LWC Welcomed Into Madisonville-Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce

Madisonville-Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce President Harriett C. Whitaker,
far left, instructs Madisonville Community College President Judith Rhoads and LWC
School of Professional Counseling Dean John Rigney during the ribbon-cutting ceremony,
held in the John H. Gray Building of Madisonville Community College North Campus.

Pictured, from left: Whitaker; LWC graduate student Susan Reid of Madisonville; LWC
graduate student Sharon Furgerson of Madisonville; LWC SPC Associate Dean Angelia
Bryant; Rhoads; LWC Madisonville Community Campus Coordinator Ashley Mitchell;
Rigney; LWC Assistant Professor Troyann Gentile; LWC Regional Academic Director
Martin Wesley; LWC undergraduate student Samantha Leavell of Madisonville; and
LWC graduate student Deborah Morrow of of Madisonville.

MADISONVILLE, Ky. -- Lindsey Wilson College was officially welcomed into the Madisonville-Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce on Friday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Madisonville Community College.

Lindsey Wilson has been offering classes at MCC's North Campus since 2009, and on Friday the college officially became a member of the Madisonville-Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce.

Madisonville-Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce President Harriett C. Whitaker said the community is "thrilled to have Lindsey Wilson here."

"We're really excited to have Lindsey Wilson because they bring a whole wealth of new educational opportunities to people in Madisonville, Hopkins County and throughout our region," Whitaker said at the ribbon cutting, held in MCC's John H. Gray Building.

Thanks to an innovative cooperative program between MCC and Lindsey Wilson, MCC students and other area residents can earn a bachelor's or a master's degree in counseling and human development by attending classes at the MCC North Campus. Most of the classes are held on weekends.

"We look forward to many successes together and great cooperation," said MCC President Judith Rhoads.

In addition to helping Kentucky reach its "double the numbers" of goal of graduating more citizens with a bachelor's degree, Rhoads noted that the MCC-LWC partnership will "help our students be all they can be, which is what we are both all about."

The first cohort of LWC undergraduate students began classes last August at MCC; they will receive their bachelor's degrees this December. Martin Wesley -- regional academic director for LWC's West Kentucky community campuses -- said that if students enroll in the program full-time, they should be able to earn a bachelor's degree in little more than a year and a master's degree in six semesters.

"The neat thing that we do is partner with the community college," Wesley said.

Most of the program's graduates will serve in the mental health field, which will address a critical health need in the region.

"We know that students are going to go out and have wonderful professional careers, helping and building their communities," said Lindsey Wilson School of Professional Counseling Dean John Rigney.

Lindsey Wilson's graduate program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, which is the accreditation arm of the American Counseling Association.

"It's a very thorough and exhaustive examination of your program," Wesley 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 was a natural one for us."