San Jacinto Community College District
Pasadena, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
SAN JACINTO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT THE GREATER PASADENA AREA GREW RAPIDLY FROM INDUSTRIALIZATION DURING AND AFTER WORLD WAR II, WITH THE CITY’S POPULATION INCREASING FROM 3,436 IN 1940 TO 22,483 IN 1950 AND TO 58,737 IN 1960. IN THE LATE 1950s, COMMUNITY LEADERS AND SCHOOL DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALONG THE HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL DISCUSSED EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATING STUDENTS AND PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY WORKERS. IN MARCH 1960, COLLEGE SUPPORTERS PRESENTED PETITIONS TO THE COUNTY AND STATE BOARDS OF EDUCATION. A MAY 1960 ELECTION CREATED THE EAST HARRIS COUNTY UNION JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT, A BOARD OF REGENTS AND A SUPPORTING PROPERTY TAX. THE EFFORT WITHSTOOD EARLY OPPOSITION INCLUDING LEGISLATION AND LAWSUITS. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GAVE THE COLLEGE 141 ACRES FOR ITS SPENCER HIGHWAY CAMPUS IN DEC. 1960. TWO MONTHS LATER, REGENTS APPROVED DR. THOMAS SPENCER AS THE FIRST PRESIDENT. ONE WEEK AFTER HURRICANE CARLA DAMAGED TEMPORARY CLASSROOMS IN DOWNTOWN PASADENA, THE COLLEGE OPENED ON SEP. 18, 1961, AND THE OPENING ENROLLMENT OF 876 SET A NEW RECORD FOR FIRST-YEAR ENROLLMENT FOR TEXAS JUNIOR COLLEGES. WITH COMPLETION OF THE VINCENT HEINRICH SCIENCE BUILDING AND McCOLLUM ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, ALL CLASSES MOVED TO THE MAIN CAMPUS IN 1964. THE COLLEGE QUICKLY ACHIEVED STATE AND NATIONAL ACCREDITATION. VOTERS HAVE APPROVED SEVERAL BOND ELECTIONS, BUILDING NORTH (1975) AND SOUTH (1979) CAMPUSES. THE COLLEGE SUSTAINED FURTHER HURRICANE DAMAGE FROM ALICIA (1983) AND IKE (2008) BUT HAS REBUILT WITH ENROLLMENT STEADILY GROWING AT ALL THREE CAMPUSES. SAN JACINTO COLLEGE HAS ADDED NEW BUILDINGS AND PROGRAMS, COMMUNITY EXTENSION CENTERS, ONLINE AND HYBRID COURSES, AND CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES TO MEET THE EDUCATIONAL AND WORKFORCE TRAINING NEEDS OF THE REGION. 175 YEARS OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE * 1836-2011
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
As petrochemical industry along the Houston Ship Channel swelled Pasadena's population from 3,436 in 1940 to nearly 59,000 by 1960, community leaders pushed to create a college for graduates and industry workers. A 1960 election established the junior college district, which survived early lawsuits and opposition, and the federal government granted 141 acres for a campus. The college opened in September 1961—just after Hurricane Carla damaged its temporary quarters—with a record first-year enrollment of 876.
Why it matters
San Jacinto College embodies the postwar faith that public higher education should follow industry, training the workforce of one of America's great petrochemical corridors.
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Related people
- · Dr. Thomas Spencer
Related events
- · Hurricane Carla (1961)
Themes & tags
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