Lee College is celebrating a milestone birthday this fall, having served the community for 75 years. Only a few Texas community colleges were established before Lee College, and the oldest continually operating community college, North Central Texas College, began operations a mere 10 years before Lee College, in 1924.
Like many early community colleges, Lee College began as an extension of the local school district. The Board of Trustees of the Goose Creek Independent School District agreed in early 1931 that a Junior College should be established in the area to create opportunities for people to improve their quality of life. Lee Junior College was founded in 1934, and when registration was completed for that first semester, 177 students had enrolled. The first graduation from Lee Junior College was on May 24, 1935, with four women receiving diplomas.
Under the leadership of Dean Walter Rundell, Lee College successfully separated from the local public school district in 1965, and on August 18, 1965, Lee College’s first Board of Regents assumed governance of the college. Since then, the college has established itself as one of finest (and fastest growing) community colleges in the state.
