Their strong ties with Alcorn State University give Copiah-Lincoln Community College officials good reason to be excited about a proposed settlement of the Ayers desegregation case.

Ronnie Nettles, dean of the Natchez campus of Co-Lin, said he was pleased to read Monday about the agreement among parties involved in the 26-year-old lawsuit. He is hopeful that proposals for Alcorn’s future will become reality soon.

&uot;Of course Co-Lin is not directly involved in the Ayers settlement; but indirectly we are because of our association with Alcorn,&uot; Nettles said.

The Natchez Co-Lin campus and the Natchez Alcorn campus are neighbors, sharing more than the common boulevard leading to the two modern complexes in the southern part of town.

&uot;We believe there will be specific direction now as to what to do about the fine arts building we’ve been talking about for several years,&uot; Nettles said. &uot;We’re excited about that becoming a reality.

The proposed fine arts facility is to be built on property purchased by Co-Lin for that purpose. &uot;Our role was to obtain the property, and we’ve done that,&uot; Nettles said. &uot;Once the building is complete, the two schools will both operate the building and we’ll both use it.&uot;

Nettles said the relationship between Alcorn and Co-Lin is unusual. &uot;You don’t usually see a university and a community college working together on such a project.&uot;

The fine arts center is the most prominent partnership between the two schools, but they also have close associations through students, many of whom attend Co-Lin for the first two years and transfer to Alcorn for the final two.

&uot;So many of our students start off here and go right into the other two years here at the Alcorn campus in Natchez,&uot; Nettles said.

The Alcorn School of Nursing offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. Students in education can enroll in some undergraduate and graduate classes at the Natchez campus.

&uot;We think this is a very positive thing for Natchez and our area,&uot; Nettles said.