HISTORY

T.A. Lawson State Community College, originally known as Wenonah State Technical Junior College, was established by the Legislative Act Number 93, May 3, 1963. Wenonah State Technical Institute was established in 1949 as a result of the Wallace-Patterson Trade School Act of 1947 and the first class was admitted in 1950. The first president assumed the responsibilities of that office on October 30, 1964, and the initial classes began on September 30, 1965. In 2005, the college officially merged with Bessemer State Technical College but maintained its name. T.A. Lawson State Community College has experienced three name changes:

            • August 22, 1966 Wenonah State Technical Junior College

            • August 12, 1969 Theodore Alfred Lawson State Junior College (named in honor of the incumbent president)

            • October 1, 1973 Lawson State Community College (merged with Wenonah State Technical Institute)

ABOUT THE COLLEGE LOCATIONS

Lawson State Community College has two campuses—one campus in Bessemer and the other in Birmingham. Lawson State serves students from the entire area of Jefferson and Northern Shelby County.

The Bessemer Campus is located at 1100 Ninth Avenue SW, Bessemer, Alabama 35022 and occupies approximately 50 acres of rolling, wooded property in southwestern Jefferson County. The south campus is composed of 34 acres and is connected with the north campus by a drive paralleling the interstate system.

The Birmingham Campus (Main) is located at 3060 Wilson Road, S.W. in the southwest section of Birmingham, Alabama. The campus is readily accessible to students via Interstate 1-59/20 W, I-65S and U.S. Highway 11 South. The Birmingham-West Campus, located on the northern side of Wilson Road, consists of six buildings on 45 acres of land.

Mission Statement

Lawson State Community College is a comprehensive, public, two-year, multi-campus college, which seeks to provide accessible quality educational opportunities, promote economic growth and enhance the quality of life for people in its service area. The College is dedicated to providing affordable and accessible lifelong learning opportunities in order to prepare students for employment or career advancement, enable students to transfer to senior colleges and universities, and provide customized training needs for business and industry.  

Vision Statement

 The vision for Lawson State Community College is to:

• promote quality opportunities for lifelong academic, professional and personal learning for students;
• provide an accessible, integrated collegiate learning experience focused on instructional excellence and skill preparation for employment;
• provide a dynamic student life experience enhanced by social, service and athletic activities or organizations;
• embrace diversity within and beyond the college to effectively respond to community needs;
• value integrity, fairness and honesty; and promote continuous improvement through advanced technologies and administrative services.

Institution-wide Student Learner Outcomes

When students graduate from Lawson State Community College with an AA, AS, AAS, AOT or CER (long or short) they will be able to:

• Communicate Effectively (express ideas with clarity, logic, and originality in both spoken and written English)

• Reason Quantitatively (apply mathematical principles to address and solve problems).

• Think Critically (Gather and interpret data using a variety of methods to address and solve both practical and theoretical problems).

• Develop Information and Visual Literacy (assess information requirements of complex projects, identify potential textual, visual and electronic resources, and obtain the needed information to interpret, evaluate, synthesize, organize and use that information, regardless of format, while adhering strictly to the legal and ethical guidelines governing information access in today’s society).

• Demonstrate Civic Responsibility in Diverse and Multifaceted Environments (assume responsibility for actions and work effectively as an individual and as a member of a group).