2023 is off to a strong start at Enterprise State Community College, with another semester of enrollment growth and the start of new facility projects on campus. For Spring 2023, Enterprise State saw a 15 percent increase in enrollment as compared to the Spring 2022 semester. This is the fourth year of enrollment growth for spring at the College. “We have great programs here at the College that help students be successful, whether they plan to transfer to a four-year institution or start their careers after training with us,” ESCC’s Dean of Student Kassie Mathis said. “This semester more students are taking advantage of those programs, and we’re excited to see that. “The team we have at Enterprise State is also fully dedicated to helping our students on their path to success,” she said. “Everyone from recruitment, admissions, financial aid, and our student success programs have taken the time to hold weekend events, financial aid nights, and to personally reach out to our students to help them with the enrollment process. We are here and available to our students to offer whatever assistance they need, and I believe our numbers reflect that.” In addition to an increase in enrollment, the College will see the several facility projects move forward this spring. Site preparation work for new buildings on the ESCC campus began on January 3. The College’s new Performing Arts Center (PAC) and a new Workforce Technology Center are currently expected to be completed on the Enterprise campus by Fall 2024. Discussions about bringing a PAC to ESCC were held during ASPIRE 2030 meetings with local community leaders. ASPIRE (Achieving Systemwide Potential through Increased Resources and Engagement) meetings began in 2020 after it was announced that Alabama Community College System Chancellor Jimmy Baker developed the program to inspire deeper community engagement during the strategic planning process for capital improvement projects at Alabama community colleges. The Workforce Technology Center is the result of a partnership with the City of Enterprise. In June 2022, ESCC proposed partnering with the City of Enterprise to build a $10 million, 20,000 square foot facility on ESCC’s campus that would help address workforce training needs in Coffee County and the Wiregrass. This facility will be dedicated to training students in automotive technology, construction science, mechatronics (already offered on both campuses), plumbing and electric, HVAC and welding. The council approved the partnership agreement during its Oct. 4, 2022, meeting. “Enterprise State’s mission is to meet the education and training needs of our students and our community,” President Danny Long said. “Historically, we have been known for our rigorous two-year academic transfer programs, and in recent years, we’ve been developing career and technical training programs to meet workforce needs. These two new buildings on our campus will allow us to provide more technical training programs to prepare our students for high-demand careers while also filling a need for our workforce.” Site work for the new buildings is expected to continue through the spring semester with completion expected to be Fall 2024. This project has affected traffic and parking patterns on the Enterprise campus, and information regarding parking on campus has been shared with students and on social media. Other facility projects are expected to be completed this semester. These projects include a renovation project for the baseball and softball complex this will be completed in March 2023, which include new press boxes, stadium seating, and a concession stand. At the Alabama Aviation College, a unit of Enterprise State, a revitalization project aimed to bring updated labs and a hangar to the James Douglas Brown, Sr. Building is expected to be completed in time for fall classes to begin in August. “Great things are happening at Enterprise State Community College, but at the heart of everything we do is our dedication to serving our community,” Long said. “ESCC is thankful for the continued support of our community and our business and industry partners, and we are excited to see what the future holds.”