Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Thornton named assistant to PRCC dean

    HATTIESBURG - Dr. Janet Thornton has been named assistant to the dean for evening programs at the Forrest County Center of Pearl River Community College.
    A long-time educator, Thornton comes to the position after serving 18 months as GED Success Counselor and five years as a GED instructor at PRCC. She also has many years of experience as a public school teacher and administrator.
    "She has a wealth of administrative experience plus she has a love for students," said Dr. Cecil Burt, dean of the Forrest County Center. "She’ll assist us in growing our night enrollment. That’s the one place where we have a little room for growth."
    Thornton sees her new role as a combination of administrator, cheerleader and student coach.
    "The main reason I’m here is for the students, to see a life-changing event take place through education," she said. "You make a difference in their lives, their families, their future."
    In addition to overseeing the nightly classes on the Hattiesburg campus, Thornton and the staff contact students who miss class, provide tutoring, assist with student problems and help them build the skills to approach learning as a discipline, she said.
    "So much of it is strictly perseverance," Thornton said. "What I’m presently engaged in is securing people who will maybe help us mentor our commuting students. I need to secure some people to whom they can go in their home county."
    Thornton acknowledges having to make personal adjustments to the evening schedule after a life time of being at school during the day.
    "You learn to control your environment to be at your best," she said. "I am having to learn that I can’t do everything on my little mini-farm and then come in here and be my best. That is a balancing act."