Athens-Limestone hosts two different institutes of higher education: Athens State University and Calhoun Community College.
Both institutions have grown in the past year and have goals for 2024.
They expanded their program offerings, with Athens State adding two Master’s programs.
“We were also pleased to launch two new Master’s programs in 2023 including the Master of Education in Training & Development and Master of Acquisition & Contract Management,” Athens State said in a statement.
Calhoun made plans to address the rapidly growing demand for HVAC professionals due to the forecasted growth of 5 percent in the next eight years. To prepare those employees, it is partnering with NC3 and Trane.
“We are enthusiastic not only about this remarkable new partnership but also about the newly-installed equipment that our students will be able to train with. This equipment is top-of-the-line and is an exact replica of the equipment they will work on once they obtain employment in the HVAC industry,” said Dr. Jimmy Hodges, Calhoun president.
Athens State saw enrollment numbers increase to pre-pandemic amounts for the fall 2023 semester. Calhoun needs space in their facilities, and in 2023 it broke ground on the Advanced Technology Center expansion to accommodate the growing number and needs of students.
Athens State and Calhouns also partnered with each other to provide an accelerated nursing degree program in April.
“The Fast-Track BSN is an excellent option for motivated nursing students at Calhoun Community College,” said Dr. Mark Reynolds, Chief Nurse Administrator at Athens State.
“We are beyond excited to see the launch of this fast-track BSN program this fall,” commented Dr. Jimmy Hodges, Calhoun President. “It’s close knit partnerships such as this that not only makes limestone county better, but it has a ripple effect into the other counties in which our nurses go off to work, and for that we are extremely proud.”
Both organizations have goals for 2024:
ASU
“We are very excited about the Department of Education Rural Postsecondary & Economic Development Grant (RPED) that we were awarded at the beginning of the year. The funds provided by this grant ($2.2 million) will allow us to help bridge the educational gap for students living in rural areas by making higher education accessible through flexible course designs and comprehensive support services that best suit these students’ unique needs. As the only university in Alabama to receive this grant, it will open doors to a new era of education for rural students in the state. We plan to begin increasing recruitment efforts to these areas this year with the hope of being able to effectively serve these students as they seek to achieve their educational goals,” Athens State said in a statement.
Calhoun
Calhoun would like to see the “grand opening of the new three-story 43-thousand square foot residence hall for the Alabama Center for the Arts in downtown Decatur. This is in partnership with Athens State University. The grand opening is scheduled for May 2024.” The college also plans to establish a Respiratory Therapy program and Aviation Mechanic-Airframe and Powerplant in partnership with Pryor Field.