Staff reports

Two programs at Wallace Community College Selma will expand and continue after receiving funding from the state Department of Postsecondary Education.

The college will receive $288,890 to expand its welding program and $125,450 for the Selma Early College High School.

The high school is the first of its kind on a college campus in Alabama. It is the culmination of a cooperative effort among WCCS, Tuskegee University, Alabama State University and Selma City Schools. Initial funding for the program came from SECME Inc. through the bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

“The Selma Early College High School Program is a cutting-edge educational initiative that will offer students in Selma a world-class education and also create a highly skilled workforce,” said Dr. James Mitchell, president of WCCS. “We are proud to be part of this pioneering program.”

The money awarded to the program will allow WCCS to support the K-college education initiative.

“This initiative aligns with the advocacy of a seamless education concept that seeks to blur the line between all levels of education, business, industry, government, parents, students and the general community,” Mitchell said.

The money for the welding program will allow the college to accommodate nearly three times the number of students who seek to enter the program. The college has nearly 100 students on a waiting list to get in, Mitchell said.