[1] The college was founded in 1963 and built on the border between DeKalb and Jackson counties,[2] partially in the small town of Powell.
[3] In 2012, 2013,[4] and 2014,[5] the Aspen Institute named NACC one of the top 150 community colleges in the nation.
NACC opened on September 30, 1965, under President Ernest Rudder Knox with an inaugural class of 380 freshmen.
Operating under the quarter system, the college followed a general education curriculum in the liberal arts.
The college continues to offer general education courses leading to degrees in the arts, sciences, and applied sciences,[6] and NACC is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.