While construction continues on the site of the new High Education Center at the Demopolis SportsPlex, officials at Alabama Southern have released job openings for the center, which is expected to open in fall 2004.

Roger Chandler, vice president of finance and administrative services at Alabama Southern, wants the citizens of Demopolis to understand that they will have a true community college when the center opens. "This is a reality," he said.

The Demopolis center will be a branch campus of Alabama Southern where degrees are offered and the type of courses must be maintained for accreditation. "This is not a step-child," he said.

There have been efforts in the past to sustain a community college in Demopolis, but "this has been the best effort so far," Chandler said. "This is not something that is going to go away."

In addition, the Demopolis center has the full support of Dr. Roy Johnson, state chancellor of post-secondary education. Johnson has "a lot of foresight," Chandler said, to envision the educational and training needs of the Black Belt and the State of Alabama.

The Demopolis center should benefit the city from an economic standpoint, Chandler said, not only by providing employment for instructors but also training a workforce for potential industrial development.

There will be full-time personnel on staff as well as numerous adjunct instructors who may be drawn from the University of West Alabama, the University of Alabama or school systems in the area.

The hiring process will begin in the spring or early summer 2004, he said.

Positions at the Demopolis center available include Campus Coordinator/Trio Project Specialist;

Instructor of Mathematics;

Instructor of Biology;

Instructor of History;

Instructor of Business

Instructor of English;

Adult Education Instructors;

Campus Secretary;

and Library Assistant.

Deadline for applications is March 1, 2004. For more information, call 1-251-575-3156, ext 251.