It was not until 1922 that legislation was added to the state's laws establishing two-year college programs added to the agricultural high schools' cirriculums.  This law, Senate Bill No. 251 was introduced by Dr. Julius Christian Zeller, Yazoo County Senator, and it authorized what Pearl River AHS had already initiated a year earlier.  Although Pearl River added college freshman courses in 1921, it was not until 1925 that college sophomore classes were added, and Pearl River College became a two-year, publicly funded institution.  Hinds followed Pearl River in 1922 offering freshman courses and in 1925 offering sophomore courses.  In 1926 legislation was passed setting up a governing commission to control the new group of institutions that were being birthed by the county agricultural high schools and funding for these new institutions.  The new Mississippi law created the first state-funded junior college system in the United States. 

J.A. Huff led the school from August 1, 1917 until February 3, 1926 when the superintendent/president's position was assumed by S.L. Stringer. In May of Stringer's first year, the Junior College graduated twelve students. The classroom problem was solved with the completion of the new College Hall (now Moody Hall), a building of over twenty-two thousand square feet, with administration offices, classrooms, and a large gymnasium/auditorium (1,000 seat capacity). This building was officially opened on September 7, 1926. The building cost $65,000. The next building erected on campus, White Hall, was built in 1928. This two story brick structure was built for the college girls and has been continuously used for that purpose except for a brief period in the early 1930's when it was used by the city as a temporary hospital while the town's building was undergoing repairs.
 

. At the time it was built and for many years afterward, College Hall (now Moody Hall) was the largest structure on the campus.  Built to house college classrooms with a combination gym/auditorium wing on the back, the building also provided much needed administration offices.  Over the years the building's purpose has changed as necessary.  It now houses the Department of Fine Arts & Communications Music program and the Communications classrooms.  The gym was converted to the present day Moody Hall Auditorium where theater productions and music concerts are offered.  In keeping with the earlier buildings, the esthetical value of the building continues to visually enrich the campus.  Moody Hall was the first junior college building constructed in the state of Mississippi and remains as the oldest junior college building in Mississippi.  (Click on the picture for full size.)

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White Hall was built to house college girls and for a  time it housed sophomore girls exclusively.  For a short period, White, which was named for former Governor Hugh White, housed the town hospital.   (Click on the picture for full size.)

For the time being, Huff Hall housed high school boys while Crosby Hall housed college boys and White Hall housed college girls, and Batson Hall continued to be used for high school girls. In 1933, Pearl River Hall was constructed as a college boys dormitory. The two story structure originally housed eighty students with two apartments for faculty.

On July 1, 1935, Pearl River Junior College made application to the War Department for the establishment of a Junior R.O.T.C Unit. Approval was granted and on August 19, 1935 the first R.O.T.C unit was formed. 
 

Simeon Lafayette Stringer served as Pearl River Junior College President from February 3, 1926 until 1932.  Just after Stringer became president, College Hall (now known as Moody Hall) was completed.  The first commencement exercises held in the new Gym/Auditorium were held in May of Stringer's first year.  Under Stringer's administration White Hall was built in 1928 for college girls and Pearl River Hall was built in 1933 for college boys.   During the first two years of Stringer's tenure, "The Wildcats" (whose original colors were red and gold) were state champions in football twice.  The academic standards of the college were continually raised and Pearl River Junior College was the choice of numerous students throughout the state and from other states as well as abroad.  During the late twenties, so many students were attending from Louisiana that a "Louisiana Club" was formed.

S.L. Stringer served as superintendent and President for the first six years of the transition period. He was followed by Joseph Forrest Stuart in 1932.  Forrest "Rat" Stuart, as his fellow students knew him, was the first A.H.S. graduate to become president.  He came back to PRCAHS shortly after college in 1925, taking "Goat" Hale's position as football coach and history professor.  Stuart served as the school's president for four years.  He resigned May 4, 1936. Arthur Benjamin Nicholson followed Stuart, but only served sixteen months before resigning.  Nicholson had been an employee of the college for several years prior to his presidency, and after resigning, he remained with the college serving as dean and registrar.  He was followed by Professor Robert Edward Lee Southerland on July 8, 1937, and Southerland was followed by R.D. McLendon on July 1, 1942. 
 

Joseph Forrest Stuart	Arthur Benjamin Nicholson	Robert Edward Lee Southerland
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Reese Dermont McLendon		Garvin Howell Johnston

During Reese Dermont McLendon's term, several buildings were added to the campus, among them, Bilbo Hall, an apartment building for married veterans. In 1947 a prefabricated building was obtained from the government. It was erected by vocational students at no additional cost to the school. It became Jefferson Davis Hall and was used as a science building. A pond was added to the farm. Shivers Gymnasium, named for Judge J.C. Shivers, was completed in 1949, while the gymnasium in College Hall (Moody Hall) was renovated and the old gymnasium was converted for use strictly as an auditorium. 

McLendon continued to lead the college into new areas with the implementation of a transportation program initiated in January 1951. The two school buses grew to a fleet and transportation of students to and from home continued until 1996 when the program was deemed no longer necessary and was discontinued. 

In 1953 Garvin Howell Johnston was appointed president of the college. Johnston served the college from 1953 until 1967 when he was nominated as the Democratic party's candidate for State Superintendent of Education. Johnston closed out the transition era when the agricultural high school and junior college was a combined institution. Pearl River County Agricultural High School and Junior College became Pearl River Junior College in 1960. Severing its ties with the high school and transferring students to the Poplarville Municipal School District, Pearl River College closed a fifty one year era. 

	This picture, taken around 1928, is of the inside of College (Moody) Hall.  The present day auditorium was, at the time of this photo, a combination gym/auditorium.  Moody Hall was later remodeled and the gym was converted into an auditorium.  The curved ends of the balcony were removed and a sound room was added.  Two side doors were added at the back of the room and the floor was sloped, while the stage was redone and extended for larger productions.
	With College Hall's construction came the facilities to display Pearl River's talents to the community.  This is a scene taken from the 1928 "Satsuma", Pearl River College's annual.  College Hall (now known as Moody Hall) was the largest building on campus and was a good representation of the foresight of the school's board of trustees.  It showed that Pearl River was committed to providing a quality junior college education for its students.
	Graduation exercises were held in College Hall.  This is another view of the stage end of the gym/auditorium.  The stage is set for the graduation exercises.  This photo was taken around 1931.