Type Community college President Dr. Kemba K. Chambers Students 1,384 Founded 1961 | Established 1961 Academic staff 103 Phone +1 256-539-8161 Graduation rate 14% (2014) | |
Affiliation Alabama Community College System Address 3421 Meridian St N, Huntsville, AL 35811, USA Undergraduate tuition and fees Local tuition: 3,384 USD (2015), Domestic tuition: 6,096 USD (2015) Similar Calhoun Community College, Huntsville Bible College, H Councill Trenholm State Tec, Oakwood University, Virginia College‑Huntsville Profiles | ||
J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College is a community college in Huntsville, Alabama. As of the Fall 2013 semester, Drake State has an enrollment of 1,384 students. The college was founded in 1961 as the Huntsville State Vocational Technical College. In 1966, the school was renamed J. F. Drake State Technical Trade School in honor of Joseph Fanning Drake, a long-serving president of Alabama A&M University. After desegregating in 1967, the school took the name J.F. Drake State Technical College in 1973. In 2013, the college was again renamed after long awaited state approval. The college is now officially known as J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College. This change was petitioned for after the institution earned membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in July 2012. This, combined with the ever-expanding and projected growth of the college, warranted this name change. J.F. Drake is currently the only higher education institution in the state of Alabama to receive this naming convention. This makes the college very unusual in the programs that it is and will be able to offer to students. Drake currently offers programs of study in Accounting Technology, Adult Education, Automotive Service Technology, Barbering Technology, Business Administration, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management, Electrical Technology, Engineering Design Technology, Heating and Air Conditioning Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, Industrial Systems Technology, Computer Information Systems Technology, Machine Tool Technology, Medical Assisting Technology, Nursing Assistant, Office Systems Technology, Practical Nursing, and Welding. In addition to its main campus near Alabama A&M, Drake State offers instruction in the historic Times Building downtown. Dr. Kemba K. Chambers is currently the interim president of the college.