Provided by the Alabama Community College System 

Enterprise State Community College’s new Performing Arts Center officially has a name.

The Alabama Community College System (ACCS) Board of Trustees approved the naming of the Performing Arts Center Jimmy Baker Hall, honoring the Chancellor of the ACCS, at its monthly meeting this week.

Baker, a Coffee County native, was in genuine awe as ACCS Board of Trustees Chair Goodrich ‘Dus’ Rogers made the announcement at the board meeting.

“It is emotional and quite the honor. The opportunities at Enterprise State continue to expand, and I’m proud this facility will benefit the college and area for years to come,” Baker said. “Enterprise State is a center of excellence for the entire Wiregrass area.”

The $30 million facility will seat 600 individuals in its main concert hall, featuring music practice rooms, digital media classrooms, and other amenities for Enterprise State students and the community.  

“Chancellor Baker is a visionary and his leadership, along with the support from the Board of Trustees, is one of the reasons we’re able to build this new center. He’s also a proud native of this area and his influence and impact reaches far and wide in the Wiregrass,” said Enterprise State President Danny Long. “Chancellor Baker’s legacy will be etched forever with the naming of this facility.”

Prior to serving as chancellor, Baker’s educational stops included serving as superintendents for both Coffee County and Daleville School Systems. He was named acting chancellor of the ACCS in August 2016 and was the first chancellor appointed by the ACCS Board of Trustees in March 2017.

Enterprise State Performing Arts students showcase their talents in solo and group environments, performing both at the college and throughout the community. Program alums have gone on to perform successfully statewide and at locations like Disney World, Carnegie Hall, London and beyond.

“The new center will raise the bar even higher for Enterprise State Performing Arts students and the community. We’re looking forward to its completion,” Long said.

Jimmy Baker Hall is expected to open this summer.

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About ACCS

Alabama’s community and technical colleges were merged into one system May 3, 1963, when legislators laid the groundwork for a unified system of institutions to focus on accessible training in “arts and sciences and in useful skills and trades” for current and future labor needs. Sixty years have passed, but that important cause remains the singular purpose of the Alabama Community College System (ACCS). With 24 community and technical colleges in more than 130 locations and an economic impact of $6.6 billion, the ACCS is Alabama’s gateway to first-class, affordable education and technical training to compete in a constantly evolving workforce. More than 170,300 Alabamians benefit from the various certification, credential, dual enrollment and degree programs the ACCS alongside leading industry partners. The System includes the Alabama Technology Network, which provides extensive training and service offerings directly to business and industry, and the ACCS Innovation Center, which provides rapid skills training through its Skills for Success program. The ACCS is governed by the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees