Matt Rodgers announces retirement

Enterprise State Community College President Matt Rodgers has announced that he will enter retirement on May 1. 

“Enterprise State Community College is a place where students can receive quality education and training that sets them up for success in life,” Rodgers said. “I’m proud to have served at this institution that offers these opportunities to our students and our community, and I know this college will continue to serve our community well. 

“These past four and a half years, I have been privileged to work with the great faculty, staff and administration at Enterprise State. This is home, and it has been extra special to serve at a place where I truly love the people. They gave me a chance to grow professionally, supported me and my family over the years, and have offered their best to our students. You are my family, and I thank you for all you have done and will do.”

Rodgers has over 28 years in education and has served at ESCC and the Alabama Aviation College, a unit of Enterprise State, since 2017 when he was selected the college’s fifth president by the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees. 

During his tenure as president, building renovations as well as facility and beautification projects were completed on both campuses, including several projects on the Ozark campus that were funded through a $2.5 million grant announced by Gov. Kay Ivey in 2018.

Enrollment increased consistently for both campuses during his tenure, and scholarship funds increased to offer more financial aid opportunities to students. ESCC signed articulation agreements with several four-year institutions to provide more access to transfer opportunities and scholarships to ESCC students planning their next steps after completing their associate degrees, and more career and technical programs were added to the college’s offerings as part of its mission to provide students with more opportunities to further their education or train to enter the workforce. 

“If a leader is someone who inspires passion and motivation in followers, then President Rodgers is the epitome of leadership,” ESCC’s Dean of Students Kassie Mathis said. “He is the type of leader that walks beside his employees, picks them up when they fall and gives them the encouragement they need to thrive. The progress the college has made over the last few years is a testament to his vision, purpose, tenacity and natural ability to push others into greater heights. Although I will miss him greatly, I’m so happy to have had an opportunity to truly see what transformative leadership looks like, and I’m grateful to have found a friend in Matt Rodgers.” 

Prior to joining the ESCC team, he served as principal of Enterprise High School. Rodgers started his career as an educator at Zion Chapel High School, where he served as a history teacher and coach for two years. He later moved to Andalusia High School where he served for four years as a teacher and coach. In 2001, Rodgers accepted a teaching and coaching position at EHS where he remained until 2007. He spent four years serving as an assistant principal at EHS.

As Rodgers moves closer to his retirement date, Danny Long is serving as acting president of Enterprise State. He took on the role on Wednesday, March 16. 

 Long has over 28 years in education. He has served ESCC as its Dean of Instruction since 2017 and has held the additional title of vice president in 2020. Prior to joining the ESCC team, Long served as Director of Secondary Instruction for Enterprise City Schools. His career began in 1996 in Ozark where he served as a special education teacher, and since, he has served as a teacher and an assistant principal. He has also held several district level administration positions, including special education coordinator and career technical education director.

“It has been an honor and privilege to work alongside President Rodgers at Enterprise State Community College and Enterprise City Schools,” Long said. “Having the honor to serve with Matt in different capacities over the years has left a lasting impression on both me professionally and personally. I got to watch him pour his heart and soul into the faculty, staff and, most of all, the students he served over the years. 

“President Rodgers always represented the best of public education and served as a mentor and friend to everyone he worked with.  I am excited that he will have this opportunity to pour that same energy and passion into his family in the future.  I will forever be indebted to him for his leadership and friendship.”

The ACCS Board of Trustees will hire a permanent replacement for the president’s position at a later date.