Alabama Southern Community College (Alabama Southern) is an open admission, comprehensive community college with campuses in Monroeville, Monroe County; Thomasville, Clarke County; Gilbertown, Choctaw County; and Jackson, Clarke County. It serves an approximately 5,000-square-mile area of southwest Alabama. Alabama Southern was created in 1991 by the merger of two existing colleges in Monroeville and Thomasville.

Patrick Henry Junior College's founding president was Bernie E. Lee (1965-1974), followed by Cecil Murphy (1974-1981) and James R. Allen (1981-1989). The first president after the consolidation of Alabama Southern was John A. Johnson (1989-2009). William O. Blow served as interim president until July 2010, when Reginald Sykes was appointed by Freida Hill, Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System.

Alabama Southern provides university transfer programs, business and industry training, developmental studies, learning resources, technical/occupational programs, student development services, and community services. Short-term certificates, programs equal to or less than 29 semester hours, are offered in areas such as computer applications, machine technology, and basic welding, among others. Long-term certificate programs, comprised of at least 30 semester but no more than 60 semester credit hours, include cosmetology and practical nursing. Associate degrees are available in business technology/computer applications, nursing, paper and chemical technology, and a number of different areas in Industrial Engineering Technology. The college also offers adult education programming on all campuses and continuing education courses in areas such as floral arranging, computer applications, sign language, and even ballroom dancing.

The Jackson Campus of Alabama Southern was established in 1975 and is uniquely located in the north wing of Jackson Middle School in Jackson. This campus is primarily an evening campus, with two classrooms and a computer lab with 24 terminals, all with Internet access. The Gilbertown Campus of Alabama Southern was established in 1977 and offers a wide range of day and evening classes. This fully equipped campus features a woodland walking trail, an outdoor amphitheater, and a community theater, all of which enrich the quality of life in the area. Construction was completed in fall 2004 on a new Gilbertown library facility, which is available for the public to use as well as students.
Alabama Southern's Alabama Center for Literary Arts in Monroeville hosts the annual Alabama Writers Symposium, which awards the Harper Lee Award for Alabama's Most Distinguished Writer of the Year.

Recent enrollment figures for the college list more than 1,500 students. The impact of Alabama Southern on the local economy is approximately $19.2 million, annually. The college employs approximately 197 people, including 135 full-time and 62 part-time faculty and staff.