Facilities Master Plan

History

Lee College was established in 1934, and when registration was completed for that first semester, 177 students had enrolled in the inaugural session of Lee Junior College of Goose Creek. The Board of Trustees of the Goose Creek Independent School District had agreed as early as 1931 that a junior college should be established to provide educational opportunity to students who could not otherwise afford it.

The first graduation was on May 24, 1935, with four students receiving diplomas. A 33 percent increase in the fall of 1935 boosted enrollment to 236.

The founders of the college were interested in providing a strong academic curriculum and a comprehensive technical/vocational curriculum. In 1936, the Vocational program was initiated. Later, it became known as the Robert E. Lee Institute, Vocational Division of Lee Junior College. No college credit was given for work in the Institute until 1941, and it did not become an integral part of the college until 1945, following a two-year period when no technical/vocational courses were offered.

By the mid-1940’s, the administration and faculty of the college had become increasingly aware that the college needed its own campus and its own governing board. In 1945, Walter Rundell, one of the original faculty members, became Dean of Lee College. Dean Rundell became the guiding force behind major developments for the two decades which followed. In 1948, the name was changed to Lee College. In the same year, Lee College gained accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The Association urged Lee College to develop a campus facility separate from the high school.

A successful bond election in 1949 led to the completion of the first two buildings, the administration building and the gymnasium. The college moved to the new campus in 1951. Following the move to a separate campus, the growth of the college exceeded the expectations of the leaders, and plans for additional buildings had to be accelerated. A Liberal Arts building, now Social Sciences, was added in 1958. By 1961, the campus had doubled in size. The library was completed and the gymnasium expanded in 1962. Moler Hall, TV-1, and Bonner Hall followed.

Under the leadership of Dean Rundell, Lee College successfully separated from the local public school district in 1965. On August 18, 1965, Lee College’s first Board of Regents, appointed by the public school board, assumed governance of the college.

A significant event in the history of Lee College occurred in 1966, when the college, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Corrections, began a program of courses in the state’s prison system. This program has grown from 182 students that first year to a current enrollment which exceeds 1300 students. In fact, Lee College has taught more inmate students and awarded more degrees to inmates than any other college in the world.

Today a wide range of academic and technical/vocational courses are taught at Lee College’s Huntsville Center-TDCJ.

In 1966, Dr. Richard Strahan became the first full-time president of Lee College. Since the separation from the local public school district, the college has had seven presidents: Dr. Strahan, 1966-71; Dr. Raymond Cleveland, 1971-73; Dr. Tom Sturgeon, 1973-76; Dr. Robert Cloud, 1976-86; Dr. Vivian Blevins, 1986-91; Dr. Jackson Sasser, 1992-2001; and Dr. Martha Ellis, 2002 to present.

In 1969, Lee College, in cooperation with two Liberty county school districts, began offering courses at the Liberty/Dayton extension centers. A wide range of college courses are offered, and classes meet in the two high schools.

Another milestone in the history of Lee College was the offering of continuing education courses in 1972 and the establishment shortly thereafter of a senior citizen’s program. These community-oriented, short-term courses have experienced a dramatic growth in popularity and are further evidence of the flexibility of the community college concept.

In 1986, Lee College began two new programs to serve not only Lee College’s district constituents, but also interested citizens outside the college’s service areas. The San Jacinto Mall College was the result of cooperation between mall and business leaders and the college. Working with area school superintendents, President Blevins initiated the Neighborhood College in Crosby, Huffman, Anahuac, and Hardin. The college utilizes classrooms in the various high schools of the host communities.

Better coordination with local groups led to the formation of the Hispanic Educational Access Committee, for the Black Educational Access Committee, and the Handicapped Educational Access Committee in the fall of 1986. The work of these committees has received favorable recognition and has served to encourage educational access to these under-represented groups.

The addition of college-credit televised instruction in the fall of 1987 provided access to college course work to many home bound individuals of persons seeking alternative delivery systems.

Expansion of the offerings of continuing education continued in the late eighties, and, with the cooperation of the Harris County Department of Education, funds were made available to Lee College to enroll thousands of undereducated Baytonians in English as a Second Language classes, Adult Basic Education classes, and GED preparation classes.

A focus on economic development resulted in the Small Business Development Center being opened in 1987. In response to the needs of local industries, Lee College began to institute new industrial programs to revise existing ones.

During the spring and fall of 1987, Lee College underwent reorganization of administration and faculty to emphasize planning and accountability. Advisory groups representing staff administration, students, and faculty were organized to express the concerns of their respective constituents.

In 1987, Lee College also renewed its commitment to the instructional programs at the Texas Department of Corrections by providing placement testing and enhanced counseling services for inmate students and new facilities for Lee College Huntsville personnel.

Several new campus programs were also initiated in 1987, including country western music, multi cultural studies, accounting technology, child development, word processing, chemical abuse counseling, medical secretaries training, and evening programs in associate degree nursing and cosmetology.

A successful bond election in 1988 enabled the College to initiate in 1990 a construction program, which featured the Barney Gray science facility. Tucker Hall auditorium, a 200-seat facility, was also constructed in 1991 as part of the bond issue. The McNulty Haddick Complex was the result of the renovation of an old Sears store on West Texas Avenue. The 65,000 square foot facility houses the Allied Health and Fine Arts departments.

In 1992, the College received a $750,000 grant from the Department of Energy to upgrade the College’s mechanical and electrical infrastructure to conserve energy. The project included installation of an ice storage system and retrofit of all lighting to electronic ballasts. In 1994, the College’s technology infrastructure received a major boost when the Department of Education awarded Lee College a five-year Title III grant in the amount of $1.2 million.

During spring semester 1998, the College began an effort to identify facility needs. The outcome of that process was a successful bond election on February 12, 2000. Concurrently, the college kicked off its “Campaign for Excellence” to raise money for campus beautification. Construction began in July 2001. Projects constructed included a new Advanced Technology Center (November 2002), a new library (November 2002), a new Wellness Center/Sports Complex (January 2003), tennis courts (February 2002), parking (2001 – 2003), a new entry , a central courtyard (May 2003), renovations to TV-1 (September 2003), covered walkways, landscaping, and the old gymnasium (2004). These projects led to the expansion of the campus by more than 33%.

In October of 2004, the College completed the renovation to the old library into a Student Center with game room, cyber café, Bayer Conference Center, Enterprise Gallery, Security office, and student club offices.

Today over 17,000 Lee College students are enrolled in academic, applied science, and continuing education programs each year. Founded to provide a quality education for minimal cost, Lee College proudly carries that tradition into the 21st century.