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History

  • 1942

    Calhoun’s first president, Dr. Carlton Kelley, serves as head of the Decatur Trade school.

    A split image: on the left, a black-and-white photo of a house with tall columns and trees; on the right, a black-and-white portrait of a man in a suit and tie, sitting and looking at the camera.

  • 1946

    The institution moved to its present location near Pryor Field and served as a war surplus project for training WWII vets.

    A vintage advertisement for Decatur Trade School announces class openings and encourages veterans to apply. Below, a black-and-white photo shows a single-story school building with a lawn and utility poles in front.

  • 1947

    The College was created as the result of the consolidation of the Tennessee Valley State Technical School and John C. Calhoun State Junior College.

    Black and white photo of people walking on a sidewalk near a building, led by a woman and a man in a suit, with a safety record sign for a vocational trade school showing 36 days without an accident.

  • 1953

    Tennessee Valley State Technical received 1st appropriation funding from the state of Alabama for $1 million dollars.

    A group of men stand in front of a banner that reads,

  • 1965

    The school became a comprehensive institution and was renamed John C. Calhoun State Technical Junior College and Technical School.

    A sign reads

  • 1969

    Under the leadership of Dr. Wernher von Braun, Calhoun is invited to offer classes in Huntsville for NASA and the U.S. Army at Redstone Arsenal.

    A person points at an electrical control panel filled with switches and wires. A large headline below reads,

  • 1974

    Construction on the Student Center (Decatur campus) was completed; the building would later be named the Chasteen Student Center in honor of the College’s second president, Dr. James Chasteen.

    A black and white photo of a large rectangular building with tall, narrow vertical windows and a flat roof. There are small trees near the entrance and a sign in front of the building.

  • 1977

    Dr. James Chasteen becomes the College’s second president, serving the institution for 14 years. The Fine Arts Building opens.

    A middle-aged man with short brown hair, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, smiles at the camera against a softly blurred, neutral background.

  • 1981

    Calhoun has an enrollment of 5720 students

    Six young athletes pose on a gym floor above an NJCAA logo. Three in front hold tennis rackets, and three in back wear basketball uniforms and hold basketballs. All are smiling and facing the camera.

  • 1983

    Interest in Calhoun computer classes rises 40% from the previous year with the introduction of personal computers.

    A woman in a red and white dress sits at a desk, writing on paper with a pen. A vintage computer with a CRT monitor is on the desk, and the background features wood-paneled walls.

  • 1989

    Calhoun student Todd Fentress is named the first American Association of Community and Junior College/Phi Theta Kappa National Student Scholar. At the time of Fentress’ honor, only one student in the entire nation was recognized.

    An older woman and two men in suits stand indoors. The woman smiles and shakes hands with the younger man, while the older man, standing between them, smiles and observes the handshake.

  • 1992

    Dr. Richard Carpenter is named Calhoun’s third president, serving for close to 10 years.

    A middle-aged man with short gray hair, wearing a black suit, light blue shirt, and patterned blue tie, smiles at the camera against a plain, softly lit background.

  • 1996

    Calhoun secures its permanent location in Huntsville at Cummings Research Park. The college’s first website “goes live.”

    Exterior view of Calhoun Community College building with a visible sign, blue trim, and lamp posts, set against a partly cloudy sky.

  • 1997

    The College begins offering courses online via the Internet.

    Several students sit in a classroom, focused on their work at desks with black electronic devices or testing equipment in front of them. The room has white walls and ceiling lights.

  • 2003

    Dr. Marilyn C. Beck becomes the College’s fourth president and makes history as the institution’s first woman president. Beck rebuilds the entire college campus with the largest brick and mortar infrastructure campaigns in history. Enrollment tops 10,000 students.

    A smiling older woman with short blonde hair wearing a black jacket sits in an office setting with a desk and shelves in the background.

  • 2007

    Math/Science/Administration Building opens.

    A large, multi-story brick building under construction with tall white columns, construction materials, a red shipping container, and dirt piles in front, under a partly cloudy blue sky.

  • 2010

    Groundbreaking event held for Phase I of the Alabama Center for the Arts.

    A three-story brick building with tall arched windows, a fenced area in front, and yellow and red triangular pennant flags strung across the sky. The weather is clear and sunny.

  • 2015

    Calhoun welcomes Dr. James Klauber, Sr. as its fifth president.

    A man wearing glasses, a light blue shirt, a brown suit jacket, and a green and yellow striped bow tie, smiling in an office with bookshelves and framed photos in the background.

  • 2016

    Grand opening held for Alabama Center for the Arts, Phase II

  • 2018

    Alabama Governor Kay Ivey presents $1M check to Calhoun and Huntsville Hospital to support creation of a new Nursing simulation lab at the Huntsville campus.

    A group of people, including healthcare workers and officials, smile as two women hold oversized scissors to cut a blue ribbon at a ceremony. A Health System logo is visible in the background.

  • 2022

    Dr. Jimmy Hodges is named sixth President of Calhoun Community College.

    A smiling man with short gray hair and glasses wearing a gray suit, white shirt, and blue tie, standing in front of a wooden bookshelf with books and decorative items.

  • 2023

    Groundbreaking event held for on a new $30-million, 52,200 square foot Advanced Technology Center to enhance workforce training.

    A group of people in hard hats and formal attire participate in a groundbreaking ceremony, digging into a row of soil with shovels. Construction equipment is visible in the background.

  • 2024

    Ribbon Cutting-Grand Opening for the new Alabama Center for the Arts Residence Hall. The $15-million dollar student housing development is in partnership with Athens State University.

    A large group of people gathers outside a building for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Officials stand in front of the entrance, holding a red ribbon, while onlookers and photographers watch from the street.