Odessa College

Odessa College is a public junior college in Odessa, Texas. The college serves the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It was established in 1946 and currently enrolls about 5,000 annually in its university-parallel and occupational/technical courses, and 11,000 students annually in its Basic Education, Continuing Education, and Community Recreation courses.

Odessa College
TypeJunior college
EstablishedAugust 29, 1946[1]
PresidentDr. Gregory D. Williams[2]
Students5,803[3]
Location
Odessa
,
Texas
,
United States
Campus80 acres (0.32 km2)[1]
ColorsBlue and White[4]          
NicknameWranglers[4]
AffiliationsWestern Junior College Athletic Conference[4]
Mascot"Willie" the Wrangler[4]
Websiteodessa.edu

History

Odessa College was founded in 1946 as Odessa Junior College.[5] The college dropped "Junior" from its name around 1976.[6]

As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of Odessa College is the following:[7]

Odessa Junior College was featured in the Supreme Court case Perry v. Sindermann, 408 U.S. 593 (1972).

In 1999, an Odessa doctor and his wife donated a 27,000-square-foot (2,500 m2) building in Pecos to house the new Pecos Technical Training Center of Odessa College. After renovations to the building made possible by an $860,000 Economic Development Administration grant, the center now houses administrative and faculty offices, technical and vocational learning labs and a student lounge. The new center enables Odessa College to improve and expand its long-established extension education program in Pecos.

In 2011, Odessa College, along with Frank Phillips College in Borger, Ranger College in Ranger, and Brazosport College in Lake Jackson were proposed for closure by the State of Texas. The Texas Association of Community Colleges rallied successfully to keep the four institutions open. In a letter to Texas House Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio and Jim Pitts of Waxahachie in Ellis County, then the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, TAAC leaders referred to state budget restrictions at the time:

Community colleges are fully aware of the state's budget crisis, and we understand that we will have to bear our share of the budget pain. We pledge to work with you to reach a fair and equitable solution ... the decision to close these four colleges is unfair and inequitable in that it appears to be arbitrary and ill-advised. We stand in support of our sister colleges, and we look forward to a productive debate ...[8]

Athletics

Odessa College participates in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference Conference of the National Junior College Athletic Association in multiple sports. To date, the Odessa sports programs have won 46 national National Junior College Athletic Association titles, making them the most winning program in the association.[9] 11 sports are currently active: Men's and Women's Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Golf, Rodeo, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Dance, Cheerleaders, and Trainers. In 1970 the women's tennis team won the third national collegiate championship of the United States Lawn Tennis Association. In the first annual National Junior College Golf Tournament on June 2–5, 1959, Odessa College almost made a complete sweep of the honors with Jerry Lackey winning the individual championship with a score of 290 while Les Howard and Melvin Chisum took home the 1st place trophy in the team competition. In 1968 Gail Sykes won the national intercollegiate individual women's golf championship. During the basketball season, Odessa College broadcasts the men's and women's Western Junior College Athletic Conference road games and the home games with Midland College on the radio.

Notable alumni
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See also
  • Bill Noël, local industrialist who supported the college
  • W. E. "Pete" Snelson, Odessa College vice-president (1950-1955), later served in both houses of the Texas State Legislature from Midland[10]

References
  1. "Odessa College". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  2. "Welcome to OC from the President". Odessa College. www.odessa.edu. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  3. "Odessa College sees record enrollment numbers for spring 2011" (PDF). Odessa College. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 28, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  4. "Staff Directory". Odessa College. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  5. 1949-1950 Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide. Dallas: The Dallas Morning News. 1949. p. 419.
  6. Texas Almanac, 1976-1977. Dallas: The Dallas Morning News. 1975. p. 514.
  7. Texas Education Code, Section 130.193, "Odessa College District Service Area".
  8. "Letter to the Honorable Joe Straus" (PDF). tacc.org. January 24, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  9. "OC is the most winning school in the NJCAA". WranglerSports.com.
  10. "W. E. "Pete" Snelson (1923-2014)". The Odessa American. Retrieved May 1, 2014.

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