HANCEVILLE — Not even a tornado that wrecked nearly half the buildings on campus could keep Wallace State down for long.

School officials, students and local delegates came together Thursday to celebrate the groundbreaking of the latest addition to the Hanceville college, a new School of Nursing and Center for Science to be located on the northwest part of the campus.

The ceremony was made all the more poignant by the storms on April 27, 2011, which saw several trees uprooted and extensive roof damage all across the community college.

“Our campus was devastated by the April 27 tornadoes, but we are recovering,” Wallace State President Vicki Hawsey said. “You see the evidence of extensive renovations and repairs all across campus, and they are accompanied by campus enhancement projects that were planned long in advance of the tornado.”

Hawsey noted construction of the new, 115,000-square-foot facility represents a continued push for excellence, regardless of the challenges of the past year. The college hopes to open the new addition by the fall of 2013.

“Long considered the crown jewel of the Alabama Community College System, Wallace State is reputed for its tradition of excellence as a learning centered college that is nationally recognized as one of the top 120 community colleges in the nation and ranked among the top 50 associate degree producers in health professions in the nation,” she said. “It is because of this college’s phenomenal growth and our emphasis on engaging students in state-of-the-art learning environments that we are here today to celebrate the groundbreaking for the newest addition to our beautiful 300-acre campus. This building will house Wallace State’s School of Nursing and Center for Science, and I am proud to say that its design will rival any college or university facility anywhere in the United States.”

The new facility will be home to the college’s nursing program, biology department and related health and science classes. A 500-seat conference space and catering kitchen for business, industry and tourism events is also included in the design.

“This building affirms our strategic emphasis on community and economic development,” Hawsey said.

Alabama Sen. Paul Bussman spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony, and noted that despite financial difficulties at the state and national level, Wallace State has managed to succeed.

“As money gets tight, I’m always amazed at how Wallace continues to grow,” he said.

Hanceville Mayor Kenneth Nail praised the college as one of the focal points of the city, noting it has helped maintain positive economic growth.

“We have a lot of good things coming in Hanceville, with retail out on Hwy. 31,” he said. “Wallace is a big part of that draw.”

State Rep. Jeremy Oden credited the new expansion, and the college’s success, to the stewardship of Hawsey and her staff.

“If you look back you can see the leadership of Dr. Hawsey, and the deans of this institution, helps this college play a phenomenal role in the state,” he said. “This college is changing the face of Alabama, and to have it here is just wonderful.”

Fellow Rep. Mac Buttram said the new nursing center should help create jobs in the area, and hopefully play a role in the state’s continued economic recovery.

“We have an opportunity in the two-year system to educate people in two years, then get them out in good jobs,” he said. “Then they’re working, and paying taxes, so the things that need to be done can be done.”

Invoking the college’s Lion mascot, Cullman Mayor Max Townson compared the local growth to the popular Disney film Lion King.

“Simba grew up to be the Lion King, and that’s what we think of Wallace, a huge lion,” he said. “But, there is always room for expansion.”

Alabama Community College System Chancellor Dr. Freida Hill said the new facility will position Wallace State for a long, productive future in the healthcare field.

“With the growth in the elderly population, as baby boomers age, a nursing shortage is expected,” she said. “This opens another avenue to meet those needs. With the groundbreaking and subsequent construction, this secures that we’re taking another step to do just that.”



* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.