Midland College


Midland College is a public community college in Midland, Texas. It was established as an independent junior college in 1972 and held its first classes on campus in 1975. Since that time, the campus has expanded to a main campus on in Midland. It also has numerous locations in other parts of Midland and in Fort Stockton, the Pecos County seat.

History

Midland College began in September 1969 as the Midland campus of the Permian Junior College system. It was recreated in 1972 with the formation of the Midland College District.

Service area

As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of Midland College is all of Crockett, Midland, Pecos, Reagan, and Terrell counties.

Campus

Main campus

Following the formation of the Midland College District in 1972, bonds in the amount of $5,100,000 were issued for the construction of a campus. Groundbreaking at the new campus was held October 23, 1973.
Opened in the spring of 1975:
  • Pevehouse Administration Building
  • Abell-Hanger Science Faculty Building
Opened in the fall of 1975:
  • Murray Fasken Learning Resource Center
  • Dorothy and Clarence Scharbauer, Jr. Student Center
  • Technology Center
  • Physical Education Building
Opened in 1978:
Opened in the following years:
  • Davidson Family Health Sciences Building
  • Dolly Neal Chapel
  • Dorothy and Todd Aaron Medical Science Building
  • F. Marie Hall Academic Building
  • Helen L. Greathouse Children's Center
  • Jack E. Brown Dining Hall
  • Leona G. and John E. Fox Science Building
Also, four residence halls are on the Midland College main campus .

Off-campus facilities

  • The Advanced Technology Center, located at 3200 W. Cuthbert in Midland, delivers workforce education programs that support the development of a skilled technical workforce for Midland and the Permian Basin. The facility contains more than of instructional space that features high-tech computer classrooms with Internet access and a tiered lecture hall.
  • The Aviation Maintenance Technology Facility, located at Midland International Airport, Hangar E, 2405 Windecker, offers students training on actual aircraft as they work towards certification in airframe maintenance and powerplant maintenance.
  • The Bill Pace Cogdell Learning Center, located at 201 W. Florida, provides ABE, ESL, and GED courses, and houses the MC Business and Economic Development Center.
  • The Petroleum Professional Development Center, located at 3600 N. Garfield, Jack E. Brown Conference Center, provides continuing education for the Permian Basin energy industries.
  • The Williams Regional Technical Training Center, located at 1309 West I-10 in Fort Stockton, provides university parallel, occupational/technical certificate and associate degree programs, and courses offered in collaboration with the Fort Stockton Independent School District.

    Academics

The college offers 100+ degree and certificate programs, as well as a variety of continuing education programs. It also offers a bachelor's degree in organizational management and provides on-campus access to upper-level degrees offered at seven University Center partners.
Midland College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award certificates and associate and baccalaureate degrees. It is also approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

University Center

The Midland College University Center offers students several options for either beginning or completing their education. Programs and courses are now offered by seven area and online universities: Texas Tech University, Lubbock Christian University, the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, Sul Ross State University, Angelo State University, Howard Payne University, and Western Governors University. Midland College offers more than fifty associate degree and certificate options plus a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Organizational Management and Bachelor of Applied Science in Health Services Management.

Early College High School

Early College High School at Midland College is located on the main campus in the Allison Fine Arts Building. The school welcomed its first freshman class on August 24, 2009. The goal for ECHS is that by the time "the students receive their high school diploma, they will also have an associate's degree from Midland College." In 2022, ECHS @ MC was designated a National Blue Ribbon School.

Special designations

In 2010, Midland College became the first institution in West Texas and the fourth community college in the nation to be designated an All-Steinway School.
In 2013, Midland College became the first community college to be designated a Conn-Selmer School.

Student life

Clubs, intramural sports, cheerleading, student government, and all other student-related activities operate through the Student Activities Office.

Residence halls

The main campus has three residence halls for students: O'Shaughnessy Hall, Nadine and Tom Craddick Hall, and David E. Daniel Residence Hall.

Student publications

  • Chaparral - The MC student news/feature magazine is published once each year, during the spring semester.
  • Tableau - The MC student literary magazine is published once each year during the fall semester.
The student publications office at Midland College also maintains its own website ''''

Athletics

The Midland College Chaparrals have won 21 National Championships in sports since 1975, as well as produced 192 All-Americans. A member of the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, Midland College fields teams in:
  • Baseball
  • Men's basketball
  • Women's basketball
  • Men's golf
  • Softball
  • Volleyball
The college's mascot is a Chaparral.

Notable alumni