Enterprise State Community College / Alabama Aviation Center
Enterprise State Community College and the Alabama Aviation College (ACC), a unit of ESCC, offer academic transfer and technical degree programs for students as well as customized employee training solutions.
ESCC saw a 21% increase in enrollment for the Fall 2024 semester, the highest fall-to-fall percentage increase seen since the Enterprise campus merged with the Alabama Aviation College campus in Ozark in 2002.
In response to growing demand, the college has added a nursing bridge program, a three-semester practical nursing program and an associate degree nursing mobility program. New dual enrollment programs include welding and automotive technology.
In the fall of 2024, ESCC became home to the State Apiary Unity Diagnostic Lab, which it operates through a partnership with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries. The school also built an apiary with bees and boxes provided by Auburn University’s Bee Lab. Through a new biology course sequence, students gain real-world experience running diagnostic tests and researching honeybee populations.
In the aviation field, students at AAC who are training for their A&P license can now take advantage of new eight-week mini term classes, allowing them to complete the program in less time.
Through the Skills for Success program offered through the Alabama Community College System’s Innovation Center, ESCC students and area high school students can participate in free industry-recognized non-credit training in areas including heavy equipment operation, mental health assistant, fiber optics and more.
In January 2024, ESCC celebrated the reopening of the James Douglas Brown Sr. Building after a $5 million renovation that included three updated aviation classrooms/labs, an updated CDL classroom and an aviation hangar.
ESCC also is set to open its first new facilities in 30 years. Construction began in 2023 on a new Performing Arts Center that will feature a 600-seat theater and will house the college’s Fine Arts Division. And in August 2024, ESCC broke ground on a new Workforce Technology Center that will house the college’s welding, automotive technology, HVAC, plumbing and mechatronics programs.
Wallace Community College – Dothan
WCCD celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2024. The school has campuses in Eufaula and Dothan and serves approximately 5,000 students each semester in academic, health sciences and career technical programs, adult education, workforce development training and continuing education. The college also offers dual enrollment courses for area high school students. The school’s general studies and nursing programs have the highest enrollment numbers.
In March 2024, WCCD received a $2.9 million grant from the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) to establish the Wiregrass Center for Rural Healthcare Opportunities at Dale Medical Center in Ozark. This collaborative initiative will address critical shortages in licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants and mental health technicians by offering on-site instruction, embedded certifications and direct pathways to employment with local health care providers.
WCCD is adding four new sports to its athletic program beginning in the fall of 2025. Men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s cross country and women’s flag football will join the college’s existing baseball and softball teams. With this expansion, 51 scholarships will be available across all athletic programs, giving student-athletes the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level while pursuing an education at WCCD.
WCCD’s Workforce Development division has partnered with Wiregrass area high schools to provide free career training programs through the ACCS Skills for Success initiative. These courses are designed to meet Alabama’s career readiness requirements for graduation while offering high school students career exploration opportunities. The hybrid training model combines online theoretical instruction with hands-on lab experiences either at the high schools or on WCCD campuses.
This article appears in the March 2025 issue of Business Alabama.
