Blinn College is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...

Brenham, Texas Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, United States, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Washington County is known as the "Birthplace of Texas, ...

, with additional campuses in

Bryan Bryan may refer to: Places United States * Bryan, Arkansas * Bryan, Kentucky * Bryan, Ohio * Bryan, Texas * Bryan, Wyoming, a ghost town in Sweetwater County in the U.S. state of Wyoming * Bryan Township (disambiguation) Facilities and structur ...

Schulenburg Schulenburg is a city in Fayette County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,633 at the 2020 census. Known for its German culture, Schulenburg is home of the Texas Polka Music Museum. It is in a rural, agricultural area settled by Germa ...

, and Sealy. Brenham is Blinn's main campus, with dormitories and apartments.

History

Blinn was established as Mission Institute in 1884 by the Southern German Conference of the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

denomination. It became

coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

al in 1888 when it began admitting women. In 1889, the institute's name was changed to Blinn Memorial College in honor of the Reverend Christian Blinn of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, who had donated a considerable sum of money to make the school possible. In 1927, the Board of Trustees, under leadership of President Philip Deschner, organized a

. In 1930, Blinn merged with

Southwestern University Southwestern University (Southwestern or SU) is a private liberal arts college in Georgetown, Texas. Formed in 1873 from a revival of collegiate charters granted in 1840, Southwestern is the oldest college or university in Texas. Southwestern o ...

of Georgetown,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. In 1934, a new charter was procured by the citizens of Brenham, and a private nonsectarian junior college was organized as Blinn College with nine regents as the board of control. In February 1937, all connections with Southwestern University and the Methodist denominations were severed. On June 8, 1937, voters in Washington County levied a

property tax A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inheri ...

for the creation of a public junior college district. Blinn thus became the first county-owned junior college district in Texas. The college continues to operate as one of the largest of some fifty public

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

districts in Texas. After some early struggles (including the campus nearly closing in 1946 due to fiscal issues), the college began to grow and do well under the leadership of Dr. Thomas Morris Spencer, one of the early public junior college pioneers in Texas. When he left the college in 1957 it was on a firm fiscal footing. The Bryan campus was established in 1970, and by the early 1980s, a third campus opened in

College Station College station or College Station may refer to: Transportation *College station (MetroLink), a St. Louis light rail station in Saint Clair County, Illinois, United States *College station (PNR), a Philippine National Railways station in Los Baño ...

. In 1997, the Villa Maria Road campus opened consolidating the programs that were located in the Townshire Shopping Center in Bryan and the Woodstone Center in College Station. The third

Brazos County Brazos County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 233,849. The county seat is Bryan. Along with Brazoria County, the county is named for the Brazos River, which forms its western border. The c ...

site, located in the former Bryan post office, continues to house the dental hygiene, radiologic technology, and workforce education programs. The original three buildings on the Bryan campuses were expanded to six, and in 2002, the former Schulman Theater was purchased and converted to classroom space, known as the College Park Campus (CPC). The Schulenburg campus opened in 1997 and Sealy in 2005. In 2017 Blinn College collaborated with

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

on the university's newly constructed RELLIS Campus at Bryan Air Force Base. (RELLIS is an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

of "Respect", "Excellence", "Leadership", "Loyalty", "Integrity", and "Selfless service".) Blinn College expected to invest $34 million in the site. The

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...

ceremony for the Blinn College educational building took place on March 31, 2017.,

Service area

According to the Texas Legislature, Blinn's service area includes the counties of Brazos, Burleson,

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her early work has been described as extending from "lo-fi R&B" to futuristic dance-pop, and has in ...

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, and Waller. It serves Austin County except for sections in Wallis-Orchard ISD, Fayette County except for sections in Smithville ISD, and Lee County except for sections in Elgin ISD. Additionally it serves sections of the counties of: * Bastrop (portions in Lexington ISD) * Milam (portions in Gause ISD, Lexington ISD, and Milano ISD) * Montgomery (portions in Richards ISD) *

Robertson Robertson may refer to: People * Robertson (surname) (includes a list of people with this name) * Robertson (given name) * Clan Robertson, a Scottish clan * Robertson, stage name of Belgian magician Étienne-Gaspard Robert (1763–1837) Places ...

(portions in

Bryan ISD Bryan Independent School District is a public school district based in Bryan, Texas (USA). It also serves rural areas in northern Brazos County, and a small portion of Robertson County. Within Brazos County it includes Bryan, Kurten, Lake Br ...

, Franklin ISD, Hearne ISD, and Mumford ISD) * Walker (portions in Richards ISD) * Willamson (portions in Lexington ISD)

Academic transfer

Blinn boasts the highest transfer rate in the state of Texas, sending students to institutions such as

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...

, Texas State University, the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

and the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

. Its transfer rate to four-year universities is 49% compared to the state average of 27%. Blinn transfers more students to Texas A&M University than any other two-year college. Blinn technical students score among the best in the state on board and licensure exams. Blinn and

established the first co-enrollment program of its kind with the TEAM (Transfer Enrollment at Texas A&M) Program. In 2013, the program was awarded the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Recognition of Excellence, and in 2014 it received the THECB Star Award.

Community impact

A 2014 study found that Blinn made a $345.3 million impact in its service area, including $239.5 million in added income by former students employed in the regional workforce, $61.3 million in College operations spending and $44.5 million in student spending. The report found that Blinn has made an impact of $247.4 million in Bryan-College Station, $83 million in Brenham, $11.1 million in Schulenburg and $3.9 million in Sealy. Blinn has also been recognized for its community service. In 2011, Blinn received the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Community Engagement Classification, and in 2012 it was the only community college in the state of Texas to be named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Each year, Blinn devotes a day to community service, called the Blinn Blitz, and hundreds of students participate in local community service projects.

Athletics

The home campus in Brenham has offered intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and has won 30 national championships since 1987. The Blinn Buccaneers play football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball. The football program won NJCAA championships in 1995, 1996, 2006, and 2009, the last of which was won with Cam Newton. The volleyball team won the NJCAA championship in 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014. The softball team consistently makes the national tournament. Blinn's award-winning cheer and dance teams won the UCA and UDA National Championships in 2014 and 2015.

Notable alumni

Chris "Birdman" Andersen Christopher Claus Andersen (born July 7, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Birdman", Andersen was born in Long Beach, California, grew up in Iola, Texas, and played one year at Blinn College. Andersen began ...

, professional basketball player *

Josh Ashton Josh Ashton Jr. (August 24, 1949 – October 4, 1993) was a professional American football player who played running back for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the New England Patriots and St. Louis Cardinals The St. Lo ...

, professional football player *

John Baker John Baker or Jon Baker may refer to: Military figures *John Baker (American Revolutionary War) (1731–1787), American Revolutionary War hero, for whom Baker County, Georgia was named *John Baker (RAF officer) (1897–1978), British air marshal ...

, professional football player *

Don Baylor Don Edward Baylor (June 28, 1949 – August 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and manager. During his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), Baylor was a power hitter known for standing very close to home plate (" crowding ...

, Major League Baseball Player, MVP 1979 *

Josh Beckett Joshua Patrick Beckett (born May 15, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). A three-time MLB All-Star, he played for the Florida Marlins, the Boston Red Sox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. After ...

(class of 1999), MLB Pitcher, World Series MVP (2003), ALCS MVP (2007), 2-Time World Series Champion, Pitched a No-Hitter (2014) * James Beckford, won

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

2004 Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

* Big Moe, rapper * Michael Bishop, professional football player, quarterback in the

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

, former Kansas State All-American *

Lyle Blackwood Lyle Vernon Blackwood (born May 24, 1951) is a former professional football player. He played safety position in the National Football League (NFL). Blackwood's best season was in 1977, when he intercepted 10 passes for the Baltimore Colts, helpi ...

, professional football player *

Chris Brazzell Chris Brazzell (born May 22, 1976) is a former American football wide receiver in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Edmonton Eskimos, BC Lions, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He also was a member of the New York Jets and ...

, professional football player * Eric Brown, professional football player *

Shockmain Davis Shockmain Nastase Davis (born August 20, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver. He attended Angelo State University. Professional career Davis was originally signed by the New England Patriots of the NFL in 2000 as an undrafted fr ...

, professional football player *

Tim Denton Timothy Jerome Denton, Sr. (born February 2, 1973) is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League. He played for the Washington Redskins in 1998 and 1999, and he played for the San Diego Chargers in 2000. Denton wa ...

, professional football player * Danny Gray, professional football player * Mike Green, professional football player *

Roderick Green Roderick Green (born April 26, 1982) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Central Missouri. Green also played for the San Fr ...

, professional football player *

Marion Grice Marion Grice (born April 10, 1991) is an American gridiron football running back for the Mobile team of the American Patriot League (APL). He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college footb ...

, professional football player * Ty Hardin, actor on

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

'' Bronco'' * Chris Johnson, professional football player * James Johnson, professional football player *

Dan Kubiak Daniel James Kubiak (March 19, 1938 – August 30, 1998) was an educator and businessman from Rockdale, Texas, who served as a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1969 to 1983 and again from 1991 until his death in off ...

(Class of 1959),

State representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

from Rockdale, 1969-1983 and 1991-1998 *

Oliver Lafayette Oliver Lafayette (born May 6, 1984) is an American-born Croatian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he plays at the point guard and shooting guard positions. High school and college career Lafayette attended Capitol High School i ...

, professional basketball player *

Abraham Louis Levin Abraham Louis Levin (December 16, 1880 – September 15, 1940) was an American physician and the inventor of the Levin Tube, which is still widely used for duodenal drainage after surgery and for management of trauma patients.K.G. Swan, et al., ...

(Class of 1903), physician and inventor of the Levin Tube which is still widely used in surgery *

Tim Montgomery Timothy Montgomery (born January 28, 1975) is an American former track sprinter who specialized in the 100-meter dash. In 2005, he was stripped of his records—including a now-void men's 100-meter world record of 9.78 seconds set in 2002—a ...

, sprinter,

2000 Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

, 1999 World Championships 400-meter relay gold medals *

Quincy Morgan Quincy Demond Earl Morgan (born September 23, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos. With the Steelers, he won S ...

, former professional football player; wide receiver in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

, former Kansas State All-American * Shane Nelson, former professional football player of the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

* Cam Newton, 2010

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

winner after transfer, where he won the

2011 BCS National Championship Game The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was a college football bowl game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season. The finale of the 2010–2011 Bowl Championship Series was p ...

with the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

. Number 1 pick in the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

, and 2015 NFL MVP. *

Damion Ratley Damion Ratley (born April 16, 1995) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Texas A&M Aggies football, Texas A&M. He has played for the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Houston Texans, and Detro ...

, professional football player *

Khiry Robinson Khiry Robinson (born December 28, 1989) is an American football running back for the Tiburones de Cancún of the Fútbol Americano de México (FAM). Robinson signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He graduated from ...

, professional football player; running back in the

for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

* Bernard Scott, professional football player *

Kendall Sheffield Kendall Sheffield (born May 30, 1996) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Ohio State, and selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round in the 2019 NFL Draft. High school career Sheffield ...

, professional football player *

Godfrey Siamusiye Godfrey Malumo Siamusiye (born September 23, 1972) is a cross country and track and field runner from Choma, Zambia. He has competed in the Olympics in 1992 and 1996. He was also NCAA Division I Cross Country National Champion in 1995 and 1996. H ...

, distance runner *

Vantz Singletary Vantz Singletary (born November 23, 1965) is an American football coach, who is currently the Defensive Ends Coach at Tennessee State University. He previously served as the Co-Defensive Coordinator, Defensive Line Coach, and Pro Scout Liaison at ...

, NFL and college football coach *

Tony Skinn Tony Oludewa Skinn (born February 8, 1983) is a NigerianAmerican basketball coach and former player. He played guard for the George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in F ...

, college basketball player * Henry Thomas, actor starred in ''

E.T. ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dub ...

''; attended the Bryan campus for one year *

Leon Toubin Leon Toubin, known locally as "The Last Jew of Brenham", a Jewish Texan civic leader, philanthropist, and historian, is the caretaker of B'nai Abraham Synagogue (Brenham, Texas), which he began attending in the late 1930s as part of the daily miny ...

, member of Blinn College's board of trustees *

Justin Tuggle Justin DuJian Tuggle (born January 4, 1990) is an American former Canadian football linebacker. He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He played college football at Kansas State. Tuggle is the son of former fiv ...

, professional football player * Dede Westbrook, wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and

candidate for the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...

football team * James Wright, professional football player

References

External links

History

Service area

Academic transfer

Community impact

Athletics

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links