In 1941 the Itawamba Agricultural High School board of trustees voted to expand the school's curriculum to include college-level courses. In 1948 Itawamba Junior College opened with an enrollment of 114 students from Itawamba, Lee, and Monroe Counties. In addition, 170 veterans enrolled in the school's carpentry, auto mechanics, masonry, and business training courses. The college's first president was Phillip A. Sheffield.