Every day the headlines underscore how students in the United States are falling behind students in other countries in the critical areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. To help our area middle school students succeed, the Dyersburg State Community College Division of Continuing Education is offering a new science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program during the week of July 16-20 on the Dyersburg campus.

Colleges from Middle and West Tennessee are participating in a Three-County College Summit
that organizers believe could be one of the area’s largest college summits ever held from 7:50 a.m.
to 2 p.m. on May 10-11 at Dyersburg State Community College’s Covington Campus. The “Southwest Tennessee Regional College Summit” is a partnership effort between SWTDD’s Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI) College Access Program; Tipton, Lauderdale, and Haywood county schools; and Dyersburg State Community College.

On May 10, juniors from Ripley, Halls, and Haywood high schools will attend the college summit; on May 11, juniors from Covington, Munford and Brighton high schools will attend.   

On Saturday, May 5, at 2 p.m., Dyersburg State will hold its 42nd annual commencement exercises at Dyer County High School. The college expects this will be the largest class in its history and anticipates degrees and/or certificates will be conferred on 367 candidates.

David Baime will be the commencement speaker. He serves as senior vice president for Government Relations and Research for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). In this role, he directs the national advocacy efforts for the nation’s 1,200 community colleges and their students. Prior to this, he served as director of education funding for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

Baime has also worked as assistant director of government relations for the Association of American Medical Colleges.