Wallace State Community College is the #BestDecisionEver

Students, Local Leaders Make a Case for Community College and Less Debt This #CCMonth

Hanceville, Ala. — Wallace State Community College is the "best decision ever," according to many who have attended it and acquired a high-quality higher education with little or no student debt. This year, Wallace State has added to its many accolades a designation as a Finalist for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The college is encouraging current and former students, supporters, business partners and our community to join the 2025 Community College Month—or #CCMonth—campaign to bring attention to the value and importance of the college to our community.

During the month, Wallace State will spotlight alumni from various program areas and host a wide range of events celebrating the Lion Life at WSCC. Events on campus this month include the Fine and Performing Arts Solo Recital on April 3, Congressman Robert Aderholt’s 4th Congressional Art Competition Awards on April 7, Augusta’s Food truck on April 8, Coffee and Cookies with Wally on April 9, Wallace State Theatre’s production of Little Women The Musical on April 11-13, Stephen’s Hot Dog Truck on April 15, Aspen Prize Watch Party on April 17, Jazz Band Dance on April 18, Spring Fling and Build Your Own Bouquet on April 23, Spring Under the Stars on April 24 and much more, including athletic events. Visit www.wallacestate.edu/calendar for a listing of events.

The primary goals of Community College Month and the national #CCMonth campaign are to celebrate community college student successes, and to improve awareness of the economic, academic, and employment advantages of attending community colleges.

"Across the United States, students who choose to attend a community college for the first two years of their higher-education careers will save an average of $35,000 to $50,000 on the cost of a bachelor's degree. Our college also has unique partnerships with local businesses designed to equip students to fulfill in-demand jobs that pay gainful wages. The lack of economic mobility is a defining quality of our time,” Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Karolewics said, "but it doesn't have to be. Community College Month is an opportunity to celebrate the importance and value of our college to our community and to demonstrate how we are cultivating skills for the future.”

Student success rates at Wallace State continue surpass national averages, with a graduation/transfer rate of 65 percent.

Public community colleges are a uniquely American educational model that was designed to guarantee access to affordable, high-quality higher education for all people. They are the primary educators of life-saving nursing and other healthcare professionals among many others. They also serve as an onramp to bachelor’s, master’s and higher-level degrees for many students, and particularly for the most demographically and socioeconomically diverse students. They guarantee open admissions for all students, provide seamless transfer of credits, and holistic supports for students who need them. And without community colleges, many American students would not be able to access higher education at all due solely to financial limitations and other inevitable barriers. 

In short, community colleges were created to serve the needs of their communities and to make good on the American promise. Research from New America's annual Varying Degrees study and other sources has shown that the majority of American people hold community colleges in the highest regard among all higher education institutions with respect to being worth the cost of attendance, spend their resources wisely, run efficiently, and yet are more underfunded than other similar institutions.

A new economic impact study shows Wallace State contributed $276.1 million in income to its service area economy, representing approximately 2.1 percent of the region’s total gross regional product (GRP). This economic activity supported 4,106 jobs, meaning that one out of every 35 jobs in its service area is supported by the college and its students.

“Everywhere I go, I am told by current and former students that choosing to go to a community college is one of the best decisions they ever made,” said ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee. “The reality is that many students don't realize this until after they attend and realize what opportunities their community college gave them, and how much their instructors at the college cared about them. Our goal is to get the message through to students before they make one of the most consequential financial decisions of their lives: choosing a college or university.”

This year, organizers are encouraging students and other to take the message to their favorite online social platforms to spread the word about the importance of community colleges in cultivating skills for the future, and the unique affordability that community colleges offer to financially challenged generations.

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About Wallace State

Wallace State Community College (Ala.), a member of the Alabama Community College System, is a comprehensive community college in north central Alabama offering more than 200 options in academic, health and technical programs of study leading to an associate degree, certificate or transfer, as well as workforce-credit training and adult education. An Achieving the Dream Leader College, nationally recognized by the Aspen Institute as a finalist for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, ranked by Southern Business and Development among the Top 3 institutions in the South for workforce development, named a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing and the National Security Administration, rated the Top Online Community College in Alabama, a Military Friendly Institution and an All-Steinway School, Wallace State is an outstanding place for students to pursue their education and career goals. Classes are offered online and on campus, day, evening and on weekends, with numerous start dates each year. Visit Wallace State’s beautiful main campus located on 300-acres in Hanceville, Ala., our satellite location in downtown Oneonta, Ala., find us online at www.wallacestate.edu, or call 256.352.8000.