Wallace State-Oneonta celebrating National Community College month
Published 4:07 pm Tuesday, April 17, 2018
- Mayor of Oneonta Ross Norris signed a proclamation recognizing Wallace State Community College during Community College Month. Similar proclamations were also signed by the mayors of Cullman and Hanceville. Pictured with Mayor of Oneonta Ross Norris, center, from left, are Dr. Kelley Jones, Director of the Wallace State-Oneonta Campus Center; Wallace State students Tammy Kelsoe of Oneonta, majoring in Welding; Jonathan Hollis of Oneonta, majoring in respiratory therapy; Alejandra Contreras of Cleveland, majoring in general studies; Alix Arriaga of Oneonta, majoring in elementary education; Ryan Davis of Remlap, majoring in nursing; and Dr. Vicki Karolewics, President of Wallace State.
April is National Community College Month. Mayor of Oneonta Ross Norris kicked off the celebration with a proclamation recognizing Wallace State Community College.
Wallace State Community College expanded to open a thriving new campus in Oneonta in 2016, serving Blount County and surrounding areas. Since that time, an expansive CDL lot has been added for continuous workforce training, and a $2.3 million grant has been secured to build a Wallace State-Oneonta campus flagship facility, which is expected to open in 2019.
Wallace State’s connection with local businesses and industries has resulted in the development of stackable credentials in health and applied technology programs, providing students with proven job-ready skills. Wallace State has partnered with the City of Oneonta, Blount County Economic Development and the Blount County Commission to work hand-in-hand to build jobs in Blount County, partnered with the Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham and others to provide programs to benefit the local economy, including most recently a welding training for single mothers.
The campus is hosting FAFSA Friday on April 19 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for anyone needing information on applying for financial aid for college. NACEE representatives will be available to discuss financial aid eligibility for the Summer and Fall semesters.
The week of April 23 is “Cram Week,” with snacks and other goodies sponsored throughout the week by Oneonta Price Less IGA and WSCC Campus Ministries.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, April 24-25, staff will be assisting at the World of Works SkillsUSA, a competition in applied technologies for high school and community college students.
The Wallace State Jazz Band will host its annual Big Band Ballroom Dance on Friday, April 20, at 7 p.m., also in the Burrow Center for Fine and Performing Arts. Admission is $15. The Wallace State Concert Band will present “The Best of Hollywood: 75 Years of Stage and Screen” Tuesday, April 24 at 7 p.m., in the Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre at Hanceville. Admission is $5.
Wallace State’s athletics teams are in full swing. Follow Lions baseball, softball, tennis and golf this spring at athletics.wallacestate.edu.
The college is national pacesetter, recently named an Achieving the Dream Leader College, and selected as an Aspen Prize Nominee for the third time in five years. Wallace State was chosen as one of 30 community college in America to launch the American Association of Community College’s Pathways Project and is a leader in student success in the Alabama Community College System. It is ranked among the nation’s fastest growing community colleges with enrollment of 5,000, ranked among the Top 3 in the South for workforce development, and the first choice community college for high school seniors taking the ACT.
The college has also been designated as a National League of Nursing Center for Excellence, All-Steinway School, and Military Friendly Institution, among other accolades.
To learn more about Wallace State and events scheduled during Community College Month, visit wallacestate.edu. For more information about the Wallace State-Oneonta campus, call 256-625-4020.
