Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College history

Electronics Engineering Technology and the Machinist programs were started in 1960.

The Board of Trustees approved a third name change to Asheville-Buncombe Technical College on August 6, 1979.

A final name change occurred November 2, 1987 when the Board of Trustees approved Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College, an action that became official when endorsed by the Buncombe County Commissioners on November 3, 1987.

In September 1989, the College enrolled its first class for the Associate in Science degree.

On January 18, 1990, A-B Tech officially opened a site in Madison County.

It is accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It first offered distance learning courses in 1999.

The Spanish Lab eventually moved out of the ALC. Each semester, the ALC served 300-400 students in the tutoring labs, 2000 students (11,000 hours) in the open computer labs, and received over 2,000 tests to be administered in the testing lab.

Holly Learning Resources Center with 37,439 books, 3,561 microform titles, 195 serials, and an OPAC. Operations spending 2003-04: $437,688.

During the next two years a proposal was written and Killian developed plans for converting four classrooms in Ferguson building to an area to house the Academic Learning Center (ALC). The proposal was approved by the Board in the fall of 2004.

In the fall of 2005, the Learning Resources Division was created.

In October 2007, two more open computer labs in Rhododendron joined the ALC.

By the fall semester 2008, the ALC was staffed by Sharon Killian and 20 part time employees.

On November 8, 2011, voters approved a quarter of one cent sales tax increase to fund a $129 million construction campaign to provide 21st century facilities to train students for 21st century jobs.

In summer 2013, the Testing Lab moved out of the ALC into Simpson.

In the spring of 2014, Sharon L. Smith became the coordinator of the ALC when Leah Hampton slid into the chair position of the Developmental Studies.