Gadsden State Community College.

Gadsden State Community College: is a two-year institution of higher learning located in Gadsden, Alabama. The college enrolls 5,514 students and has been accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools since 2003. , the college has four campuses and two centers: the Wallace Drive Campus, the East Broad Campus, the Ayers Campus, the Valley Street Campus, the McClellan Center, and the Gadsden State Cherokee Center. The college’s service area includes Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah, and St. Clair.

History

The college has an intricate history as a result of the many mergers it has engaged in over the years. The current legal entity was formed in 2003 as a result of the merger of Harry M. Ayers State Technical College and Gadsden State Community College. Ayers State Technical College was founded in 1963 as a state trade school and converted in 1973 to a state technical college. The predecessor Gadsden State Community College was created in 1985 as a result of the merger of Alabama Technical College (founded 1925), Gadsden State Technical Institute (founded 1960), and Gadsden State Junior College (founded 1965), by the Alabama State Board of Education. In 1997 the Gadsden State Technical Institute campus, now known as the Valley Street Campus, was designated a Historically Black College or University by the U.S. Department of Education.

Athletics

The college fields intercollegiate teams in men’s tennis, men’s basketball, men’s baseball, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s softball, and women’s volleyball as a member of the Alabama Community College Conference. The college’s mascot is the Cardinal.