The Woodward Hines Education Foundation (WHEF) and its Get2College program cut the ribbon Wednesday on the Get2College Mobile Center, a first-of-its-kind mobile resource designed to deliver free college and career planning services directly to students and families across Mississippi.
The launch was hosted in partnership with the City of Greenville and Mayor Errick D. Simmons at the Mississippi Delta Community College Greenville Higher Education Center. Funded with support from the Walton Family Foundation and Entergy Mississippi, the mobile unit expands WHEF’s network of college access centers to four across the state.
“This isn’t just a vehicle—it’s a mission on wheels,” said Jim McHale, president and CEO of WHEF. “By taking our services directly to communities, we’re helping remove the barriers that keep too many students from pursuing education beyond high school.”
The 17-foot Mobile Center, modeled after bookmobiles and mobile healthcare units, is built on a commercial truck chassis and staffed by two full-time Get2College counselors. Outfitted with modern technology, private counseling space and Wi-Fi, the center offers FAFSA completion assistance, financial aid guidance, college applications, test preparation and one-on-one advising.
The mobile unit will initially serve Carroll, Holmes, Tallahatchie, Coahoma, Tunica and Quitman counties, where postsecondary attainment ranges from 21% to 33%, well below Mississippi’s statewide average of 48.7%, according to Lumina Foundation’s Stronger Nation report.
“As president of MDCC, I can tell you that we see every day how education transforms lives, strengthens families, and builds communities,” said Dr. Steven Jones, president of Mississippi Delta Community College. “When our students succeed, the entire Delta succeeds. This partnership reflects the very best of who we are: a community united by the belief that every student, no matter their zip code, deserves access to the future that education provides.”
Mayor Simmons, who also serves on the WHEF board, praised the initiative as an “opportunity engine.”
“As Mayor of Greenville and a proud board member of the Woodward Hines Education Foundation, I am thrilled to see this vision roll into action,” Simmons said. “By meeting students where they are, we’re breaking down barriers to higher education and opening doors to a brighter future for Greenville and the entire Mississippi Delta.”
The initiative also supports Mississippi’s Ascent to 55% goal, which aims for 55% of the state’s working-age population to hold a degree or credential by 2030, and 60% by 2035.
Since its founding, WHEF has worked to increase college access and completion across Mississippi, with a mission to ensure that all residents—especially those in rural and underserved areas—can secure education beyond high school and contribute to a prosperous future for the state.
