“I think I made a mistake.”

The first words Don Schwartz remembers telling his mother after he arrived in Pratt during the summer of 1966 were less than enthusiastic. Little did he know at the time, his upcoming journey through Pratt and Pratt Community College, known as Pratt Junior College at the time, would be one that would change his life forever.

Before serving as a Pratt Community College business instructor in 1974 then subsequently Vice President of Instruction until 2013, Jim Stratford was a student between the years of 1966 to 1968. During his 38 years as an employee and two as a student, Stratford has seen a lot of different changes with the college.

Stratford’s memories begin with the move to the current campus.

Pratt Community College is pleased to announce that DuPont Pioneer donated $1,000.00 as part of the DuPont Pioneer sponsorship program. Part of the funds will be used to renovate the greenhouse on PCC’s campus that will be used by both the science and agriculture departments. PCC instructors Lori Montgomery and Trisha Jackson applied for the grant where over 200 applications were received.

“Lori and I worked hard to apply for this grant and are excited to receive it,” said Jackson. “The science and agriculture departments will benefit from the grant.”

Pratt Community College is teaming up with One Warm Coat to host a coat drive to collect clean, gently worn coats from Oct. 23 to Oct. 27 in the PCC common’s area. Students, employees, and Pratt community members are invited to make a difference in our local community by donating to the coat drive and helping PCC reach their goal of collecting 100 coats.

Damon Hininger is the President and CEO of CoreCivic Inc., a diversified government solutions company based in Nashville, Tenn. His day to day life involves running the publically traded company with more than 15,000 employees. In 2011, he was named one of Forbes Magazine’s “Top 20 Most Powerful CEO’s 40 and Under.” He is also a Pratt Community College Alumnus.