WESSON – Dr. Billy Stewart was named dean of Copiah-LincolnCommunity College’s new Simpson County facility, and the facilityitself was named in honor of long-time trustee Sidney Parker,trustees decided Thursday.

Stewart, currently Co-Lin’s dean of Community Services, willbegin his new duties in January in anticipation of the SimpsonCounty facility’s scheduled opening in fall 2005. He will continuewith the community services duties through June.

“Professionally, I am extremely excited and I’m very humbledwith the confidence that the board and Dr. (Howell) Garner haveplaced in me,” said Stewart, of Brookhaven. “Personally, it is adifficult decision to leave the great friends and wonderful staff Iwork with here.”

Stewart has been Dean of Community Services since 1997. Garner,Co-Lin’s president, said Stewart has done an outstanding jobadministering that division.

“He has shown that he not only has the qualities to provideleadership, but also the ability to build an organizational unitfrom the start,” Garner said. “Those qualities will not only bevaluable, but will be necessary to lead a new comprehensivecenter.”

In a related matter, trustees voted to name the facility inhonor of Parker, who served on the board from 1972 to 2001.

“I think it would be an honor for Co-Lin to have his name on thebuilding and I know it would be an honor for Mr. Parker to have hisname on a Co-Lin building,” said Simpson County Superintendent ofEducation and board trustee Jack McAlpin. “We know how much heloves Co-Lin.”

The approximately 30,000 square feet educational center iscurrently under construction on Highway 49 near Legion Lake abouthalfway between Mendenhall and Magee.