On the recordMay 11, 2016
Today I rise to pay tribute to a hidden jewel in Alabama's Seventh Congressional District: Wallace Community College Selma. Wallace Community College Selma is a stellar 2-year institution that provides incredible educational opportunities to the students of Dallas County and across the Black Belt of Alabama. Now, more than ever, America needs greater innovation in our educational system to meet the demanding needs of tomorrow. Outstanding higher education institutes in the State of Alabama are producing some of our State's and our Nation's best and brightest who will lead us into the next era of American innovation. Wallace Community College Selma is leading that charge in my district through its dual enrollment program, which allows high school students to complete college courses and graduate with a high school diploma as well as an associate degree from this junior college. In 2008, Wallace Community College Selma graduated 31 students from the Selma Early College High School, which was the first of its kind on a college campus in the State of Alabama. The 2016 graduating class will include 22 dual enrollment students, including 20 students that participated in a special partnership with Tuskegee University. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute program with Tuskegee allowed Wallace Community College Selma to increase the participation of underrepresented minority students from Alabama's Black Belt counties in the important fields of science and research.…
