History of Odessa College

The past of Odessa College is interwoven with growth and progress. A review of its history reveals a success story of a public institution that has maintained the community college spirit and has grown by serving the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. Beginning with 184 students in 1946, OC has grown steadily through the years. Approximately 5,000 students are enrolled in university-parallel and occupational/technical credit courses. During a year, almost 11,000 individuals also enroll in one or more Adult Basic Education, Continuing Education or Community Recreation courses.

Many university-parallel courses are offered for students planning to complete four-year degrees at senior colleges or universities and are freely transferable. Former OC students have a phenomenal record of success in the fields of accounting, law, medicine, music, public administration and teaching.

More than 30 occupational/technical programs also are offered, and additional ones are planned to meet the needs of citizens who want to learn new or improve existing skills. With more than 30 percent of our students enrolled in occupational/technical programs, OC continues to fulfill the workforce demands of our community.

Initially housed in temporary quarters in the old Odessa High School, OC's first classes were conducted after public school hours in late afternoons and evenings. Ector County taxpayers purchased a five-acre plot in the 2500 block of the Andrews Highway and in 1949 authorized the building of Baskin Hall, the first permanent structure.

The campus grew to 15 buildings on a 35-acre plot by 1960. Then during the 1990's, OC received three major property donations as the college continued to expand to serve the educational needs of its students and service area.

In January 1990, Rexene Products Company, one of Odessa's largest employers, donated a 42,000-square-foot building located in downtown Odessa. At that time, it was the largest single donation ever made to the college. Today, the facility, called the Noel Center, houses the Small Business Incubator and Adult Basic Education.

A prominent West Texas businessman donated one of the largest and best-equipped equine facilities in the nation to OC in late 1997. Located in nearby Gardendale, Texas, the 120-acre ranch, now called the Odessa College Rodeo and Agriculture Graham Center, was donated for the enhancement of the Odessa College Rodeo Team and for the development of programs for students majoring in agriculture.

Today, the $55 million main campus in Odessa spreads over 80 acres and includes some 25 buildings that house more than 150 classrooms, laboratories and other facilities.

OC boasts a $7 million Sports Center with more than 110,000 square feet of floor space that houses athletics, physical education and community recreation activities. The college also is home to public radio station KOCV-FM.

Odessa College has not only expanded its facilities, but has also expanded its educational services to much of West Texas. The OC service area now covers over 30,000 square miles, making it the largest service area for any community college in Texas. OC offers extension courses and/or Adult Basic Education courses in eight towns as well as offering concurrent classes in seven area high schools.

In 1999, an Odessa doctor and his wife donated a 27,000 square-foot 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 OC to improve and expand its long-established extension education program in Pecos.

As the college has grown, so has its effectiveness. Quality education and academic excellence have long been its hallmarks. As our community and service area needs change, Odessa College will restructure its programs to better serve its constituents.

Role and Mission

Odessa College shall be a two-year institution primarily serving its local taxing district and service area and offering vocational, technical and academic courses for certification or associate degrees. Continuing education, remedial and compensatory education consistent with open admission policies, and programs of counseling and guidance shall be provided. The college shall insist on excellence in all academic areas — instruction, research and public service. Faculty research, using the facilities provided for and consistent with the primary function of the college is encouraged. Funding for research should be from private sources, competitively acquired sources, local taxes and other revenue.

Purpose

The purpose of this district shall be to provide:

1. Technical programs up to two years in length leading to associate degrees or certificates.
2. Vocational programs leading directly to employment in semi-skilled and skilled occupations.
3. Freshman and sophomore courses in arts and sciences.
4. Continuing adult education programs for occupational or cultural upgrading.
5. Compensatory education programs designed to fulfill the commitment of an admissions policy allowing the enrollment of disadvantaged students.
6. A continuing program of counseling and guidance designed to assist students in achieving their individual educational goals.
7. Workforce development programs designed to meet local and statewide needs.
8. Adult literacy and other basic skills programs for adults.
9. Other purposes as may be prescribed by the Coordinating Board or the district's board.

Institutional Responsibility

In addition to specific responsibilities imposed by the Education Code or other law, Odessa College has the general responsibility to serve the public and, within the college's role and mission to:

1. Transmit culture through general education
2. Extend knowledge.
3. Teach and train students fro professions.
4. Provide for scientific, engineering, medical and other academic research.
5. Protect intellectual exploration and academic freedom.
6. Strive for intellectual excellence.
7. Provide educational opportunity for all who can benefit from post-secondary education and training.
8. Provide continuing education opportunities.

City of Odessa

OC is located in Odessa, Texas, a progressive West Texas city of more than 100,000 people midway between Fort Worth and El Paso.

Odessa is a cultural, recreational, educational, medical, retail, and wholesale trading center for a region as large as several Easter Seaboard states combined. Two hospitals provide a wide variety of medical services for the region, and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is adjacent to Medical Center Hospital, providing additional health opportunities.

Odessa boasts a daily newspaper, 7 television stations, 20 radio stations and more than 130 churches. Numerous cultural, intellectual and recreational activities are available for the area's citizens.

Odessa is a growing, progressive city where friendly people heartily support Odessa College and its efforts. Newcomers find Odessa a good place to live and to raise a family, as well as an enjoyable place to study and to work.

Equal Opportunity at Odessa College

Odessa College is committed to the basic right of all people to have an equal opportunity for education or employment at this institution. Every effort will be made by the board of trustees, the administration and the faculty to defend this right and to vigorously seek to promote its implementation in all areas of the institution.

In accordance with its admissions standards, OC will admit as students any persons who can benefit from the instructional programs offered.

In addition, OC will strive to meet the post-secondary educational needs of its students by restructuring current programs and by creating new programs when these actions will benefit students.

Title IX of the Civil Rights Restoration Act prohibits sex discrimination in all programs of institutions which receive federal funds. Inquires regarding Title IX should be made to the Title IX compliance person in the OC Human Resources Office, or to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202.

OC Trustee / Admin Info