thorough and exhaustive examination of your program," Rigney said. "When you achieve CACREP accreditation or reaccreditation, it’s a clear signal to the profession that your program is among the best in the nation. Lindsey Wilson has one of the top human services programs in the nation, so this partnership with Logan was a natural one for us."

For more information about Lindsey Wilson’s programs at MECC, contact Lindsey Wilson School of Professional Counseling Director of Enrollment Ryan N. Vitatoe at vitatoer@lindsey.edu or (276) 708-1975.

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