BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Alabama Community College System trustees approved the new name and location for three merged community colleges in the southern part of the state.
The Coastal Alabama Community College would include Alabama Southern, Jefferson Davis, and Faulkner State community colleges, the Tuscaloosa News reported. The school’s main campus will be located in Bay Minette.
Trish Jones, governmental and academic affairs coordinator, said the system still plans to include Reid State in the southern consolidation, even though the August 10 resolution did not include the school.
Reid State is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education.
The resolution also included a new mission statement, identified all campuses and instructional sites associated with the consolidation and defined the area to be served by the merger. Proposals will be submitted to Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Alabama Commission of Higher Education, which are two of the system’s accrediting agencies.
The system hopes to submit the prospectus on the plan to SACS for consideration on Sept. 1. The system is combining the request for the phases, following approval of the combined approach from ACHE.
If the system submits the proposal next month as planned, SACS will likely vote on it in December, said Susan Price, special assistant to the chancellor in system development and strategic advancement.
The trustees will have 30 days from SACS’ approval to begin implementation of the consolidation plans.
