East Arkansas Community College

In 1971, Betty Jo Hodges donated $25,000 to the organization enabling it to purchase approximately 40 acres of land in Forrest City, Arkansas.

[2] 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.

[3] 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.

Some of the sponsors included Arkansas Concrete Company, Boar's Head, Forrest City Medical Center, and Johnson Controls.