Northeast Alabama Community College (NACC) officials announce that the college, working with area high school personnel and superintendents, has reached record enrollment with high school students taking Dual Enrollment classes with the college this spring.

Dual Enrollment is a partnership program in which high school students earn high school and college credit simultaneously by taking college-level certified courses either on their high school campus, online, or on the NACC campus. Instructors for these courses must meet all credentialling criteria set by the college, the Alabama Community College System (ACCS), K-12, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

“We have 1,592 Dual Enrollment students registered at Northeast this spring,” stated NACC Dean of Students Jeff Hawes, who oversees the program through NACC’s Admissions Office. “This is a record number for us in the spring semester.”  Hawes noted that there are 27 high schools or K-12 entities represented in the college’s dual enrollment program.

The number of students enrolled at the high school reflects our great partnership with these schools, evidenced by the total number of dual enrollment students registered at Northeast: Scottsboro (217), Planview (148), Fort Payne (144), and North Jackson (134) had the largest numbers, Collinsville (78), Pisgah (69), and Cornerstone Christian Academy (54) had the largest student enrollments respectively.

“We are extremely pleased with these numbers,” stated Dr. David Campbell, NACC President. “We very much appreciate K-12 principals, staff, and superintendents working with us. They have been so supportive, and I can’t say enough positive things about them.” 

Campbell stated that dual enrollment has benefits for everyone involved. “Students get a head start on college by taking the courses. It is very common for a student to have a year and a half of college credits completed when they finish high school. In fact, there are twenty-nine Dual Enrollment students set to graduate this spring with an associate degree from Northeast and their high school diploma.”

Dual Enrollment also encourages many students to pursue additional college after Northeast courses. “Some are first generation college students who realize they can do college work,” Dean Hawes said.

Most Dual Enrollment courses at Northeast are tuition free, with the ACCS providing many scholarships, unlike universities that charge much higher tuition rates when the same courses are taken from them. NACC also provides Dual Enrollment students with Loyalty Scholarships upon graduating high school. Students receive $500 for completing 13-23 dual enrollment hours and $1,000 for completing 24 or more hours.

Dual Enrollment students are entitled to the same student services and enrichment programs given to traditional Northeast students as well, which include academic or personal counseling, career planning, assistance with computer skills, tutoring, and free admission to NACC athletic and art/cultural events.

In addition to receiving those great campus services, Dual Enrollment courses completed at Northeast are guaranteed to transfer to any public university in Alabama through the state’s articulation agreement known as the Alabama Transfers program. This program, formerly known as “STARS”, was declared by the state legislature in the 1990s.

Of the students enrolled in Dual Enrollment this spring, 802 are enrolled in career tech programs. “This shows just how important Dual Enrollment is in developing our area’s and the state’s workforce,” stated Kerry Wright, Dean of NACC Workforce Development. “Through this program, students get an early start on obtaining the skills needed for a lifetime career.”

Campbell commended Dean Wright and his staff, along with Enrollment Director Hawes; Staci Miller, Dual Enrollment Coordinator; Melisa Escobar, Dual Enrollment Assistant; Carrie Johnson, Dual Enrollment Assistant; Susan Webb, Dual Enrollment Specialist; Melanie Nevels, Dual Enrollment Specialist; Andrea Okwu, Coordinator of High School Relations; and Paige Vaughn, Assistant to the Coordinator of High School Relations on their dedicated and professional work with Dual Enrollment.

“We put Dual Enrollment coursework at the high schools and then online in 2004 after I had seen the program work successfully on a SACSCOC committee visit in another state,” Campbell noted. “Dual Enrollment has steadily grown since that time, and the state has added some extremely important dimensions and guidelines for it.” He continued, “The ACCS and legislature is currently looking at making Dual Enrollment more accessible to high school students and expanding the program. Knowing what our experience has been, that is a great move.”

For more information about Dual Enrollment at NACC, please contact Mrs. Staci Miller at millers@nacc.edu or dualenrollment@nacc.edu.  For more information about Northeast, visit us online at www.nacc.edu.