The W receives three nods in ‘Best of the Triangle’
Mississippi University for Women received three separate nominations in The Commercial Dispatch’s “Best of the Triangle” for 2023.
The “Best of the Triangle” is a yearly competition where the public gets to decide who is the best at what they do by voting. The contest encompasses the entire Golden Triangle.
The W saw a win and two mentions this year. Two of these were for the School of Education.
The Child and Parent Development Center was named the best day care/preschool.
The CPDC is a tuition-based preschool for 1 to 4-year-old students, and it is part of the School of Education.
The center promises qualified professionals in every classroom and a “playful learning” approach to early childhood education. It was established in 1929 as a day school and learning laboratory, and it has existed in its current form since 1984.
Dr. Hope Durst, assistant professor of education was also named among the best college professors.
A Columbus native, Durst has always been familiar with The W. Six years ago, she came on board as an adjunct professor before moving to a faculty position three years ago.
She has taught a variety of courses in the elementary education program and the Master’s of Arts in teaching program. Currently, Durst teaches residency students social studies and science teaching methods as well as working with graduate students on their final dissertation.
Durst believes that her being named among the best college professors shows she is doing what she set out to do in her time at The W.
“At The W, we are often called to ‘Be Bold.’ What a daring call to action! The honor of being voted among best professors means, to me, that I can continue to boldly pursue my passion of teaching and learning, to boldly share the confidence that comes with research and study, and to boldly dare my own students to dream of bettering their communities by pouring into each child in their classroom. That is the kindest thing you can do for someone,” Durst said.
She also thanked Dean Dr. Martin Hatton and Dr. Bob Fuller, visiting chair of the department of education, for believing in her vision in the classroom.
“For every crazy idea I’ve had, they help me find the resources I need to see my vision come to life. Whether it be using virtual reality to teach preservice teachers how to make history and science come to life to planning a campus visit for 75 high schoolers to experience the special atmosphere of The W, Drs Hatton and Fuller have let me bloom where I was planted.”
Rounding out this year’s accolades, the MUW Federal Credit Union was named among the best credit unions.
MUWFCU was chartered in 1965 and has been serving employees of The W since then. It has expanded its services to include students, alumni and families of these individuals as well as employees of Air Control, Kent Foods and Ecolab.
The credit union offers a variety of services including share accounts, share draft accounts, prepaid debit cards and Christmas and vacation club accounts. It also offers lower-interest signature, share secured and auto loans.
MUWFCU is located in McDevitt Hall, directly across from the police department.
Congratulations to the winners and nominees!