MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Community College System board met recently for its regular monthly meeting. In addition to approving salary schedules, bond issues and construction projects, the board heard updates on enrollment and federal funding and voted to appoint a new president at Gadsden State.
Enrollment bucks national trend
The bottom line: Enrollment is up for both the summer term and upcoming fall semester. And while two-year college enrollment has begun to recover from pandemic declines at the national level, Alabama’s community colleges have grown at a significantly higher rate – more than 7% from 2023-24 to 2024-25, than the rest of the country, which grew 4.5% during the same time period.
“What is happening is certainly not the trend across the country,” Chancellor Jimmy Baker said. “Thanks to our staff people, our presidents and the communities, we are kind of going against the grain. Our enrollment continues to increase, but it’s not just because we talk about it. It’s because we’ve got a lot of people doing a lot of things and making extra effort to see that they let their community know and their schools know what’s happening.
And it’s only because of that that we continue to grow at a rate that is, I’d say, rather unique in this country.”
Vice Chancellor for Student Success Neil Scott said summer enrollment totaled 54,057 students in for-credit courses – an 11.2% increase over Summer 2024. Twenty-two colleges saw enrollment increases.
Fall registration is also pacing ahead, with enrollment 14% higher than the same point last year. Fall classes begin Aug. 18.
Gadsden State president named
The board named Alan Smith as the permanent president of Gadsden State, effective Aug. 1. Smith has been serving as interim president since June 1, when former president Kathy Murphy became president of Wallace Community College in Dothan. A Facebook post details Smith’s background, which includes having attended Gadsden State as a student and earning degrees from the University of Alabama and Auburn University.
Reid State gets a new name
The board approved a name change for one of its community colleges: Reid State Technical College will now be Reid State Community College, reflecting a broader academic mission after receiving regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The accreditation, retroactive to Jan. 1, allows the college to offer transfer-ready academic courses in addition to workforce training. The accreditation agency still has to sign off on their new name before it becomes official.
Salary schedules adopted
The board approved salary schedules for the 2025-26 academic year, maintaining the same base pay as the current year and continuing step increases.
$48M in bonds approved for campus projects
Three colleges received approval for bond-funded construction projects totaling $48 million:
- Coastal Alabama: $23 million for campus repairs and renovations
- Reid State: $5 million for a baseball/softball complex and technology center
- Wallace State – Hanceville: $20 million for STEM, manufacturing, and automotive buildings, plus road and parking lot improvements
An additional $55 million in system-wide construction was approved using existing funds from state, local and ACCS sources.
Federal funding update
Boone Kinard, ACCS’s director of government relations, briefed the board on recent changes to federal higher education funding. The newly passed “big beautiful bill” allows Pell Grants to be used for short-term credential programs lasting 8–15 weeks – a positive change for Alabama’s community colleges.
“Overall, from where this bill started to where this bill ended, community colleges made out very well in the final version of this process and we’re very happy for that,” Kinard said.
Kinard said other changes, such as new income-tracking rules and a federal review of $10 million in adult education funds, are being closely watched. He expects the freeze to be resolved soon.
Meanwhile, $6.8 million in TRIO Student Support Services grants were awarded to 11 Alabama community colleges last week. Gadsden State received the largest single SSS grant in the nation – $1 million.
Looking ahead, Kinard cautioned that federal funding may face tighter scrutiny.
“I think some things that maybe were more automatic and taken for granted in the past are things that maybe, as we move forward, won’t be that way,” he said.
Baker agreed, noting that current levels of federal funding may not remain at the same level in the long term.
Athletic achievements and honors
The board heard highlights from the Alabama Community College Conference, which includes:
- 22 colleges
- 156 teams
- 2,337 student-athletes
- 1,514 student-athletes with a 3.0 GPA or better
Shelton State’s women’s golf team won the NJCAA Division II national championship and Wallace State’s women’s softball team finished third in the NJCAA Division I National Championship.
Rosario Thomas, veterans affairs director at Southern Union, was recognized for being named Alabama’s Military Friendly Veteran of the Year in higher education.
Rosario Thomas, Veterans Specialist at @SouthernUnionSC, has been named the state’s Military Friendly Veteran of the Year!
Thomas needs your vote as he now competes for the National Veteran of the Year Award.
Go vote here | https://t.co/kZkGPdpcqX pic.twitter.com/cs9AlnpPny
— Alabama Community College System (ACCS) (@ACCS_Education) June 17, 2025
The full video of the meeting and work session can be seen below or at this link: