Amarillo College
Encyclopedia
Amarillo College is a two-year fully accredited community college
in Amarillo
, Texas
with over 10,000 students that was established in 1929 as Amarillo Junior College. Amarillo College has a total of six campuses as of October 2005.
As defined by the Texas Legislature
, the official service area of AC includes all of Carson
, Castro, Deaf Smith, Moore, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, and Swisher
Counties.
In 1951, AC became one of the first three publicly supported Texas college to admit blacks to undergraduate classes. The others were Texas Southmost College
in Brownsville
and Howard County Junior College
in Big Spring
. (The AC Story: Journal of a College, Joe F. Taylor, 1979)
For years, AC was one of the few community colleges in Texas without an athletic program. However, that changed in 1999 with the inception of Amarillo College's Fencing Team, and the Amarillo College Fencing Association. Both clubs are sanctioned by the United States Fencing Association. Juleah Nusz, an Amarillo College fencer, is a national United States Fencing Association Champion, and under the guidance of Coach Chuck Slaughter.
region's PBS
member station, KACV-TV
. The Amarillo Art Center is also located in this campus, opened in 1972, is a building complex with an art museum and concert hall.
, Emergency Medical Services Professions (Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technologists), Licensed Vocational Nursing, Medical Data Specialist, Medical Laboratory Technology, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapy Assisting, Pharmacy Technology, Radiography, Radiation Therapy, Respiratory Care and Surgical Technology. The West Campus also houses the Panhandle Regional Law Enforcement Academy, an academy accredited by TCLEOSE
. The campus is located near Amarillo's hospital district.
The campus offers technology courses in Auto Collision, Automotive, Aviation Maintenance, Diesel Mechanics, Electronics, Fire Protection, Industrial Maintenance, Instrument and Control, and Safety and Environmental.
The campus is sparsely developed, consisting of old buildings from the TSTC days (which itself were donated when Amarillo Air Force Base
closed) and a residential community called Highland Park Village (consisting of old military housing duplexes, from which the nearby school district
takes its name), currently managed by the college.
. The college opened a sixth campus in Hereford
, the seat of Deaf Smith County on August 29, 2005. KPAN AM&FM
radio
broadcaster Clint Formby
raised $89,000 in scholarship
s for student attending the Hereford campus.
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
in Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
with over 10,000 students that was established in 1929 as Amarillo Junior College. Amarillo College has a total of six campuses as of October 2005.
As defined by the Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
, the official service area of AC includes all of Carson
Carson County, Texas
Carson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Amarillo metropolitan area. In 2000, its population was 6,516. Carson is named for Samuel Price Carson, the first secretary of state of the Republic of Texas. The seat of the county is Panhandle. It was founded in...
, Castro, Deaf Smith, Moore, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, and Swisher
Swisher County, Texas
Swisher County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 8,378. Its seat is Tulia. The county is named for James G. Swisher, a soldier of the Texas Revolution and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence...
Counties.
History
Prior to 1929, Amarillo was the largest Texas city without a public college. George Ordway and James Guleke helped to introduce a house bill that would establish junior college districts in the Amarillo area. On July 16, 1929, AC became the first Texas junior college district to be organized independent of a school district. The first classes were held later that year in September. The college moved to its main campus on Washington Street in 1937.In 1951, AC became one of the first three publicly supported Texas college to admit blacks to undergraduate classes. The others were Texas Southmost College
Texas Southmost College
Texas Southmost College was established in 1926 under the name of The Junior College of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and admitted its first class on September 21 of that year. The school was originally a subsidiary of the local school district in Brownsville...
in Brownsville
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
and Howard County Junior College
Howard College
Howard College is a community college with its main campus in Big Spring, Texas and branch campuses in San Angelo and Lamesa....
in Big Spring
Big Spring, Texas
Big Spring is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Texas, United States, at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 87 and Interstate 20. With a population of 25,233 at the 2000 census, it is the largest city between Midland to the west, Abilene to the east, Lubbock to the north, and San Angelo...
. (The AC Story: Journal of a College, Joe F. Taylor, 1979)
For years, AC was one of the few community colleges in Texas without an athletic program. However, that changed in 1999 with the inception of Amarillo College's Fencing Team, and the Amarillo College Fencing Association. Both clubs are sanctioned by the United States Fencing Association. Juleah Nusz, an Amarillo College fencer, is a national United States Fencing Association Champion, and under the guidance of Coach Chuck Slaughter.
Washington Street Campus
The college's main and original campus is located near downtown Amarillo. As of 2005, the campus expands to nearly 31 acres (125,452.7 m²) with 17 buildings. It has its own radio and television studios which is home to the Texas PanhandleTexas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
region's PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
member station, KACV-TV
KACV-TV
KACV-TV is a public television station in Amarillo, Texas, broadcasting locally on VHF channel 8 as a PBS member station. Founded in 1988, the station is owned by the city's community college, Amarillo College...
. The Amarillo Art Center is also located in this campus, opened in 1972, is a building complex with an art museum and concert hall.
West Campus
The West Campus was opened in 1966 in response to growing demand for allied health and occupational technology programs. The campus houses fifteen allied health programs that includes Associate Degree Registered Nursing, Dentist Aide, Dental HygieneDental hygienist
thumb|right|300px|Dental hygienist holding a scalerA dental hygienist is a licensed dental professional who specializes in preventive oral health, typically focusing on techniques in oral hygiene. Local dental regulations determine the scope of practice of dental hygienists...
, Emergency Medical Services Professions (Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technologists), Licensed Vocational Nursing, Medical Data Specialist, Medical Laboratory Technology, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapy Assisting, Pharmacy Technology, Radiography, Radiation Therapy, Respiratory Care and Surgical Technology. The West Campus also houses the Panhandle Regional Law Enforcement Academy, an academy accredited by TCLEOSE
Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Education
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Education or TCLEOSE, serves as the regulatory agency for ALL peace officers in Texas, which includes Sheriffs, Constables, Security Police, Police Officers Marshals and corectional officers.*...
. The campus is located near Amarillo's hospital district.
Polk Street Campus
The campus is located in downtown Amarillo. In 1977, Amarillo College leased two gyms from the Amarillo Senior Citizens Association (ASCA), formerly of Amarillo High School and Elizabeth Nixson Junior High School. In 1996, the old Amarillo High School gymnasium was transformed into Business & Industry Center which houses an auditorium, an exhibit hall and classrooms for seminars, short courses, and computer training. The facility is used to workforce training for business and industry.East Campus
In 1995, the Texas state legislature created Amarillo Technical Center after transferring Texas State Technical College's Amarillo facility to Amarillo College. In 2002, the campus was renamed Amarillo College East Campus.The campus offers technology courses in Auto Collision, Automotive, Aviation Maintenance, Diesel Mechanics, Electronics, Fire Protection, Industrial Maintenance, Instrument and Control, and Safety and Environmental.
The campus is sparsely developed, consisting of old buildings from the TSTC days (which itself were donated when Amarillo Air Force Base
Amarillo Air Force Base
Amarillo Air Force Base, originally Amarillo Army Air Field is a former United States Air Force base located in Potter County, Texas, approximately 6 miles East of downtown Amarillo within the easternmost city limits...
closed) and a residential community called Highland Park Village (consisting of old military housing duplexes, from which the nearby school district
Highland Park Independent School District (Potter County, Texas)
Highland Park Independent School District is a public school district based in Amarillo, Texas .The district covers all of eastern Potter County, including those portions of Amarillo generally east of Whitaker Road Highland Park Independent School District is a public school district based in...
takes its name), currently managed by the college.
Campuses outside of Amarillo
In 2000, Amarillo College started operating a campus outside of Amarillo in Dumas, TexasDumas, Texas
Dumas is a city in Moore County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,747 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Moore County. Located approximately fifty miles north of Amarillo, the city is named for...
. The college opened a sixth campus in Hereford
Hereford, Texas
Hereford is a city in Deaf Smith County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,597 at the 2000 census. It is the only incorporated Hereford in the country. It is the county seat of Deaf Smith County....
, the seat of Deaf Smith County on August 29, 2005. KPAN AM&FM
KPAN-FM
KPAN-FM is a radio station broadcasting a country-music format. KPAN-FM is licensed to serve the community of Hereford, Texas, USA. The station is currently owned by KPAN Broadcasters....
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcaster Clint Formby
Clint Formby
John Clinton Formby, known as Clint Formby , was a veteran radio broadcaster called the "Old Philosopher" based in the small city of Hereford, Texas, the seat of Deaf Smith County in the Texas Panhandle. His daily broadcast ran continuously on his KPAN AM & FM country-music station since October...
raised $89,000 in scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s for student attending the Hereford campus.
Notable alumni
- John C. MorganJohn C. MorganJohn Cary "Red" Morgan was a United States Army Air Forces pilot in World War II who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during a 1943 bombing run over Germany, which also inspired a character of the novel and film Twelve O'Clock High.-Background:Born August 24, 1914, at Vernon, Texas, and...
, Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient - Ben SargentBen SargentBen Sargent is an American editorial cartoonist. He began drawing editorial cartoons for the Austin American-Statesman in 1974 and retired in 2009. His cartoons are also distributed nationally by Universal Press Syndicate....
, editorial cartoonist - G. William MillerG. William MillerGeorge William Miller served as the 65th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Carter from August 6, 1979 to January 20, 1981...
, Former United States Secretary of the Treasury and Chair of the Federal Reserve BankFederal Reserve BankThe twelve Federal Reserve Banks form a major part of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. The twelve federal reserve banks together divide the nation into twelve Federal Reserve Districts, the twelve banking districts created by the Federal Reserve Act of...
. - Larry KenonLarry KenonLarry Joe Kenon is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'9" forward who had a productive career in both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association , Kenon played for the New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors and...
, Former NBA player - Susan GibsonSusan GibsonSusan Gibson is a Wimberley, TX based singer-sonwriter who has released four solo albums and tours the nation. Gibson was the lead singer for the alternative country band, The Groobees, and is the writer of the Dixie Chicks hit Wide Open Spaces....
, Songwriter and Vocalist, wrote "Wide Open SpacesWide Open Spaces (song)"Wide Open Spaces" is a country song from the Dixie Chicks, written by Susan Gibson. Appearing as the title song on the band's 1998 album Wide Open Spaces, it was released as a single in August of that year, and hit number one on the U.S. Country singles chart, spending four weeks there in...
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