TYCAM.org
The Two-Year College English Association of Mississippi

The Two-Year College English Association of Mississippi, TYCAM, is fashioned after and affiliated with TYCA-SE, the Two-Year College English Association-Southeast, which is a part of The National Council of Teachers of English, NCTE. TYCA-SE has ten states in its region and has been in existence for nearly forty-five years.

Mississippi 's two-year college teachers have an impressive record of leadership within TYCA-SE. The current Regional Chair is Debbie McCollum from Hinds. She is joined on the Regional Executive Committee by Sharon Gerald from Jones and Glynda Duncan from Coahoma.

Both TYCAM and TYCA-SE have yearly conferences; TYCAM meets at various community-college locations in Mississippi, and TYCA-SE rotates its February meeting among the ten states in the region. The Mississippi conferences have been generously supported by our community college presidents and by the State Board of Community and Junior Colleges (SBCJC).

Conferences for both TYCA and TYCAM center around pedagogy and collegiality. Many find the fellowship at these conferences invaluable for discovering and sharing teaching strategies.

Beginnings

For nearly two decades, Mississippi's hosting a regional conference was a hotly debated topic at TYCA-SE meetings. For a variety of reasons, including budget constraints and lack of an appropriate venue, no Mississippi school was able to issue an invitation for the conference. Then Dr. Evelyn Webb (our godmother) interceded. At that time, she was a staff member at the SBCJC and was able to enlist the help of the two-year college presidents. With their support and our work, we hosted a very successful regional conference in Jackson in 2005. We were even able to have Morgan Freeman as part of the panel on film and literature.

For each annual fall conference, TYCAM provides seminars, roundtables, and speakers. The conference focuses on improving teaching methods and fostering professional relationships.

 

 

 

 

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