Ronnie Nettles, president of Copiah-Lincoln Community College, announced his retirement plans during a meeting of the Board of Trustees today.

Nettles has worked at the college for nearly 24 years. He’s been president since 2008.

Nettles plans to work through June 30. He will have more than 33 years in public education.

”Everybody gets at that point in their career where they start thinking about when’s the right time to retire, and sometimes it’s already passed,” Nettles said. “My experience here has been tremendous. I think we’ve done a lot of great things and had a great team.”

Nettles said he’s not unhappy at Co-Lin, but he feels he’s at a point in his career where he believes it’s time to move on.

“I’ll still be here for the next seven or eight months until June. I’ll be working very closely with the faculty, staff and students. My focus for the next eight months is going to be right here,” Nettles said.

In 1994, Dr. Billy Thames chaired the selection committee that hired Nettles for his first job at Co-Lin as the director of community and economic development.

Nettles moved to Natchez in 1997 to serve as dean of the Natchez campus and in 2004 he moved back to Wesson to serve as executive vice president.

He was named as Co-Lin’s seventh president in 2008.

“While I have served as Co-Lin’s president, there have been many achievements,” Nettles said. “Our students have been recognized and nationally ranked in academics, athletics and international competitions. Copiah-Lincoln Foundation’s endowment has doubled over $8 million dollars representing an important source of revenue to fund student scholarships, professional development activities, and campus improvements.”

Nettles said he was proud of his efforts to increase student enrollment to an all-time high of 3,799 in the fall of 2010.

Over 6,500 students graduated with a degree or certificate under Nettles’ tenure as president.

“Co-Lin will always be very special to me and my family. I did not do my job alone. The accomplishments are a reflection of the work of an outstanding faculty and staff at Co-Lin,” Nettles said. “Co-Lin has a strong foundation built on a rich history with wonderful employees, alumni and students. I am confident that Co-Lin will build on that foundation for many years to come.”

A replacement for Nettles has not been announced.