Galveston College (GC) is a community college on Galveston Island in Galveston, Texas.
History
Galveston College Video - Orientation video.
On the date of November 2, 1935, voters approved the creation of the Galveston Junior College District. However, the subsequent 1936 election to support the new district via a property tax failed, as did several other attempts.
In the mid-1960s, the creation of a college district on the Galveston County mainland â€" which ultimately led to the opening of College of the Mainland â€" motivated Galveston citizens to revive attempts at constructing a campus on the Island. After obtaining an opinion from the Texas Attorney General that the districtâ€"though never fundedâ€"was legally still intact, in 1966 the citizens finally passed a vote for a tax rate to support the new institution. In September 1967â€"almost 32 years after the district was createdâ€"Galveston College opened its doors to students.
Campus
Galveston College originally operated in a building that had formerly been occupied by an orphanageâ€"a building that is still part of the school and houses several auditoriums in addition to the college's administrative offices. Over the past 47 years the school has expanded several times through bond issues and grants by local families and foundations. At one point in the 1980s the college was composed of two campuses, the Main campus at 41st and Avenue Q and the Fort Crockett Campus near 53rd Street and Avenue U. During the 1990s land around the main campus was purchased and additional classrooms and facilities were constructed. This allowed for the consolidation of Fort Crockett campus into the main campus. A second campus was again established in 2013 when the Charlie Thomas Applied Technology Center was opened to house welding, electronics, HVAC, cosmotology, medical coding, and certified nursing assistant programs.
Organization and administration
GC is led by a president who answers to a Board of Regents whose nine members are publicly elected. The president is currently W. Myles Shelton.
In the late 1990s interest was shown in creating an endowment that would encourage high school graduates in the community to attend college. This led to the creation of the Galveston College Universal Access Foundation. Students who graduate from one of the Island's two high schools (Ball High School and O'Connell Consolidated High School) and fulfill certain requirements are eligible to have their tuition and fees paid for by the foundation.
As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of GC is the following:
- the Galveston Independent School District (therefore serving Galveston and Jamaica Beach),
- all of Galveston and Chambers Counties located on the Bolivar Peninsula, including the unincorporated High Island community and the High Island Independent School District, and
- the Hamshire Fannett and Sabine Pass school districts located within Jefferson County. Therefore, Galveston College serves several unincorporated communities and southern Port Arthur.
Academic profile
The college serves an ethnically diverse population of approximately 2,400 students each semester in credit programs and nearly 8,000 individuals annually in continuing education and workforce development programs. It has a full-time staff and faculty of over 150 employees and nearly 90 reserve faculty members. It has also partnered with the Galveston-based University of Texas Medical Branch in creating specialized certificate programs and education tracks.
Student life
Sport
College athletic teams are nicknamed the Whitecaps.
Notable people
- Brandon Backe was a pitcher for the Houston Astros.
- Juan Pierre was a major league outfield who won the World Series with the Florida Marlins in 2003.
References
External links
- Official website