One of the things Dr. Stacy Jones hopes to do in his new position Director of the Science and Mathematics Division at Northwest Mississippi Community College is to expand the college's Allied Health programs for students. Jones, who was named division director following the retirement of Bobby King, would like to see the college reinstate the Medical Lab Technician program, which ended over 20 years ago. "The profession has changed over the years, and we are in the developmental stages of reinstating that program for today, he said. He would also like to develop at least one new program per year", he said. He feels that Dental Hygiene, Physical Therapy Assistant, and Pharmacy Technician programs would all be great programs for the college to offer.

Jones, a native of Falcon, Miss. came to Northwest to teach in 2002. He received his Bachelor's of Science in Chemistry from the University of Mississippi in 1996, and his Doctorate of Arts in Chemistry from Ole Miss in 2004. He spent several years working as a research and teaching Assistant at Ole Miss, and one year as a teaching assistant at Texas A&M University. Prior to coming to Northwest, he taught science to eighth graders at Madison S. Palmer High School in Marks.

In his position as division director, Jones oversees about 21 instructors. He is currently teaching upper level Chemistry, Physical Science I and II, and an on-line Physical Science course. Jones was selected as M.S. Palmer Teacher of the Year, and received the Lamplighter Award in Teaching at Northwest. He was also named Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities, Carrier Scholar, National Science Foundation Minority Graduate Fellow, Golden Key Honor Society, American Chemical Society and Sigma Xi Research Awards, American Association for the Advancement of Science, NASA Scholar, and Chancellor's Leadership Class, and Honor Roll. Dr. Marilyn Bateman, dean of Academics said, "Stacy is one of the college's greatest assets."

Another of Jones' goals as division director is to bring the excitement of Science to middle school teachers and students in the community. "I would like to expand on what we do with students in Kid's Kollege and work with teachers through Continuing Education on how we can make Science fun in the classroom," he said, adding, "The challenge is funding on a project like this, however."

A third project that has Jones excited is the addition to the Physical Science Building on the Senatobia campus. “Our division has expanded so much that we will be building a twin to the existing Physical Science Building that will house all the biology and math classes and the faculty. We expect the groundbreaking on that facility sometime this year. It will be great for us to be together as a division instead of spread out across campus.”

Jones says he has "big shoes to fill" in his new position. "Bobby King is a legend. I am lucky to work with some of the best teachers at the college. They have all helped me through this transitions, and have been so supportive. I believe by working together, we can make the Science and Math Division here at Northwest great," Jones said.