Higher Education Consortium was established in 2003, and it houses two state schools: Jacksonville State University–McClellan Center, and Gadsden State Community College–McClellan Campus. Since 2005, the McClellan Center Building 3181 has been home to the Institute of Emergency Preparedness, In-Service, and the Northeast Alabama Police Academy. GSCC houses the traditional college students. Their EMS and 911 programs, in addition to the core classes of English, math, etc., are also housed in the building.
== Enrollment ==
The university recorded is highest all-time enrollment in Fall 2023 with an overall headcount of 9,672 students.
== Campus events ==
On January 1, 2012, the university's marching band and dance team, The Southerners and the Marching Ballerinas, led the New Year's Day Parade in London, England, which also kicked off the year-long celebration of both Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 London Summer Olympics. The invitation to lead the parade came in September 2010, …
