Hinds Community College Hinds Community College is a community college with its main campus located in Raymond , Mississippi , about five miles west of Jackson , the state capital . The Hinds Community College District includes Hinds County , Claiborne County , part of Copiah County , Rankin County , and Warren County . With an enrollment of nearly 32 , 000 students at six campuses , it is the largest educational institution in the state , a rarity among community colleges . Academics . The college currently provides academic college - level courses for the first two years of four - year degree programs that must be completed at senior colleges or universities . It also provides two - year technical degree programs , post - secondary career ( formerly called " vocational " ) programs , secondary ( high - school ) career education , and short - term training and continuing education . History . The college began as a small agricultural high school in 1917 with 117 students and eight faculty members . In its transformation into a junior college , it began offering college level academic courses in 1922 and was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1926 . During the World War II years , a vocational education curriculum was added to the college ' s offerings , and in the late 1960s , technical degree programs were added . Branch locations in Jackson and Vicksburg were opened in the 1970s . These branches primarily offered high school vocational education , though some college - level night courses were taught . Utica Junior College , a historically black junior college whose history dates back to 1903 , merged with Hinds Junior College in 1982 under Federal court order as part of a class action racial discrimination lawsuit . The Pearl - Rankin Vocational / Career Center was opened in the town of Pearl in 1983 , offering high school vocational education and some college - level night courses . This branch later became the Rankin Campus and currently offers academic , technical , and career programs . The Jackson Campus - Nursing / Allied Health Center was opened in Jackson in 1984 , offering nursing and other medical and dental programs . This center , together with the existing branch in Jackson , became known as the Jackson Campus . A Resource and Coordinating Unit for Economic Development ( RCU ) was added in 1988 in Raymond and the Eagle Ridge Conference Center was opened in 1996 under the administration of the RCU . The Vicksburg branch became the Vicksburg Campus in 2002 and now offers college - level programs . Hinds Junior College changed its name to Hinds Community College in 1987 and 13 of the 14 other Mississippi public two - year colleges also adopted the " community " label . Hinds linked up with other two - year colleges by means of the Community College Network ( CCN ) in 1994 . This system allows a course to be offered at one college location while students may participate in the course at several other college locations by means of video conferencing . All of the state public two - year colleges formed the Mississippi Virtual Community College ( MVCC ) in 1999 to offer courses to students over the Internet . On March 29 , 2010 , an instructor threatened a 29 - year - old student with detention ( not a punishment at the college ) for swearing outside of class . At a subsequent hearing the student was unconstitutionally barred from his course by the college , and was issued demerits . The student has requested help from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education to fight the punishment . Student activities . Athletics . The college sponsors varsity football , basketball , baseball , golf , track , tennis , and soccer programs for men , and soccer , basketball , tennis , and softball programs for women .