In 1968, citizens of
St. Francis County created a college committee out of a desire and need for a community college. At the time, the closest schools were in
Memphis, Tennessee, and
Jonesboro, Arkansas. The
Crowley's Ridge Community College Corporation received approval for its initial charter the following year. In 1971,
Betty Jo Hodges donated $25,000 to the organization enabling it to purchase approximately 40 acres of land in
Forrest City, Arkansas. Two years later, the
Arkansas Board of Higher Education announced that St. Francis County had met the requirements necessary to form a community college district. On November 8 of the same year, voters approved the proposal to initiate a four-mill tax to finance construction of the college. The college began holding classes on August 26, 1974. It had 684 students enrolled for its initial semester. In 2005, the school opened an extension center in
Wynne, Arkansas. In 2017, the
Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 636, which laid out the process for merging EACC and the nearby
Crowley's Ridge Technical Institute (CRTI). On July 31, 2017, the
Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board voted for the merger, and EACC assumed the property, personnel, and funding of CRTI.
Presidents • Horace E. Hartsell (1974) • Coy Grace (1998 - 2008) • Cathie Cline (2018–Present) ==Arts and culture==