The 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act defined dance as an art form, designated the arts as core academic subjects, and called for highly qualified instructors in every classroom. These developments provided new opportunities for dance faculty in higher education preparing their students for life after college. Using a case study approach, the author investigated how postsecondary dance programs in the state of Alabama responded to changes in public policy. Informed by the theoretical lens of Anthony Giddens (1984) and the conceptual frame of Lee Bolman and Terrance Deal (2008), the study uncovered issues related to dance education programming and certification in the state of Alabama.