Grayson College is a 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 ...
in
Grayson County, Texas
Grayson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 135,543. The county seat is Sherman. The county was founded in 1846 and is named after Peter Wagener Grayson, an attorney general of the Republic ...
. The main campus is in
Denison and it has branch campuses in Denison (west extension, at the site of the old
Perrin Air Force Base
Perrin Air Force Station (ADC ID: RP-78, NORAD ID: Z-78) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located southeast of North Texas Regional Airport, Texas. It was closed in 1969.
History
Perrin Air Force ...
) and
Van Alstyne (south campus).
History
In February 2007, Grayson's board of trustees called for a $44,790,000 bond election to expand and improve the existing campus, which was held in May and the referendum passed. This was Grayson's first bond election since the one called to create the campus in the 1960s. Among other things, $25.7 million was devoted to a new career and technical center on the east campus, moving these facilities from their current west campus location.
Campus
The main campus is located in
Denison, with a branch campus in
Van Alstyne. The main campus (consisting of the east campus and the west extension) is in a rural setting near
North Texas Regional Airport
North Texas Regional Airport / Perrin Field is a county-owned airport in Grayson County, Texas between Sherman and Denison. Formerly Grayson County Airport, the airport was renamed in November 2007. Several buildings are occupied by businesses, ...
. The east campus is all new construction and houses the administration; the west extension is composed mainly of buildings left over by the former
Perrin Air Force Base
Perrin Air Force Station (ADC ID: RP-78, NORAD ID: Z-78) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located southeast of North Texas Regional Airport, Texas. It was closed in 1969.
History
Perrin Air Force ...
, including and vineyards which carry on the work of famed horticulturalist and Denison resident
Thomas Volney Munson
Thomas Volney Munson (September 26, 1843 – January 21, 1913), often referred to simply as T.V. Munson, was a horticulturist and breeder of grapes in Texas.
In 1888, Munson was the second American, after Thomas Edison, to be named a Chevalier ...
(previously, an 18-hole golf course existed on the campus, but was closed ).
Organization and administration
The college president is J.P. McMillen.
As defined by the
Texas Legislature
The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ...
, the official service area of Grayson includes all of Grayson County and territory within the following school districts in Fannin County:
Bonham,
Dodd City,
Ector,
Leonard
Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English language, English masculine given name and a surname.
The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek wikiwikiweb:ΛÎων, Î ...
,
Sam Rayburn
Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn (January 6, 1882 – November 16, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 43rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was a three-time House speaker, former House majority leader, two-time ...
,
Savoy
Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps.
Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south.
Savo ...
,
Trenton,
Whitewright
Whitewright is a town in Fannin and Grayson Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 1,604 at the 2010 census, down from 1,740 at the 2000 census.
The Grayson County portion of Whitewright is part of the Sherman– Denison ...
and
Wolfe City.
Academics
Grayson offers
associate degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree.
The fi ...
s in over 25 areas of study, and operates in partnership with
West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University (WTAMU or WT) is a public university in Canyon, Texas. It is the northernmost campus of the Texas A&M University System and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It was established on Se ...
to offer selected bachelor's degrees online, with student counseling provided by GC.
One of Grayson's unique offerings is in
viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
and
enology
Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...
, housed on the west campus which also houses the work of Denison resident
T.V. Munson, whose work in viticulture saved France's wine industry during the
Great French Wine Blight
The Great French Wine Blight was a severe blight of the mid-19th century that destroyed many of the vineyards in France and laid waste to the wine industry. It was caused by an aphid that originated in North America and was carried across the Atl ...
.
Athletics
The college athletics teams are nicknamed the Vikings. Grayson competes in the
North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference
The North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference (NTJCAC) is a junior college athletic conference for many technical and community colleges in the state of Texas, sponsored by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Conference ...
of the
NJCAA
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...
, and offers athletic scholarships in baseball and softball.
Notable people
*
Andy LaRoche
Andrew Christian LaRoche (born September 13, 1983) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, and Toronto Blue Jays.
La ...
,
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
with the
Sugar Land Skeeters
The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston metr ...
.
*
John Lackey
John Derran Lackey (born October 23, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2002 through 2017 for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Ch ...
, former
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
for the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
.
*
Steven Okert
Steven Chandler Okert (born July 9, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the San Francisco Giants.
Career
Draft and minor leagues
Okert graduate ...
, baseball pitcher
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Grayson County, Texas
Community colleges in Texas
Education in Fannin County, Texas
Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
NJCAA athletics
Education in Grayson County, Texas
Educational institutions established in 1965
1965 establishments in Texas
Bibliographic Association of the Red River